The air between Mara and Adrian felt suddenly thick, charged with an electric friction that made the rest of the crowded gym fade into the background. The other reporters were still there, hanging on every word, but Adrian looked as though he had forgotten they existed.
He was supposed to be playing a game. He was supposed to be laying the groundwork to win a stupid locker-room bet. But as he looked down at Mara’s defiant, intelligent eyes, the bet was the furthest thing from his mind. She was not swooning. She was not flustered by his proximity. She was looking at him like he was a puzzle she was trying to solve, and she didn't particularly like the pieces.
It was the most refreshing thing he had experienced in years.
“My conversion rate dropped because we played two heavily defensive
