I Teased His Kidney, He Kissed Me

I had a secret crush on my roommate's older brother, Holden Shaw. To win him over, I'd been picking my roommate Piper's brain for weeks. Holden had a basketball game that afternoon, so Piper and I showed up at the gym. At halftime, she elbowed me in the ribs. Got the signal. I grabbed a water bottle and marched straight onto the court, no hesitation. Whistles and catcalls erupted all around. "Damn, Shaw, you're one lucky bastard! Can't keep the ladies off you, huh?" The guys were cracking up, slapping him on the back. Holden's lips curled into a smirk. "That for me?" The guy had those sharp, dark eyes and a jawline that could cut glass. When he leaned in close, I caught a glimpse of his abs peeking out from that loose jersey collar. I swallowed hard, my mouth gone dry. And before I knew it, I was holding the bottle out to him. "Ahem. AHEM." Piper was in the crowd, coughing loud and deliberate. That snapped me back to my senses. I yanked my hand back. He blinked, a flicker of confusion crossing his face. "What's wrong?" His lips—pink, soft-looking—parted and closed as he spoke. 'God, I want to kiss him!' The second that ridiculous thought hit me, my face went up in flames. "Huh? Why are you blushing?" Holden raised an eyebrow, drawling it out slow. And of course, that set off another round of hollering. "Come on, Shaw, you really gotta ask?" "Girl's got it bad, man!" They were all chiming in, one after another. I wished the floor would just swallow me whole. Mumbled under my breath, barely audible, "No... it's not for you." "Huh?" He hadn't caught it. "Just take the hint, Shaw! Give the girl a break!" "Yeah, she's clearly shy." On and on they went. I was dying inside, my toes curling up in my sneakers. 'Please, just shut up, all of you.' I shot Piper a desperate look. She rolled her eyes at me like I was a lost cause. Then she started doing her sideline coach thing—mouthing words, waving her arms, making all those wild gestures. But the noise from the guys was drowning her out completely. And hell, I couldn't read lips to save my life. How was I supposed to decipher sign language?