Clipped by Love (Bellevue Bullies #2) (41 page)

“But what if you don’t like me once you get to know me?” I ask then, looking up at him.

“And what if I fall in love with you?” he challenges back. “What if you fall for me? I mean, there are so many what-ifs, why ask them all when we can just let this play out? You can’t control this, Baylor. Stop trying.”

Looking away, I suck in a breath as I look down at the ground. He’s right, I can’t control this, but fuck, I want to. I want to see it all in black and white. I want to know if I’ll get hurt, I want to know if I’ll fall, but I won’t ever know that. Not until I try.

“Baylor,” he says then, and I look up at him, meeting his heated gaze.

“Yeah?”

“Do you want to be with me?”

Nodding my head, I say, “Yeah, I do.”

“Then be with me.”

“Easier said than done,” I say softly, and then I give him a small, sad smile. “There is always that chance of getting hurt.”

“But there is also that chance of living a life of regret. You don’t want that, do you?”

“I don’t.”

“Then be with me,” he says, almost like a challenge. “Let me show you what it’s like to date a good guy.”

Still I hesitate. “What about the team?”

“Jesus, you have to have this all planned out, eh?” he teases, and I laugh.

I laugh along with him but not from my heart. It all makes me nervous. “Really though, they can’t know. When I was dating Seth, people treated me differently. Almost like I was with him for special treatment, when really, he was with me to get in with my dad. I’m trying to make friends. I can’t have people thinking that I’m doing this to get ahead, because I’m not.”

“I know that.”

“I know, but I just don’t want anyone to know. Especially my dad, he’d freak his shit.”

He holds my gaze, and I can see that he doesn’t like the idea of it. “I don’t want to hide us.”

“I don’t either but at least until we know it’s real.”

“You mean, until you know,” he challenges back, and I shrug shyly, a grin pulling at my lips. “Because I know.”

Shaking my head, I laugh. “Jeez, you’re so confident.”

“Because I know a sure bet when I see it, and Bay, you’re that.”

I need to correct him, but I just stand there, maybe in shock. And that’s just insane because no one calls me Bay but my daddy, but I’m allowing him? How did that happen? What in the world is going on?

Clearing his throat, he brings my attention back to his eyes as he says, “But if you want to date without anyone knowing, I can do that.”

“You don’t like it though,” I add, and he agrees.

“Not even a little bit. I want to show you off. I want people to know that I’m dating the hottest girl on campus, but I get what you mean, so yeah, I got you.”

Ugh, the butterflies. Swallowing hard, a grin pulls at my lips and I say, “I think you’ve always got me.”

“And I always will. Now come here,” he says, leaning toward me, still holding the bridge in a cute, little kid way. Matching his stance, I meet him in the middle, our chests pressed together as our lips almost touch. “Kiss me to seal the deal.”

“How very demonic of you,” I tease, thinking of my favorite show.

With a grin on his sweet lips, he says, “I’d say you could be the Sam to my Dean, but that’s a little odd.”

“Just a bit, since sleeping with your brother would be frowned upon in some states, but shut up! Seriously though, you watch
Supernatural
?”

He laughs as he nods, his breath warm on my lips. “I do, but forget that right now and kiss me.”

Running my tongue along my bottom lip, I grin. “Fine, but note I don’t like being bossed around.”

“Duly noted. I’m dying here, Bay, put me out of my misery,” he says, his eyes locked on mine. His whole heart is in his eyes, and soon mine is beating out of control. The anxiety of doing what he’s asking is all-consuming in my chest, but as I get lost in his eyes, it slowly starts to vanish away.

Closing the small distance between us, I press my lips to his as my heart explodes in my chest.

I’m doing this.

And I’m going to be triumphant.

Or it’s going to all come crashing down in a heap of mess, and I’ll be a wreck.

Either way, I’m going to try.

Because, really, there is no other option.

He’s it.

I
don’t think I’ll ever get used to the taste of her lips.

They are so soft, glossy from her lipstick, and utterly perfect. I crave them, and soon I’m unable to hold on to the bridge because I have to hold her. Letting go, I wrap my arms around her waist, pulling her in close as her hands come to rest against my cheeks, deepening the kiss. When I told her she was a sure bet, that was easy. It’s the truth, but what I left out was that I’ve fallen in love with her.

A head over heels, rainbows and sunshine, unicorns pooping glitter kind of love.

I want to scream it at her. Tell her how I feel, but I know that would be stupid. She wouldn’t receive it the way I want her to. She’ll freak, probably hermit it up, and then I’ll be alone. It scares me, it does, because at any moment she can decide that this isn’t what she wants, that it scares her, that it’s not controllable. And, to be honest, I’m not dumb, I know that probably will happen. More than likely, she’ll break my heart, but I don’t care.

I love her.

Do I like that she wants to hide our relationship? Fuck no, it sets my teeth on edge, but I get it. I understand her fears. She doesn’t fight for her wants, for her feelings; she fights for her career, but I’m going to change that. I’m going to help her realize that the important thing is her and that everything else will fall into place. It won’t be easy because Baylor isn’t an easy girl to understand, but I’m going to do it and I will succeed.

