“Carter.” I narrowed my eyes at him.

“James.” He copied me, but he couldn’t keep a straight face. A smile broke through that was hopelessly endearing and intentionally designed to be that way. “Plus, if you stay, I can kick your ass at video games later.”

“Okay,” I said. “But you know I’ll be the one kicking your ass. Again.”

“Oh yeah?” He raised his brows, coffee-brown eyes dancing. “Let’s make it interesting. If I beat you, then you have to wear my Falcons shirt again tonight.”

“What do I get if I beat you?”

Our gazes locked and a smile played on his lips.

“Anything you want.”

20. not in a rush

CHAPTER 20

NOT IN A RUSH

Bailey

Siobhan descended the stairs, a fresh drink in her hand. “Sorry about that,” she said. “I keep telling everyone solo cups only, but do they listen? No. I swear, someday I’m going to replace everything in this house with plastic.” Her eyes landed on Chase and me. She came to a halt halfway down the staircase, a knowing smile on her face. “You know, I just remembered that I was supposed to go…”

Chase grinned. “It’s okay. We were coming up.”

“Right,” I said.

Before I could move, he grabbed my hand, curling his warm, strong fingers around mine.

“Come on,” he said. “I’ll introduce you to everyone.”

Several hours and two more broken glasses later, Shiv and I were curled up on the living room sectional, chatting while the guys played beer pong in the basement. A few other people were scattered around the living room, chatting and drinking, half watching an NBA game on TV.

“You transferred schools this year?” I asked.

“Yeah.” Her blue-green eyes darted around the room to check for eavesdroppers. She leaned closer, dropping her voice to a hush. “After I broke up with my ex, he went totally off the rails. He kept showing up at my dorm, and the school wouldn’t do anything about it. Eventually, transferring was the only option.”

I could kind of relate, though at least Luke wasn’t quite on that level. If he showed up for another couples’ night at my house, though, I was going to whack him with a frying pan.

“That’s awful.” I gave her a sympathetic look.

“But it’s also embarrassing,” Shiv added quietly, taking a sip of her gin and tonic. She pursed her dark magenta lips. “Like, how bad was my judgment that I dated someone so crazy? That’s why, when people ask, I tell them I transferred so I could switch programs.”

“His behavior isn’t your fault,” I said. “My ex isn’t exactly a prize, either. Sometimes people hide who they really are, and it takes time to see through the façade.”