Lyla, still sprawled across the couch, peeks over my shoulder and waves. "Hey, superstar! How’s Pro Day treating you?"
Jaxon chuckles, rubbing a hand over his face. "Good. Long. Pretty sure I talked to every scout in the country today."
"And impressed them all, I’m sure," Lyla says as she stands. "I’ll leave you two to it. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do."
"That really doesn’t narrow it down," Jaxon quips with a smirk.
Lyla just winks at him before disappearing into her room.
I roll my eyes and shift on the couch, bringing the phone closer. Jaxon watches me through the screen, his smirk growing as he settles back against a hotel pillow, his arms folded behind his head. His T-shirt rides up just enough to show a sliver of tanned skin, and damn him, he knows exactly what he’s doing.
"Well, well," he drawls, voice dropping to that low, cocky tonethat always gets me. "Look at you, all rumpled and cute. Did you even brush your hair today?"
I glare. "I hate you."
"Aw, you miss me," he teases.
I scoff. "I miss peace and quiet, which is impossible when you're around."
"Uh-huh." He tilts his head. "Funny, because Coach Harding mentioned you were asking about me."
Heat creeps up my neck. "He mentioned you first!"
Jaxon grins, full of cocky satisfaction. "I told him to check on you, made him promise to make sure you weren’t crying yourself to sleep without me."
I groan. "You’re insufferable."
"And yet, you answered my call."
"Temporary insanity."
Jaxon leans in closer, his smirk softening slightly. "You do miss me, though, don’t you, Blake?"
I press my lips together, refusing to answer.
He grins wider. "Bet I could get you to admit it."
"I bet you couldn’t."
"Is that a challenge?"
I narrow my eyes. "No. That’s me hanging up."
"But then you wouldn’t get to hear about how I made three scouts drop their clipboards today." He stretches lazily, his biceps flexing just enough to be obnoxious.
"Were they blinded by your modesty?"
He barks out a laugh. "No, but one of them said, and I quote, ‘That kid’s got star potential.’"
I hum. "Yeah, yeah. Some of us have known that for a while."
His smirk falters slightly, just for a second, something soft flashing in his eyes before he recovers. "Damn right you have."
I roll my eyes, but my stomach clenches. This man is going to ruin me. "Okay, hotshot," I murmur. "You should get some sleep before your ego gets any bigger."
"Not possible," he says easily. Then, softer, "Miss you, Mads."
I hesitate for half a second before murmuring, "Miss you too."
