Page 27 of Tripped Up

She tries to pull away, but I clutch her tighter. “I said⁠—”

I let go of her hand and instead pull her into a hug. My arms wrap around her, and my eyes flutter shut at the simple pleasure of her body pressed against mine.

“What are you doing, Wyatt?” Her voice wavers.

“You seem like you need a hug.”

Or maybe it’s me who needs it.

She sighs, then slowly circles her arms around my waist and presses her cheek to my chest.

Without her heels, she’s about half a foot shorter than me. The top of her head is the perfect angle for me to press a kiss there.

But if I were to do that, she’d probably knee me in the balls, so I restrain myself. Although I don’t know where the urge came from to begin with. Clearly, something is wrong with me.

We stay wrapped up in each other for several minutes. It doesn’t feel like I’m staring down the clock, though. It’s… nice.

At long last, Elsy sighs again and pulls back.

“Will you, um—will you help me with my necklace?”

“Sure.” I take the thin silver chain from her palm and drape it across her neck. Standing behind her, I have the perfect view down her dress, but I don’t let myself get distracted as I hook the clasp and let it fall against her skin.

She ducks down and slips her heels back on, then straightens and squares her shoulders.

“We’ve got this,” I tell her. “You’ve got this.”

Offering me a faint smile, she sets her hand on my arm. “Thanks, Wyatt.”

I offer my fist for a bump, same as I would any of my teammates. She stares at me for a moment before she curls her hand into a fist, bumping knuckles with me.

A thrill runs through me at the innocent contact, my heart so full it could burst. Even though she invited me tonight, it’s clear she doesn’t actually want to spend time with me. But when she needed help, she turned to me. She let her guard down and let me see her in a vulnerable position. That doesn’t happen when you hate someone. Maybe I’m making headway after all.

Sticking my head into the hall, I check the coast is clear before I open the door fully and allow her to step out. Elsy brushes off her dress as she exits, her head held high.

In the light of the hallway, I catch sight of her face and pause.

“Hang on,” I tell her, catching her arm.

She arches an eyebrow at me. “Excuse me?”

Tracing my thumb under her eye, I rub gently on the sensitive skin.

“What are you doing?”

I think she’s holding her breath, her eyes locked on mine. Her teeth dig into her berry-red lips. I wonder what it would be like to taste them after all this time. Would it be every bit as good as my memories?

“You had a smudge.” I hope I sound casual despite how my heart is beating a little faster now. “There. I got it.”

“Thanks,” she whispers.

Elsy stalks away, her sequined dress sparkling in the hallway’s low light, and I pick up the pace to stay by her side as we reach the atrium. Under the glow of the elaborate chandelier, she glitters brighter than diamonds. She plucks two glasses of champagne off a nearby server’s tray and hands one to me, downing her own.

“Feeling better?”

“Yes, actually.” Her smile is sarcastic, no hint of her earlier mania.

When I make no move to drink the glass in my hand, she takes it back and sips it.