Page 10 of Scoring Lessons

I crossed my arms. “You probably snuck in some treats last night as I was showering to win her over.”

“Did I, now?” He arched one of his brows. “Too bad you can’t prove it.”

“You’re so goddamn annoying,” I muttered as I stepped aside to pass him.

His hand reached for my waist to stop me. The touch was brief, but my body shivered at it.

That annoyed me more than anything else had all morning.

“I was going to go get breakfast.” He nodded toward the exit. “Join me.”

I hesitated for a moment.

My instinct was to say no. Surviving a breakfast with Wesley was as difficult as a referee trying to break up a line brawl—the good intention was there, but that didn’t mean the outcome wasn’t still going to be terrible.

“I know how overwhelming it is to start over, even when having family around,” he said, like he’d been privy to my thoughts since I set foot in this city. “Have breakfast with me. We’ll talk.” He raised his arm in surrender. “I promise to be nice.”

“High promise coming from you,” I retorted.

His smirk turned triumphant, his eyes dancing with glee. “This is gonna be fun.”

We’d gone to a small café by the lake that had outdoor seating so Daisy could tag along.

I was in the bathroom washing my hands, and when I stepped back out to the patio, I caught Wesley slipping a piece of bacon to Daisy under the table.

“Got you,” I said.

He looked over his shoulder at me, completely unbothered. “Okay, in my defense⁠—”

“She gave you the eyes, didn’t she.” It wasn’t a question. I leaned forward and fixed Daisy with a look. “What have we talked about, Daisy Mae? Stop begging like I don’t feed you, girl.”

He stifled a laugh. “Her middle name is Mae?”

“Got a problem with it?”

He dropped his elbows on the table and pressed his palm over his mouth, poorly containing his amusement. “It’s just”—he exhaled, but a laugh escaped him anyway—“that’s cute. I didn’t know you did cute.”

I scowled. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

He leaned back and let his gaze travel from my face down to the cleavage revealed by my sports bra and back up. It was slow and deliberate, like he had all the time in the world. It felt like something physical, the way it raised goosebumps along my skin.

“You really want me to answer that?” he asked, his voice raspy like gravel.

The smart answer was no.

But I’d never been known to do smart things.

“Sure,” I said.

He tilted his head, that infuriating almost-smile still playing at the corner of his mouth. “You’ve got this thing where you walk around like you’re bracing for a fight.” He reached for his coffee. “Like if you let your guard down for two seconds, your whole life falls apart.”

I didn’t like his assumptions one fucking bit.

Maybe because he already saw a little too much, and there was nothing I hated more than people reading me like an open book.

I took a seat and draped one leg over the other. “That’s because it’s the energy I keep around you.” I crossed my arms over my chest. “Consider it a you-specific response.”

He smiled into his coffee like the answer I’d given him was one he was expecting.