Bradford Bastard (Bradford Bastard 1)

Tanner cringes at that last comment. “I owe you a proper apology,” he says. “I never should have suggested that you were at fault for my sister getting hurt because you weren’t giving it up to him. That was a low blow for me.”

“It was,” I agree, “but you were angry, and while that’s no excuse for your behavior, I understand it.”

“Let me take you out this weekend.”

A laugh bubbles up my throat and he grins back at me, amused by my reaction. I push him back a step, giving me space to push away from the desk. “You and I both know that’s the worst idea you’ve ever had.”

“Couldn’t be any worse than any of my other ideas.”

“Your last idea nearly killed me with a flying chain,” I remind him. “And for the record, Orlando was pissed, but don’t worry, I threw you right under the bus.”

“I wouldn’t expect anything else.”

Stepping around him, I walk to the door before he can convince me to do something he and I are really not ready for. Pausing, I glance back. “For what it’s worth, your contribution to my essay sucked. You need to work on your adjectives. You called yourself sexy fifteen times. Fifteen, Tanner. I don’t know if you’ve heard of it before, but there’s this crazy thing called a thesaurus. You should look into that.”

“Oh yeah?” he says, a smirk pulling at his lips, light pulsing back into his eyes and sending just the slightest ray of hope coursing through me. “What word would you use?”

A soft laugh rumbles through my chest as I reach for the door and pull it open, truly thinking about my response before glancing back one more time, holding his complete attention. “Intoxicating and irresistibly delicious in every possible way.”

Chapter 25

BRIELLE

I’ve always hated football. I don’t know if it’s because I simply don’t understand the game or because it’s just a bunch of men running after a stupid ball and taking it from one end to the other. But one thing is for sure, sitting up in the grandstand and watching as Tanner dominates the field is the most exhilarating thing I’ve ever seen.

He’s a beast, and it finally makes sense to me why the whole school turns up to watch these games. He’s incredible and with Riley, Hudson, and the twins working along with him, the five of them are unstoppable.

It’s the hottest thing I’ve ever seen.

There are only five minutes left on the clock, and I’ve watched every second of it with wide eyes, cheering at all the right times despite not even knowing what I’m cheering for half the time. Hell, anyone who looks my way right now wouldn’t have a damn clue that I don’t know what’s happening down on that field. I look like a seasoned pro.

The team huddles around their coach, more than ready to smash out these last five minutes against their disheveled and exhausted opponents. Bradford is up against the Broken Hill High team and they’re good, really good, but they’re no competition for Bradford.

I sit between Ilaria and Arizona, cheering for Chanel down on the field with her blue poms-poms. The cheerleaders have been giving their all for the first game of the season, and I’ve listened intently as Ilaria has told me about the Ryder brothers who go to Broken Hill—Nate and Jesse. She’s apparently been crushing on them for years. Nate sounds like the untouchable type while Ilaria describes Jesse as the any hole’s a goal type, a complete flirt, and honestly, he sounds like my kinda guy. You know, apart from the brooding asshole down on the field who has looked up here every chance he gets.

The players make their way back to the field and I sit straighter, far too excited for these last five minutes. They get into position and the whistle blows, and just like that, everyone is moving again. Bradford is up by four, but the Broken Hill players have been putting in a good fight, doing everything they can not to let their opponents get away from them. But they’re tired. Bradford is pushing too hard and they’re quickly falling behind.

My gaze locks on Tanner, watching how he plays, and it’s clear he takes this seriously. The whole way through the game, he’s been checking in on his teammates, pushing them to their limits, and making sure everyone is playing a good, safe game. No wonder he’s team captain.

There’s a scuffle on the field between players, and the ref blows his whistle again, only adding to the intensity of the last few minutes. The crowd gets to their feet with wide eyes, and even Ilaria shuts up about the Ryder brothers, too captivated by the game playing out before her.

Two minutes on the clock and the opposition gets the ball, storming through the exhausted players, until Hudson and Riley intercept. Jax gets an elbow to the face and blood spurts everywhere, but Hudson is right there, saving their play. The elbow dude is benched and Jax hovers by the sideline, not giving two shits about his nose as the game picks back up.