Cecelia Merrill was used to being on her own. Lost and lonely, Lia couldn’t wait to graduate and watch her judgmental little town fade behind her. All she had to do was survive three more years of high school, and she was free. She wouldn’t let anything hold her back.
Craig Knightly had almost achieved what no one in his family had before – all he had to do was complete his student-teaching assignment, and in less than a year, he would have a college degree. He was ready to put down roots and start his life. Nothing was going to stand in the way of his dreams.
Sometimes all it takes is a moment for everything to change.
A student and her teacher. A coach and his athlete. An unexpected friendship. Forbidden feelings between an unlikely pair.
Neither is playing a game they can win.
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EXCERPT
“Ground
rules. You feel up to making them now?” She nodded. I rubbed my palms on my
sweats. “You start.”
“One:
Whatever
we talk about, whatever I tell you, whatever you tell me, stays between us. I
don’t share with my friends. You don’t share with yours.”
I
didn’t even hesitate when it was my turn. “Two: We acknowledge
that we’re attracted to each other and then never talk about it again.”
The
smirk I loved made an appearance. “That’s your ground rule?” The admonishment
in her voice was almost laughable. “Whatever.” She rolled her eyes. “Fine. I
think you’re hot. Until you talk. Then you just bug me.” I laughed, but she
continued, “Three: Our significant others come first. We don’t blow them off to
spend time with each other.”
“You
have a boyfriend I don’t know about?” The words came out before I could stop
them, and I could tell by the irritated look on her face that I hadn’t hidden the jealous tone. “Have someone in
mind?” I asked, my voice a little more even.
“Not
yet,” she snapped. “But, when I do, I won’t be blowing off weekend plans with
him to stay home and take care of you. You need to put Whitney first. I’ll
understand. When it’s my turn, you’ll understand.”
“Speaking
of, we don’t talk about them. Whitney and your mystery guy.”
“Ever?
How is that a good rule?” she demanded, scowling. “No. Four: We can talk about
whoever we’re dating, but we can’t complain.”
“You
can’t change my rule.”
“I
didn’t change it. I simply used my turn to overrule yours.”
“You
made two rules. If you make two, I get two.”
“You
are such a pain.” She sighed dramatically. “Go ahead, make two.”
“Sex,”
she interrupted. “We never talk about sex. I can’t think of anything else.”
“Sex,”
I agreed. “Five: We never talk about sex. I mean it.”
She
lifted a shoulder in a half-shrug.
“That’s all you, buddy. I’m not the one who has a girlfriend.”
“When
you do, we don’t talk about it.”
“Not
a problem. Girls are pretty and all, but they’re not my thing,” Lia sassed, completely undaunted as if this was the rule she wasn’t taking seriously.
“That’s one. What’s your next rule?”
Needing
to make sure she understood this, above all else, was the one we needed to
follow, I clasped my hands and leaned forward. I didn’t need to say anything,
just gave her a pointed look. She knew me well enough to understand I was
getting agitated.
“Isn’t
this against your rules? We’re talking about it right now.”
“Lia,”
I growled in warning. I knew her just as well as she knew me. “Not talking
about it means you don’t ask questions. You don’t ask my opinion. You don’t
tell me one tiny detail simply because you insist it’s something I have to know.”
“Good
God! This entire conversation is embarrassing. I’m not going to have sex, but
if I do, I swear to all that is holy that I will not mention it to you!” The
blush crept up her cheeks as she threw her hands in the air annoyed. She was
too fucking cute.
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