Read Score: A Stepbrother Sports Romance for Free Online Page B

ice in my throat as something huge hits the pool next to me, but it tears out of me in a shriek when the blurred body comes rushing out of the water towards me with hands and arms outstretched.
    I’m still screaming, and scrabbling backwards up the side of the pool when the figure starts to laugh .
    Oh my God, are you kidding-
    “Woah! Woah! ”
    It’s Dalton, of course, standing right in front of me in the pool and laughing his damn ass off as I feel the adrenaline rattle through my body. I let the air out of my lungs in a whoosh.
    He chuckles, “Jesus, relax , darlin!”
    “I can’t see without my glasses, you ass ,” I hiss, turning to fumble on the side of the pool.
    “Hang on.”
    I gasp as I suddenly feel his body right behind me, his skin against mine, his slick, muscled chest against my back.
    “Hey! What are you-!”
    “ Relax ,” he says again, his voice deep and even and right by my ear. “Here.” His hands brush my ears, and suddenly I can see as he slips the glasses onto my face.
    I blink and look up into Dalton’s grinning face, only a foot away from mine.
    He winks at me. “Better?”
    I hit him in the arm. “You scared the shit out of me!”
    He laughs as he backs away, hands up towards me. “Sorry, you were too tempting a target.”
    I scowl at him and adjust the glasses on my face, feeling my heartbeat slowly creep back down to normal. He’s shirtless, his muscles glistening with drops of water in the dim glow from the pool lights. His sharp blue eyes twinkle at me as he runs his hand through his slicked back hair.
    “Howdy,” he drawls, winking at me again.
    I am suddenly acutely aware of the old, dorky one piece bathing suit I’m wearing.
    I’m also acutely aware of how bizarre it is that I even care. Who cares what he sees me in? I’m not trying to impress him or anything.
    I frown and shake my head. “What are you doing here?”
    He makes a face. “I live here, darlin.”
    I roll my eyes. “I meant what are you doing here now , it’s Friday night.”
    “True!” He gives me a thumbs-up. “Next question is a doozy though - what month is it?”
    “Har har har,” I roll my eyes at him again. “I meant shouldn’t you be out getting wasted with your ‘bros’ or screwing sorority girls?”
    “Probably,” he grins at me. “Don’t you feel special that I’m here with you though?”
    I give him a look, folding my arms over my chest. “Not really.”
    He laughs out loud, “Damn, red, you really don’t like me much, do you?”
    I frown. “I don’t know you much, blondie .”
    He grins and this time he rolls his eyes. “Oh sure you do, everyone knows me.”
    “Wow,” I shake my head at him. “You’re really in love with yourself, aren’t you?”
    “Aww, c’mon, you know what I mean. I mean everyone knows me from t.v. or any of those magazines.”
    He’s right, of course, but I decide right then and there that Dalton Cole does not need another person stroking his ego by telling him they’ve read about him in an article.
    I shrug. “I really don’t follow football.”
    “You mean you don’t really like football, and I guess that means players, too.”
    “Okay, I don’t really like football so I don’t really follow it, understand?”
    “Not at all,” he says with a grin. “You realize your dad is like, the Bill Parcells of high school football, right?”
    “Who?”
    Dalton rolls his eyes. “I mean he’s a legend, which makes you hating on football sorta weird.”
    I dip down a little more in the water, backing into the side of the pool. “It’s my dad’s thing. I’ve never really seen the appeal of a bunch of guys running into each other over a ball.”
    Dalton shakes his head. “Glory, baby.”
    I raise a brow. “Huh?”
    “It’s not the ball, its glory.”
    I snort. “You make it sound so poetic.”
    “Well, glory and pussy I guess.”
    I wrinkle my nose and he laughs. “Little less poetic now?”
    “Much; thanks for that.”
    He grins.