Page 35 of Chasing Hope

I click my tongue. “Because you did so well at that the last time.”

She crosses her arms over her chest, and it takes everything in me not to drop my eyes to her sports bra, which at this height I have a clear view down, and with her arms crossed… Fuck me, I’m going to have to take anextremelycold shower after this.

“I’ve managed to get you to concede before.”

“When?”

Pink, full lips purse, her right foot tapping as her mind whirls.

My lip twitches. “If you have to think this long about it then you’re clearly not good?—”

“Christmas, four years ago. Your stubborn fucking ass wouldn’t tell?—”

A shrill ring cuts through the air, the tension between us that was a living, breathing thing evaporating as my phone vibrates across the kitchen island. I’ve never wanted to throttle it more than I do in this moment as Evie takes a healthy step away.

I want to keep her here, that spark dancing in her eyes, her lips moving a mile a minute as she chews my ass out, dishing jabs back at me with such ease it never fails to make my heart leap.

Picking up my phone, I’m about to have a few choice words for whoever interrupted us, except once I see the name, my anger fades. Holding it out to Evie, I announce, “It’s your mom. We really need to buy you a new phone. I can’t keep being your phone bitch.”

Evie rolls her eyes, ignoring the phone still ringing in my hands as she hip-checks me and grabs a bottle of water out of the fridge. “I’m good. I like the idea of you being my bitch.”

I all but choke on my surprise.

Evie winks as she takes a sip. “Cat got your tongue, Valenti?”

Glowering, I hold out the phone again as it stops and starts up once more. “Answer her.”

“No.” Shrugging a shoulder, she rounds the kitchen island, heading in the direction of the stairs. “Like I said, I’m good.”

“You need to at least eat after a run!” I call after her.

Evie spins, walking backward. “I’m not hungry.”

“I’ll force feed you.”

A cunning smirk dances along her lips. “And you’d love every second of it, wouldn’t you?”

For the second time this morning, Evie has me choking on nothing but air.

That spark is still flickering. It’s small but present. All I have to do is help her keep stoking the flame…without letting my emotions for her show.

Which is hard when all I love to do is banter with her. It’s like my drug of choice. I’m an addict and I never want to get clean. It’s the one thing I’ve truly failed at in life. I’ve never been able to stop myself from falling in love with my best friend’s little sister.

Punching the code on Grayson’s gate and driving through, it looks like we’re the last to arrive. There’s already twenty cars parked in his driveway.

Evie clicks her tongue in the passenger seat beside me. “Big turnout.”

“This is probably only half the team. The rest of the guys are traveling.”

Evie unclips her seatbelt before turning to me. “How come you didn’t go this year with Caleb?”

“I’ve got a project I’m working on. Chose to stay back and finish it instead.”

“What is it?” she asks, batting her lashes, making herself look so fucking cute I almost need to bite my goddamn hand to stop myself from touching her.

Instead, I bat my lashes back at her, leaning over the console and tapping her nose as I sing, “Nice try.”

Evie’s scoff follows us as we exit the car, the lock clicking into place as we round the back of the house to the yard.