Chapter 20

My green go-cart cut off Gina's. I laughed as I came upon Cody's red go-cart. He tried to cut me off on the right, but I snuck inside on the left, making the corner faster than him. Crew was in the lead, but the guys working the track had turned on the red light signifying our last lap. If I was gonna win, I needed to do it now. The loud sputtering of the car filled the air as I floored it, trying to cut Crew off on the inside curve, but Crew inched over, blocking my attempt. I tried going wide, but he moved that way. Asshole. I could see the worker waving us over, and I needed to come to grips with the fact that he'd won, and none of us would hear the end of it tonight.

I climbed out of my car, reaching for Crew's extended hand.

"You almost had me," he said.

"MVP on and off the field," Cody said, patting Crew on the back.

"Seriously?" I asked Cody. "Do you think he needs any more ego-stroking than he already gets?"

Cody looked to me curiously. "Someone jealous?"

"Jealous? More like trying to keep his feet planted firmly on the ground."

Crew wrapped his arm around my shoulders and pulled me into him. "These feet aren't going anywhere."

Though it would seem like the ideal situation that we were both heading back to the same school, we had two different lives in Alabama. And, I hoped our summer fling wouldn't end up being just that. A fling.

We followed Gina and Cody into Monty's a short time later with our fingers linked. I spotted some of his teammates playing pool and flirting with girls. I stopped short, causing Crew to do the same.

"What's wrong?" he asked as Cody and Gina continued over to his teammates.

"This might not be a good idea," I said.

"Why not?"

A few of the girls had spotted us and were whispering to each other.

Crew followed my eyes, then squeezed my hand. "I'm here with you."

"But you've been with some of them," I said.

"I can't change the past, Peyton. You knew who I was when we started this."

"Doesn't mean I have to like it."

"Well, you need to remember that I sleep with you at night. Not them."

I smiled, the soreness between my thighs reminding me of that.

"Let's go get a drink." Crew ignored his teammates and led me toward the bar. Once he grabbed his beer and my Mai Tai, we headed out to a high-top table near the tiki bar in the back.

He reached over and pinched my necklace, running his fingers gently over the small shells.

"We don't have to be alone out here on my account," I said, knowing he'd taken me out back because of my knee-jerk reaction to seeing other girls he may or may not have been with before me.

"Maybe I want you all to myself. Did you ever think of that?" he asked.

"You sure you're not gonna resent me because I've ruined your game."

He smirked. "I still have game. I just use it on one girl now."

"It's more like you think you have game," I said.

He lifted his brows. "Do I need to poll the audience?"

"You're so conceited."

"I think you secretly love it," he said.

I sipped my drink, neither confirming nor denying.

He leaned closer to me. "But let me let you in on a little secret."

I leaned closer.

"The second I met you I knew my game was shot."

"Liar."

He shook his head. "The way you handled the situation on your balcony told me I'd met my match."

I rolled my eyes. "Don't even say, ‘You're not like other girls.'"

"Fine, I won't say it, but I'll tell you this. Other girls make it easy. I always know what I'll get from them if I want it."

I groaned. "Why are you telling me this?"

"Because you. You made me work for it. You made things exciting. You got my blood pumping, and I couldn't wait to see what you'd do or say next."

"Sounds to me like the chase is over," I countered.

He shook his head. "Oh, no. It's just begun."