by Emma Wolfe
And that side of me was the last thing I wanted to show Cora.
10
Cora
I stood there, still trying to figure out what had happened. There were a few things I knew for sure. Liam, yet again, had come to my rescue with my locker debacle. And I’d met Katie, the lovely cheerleader who wanted to pee around Liam just so I knew he was hers.
Which was ridiculous—I wasn’t interested in Liam Bronson. Not even a little bit. Well, maybe a tad. Just enough to be annoyed that he thought I wouldn’t be good at cheerleading.
“You okay?” Rose asked as she leaned back against a neighboring locker.
I glanced over at her, realizing that I had been staring after Liam. I cleared my throat and focused back on putting my books away.
Today had been uneventful. Just class, schoolwork, and teachers. I thought I’d gotten away with no one noticing the new girl…until Liam approached me.
Now it seemed like people were taking notice. Not only Katie, but every student who had been in the hallway during our very strange encounter. I was now getting sideways glances as people finished up at their lockers and headed out to the buses.
There went my plan to remain completely invisible. Thanks, Liam.
And not only that, but did he seriously just say that I didn’t look like cheerleading material?
“What?” Rose’s voice cut through my thoughts.
I glanced over at her and let out an agitated sigh. “Did you hear what Liam said about me?”
She shrugged. “About cheerleading?”
I nodded as I shoved my calculus book into the locker and then slammed the door, turning to face her. “Yeah, that I wouldn’t be any good at it.”
Rose raised her eyebrows. “I don’t think he said that.”
I’ll admit, I wasn’t really listening to her. Liam doubting my ability to wave pompoms and shout at the top of my lungs irked me.
I mean, I was never much of a dancer—it’s hard when one’s balance is as terrible as mine—but none of that seemed to sway the one thought that was bouncing around in my mind.
I wanted to prove Liam Bronson and that annoying Katie wrong.
I threaded my thumbs through my backpack straps and turned to Rose. I raised my eyebrows, and her eyes widened.
“I’m not sure I like that look,” she said.
I grasped my hands together in a pleading motion. “Please, let’s at least try out. I saw a sign in the hallway earlier, the last day is tomorrow. If not to be cheerleaders, then to at least prove that I can do it. Besides, my mom told me that I might as well reinvent myself. And who knows, maybe waving a pompom around was what I was meant to do.”
Rose pinched her lips together as she stared at me. Then her shoulders relaxed, and she sighed. “Fine.”
I cheered as I threaded my arm through hers. Sure, this wasn’t how I’d seen my time in Smoky Hills going, but I meant what I said. Who knew, maybe cheerleading was my calling.
Cheerleading was definitely not my calling. Coach Betty was more of the “get up and go” kind of coach. No try outs. If you survived the practice, you were on the team. And I just barely survived, much to Katie’s chagrin.
Part of me wished I’d just left Katie’s comment alone. What did it matter if neither Liam nor Katie thought I was capable of cheering? By the time the whistle was blown and Coach Betty ordered us to the showers, parts of my body were hurting that I hadn’t even known existed.
Not able to move, I just lay there in the grass, staring up at the blue sky above me.
“I hate you,” Rose muttered as she flopped onto the ground next to me.
I groaned and turned my head toward her. I agreed. I hated me too. My legs hurt. My butt hurt. My hips hurt from falling one too many times. I swear, Katie had amped up the practice just to torture us.
I saw a few other girls huffing and puffing as they limped toward the locker room.
“Katie’s the devil,” I whispered. My abs hurt too much to actually talk.
Rose nodded. “Agreed.”
“What were you doing?” Liam’s deep voice startled me.
My head jerked up, and then I winced, my head crying out with pain from the sudden movement. “What?” I managed as I squinted up to see him standing over me.
“Why did you come out here? Are you crazy?”
My skin pricked with heat as frustration coursed through my veins. Why did he keep showing up? Why did he think that I couldn’t do anything without him?
I glared at him and then covered my eyes with my arm. I think what irritated me the most was that he’d been right. Cheerleading and Cora Gray didn’t mix.
“You shouldn’t have stepped into Katie’s dungeon,” he continued. If he’d noticed my decision not to talk to him, he didn’t care.
Forcing my body to move, I sat and then groaned as I turned to my knees and hands and pushed myself up. As soon as I was standing, a hand wrapped around my arm and the other rested against my back.
Liam holding onto me like I was going to break or something.
Maybe I was too tired or too sore, or maybe Liam’s obsession with helping me was just driving me crazy, but the words that left my lips flowed from me like a flood.
“Leave me alone. If it hadn’t been for you, I would have never come out here.” As I took in his damp hair clinging to his forehead and the surprised yet amused smile on his lips, I just got angrier. “I was fine with being invisible. I didn’t want people to know I existed. Now I’m on Katie’s bad list and your watch list.” I reached out to shove his chest, but my hands just ran into his shoulder pads. He didn’t even move an inch.
Realizing how small I was in comparison to his broad shoulders and over six feet in height, all rational thought left my mind. All I could focus on was how good he looked in his football getup and how safe I felt in his presence.
Drat.
