Dark Hearts (Light in the Dark 3)

The game continues below and Thea sits on the edge of her seat, jumping up every once in a while, before someone gripes and she sits back down.

Thea’s standing with her hands on her hips, shaking her head back and forth. “Xander might be new to the team but he can play better than this. They need to put him in.”

“Thea,” Cade warns.

“Shut it,” she snaps. “You know it too.”

“What position does Xander play?” Rae asks. “I don’t think you ever told me.”

“Wide receiver,” Thea answers, not taking her eyes off the field. Glancing sheepishly at Rae, she adds, “I probably didn’t tell you because I didn’t want you to think I liked him.”

Rae rolls her eyes. “Yeah, because that so wasn’t obvious already.”

“Hey,” Thea defends, tugging at her own jersey with KINCAID printed on the back and 26. “It totally wasn’t.”

“Keep telling yourself that.”

Thea sits back down on the edge of her seat, and I swear she’s biting at her perfectly-manicured nails.

“You know,” Jace drawls beside me, “I have never been able to wrap my head around the joy so many people find in football. This is boring.”

I press my lips together to keep any possible words from leaving me.

He leans closer to me, brushing his arm against mine where I have it on the armrest. I jolt away and he chuckles. “I know you find it boring too.”

I’m sure all the color has been leached from my lips with as tightly as I have them clasped.

“At least it’s a nice day,” he continues, unbothered by my silence. “A few clouds, blue sky, hot.” He pauses and his lips quirk. “Although, it’s a fair bit chilly in this particular spot.”

I roll my eyes.

“Are you never going to speak to me again? Is that how we’re going to play this? You do realize we live together, right?” he whispers so the others can’t hear. He continues on, “You’re going to have to see me every day and you’re seriously not going to say a word?”

“This is your fault,” I finally snap. “If I don’t want to talk to you, that’s my prerogative. You made your bed now lie in it.”

He leans impossibly closer. I’m convinced he likes getting in my personal space because he likes seeing what it does to me.

“Maybe I want to lie in it with you.”

“Ugh, you’re gross,” I mutter under my breath and lean away from him and closer to Rae.

Jace moves with me, though. There’s no escaping him.

“You weren’t saying that when I was going down on you.”

I gasp loudly, but the sound is thankfully drowned out by the crowd as they cry, “Ooh!” Then erupt into cheers with a touchdown.

“Did we score?” I ask stupidly.

“Yes, dummie!” Thea snaps, clapping her hands and whistling.

I clap, because it feels like the right thing to do.

Beside me, Jace has leaned back in his seat, and I hope this means he’s done pestering me.

I hate how my whole body is so aware of him.

It’s entirely unfair that one person can affect me so much.