He smiles, and we head back to the bleachers. We’d been sitting off to the side, but now the king retakes his throne. We walk right up the center aisle, and people make room for us.
He’s freaking royalty at this school. I didn’t understand it until now. I’m still mystified by it, even as a younger kid asks if he needs anything, and Caleb actually says yes.
Minutes later, the kid returns with a bag of popcorn and two sodas.
“Hey, Asher.” A guy in purple and black comes toward us, lifting his hand.
Caleb grins, reaching out and bumping his knuckles against the new guy’s. “What’s up, Bonner? You’re not playing this year?”
He chuckles. “Nah, had to have surgery on my knee at the beginning of the summer. Coach wouldn’t let me play.”
Caleb shakes his head. “Sorry to hear that.”
Bonner shrugs. “I’ve got the all-clear from the doc for lacrosse.”
“Glad to know I’ll have another chance to beat your ass on the field.”
Bonner’s gaze sweeps up and down my body. “I don’t think we’ve met. Matt Bonner.”
“Margo Wolfe,” Caleb drawls. “And let’s not fucking look at her like that.”
Bonner laughs again, scratching at the back of his neck. “Hey, Asher. No disrespect. You got yourself a beautiful—”
“I’m right here,” I snap.
A muscle in Caleb’s jaw jumps. He glares at Matt, the niceties ending abruptly, until Matt nods and stuffs his hands in his pockets. When he retreats back to the Lion’s Head side of the bleachers, Caleb finally looks down at me.
I wait.
“I’m not apologizing for that,” he mutters.
“I didn’t ask you to.” I find myself leaning closer to him. “I don’t like people staring at me.”
“You don’t like men staring at you,” he clarifies.
“Nope,” I say, sighing. “I’d pass on all types of attention.”
He rolls his eyes. “You better get used to it.”
After that, we lapse back into silence. Besides the uncomfortable quiet around us, and the glances in my direction, it’s easy to block it out and enjoy the second half of the game.
That is, until Theo catches sight of someone.
“Shit,” Caleb growls. He looks back at Eli, who’s two rows up.
They’ve both straightened in their seats.
“Who is he—”
Theo rips off his helmet, stalking across the grass.
Caleb’s hand twitches against my shoulder.
“Are you going to stop him? He’s going to murder someone.”
“Not this time,” Caleb answers.
Eli hasn’t moved, either.
I wince when Theo grabs a girl from the sidelines, her camera falling to the ground. He gets in her face, his face a smooth mask of fury. And then he shoves her back toward her friends, and stalks away.
“Well, that could’ve gone worse,” Eli calls.
Caleb chuckles.
“How could that have gone worse?” I whisper. I watch the girl get lifted to her feet.
He tilts his head toward me. “Yeah. He could’ve done a lot worse.” He shrugs. “He probably wanted to.”
I meet his gaze. “What happens next?”
“With what?”
“Us.”
He smirks. “You’re admitting to us, then?”
I shift. “Seems inevitable.”
“We are.” He grabs my hand, raising it to his mouth. He kisses my knuckles, then sets it back on my lap. But he doesn’t let go.
Butterflies erupt in my belly. It’s easy to let Caleb hold my hand and pretend we’re two nice people who happen to be dating.
We are the furthest thing from nice.
“Relax,” he murmurs.
“This is very public. And you just dumped your girlfriend. Loudly.”
He lifts one shoulder, his eyes on the game. “You told me to.”
“I told you to break up with Amelie?” I did not. I mean, I kind of did. Not in a direct way.
Not like this.
Jesus, she keeps craning around from her spot in the crowd of cheerleaders, squinting at us. It’s one thing for Caleb to crucify her in front of the entire school—hell, Lion’s Head’s students, too—but now she’s glaring daggers at me.
“You did. Now just relax, and then we’ll go to the party after we win.” He tosses me a quick smile.
I’m not used to his smiling.
I cast a helpless glance back at Riley. Something happens on the field, because I’m suddenly jerked to my feet. Everyone around us cheers.
Caleb picks me up and swings me in a circle, grinning. “You’re good luck,” he says, kissing my cheek. “We just fucking won.”
A joyous riot of Emery-Rose students flood the field, surrounding the team, with Caleb and me at the center. This type of celebration—so very male—throws me off for a moment. They pound each other’s backs, fist-bumping. No one touches me, though. It’s like I’ve been encased in fire, and no one wants to get too close.
Caleb motions for me to get on his back, crouching. Suddenly I’m a head above everyone else, my arms wrapped around his shoulders and my legs around his waist. Over the sea of black and gold, I can see the purple-and-black Lion’s Head students. They’re slower to filter out.
Caleb’s body heat seeps into me, warming my chilled body. The sun set some time ago, dropping the temperature, and I’ve been shivering ever since.
A wide grin spreads when Theo takes off his helmet and reaches toward me. I let go of Caleb long enough to high five him. Liam does the same, and Caleb growls. He backs away from his friends.
I slide my hands inside his jacket, and he chuckles.
“Ready?” Eli asks, appearing at our side.
Riley is tucked against him, watching at me with wide eyes.
“Yep,” Caleb snaps. He leads the way out of the crowd, toward the parking lot. He turns and walks backward, eyeing his friends. “We’re taking a quick detour.”
Eli snickers. “Oh, yeah?”
“You got a problem with that?” he asks.
“I think you’re gonna go do dirty things to your new girlfriend.” Eli laughs.
Riley elbows him, and I tuck my face into Caleb’s neck. I don’t have any desire to discuss sex—or lack thereof—with his friends.
Caleb spins back around, ignoring Eli, and stops at the passenger side of his car. He loosens his hold on the back of my thighs, letting me slip down. “Get in.”
I’m grateful when he turns the car on and blasts the heat.
“So, where’s the detour?”
He eyes me. “My house.”