Enemy Down - Cathryn Fox Page 0,18
a job. I’m not just taking money from you. If that’s what you think, pull over.” She reaches for the handle of the door, stubborn as hell, but I like that she’s not a pampered princess like the girls who hang out with us ballers.
“I know. I know.” I hold one hand up, palm out to calm her. “I made a list, but I have been craving eggs benedict.”
She squares her shoulders, but her hand drops from the handle. “I could have made them, you know.”
“Yeah, I know but Julep Café is the best.” I turn the radio down, and press defog to keep the windows clear as the rain falls harder and her anger steams up the inside of the vehicle.
“Well, mine probably wouldn’t have been as good,” she admits. “I’ve never made them before, but I could have tried.”
I like that about her, that she’s not afraid to try new things, and no, I am not going to spend a second thinking about some of the things I could try with her. I flick on my signal light, and go up the ramp to get on the expressway. “Have you ever eaten at Julep?”
“Nope, never even heard of it. Where is it?”
“Over in Oceanside Park.”
Her brows bunch. “That’s two towns over. I’m sure we could have found a place near the college.”
“You wait and see. It’s worth the drive. I found it one day when I just needed to escape the frat house.”
“I never took you for a loner.”
I shrug. “Sometimes. The frat can be a little much. Guys and their girls coming and going from the place all hours.”
“I wouldn’t know anything about that,” she says, and I don’t miss the hitch in her voice.
“Believe me, it’s not a place you want to hang out.”
“I never said it was. The only reason I was going there this morning was to cook your breakfast.”
I take a moment to digest her words, the little lost look on her face. What is going on in that pretty head of hers?
“Speaking of your breakfast.” She stares out the window, and doesn’t look at me when she says, “Did you bring your list?”
I reach into my team jacket and hand over a crumpled sheet of paper. She smooths it out, and I cringe. “Sorry about the messy handwriting.”
“So cooking, tidying your room, washing your Jeep…” Her gaze lifts to mine, like she’s totally unimpressed so far.
“When your ankle is better, of course.”
“Of course,” she says all sassy like. She continues to read. “Make your bed every morning. Are you serious? I have early morning classes.”
“Doesn’t have to be first thing in the morning. You can come after classes.”
“How kind of you.” She rolls her eyes. “I guess I’m your maid.” She drops her hand, the sheet of paper on her lap. “I am not wearing a French maid outfit or anything stupid like that.”
“You can wear what you want.”
She glares at me for another second and goes back to reading. “You want us to do our homework together? This is ridiculous, Christian. Why would we do homework together?”
“I’m not asking you to do it, like some of the guys do, but we should do it together in case I need help. You’re smart, aren’t you?”
“Yeah, you are too, so don’t pretend you’re just another dumb jock. You’re anything but.”
I cock my brow. “How do you know that?”
She stiffens. “I just do.” When I stare at her, wanting her to expand on that knowledge, she says, “Girls talk about stuff.”
“Yeah, or maybe you’ve been checking me out.” I have no idea why I enjoy rattling her. Maybe because it pulls her out of her comfort zone, and gets her to loosen up a little. She’s always so serious, so on the straight and narrow—like I should be.
“As if. God, you have such a big ego.”
“Is that what you heard?”
“It’s what I know. Look, I hear things okay. I’m going into law school, and you’re doing a degree in sports management. You’re going to be a professional football player. We don’t have any of the same courses, or anything in common. It’s ridiculous for us to study together, and I couldn’t do your homework even if I wanted to. I know nothing about sports science. I’m not even good in science.”
“I think there might have been a compliment in there,” I laugh.
She shrugs. “Science is hard and we wouldn’t study well together.”
I lean into her, and her chest rapidly rises as she sucks in