Somethin' About That Boy

“Can I talk to you for a second?” I said, looking at Banner.

Banner’s brows went up but he shrugged and rounded the cart, a half-filled cup of water in his hand. Which he promptly swallowed down.

I watched the muscles of his throat work and thought that maybe I wasn’t equipped to handle a guy like Banner.

“What’s up?” he rumbled, his arms crossing over his chest.

With his nipples now covered, I could actually somewhat think about what it was that I wanted to say.

“Candace and Symphony and their cheerleading friends harass my mother,” I said. “She’s a lunch lady.”

Banner’s eyes narrowed as he stiffened.

“What?”

I swallowed and kept on, unaware of what I should do about the anger he was now showing.

“Anyway, Symphony started to spout some stuff just a minute ago, and one thing led to another. And now I’m going to ask you to ask me out on a date so that they leave my mother alone for a month and stop giving her a hard time.” I paused to take a breath. “We can go out to eat, I’ll pay for my food. We meet there separately. Then we go our separate ways.”

Banner blinked, and I watched as a droplet of sweat started to roll down the length of his neck, curling over his collarbone, only to descend his chest, between his pecs, and all the way down the valley of his abs.

The moment that it joined the gathered sweat in the waistband of his sweatpants, I looked back up to see him grinning wickedly at me.

“What?” I asked.

“Yes.”

“Yes what?” I wondered, momentarily confused on what it was that we’d been discussing before.

God, his smile was bright.

“I said yes to your date.” He paused. “But I have my own stipulations.”

I blinked, honestly surprised that he’d agreed so readily.

“Okay.” I paused. “What are they?”

“I pick you up,” he started, absently running one of his fingers down the length of his side. “And you let me pick where we go to eat.”

I was instantly ready to say no.

“I don’t like many places…” I paused. “But yeah, that’s fine. My mom’s worth it.”

His teeth flashed white again as he grinned.

“And I get to say something to Symphony. I don’t like when people get bullied, even pretty lunch ladies that know how to handle themselves,” he said.

I felt my belly tighten at his words.

“You don’t even know which one is mine,” I pointed out.

He shrugged. “I don’t really care. But all the ones that I saw today were pretty.”

I shrugged. “Symphony is an ass. You tell her not to do something, let her know that it bothers you, and she does it even harder the next time. She doesn’t know basic common courtesy, and she really doesn’t care that she’s hurting people.”

He narrowed his eyes. “Maybe Symphony needs to have someone show her the error of her ways.”

Maybe she did.

But Banner wasn’t going to be the one to do it.

Because if she realized that he was going to go up against her, she’d fight tooth and nail to make sure she came out the winner.

It didn’t help that her daddy and her mother were on the school board.

At Kilgore High, she was pretty much as untouchable as they came.

“I’d like to say that I agree with you, but Symphony’s not worth it. And my mama would never forgive me if I started this. She’s told me to leave it alone on numerous occasions.”

He grumbled something under his breath, then looked up when the coach once again called him out on the field.

“I’ll pick you up tonight for our date.”

I blinked.

“Ummm…” I hesitated. “I don’t…”

He winked and left without giving me the chance to deny him.

I watched the muscles in his back flex and bunch as he ran back out onto the field, then turned to see Symphony standing at the bleachers, arms crossed.

She looked pissed that I’d had the balls to go up to him and ask him.

Well, maybe just seeing that look on her face would be payment enough for the embarrassment that was about to happen tonight.Chapter 5

My crystal ball says you’re full of shit.

-Text from Banner to Ford

Banner

“I need to borrow your truck.”

My brother looked up at me in surprise. “Why?”

Ashe, my brother’s wife, punched him in the shoulder. “Just give him the keys.”

“But it’s brand new,” Ford argued. “What if he hurts it?”

Ashe walked to her purse and tossed me her set of keys to Ford’s truck. “Don’t hurt it.”

I rolled my eyes and grinned. “Yes, ma’am.”

She patted her hugely pregnant belly.

“Also, for repayment, will you bring me some sort of dessert from wherever you plan on going out to eat?” She blinked her eyes and pressed her hands together in a pleading gesture.

I pocketed the keys and nodded.

“Yes.” I paused, looking at my brother. “And to answer your earlier question, I have a date.”