“I’m sorry,” he said. His voice was low as he reached out and took my hands.
He dipped down to meet my gaze, and my heart took off galloping. “I didn’t mean to imply that you were bad at cheerleading. I just know Katie. She’s a bloodhound, and she was going to go after you.”
I stared into his dark eyes and felt as if I were falling into them. They were warm and inviting, and I could actually see his apology.
Then my gaze trailed from his eyes, down his perfect nose, and to his lips that were parting once more. I’d never noticed until now how perfect his teeth were. Or how kissable his lips looked.
How could someone have such a perfect mouth?
The thought of kissing him floated into my mind. He looked like he knew how to kiss. He seemed like the kind of guy to take charge. My heart picked up speed, and my body flushed.
“I was also thinking about me,” he said, his voice turning flirty. I snapped my gaze up to meet his, forcing myself to focus on his words. “I have to practice on the field over.” He nodded in the direction of the other football players, who were mingling around the water table.
I glanced over, trying to understand what he was saying. “That would be bad?” I asked.
His gaze roamed my face and then returned to my eyes. “Very bad.”
“Bronson!” The football coach snapped both of our attentions over to him. Liam dropped my hand like he’d been burned. He looked like he’d done something wrong as he ran his hands through his damp hair.
“Yeah, Coach?” he asked, glancing over.
“Stop flirting, and let’s finish this play. Then you can go back to fraternizing.”
My whole body flushed at the coach’s words. Liam’s face had paled. Like he was embarrassed about being seen talking to me.
Great.
Liam nodded and pinched his lips together as he jogged over to the field. I could feel the coach’s gaze on me as he waited for Liam, and then they both walked over to the team huddle. Liam and the coach had their heads ducked toward each other, and I could see the coach’s lips move as he spoke.
I sighed and glan
ced over to Rose who was still lying on the ground, twirling a piece of grass. Her eyes were closed and there was a hint of a smile on her lips.
“What?” I asked as I stood over her.
Rose shrugged and squinted up at me. “Liam likes you,” she said.
Her words washed over me, and my heart picked up speed. I cleared my throat as my gaze found its way over to Liam, who was talking to a few of his team members.
“He does not,” I said, reaching down and helping her up.
Rose snorted. “Yes, he does. Are you kidding me? I’ve lived here my whole life, and I’ve never seen him as interested in a girl as he is in you.”
I wrapped my arms around my chest as I walked next to Rose. We started making our way back to the school, where hopefully, the other cheerleaders had cleared out, leaving us the locker room to ourselves. “What about Katie?”
Rose laughed. “She wishes. She’s tried to snag him, but he’s just not interested.” She turned and pointed her finger toward me. “Not like he’s interested in you.”
My stomach lightened and my body flushed. As much as I didn’t want to acknowledge what Rose was saying…my body seemed to approve.
Rose linked arms with me. “Hey, don’t look so worried. There are worse guys out there. Liam’s big and broody, but he can be decent.”
I swallowed, my throat going dry. This was not part of my plan to lay low and never get noticed. And it was a big departure from the “stay away from Liam” talk she gave me the other day.
“What about what you said? About being suspicious of people here?”
Rose shielded her eyes from the sun as she glanced over at me. She took in a deep breath and shrugged. “Like I said, those are just thoughts. Speculations.”
I studied her. Was she serious? Liam seemed like the least low-profile person in the school. “But…” I started to say, unsure how to finish.
Rose held my gaze for a moment and then laughed as she patted my shoulder. “I’m just joking. And besides, like my grandma always says, I’m a believer. I tend to have an overactive imagination.”
I forced a smile, feeling even more confused about Liam than I had earlier.
Rose sighed and shrugged. “If you’re not interested, you should tell him.” She reached out and pushed open the door to the school. “That’s what I did with Grayson.”
I paused and glanced over at her. “Is that what that was about? I picked up on some awkwardness between you two.”
Rose nodded as she held the door open for me. “We hung out for a while last year. Things were normal, and then he suddenly got really weird. He wouldn’t meet my gaze or talk to me. Then he asked me to go to prom with him.” She shrugged as she adjusted her ponytail. “I told him I didn’t see him like that.”
I widened my eyes. “Grayson. The guy Liam asked to drive us down the mountain to go to a grocery store?”
Rose met my gaze. “Yep,” she said, emphasizing the p. “Those two are like best buds. Grayson doesn’t go anywhere without Liam knowing.”
I nodded. I could definitely see that. “Interesting.”
Rose shrugged as she made her way to the lockers. I sat on the bench for a few seconds, letting her words wash over me. The ones that kept coming back to me over and over again were “he likes you.”
Liam Bronson liked me.
It was one thing to have your mother say a guy was interested in you. But Rose actually knew Liam; her assessment seemed more credible.
I cleared my throat and pulled open my locker. I was ready to get out of school, get back home, and shower this entire day off of me.
I had so much homework to do and stuff to take care of at home. I didn’t have time to sit around thinking about Liam Bronson.
I was still trying to figure out who I was here in Smoky Hills. I didn’t need the complication of a guy to get in the way.