So as my mouth moves with hers, I’ll keep my profession of love locked away in a little box. I’ll show her what it’s like to be loved by a good guy, and maybe, just maybe, she’ll fall in love with me. We’ll go off into the big leagues, and life will be good. For once, I’ll be truly happy. I just need her to realize that. Realize that this is what’s good for her. That her fears are moot because they aren’t needed. We will work it out. We are two of the most headstrong people, how could it not work?

As her mouth moves against mine, my hand curves around her neck and I squeeze my eyes shut, praying to God that this is really happening. It’d suck to wake up and have this all be a dream, but then again, what a dream to have. She’s simply amazing. Tightening my arm around her waist, I kiss along her bottom lip, her jaw, nuzzling her neck as I breathe in her scent. As I nibble on her neck, her breathless giggles make me smile and I pull back to look down at her.

“I knew I’d win,” I say playfully, kissing her nose.

“Win what?” she asks, a grin pulling at her lips. Her eyes tell me she’s nervous, and I think it’s adorable. While I hate that she doesn’t get that she can be herself around me and I’ll still want her, it gives me a rush to know that I get to prove that to her.

“You,” I say, softly kissing her nose again. “I gotta say, you play some intense hard to get, Moore.”

Her face fills with color as she shakes her head. “I wasn’t playing anything. I really was trying to resist you. Found that to be very hard.”

Grinning, I wink as I say, “’Cause I’m irresistible.”

Rolling her eyes, she nuzzles her nose into my chest before leaning her chin against it to look up at me. “I’m cold.”

“Okay, let’s head back,” I say, even though I don’t want to. I don’t know how it’s gonna be once we get there, and letting her go isn’t really an option right now. “Or we can get my car and go somewhere.”

“Or we can watch
Supernatural
,” she suggests with a grin, and I laugh as I shake my head. “It’s your fault, you brought it up. I love that show.”

“I guess so,” I say with a grin. “Fine, but how are we going to do this? Hiding our relationship and all? What are the rules?”

She shrugs as I lace my fingers with hers, but then she smiles at me before removing her hand and tucking it into the pocket of her jacket. “Well, first, we can’t be walking around holding hands. My dad could see us.”

“He could have seen us kissing on the bridge too,” I point out, and she shakes her head.

“True, but that was an in the moment kind of thing,” she says, looking over at me. “But when we are alone, it’s cool.”

Rolling my eyes, I tuck my hands into my own pockets. “Okay, so no PDA.”

“None for the time being.”

At least she said that. It gives me hope for the future. “But we’re together, so no sleeping around or anything, right?”

“Um yeah, you better not be with anyone else and think you’re gonna be with me,” she snaps back at me, her brows coming together. There is a flash of intense jealousy that gives me chills. She likes me a lot. She’s just fighting it.

Laughing, I grin over at her. “Wasn’t even a thought, just making sure on your part.”

“I’m good. Believe that,” she states very firmly. “I’m with you, but we can’t be all lovey-dovey and shit. Not that I would be. I mean, it’s me.”

“Yeah,” I agree with a nod, a smirk on my face. “Would be nice though.”

“Sorry, not gonna happen,” she laughs with a shrug. “I don’t even know how to be with someone.”

“Really? You haven’t dated anyone?”

“No, usually it’s just sex. I never had time for it, and no one really made me want to date them. And then Seth came along. But even when I was with him, it was sex, which consisted of him getting off while I just lay there. I came for the first time, like ever, with you.”

Yeah, that makes me a little too happy. Puffing my chest out, I say, “Of course you did, it’s me.” Laughing, she leans into me, and I smile as I say, “You should laugh more.”

Looking over at me, she shrugs. “I find I do it a lot more with you than usual.”

“Again, it’s me,” I say with a grin, and she rolls her eyes, laughing some more as the house comes into view.

On the subject of dickfuck, I ask, “You loved him, though?”

That makes her stop laughing before she nods. “I think it was that stupid puppy love shit. I admired his game, he was older than me, and he was going places.”

“Oh, okay,” I say, and I really don’t like the guy, not that I liked him before.

“Yeah, he needed my dad for the recommendation to his contacts, so the closest thing to my dad was me.”

Stopping in place, I halt her by reaching for her wrist. She looks back at me, confused, and I suck in a breath. “I would never do that.”

“I know.”

“But,” I say, and her eyes narrow as she watches me. “When we started camp, your dad asked me to keep an eye out for you. I was already doing it though, but he promised that as long as you are good, that he’ll look out for me in the draft.”

She holds my gaze for a moment, and I can see the gears turning in her head. Finally, she waves me off. “That’s different.”

Letting out the breath I was holding, we begin walking again. “Totally expected you to use that as an excuse to blow me off.”

She scoffs as she shakes her head. “I’m in it to win it, Jayden. I’m going to do this, and I’m going to try to open up and be me. I am.”