Page 38 of Kickoff

Before she could say anything, I stole Melinda’s bag from her grip and moved to stand behind her, speaking close to her ear. “Tsk-tsk, Mel. What do you think you’re doing?” She sucked in a breath, and shivers lined her spine and lit up my entire body as my front brushed her back. I was glad our proximity affected her as much as it affected me.

“Hello to you too.” She spun around and folded her arms over her chest, a frown creasing her forehead. It was cute when she pretended to be angry. “What do you think you’re doing?”

I mimicked her stance. “I asked you first.”

She extended one arm to grab her bag, but I held it over my head, which made it impossible for her to reach. She sighed and dropped her arm down with a grimace. “Huh…coming back to school. Isn’t it evident?”

I rolled my eyes as if she was exasperating me, not hiding the smile forming on my lips. “I mean, why are you doing the heavy lifting? I was there when your dad said you’re not allowed to train or lift anything over ten pounds for at least two weeks.”

She stretched her arm in my direction again. “It’s a book bag, not some heavy weight. Give it back.”

“No.”

“No?”

“That’s what I said. I’m not in the mood nor do I have time to weigh this thing of yours, which means I confiscate it. Until further notice. Not risking it.”

Paige snickered from beside her, and Melinda blinked in surprise. “You what? Stop with the nonsense.” The first bell rang. “Mase, I gotta go to class. Are you going to follow me around like a shadow and deliver my books to my classes all day?”

I smirked. “Yep. That’s the plan.”

“No. I refuse. I’m not a baby. And I certainly don’t need a sitter.”

“Well, I’m your caregiver so.”

Paige blinked. “Since when?”

“Since I turned into Nurse Pierce.” I flashed them a bright smile.

“Nurse Pierce?” Paige asked, her eyes drifting back and forth between Melinda and me. “You guys are weird. It sounds like a porn reference. What am I missing?”

Melinda shook her head and sighed. “Nothing. Mase, can we not do this here?”

“If you have a complaint to lodge, you’ll have to talk to my superiors after hours.”

She sighed, looking part amused and part exasperated. “Fine. You wanna play delivery boy all day? Suit yourself.” She pivoted on her heels and removed Paige’s bag from her grip and pushed it into my chest. “Since you’re insisting, I’m sure Paige would love your services too, Delivery Boy.”

My smile turned into a full-blown grin. “My pleasure, ladies.” I waved them forward. “After you.”

Melinda held my gaze for a long moment, her annoyance vanishing.

As we walked toward her homeroom, my brother joined us, draping an arm around Paige’s shoulder and pulling her in for a kiss. “Where are you guys going?”

“Class,” Paige said.

“And what’s with all this?” He gestured to the bags hanging from my shoulder.

“Book delivery,” Melinda said.

“Using Mase’s services,” Paige added.

“Why?” My brother’s eyes traveled between the three of us.

Paige elbowed my side. “Because Mase is feeling chivalrous this morning. I think he’s scared his arms required some more weight training before Friday night’s game.”

“Well, I’m stealing you,” he told his girlfriend. “Just for a minute.” They disappeared around the corner, and just like Craig did minutes ago, I rested my free arm around Melinda’s shoulders, doing my best to look confident and praying she wouldn’t push me away.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were coming back today?” Wanting to test a theory, I spoke close to her ear like I did minutes ago, and once again, she shivered. Yeah, she really was affected by my proximity. I put that piece of information in my back pocket for future use. Along with her nurse fixation and how good I looked wearing jeans. “I would have driven you to school myself.”