After we gathered our things, Rose and I fell into step with each other. I glanced over at her. “Mind if I catch a ride with you?”
Rose nodded. “Of course.”
I smiled as I held open the locker room door for her. At least, through all this mess Liam had stirred up for me, I had Rose.
I was really glad she’d decided to be my friend.
As we stepped out into the hall, Liam snapped his attention over to us. I tried not to groan as my pulse sped up. This wasn’t good. I didn’t like that he was waiting for me or that my emotions were reacting like they were.
“Hey, I thought I could give you a ride home,” he said, stepping up to me.
I slowly let out my breath, forcing myself to remain calm.
“I’ll wait for you over here,” Rose said as she sidestepped Liam and made her way down the hall.
“Rose is giving me a ride,” I said, nodding in the direction she’d gone.
Liam glanced over his shoulder and then back to me. “Are you sure?” he asked. It seemed like my answer was physically hurting him.
Tell him how you feel, I repeated in my mind. I wasn’t interested in dating anyone. He needed to know that. Even if my emotions were telling me to give him a chance.
“Yeah, I think it’s probably best.”
Liam furrowed his brow as he studied me, tipping his head to the side. After a few seconds, he nodded, looking slightly amused. “You’re probably right.”
I was almost taken aback by his response. I hadn’t imagined that would be all it took to dissuade him. It seemed ridiculous, but I was a little hurt he didn’t try to fight for…whatever it was we had. If there was actually anything between us at all.
I needed to get home and hide in my room until I figured all of this out. “Thanks though,” I said, offering him a soft smile.
Liam nodded, his lips tipping up to a resigned smile. “I’m happy you found someone to be your friend,” he said, nodding in Rose’s direction.
That was a strange comment, but I was too tired to figure it out. So I just agreed. “Yeah.”
He reached out his hand a few inches from my arm. Like he wanted to touch me but wasn’t sure if he should. Then he curled his fingers into his palm. “I’ll see you tomorrow in home ec?”
I swallowed. “Yep.”
He glanced down at me for a few seconds longer. He had a look in his eye that I wasn’t sure how to read. Or if I wanted to. Then he nodded and turned, dipping his head as he made his way down the hallway and disappeared around the corner.
I blew out my breath and stood there for a moment, trying to process what had just happened.
Even though I was trying to convince myself that I didn’t like Liam, I couldn’t deny that there was something about him that was drawing me in.
He was confusing and interesting, and the fact that he just might like me…well, it made my heart pound harder than it had in a long time.
“You ready to go?” Rose asked.
I glanced over to see her standing next to me.
“Yeah,” I breathed out. I followed her out of the building and over to her car.
Soon, I was back home. I slipped out of my clothes and took a hot shower. After I dried off, I slipped into a pair of shorts and a T-shirt and pulled open my backpack.
I knew I needed to get started on my homework, but I wasn’t sure how well that was going to go. Not when Liam was invading my thoughts.
I was in trouble.
My head might not want anything to do with Liam, but my heart did. And I wasn’t sure which one to listen to.
11
Liam
It was hard to walk away from Cora like that. Especially when I could hear the change in her heartbeat as I rounded the corner. I heard Rose ask her if she was okay, and I held my breath as I waited for her to respond.
She may be saying that she wanted nothing to do with me, but I could tell from the rhythmic beating of her heart and the breathy way she spoke—she was lying.
That thought just riled up the wolf inside of me.
I gritted my teeth and headed out to my truck. I growled when I saw K
atie leaning against the hood and staring down at her phone. I didn’t have time to deal with her right then.
I needed to follow Cora home to make sure she was safe. I was certain she was, but the irrational part of my brain had a tendency to win out over the rational part. And then I needed to head to the parking lot renovation and put in some hours.
Even though I was exhausted from practice, I still had a lot of pent-up frustration to burn off. I needed to get my thoughts about Cora under control.
Coach Pennington, Noah’s dad and school counselor—and part of our pack—had noticed my change in equilibrium while talking to Cora. So when I’d made my way back to the team, he had a few words with me.
Was I stupid? Did I think this was the best time to have feelings for a human? If the feelings were real, then I needed to try harder to stay away. The longer I indulged, the harder it would be to leave.
His words filled my mind and resonated with me. He talked about how things were quickly escalating in the pack and that me fating with a human was the last thing my dad needed.
I knew all of this. I knew it was ridiculous to have feelings for Cora. I was trying to fight them—I was. But it was hard to control the wolf inside of me. There was a part of me that desperately wanted to be around her. And that part was quickly winning out.
“What are you doing here?” I growled as I approached my truck.
Katie’s eyes rose to meet mine, and her smile widened. Her scent was strong as she leaned in toward me. I tried not to roll my eyes at her obvious attempt at seduction. If only she knew that nothing would work on a wolf who had found its fate.
Her attempts weren’t alluring. They were just annoying.
“I thought we could go grab a shake at Jordan’s. You know, for old time’s sake.” She smiled as she batted her eyes at me.
I growled. “Not hungry, and I have work to do. So, if you’ll excuse me…” I nodded in the direction that I was silently hoping she’d go.
