Hard As Steel
Page 37
She turns the On the Court magazine around, index finger pointing at the front cover. There’s a giant pic of me looking like a motherfucking badass, and on the side is her name in big bold letters under the article title.
“Uh, of course it is, Raynie. Have you read the thing? It’s freaking fantastic.”
She turns it around and squeals again. “This is insanity. But wait, is the issue out already? Georgia told me it’d be later this week.”
I shake my head. “Comes out Tuesday. This is an early edition I sweet-talked Georgia into giving me. I wanted to make sure you had the very first copy printed.”
“Vaughn.” Her eyes soften as they fill with happy tears. She chokes out a half-laugh/half-sob that tugs right on my heart strings. “That’s so sweet of you.”
“You deserve it, baby. You worked so hard on this.” I pull her into my side and look down at the magazine. “Cover model’s sexy as hell, too.”
Tears and raindrops drip down her cheeks as she hip-bumps me. “He is sorta cute, I guess.”
I place the magazine back in the box and strategically arrange the umbrella over the top of it before scooping Rayne into my arms. I nuzzle my head into her neck, cheek pressed against her wet skin.
“My girl: the next big name in sports journalism. And then when you start your sideline reporting...shit, Erin Andrews, you better watch your back. Rayne Everett’s gunning for your spot.”
She giggles and gives me a squeeze. “I seriously can’t wait for next semester. But it’s gonna be hectic as hell. I’m going to be doing so much writing, what with the internship and Windhaven Weekly. My wrists are already feeling the pain.”
I lift my head and squint at her. “What? You’re going back to the school paper?”
She nods happily. “Mhmm! Jess texted me this morning saying the staff unanimously voted Dani off the paper last week. Jorge’s taking over as editor, and he’s demanding I return. And what King Jorge wants, King Jorge gets.”
I laugh as I remember the strange dude with the crown. “That’s great, babe.”
“The poor freshman who took over for me is not going to be happy when I walk into that classroom come January.” She shrugs. “Oh, well. I’ve already started planning out next semester’s big piece, and it’s gonna be a good one. Taylor Reed is a fantastic basketball player.”
“Taylor Reed, huh?” I frown, the little green monster of jealousy poking me. “And you’re gonna be spending a lot of time with him? Do I need to be worried you’re gonna fall for this dude? Should I be upping my game over here, Raynie?”
She snorts. “I think you're in the clear, Steel.”
“What?” I give her a devilish grin. “He’s not as handsome as me?”
“Um, no,” she says, biting back a laugh. “She is definitely not as handsome as you.”
“Taylor’s a chick?”
She nods.
Thank God.
She squints at me. “Babe, you do realize I’ll be interviewing tons of male athletes over the course of my career, right?”
I sigh and thread a hand through my hair. “Yeah, yeah, I know. I don’t like it, but I’ll learn to deal. As long as the bastards don’t try anything. Otherwise I’ll have to kick some ass.”
She runs a hand through my wet hair and smiles. “You have absolutely nothing to worry about. Although…”
“Although what?”
“There is one type of athlete you need to be concerned with. If he meets all my requirements, I can’t make any promises I won’t run off with him.”
“Yeah?” I say with a smirk. “And what are these requirements?”
“The athlete would need to be a college soccer player.”
“Plenty of those around here.”
“He'd have to be arrogant. Annoyingly so.”
“Again, lots of options.”
“Needs to be good at math.”
“Now we're starting to narrow it down.”
“And he must have blue eyes. But not just any blue.” She raises a hand to graze my cheek, lips turning up in a soft smile. “Eyes so blue the world stops turning when I look at them. Eyes so blue I want to dive in and never come up for air.” Emotion glitters in her own eyes. “And there’s only one man who checks that box.”
My chest freaking swells, heart racing uncontrollably as I gaze into her beautiful face.
This girl is my everything.
I reach a hand up and cup it over hers. “I love you, Rayne.”
“I love you, too.”
Lightning strikes in the distance and the rain pour picks up.
Water streams down our faces, soaks our clothes, drenches our hair, but we remain put, completely lost in one another.
And then I kiss my Rayne in the rain.
And I don’t think it could be more perfect.
Thanks For Reading!
Dear Readers,
Oh my gosh, y'all! Thank you so much for reading my debut novel :) I truly cannot thank you enough for taking a chance on a brand new author. Your support means the world.
About the Author
McKinley May is an outdoors enthusiast, has an unhealthy addiction to cheesecake, and absolutely loves to salsa dance (despite her two left feet). She lives in the south with her family and spends her time writing, hiking, and watching way too many cooking shows.
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Coming Soon
The Treehouse Boys Series:
Vaughn Steel
Weston Paine
Cameron Collins
Liam Wright
Diego Mendoza
Parker Fitz