Charming the Cheerleader by Maggie Dallen

Author:Maggie Dallen [Dallen, Maggie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2020-01-21T18:30:00+00:00

10

Conner

Rosalie waited until we’d left the diner before collapsing.

Well, she didn’t fall over or anything but she wrenched her hand from mine and slumped against the brick wall of the diner, her hands on her knees.

“You going to be all right?” I asked, not sure whether I should rush to her side to hold her hair back or give her some room to breathe.

She nodded. “Yeah, just…give me a second.”

I shoved my hands in my pockets, warily eyeing her and then the front door and then Rosalie again. Don’t get me wrong, Rosalie was my number one concern—but I was keenly aware that I’d been this close to going up against an entire football team.

I wasn’t a wuss or anything, but I wasn’t a fighter either. Never had been, never would be. I was going to be a rock star, after all; I wasn’t about getting my hands busted up just to prove my masculinity.

“Thank you,” I said.

She glanced up at me in surprise. “What?”

“Thank you,” I repeated. “You saved my butt back there.”

She stared at me some more and I couldn’t hold back a laugh. “Surely you know that they would have—”

“No, I know,” she said quickly. “I’m just surprised you’re admitting it.”

I grinned. “Think my male pride is too fragile to admit when a girl has come to his rescue?” I shook my head. “Nah. Not me. You are officially my hero. My knight in shining armor. My—”

“Okay, I get it.” She held up a hand and I was happy to see her face had gone back to a normal color and wasn’t quite so deathly pale. Her expression was once more implacable as she looked back to the closed front door. “Um, do you think… I mean, my friends were supposed to give me a ride but—”

“Say no more.” I held up a hand to stop her just like she’d done to me. Then I added a silly bow, complete with an over-the-top hand flourish. “I’d be happy to drive you home.”

“Great.” She came to a stand and followed me as I led the way to the parking lot.

“It’s funny,” I said.

“What is?”

“Your lips formed the word ‘great’ but you managed to sound miserable.” I nudged her arm. “Is being alone with me really such a hardship?”

“No, it’s not that. I just…” She let out a long exhale. “I just don’t want to go home.”

“So we won’t go home,” I said, continuing to head toward the car. I paused for a second, not long but long enough that Rosalie noticed.

“What is it?”

I turned to face her in the middle of the parking lot. “What’s your take on that Tristan guy?”

Her brows drew together. “Tristan O’Hare? The quarterback?”

“Yeah. Him.” I’d seen the way he’d been watching Harley like a hawk when we’d walked in. She either didn’t notice or was doing a great job of pretending not to notice. Then I’d spotted Rosalie and had forgotten all about Harley and her boy drama. Who could pay attention to anything but Rosalie when she was sitting there looking so stoic, so mysterious.

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