Her eyes move slowly from Logan to Cole to Austin, unimpressed. “You do realize I’m right here, don’t you?”
No one says a word.
I bite the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing. She’s got all of them terrified, and honestly? It’s kinda hot.
Austin’s brows lift, and he shrugs. “Well, shit, we’re not about to leave you out. You looking for a date too?”
Before she can fire something back, Coach’s voice slices through the bus.
“Rhodes!”
Austin throws his hands up. “Right, right. Sorry, Coach.” Then he swivels to Isabella again, that dumbass grin stretching wider. “But if youarelooking for a date?—”
Coach sighs like his soul is slowly dying. “Christ. Isabella, come sit up front with me and get away from those idiots.”
Her eyes slide to me, and something tightens in my chest.Fuck. I wanted her next to me. Four hours with her beside me? Would’ve been the best part of the damn trip.
I slip my phone out from under the seat and type fast.
Me:
I need another no-questions-asked.
Austin’s phone buzzes and he glances down. I catch the way his lips twitch into that cocky-ass smirk, and a second later, my phone vibrates with a text.
Austin:
You’re gonna owe me big time. What is it?
Me:
Sit next to Coach.
He reads the message, brows pulling together. I don’t even care if he knows at this point. He stands, stretches, and slides into the seat beside Coach.
“Hey, Coach. Mind if I join?”
Coach turns his head slowly, eyes narrowing. “I mindvery much?—”
“Sweet,” Austin cuts in, draping an arm across the headrest. “So, I was thinking about coaching strategies?—”
Coach exhales the deepest, most soul-weary sigh I’ve ever heard and pinches the bridge of his nose.
I tune the rest out. Don’t care. Because Isabella’s already walking toward me.
She doesn’t look at anyone else. Just slips into the seat beside me like it’s the only available seat, given the full bus.
I glance over at her, my heart hammering in my chest. There’s nothing suspicious about this… right? She just prefers sitting at the back.
Who the fuck am I kidding?
It’s suspicious as hell, and if Coach glances back and sees his daughter sitting with me, I’m so completely busted.
But it’s worth it—just to be close to her.
Her eyes narrow, lips curving into the start of a smirk. “That was your doing, wasn’t it?”
I shrug, letting out a quiet laugh. “A ‘no questions asked’ gets me a long way.”
