Chasing Red (Chasing Red 1)

He climbed the bleachers, his gaze never leaving mine.

“Hey, Red,” he whispered when he reached me, his eyes dancing happily. “You’re here.”

He sat beside me, gently pulling a lock of my hair.

“Hey, Kar, nice to see you again.” He leaned forward to address her. “I didn’t know you were friends with my girl until she told me today.”

My girl?

I frowned at him. His smile only widened.

“She didn’t tell you she works for me now?” Kara asked.

“No,” he replied, his smile fading a little. “She didn’t. She doesn’t tell me a lot of things.”

He pulled another lock of my hair. I reached out and pulled his. He only grinned and leaned down so I could get a better grip. I rolled my eyes.

Kara laughed, but it sounded forced. “Keep working on her. Maybe she’ll give you an inch in a few years, eh?”

Her eyes shifted to the court, and she placed her hand on her chest as if in great pain, squeezing her fingers together. I followed her gaze and saw a girl flirting with Cameron.

“I need to fucking breathe. Be right back,” Kara said, her words tripping over each other.

“Kar—”

“I’m fine. I’ll be right back,” she told me, then leaned close. “Don’t be a moron. He really, really likes you,” she whispered in my ear before she climbed down the bleachers.

I watched her walk away for a few seconds.

“Is she all right?” Caleb asked, concerned. He reached for my face, then tucked an errant strand of hair behind my ear. He really liked doing that.

“I’m not sure.”

He sighed. “Is it Cameron?”

I nodded.

“Cameron doesn’t talk about it, but I know he isn’t all right either. His phone background is her picture.”

My eyes widened in surprise. “Really?”

He nodded, smiling. “Red?”

I looked at him curiously. “Yes?”

“Wanna make out in my car after practice? At the movies?”

I had no idea how he could make me blush so easily. He really loved catching me off guard. It was dangerous to be alone with him, even more dangerous when his attention was solely on me. To distract myself, I looked around and noticed several pairs of eyes giving me measuring looks.

“I think your girlfriends are annoyed with me for monopolizing all your attention.” I motioned with my chin to the girls standing on the sideline. He didn’t even look.

“Is anyone bothering you?”

I shook my head. “No, and if there is someone bothering me, I can take care of myself.”

“Regardless,” he insisted. He reached for my hand, his thumb absently making circles on my palm. I shivered at the contact. “Will you tell me if anyone starts bothering you? I’ll protect you.”

My throat felt tight, so I just nodded. No one had ever said that to me before. Not the way he did. Like he meant it.