Dominate (University of Gatica #5) Read Online Free PDF Page B

there, despite the way that he looked at her.
    “Tell me what happened at the party,” she said, because she’d wanted to ask him at the last two practices, but hadn’t quite dared to in front of everyone. She hadn’t wanted to cause a scene, and airing their personal business in public wasn’t really her style.
    Tyler’s eyebrows drew together in a frown. “Nothing happened at the party except that you left early. I went looking for you and you were gone.”
    “Nothing?”
    He sighed. “Look, Aileen, I know you saw those girls trying to get all over me, but I wasn’t interested. I told them to go away, which you’d have seen if you’d stayed longer.”
    “I stayed long enough to see that you definitely hadn’t told them to go away by the time I left. You even looked up and saw me.”
    “I didn’t think you’d take it that personally,” he said, still frowning. “Not to brag or toot my own horn or whatever, but there are a lot of girls interested in me. Anyone on the football team could basically have their pick of the college. But I’m not interested in any of them.” He laid the blanket to the side and stood, crossing the floor to stand in front of her chair and taking her hand. “I’m only interested in you, Aileen.”
    It was hard to resist that, those gorgeous eyes looking down at her, pleading for her to understand. But she didn’t know if she could let it go that easily. If he went anywhere with football, there would be women all over him all the time, and if he wasn’t telling them no in front of her, what would he tell them behind her back?
    She didn’t want to think that about Tyler, but she couldn’t help the little curl of uncertainty that settled somewhere behind her ribs.
    “I promise you,” he said. “I didn’t want anything to do with them.”
    He sounded so sincere.
    “You promise?” she asked.
    “Cross my heart,” he said, meeting her eyes with his own again. “I’m not looking at anyone else.”
    He held out his hand and, after a moment’s hesitation, Aileen took it, letting him draw her toward the bed. She still had stats homework—and all kinds of other homework—to do, and the weekend was another meet, but she could spare an hour or two, for Tyler.
     
    ***
     
    Aileen took a sip from the glass of water in front of her, and eyed the sandwich that she'd unwrapped but hadn't eaten a bite of yet. Usually food didn’t last more than a few minutes in front of her, but even though she was starving, she couldn’t quite bring herself to eat it. When she looked up, Chrissy was watching her across the table, her expression a little concerned.
    “You okay?” she asked gently.
    “Yeah,” Aileen answered. “I'm fine. I was actually just... Well, I was thinking that I kind of miss having Tyler here.” She smiled a little ruefully. “I guess he’s my good luck charm.”
    Chrissy laughed. “I think you did just fine without him. Second place isn’t exactly a bad thing.”
    It was a bad thing if you’d been consistently taking first. And if you were a Worlds Junior winner who’d had the tenth fastest time in the world on the hundred meter hurdles in the same year. If you were the person who’d done both of those things, people were always looking to you to excel. To beat your last great accomplishment. In a case like that, second place was a pretty big step down.
    “Anyway, Tyler hasn't been at a lot of the meets,” Chrissy reminded her, leaning back a little in her seat and giving Aileen a considering look. “What is it about this one that's different, do you think?”
    “This one is after we really became a couple?” Aileen suggested, pretty sure that was the answer. “Well, that and he’s on his way to the NFL draft and I kind of wish that I could be there, too… I don’t know. Support him. Cheer for him the way I do at meets. The way he does for me at them.”
    Chrissy nodded. “That's probably it, then. You know…” She paused, taking a drink from