Getting Over It: Sapphire Falls Book Six (34 page)
Read Getting Over It: Sapphire Falls Book Six Online
Authors: Erin Nicholas
There was something about Valentine’s Day that made people braver, more willing to go over the top and make a spectacle. And Ty loved it.
He had been making a spectacle of himself over Hailey Conner for the past four months. It was nice to have some comrades this week.
The hallways of Sapphire Falls High School were filled with pink and red and white balloons, notes taped to lockers, guys approaching girls with roses, girls approaching guys with roses.
It was awesome.
“Mark is waiting until it’s actually Valentine’s Day to give me my gift,” Hailey said, her chin up, her tone haughty. “He doesn’t need all this showing off for me to know how he feels.”
Ty would much rather Mark
not
wow Hailey with romantic words and gestures, but the team captain’s complete lack of attention to his girlfriend made Ty burn.
He kind of hoped Mark did pick a fight with him. Mark would make him hurt, no doubt, but Ty would get in a few good punches before he was down for the count. He’d fought with his brothers—his three older,
bigger
brothers—his whole life. He was no lightweight.
“You know you’re too good for him, right?” Ty asked with a sigh as they stopped outside Hailey’s classroom.
Her eyes narrowed, but not before Ty saw a flicker of affection.
He didn’t know what Mark said or didn’t say, did or didn’t do, when he and Hailey were alone but he knew that
his
attention mattered to her. And that wouldn’t be the case if Mark was treating her the way she deserved.
“You barely know me, Ty,” she said.
He gave a single nod of acknowledgement. That wasn’t completely untrue. Hailey was a senior and he was only a sophomore. The only time they spent together was in the hallways of the high school like this, or in the few minutes she gave him when he approached her at ball games, dances or downtown.
But he paid attention to her. He couldn’t help it.
She was gorgeous—long legs, silky blond hair, big blue eyes. She was also sharp and witty, president of everything, bossy and bitchy. He loved everything about her.
She was
the
girl to get. The girl everyone wanted. Every guy wanted to date her and every girl wanted to be her.
If Ty wanted to go for the big prize, get the un-gettable, win the un-winnable, Hailey was it.
Her legs, breasts and ass were only a part of his attraction. Though they were absolutely part of it. The other girls in the school couldn’t begin to compare with Hailey as far as beauty went. But he was also attracted to the fact that she was the boss; the take-charge, get-it-done, I’m-always-right ruler of the school.
Someday he intended to win an Olympic Gold medal in the triathlon.
Hailey was the Gold medal of Sapphire Falls High.
“Here’s what I do know.” He moved in closer and looked down at her. Even though he was not quite sixteen and she was about to turn eighteen, Ty still had a couple of inches on her, even in her cowboy boots. “I know that if you were my girlfriend, Valentine’s Day or not, you would know that I think about you all the time and that I love making you smile and that I would do everything in my power to make you happy.”
Ty felt satisfaction course through him as Hailey stared up at him and sucked in a quick breath.
Damn right.
“Hey, back off, Bennett.”
Mark Andrews. Right on cue. Ty knew Mark was in this class with Hailey. But when a guy had a chance to stand this close to a girl who smelled like sweet coconut and who filled out a pair of jeans the way Hailey Ann Conner did, he took it.
He gave Hailey a wink and turned to face Mark. “Hey, Mark.”
“What the hell are you doing?” Mark’s gaze flickered between Ty and Hailey.
“Just wishing Hailey a happy Valentine’s Day,” Ty said easily. “It’s this weekend.”
“I know it’s this weekend,” Mark said with a frown.
“Oh, I wasn’t sure. Since you haven’t given her anything yet.”
Mark’s eyebrows shot up. “I don’t think you need to worry about Hailey.”
Ty shook his head. “It’s not Hailey I’m worried about.”
“Oh really? You worried about yourself, since I’m going to kick your ass if you don’t back up from my girlfriend?” Mark moved in closer.
Ty sighed. “No, I’m worried about
you
, Mark.”
“And why is that?”
“Ty, stop,” Hailey said from behind him. “Don’t.”
“Why are you worried about me?” Mark demanded, scowling at them both.
Ty felt Hailey’s hand on his arm. “Because your girlfriend is going to be thinking about
me
all day and the whole school’s going to be talking about what a romantic I am. That’s gonna be tough on your ego.”
Mark frowned at Hailey. “Why would she be thinking about you?”
“Because
this
is going to be hard to forget.”
Ty turned, took Hailey’s face in his hands and kissed her.
And he
kissed
her. It was a full-on movie-quality lip lock, complete with the sounds of her books thudding to the floor and people gasping around them and the feel of her hands grabbing the front of his shirt.
It was the best twenty seconds of his life.
Followed by some of the most painful.
Mark grabbed him, spun him around and punched him in the face.
That was all he did, fortunately, because Ty’s older brother Travis walked up just then.
“What the fuck?” Travis pulled Mark back and glared at the two guys with him. “Step back, Andrews.”
“He deserved it,” Mark said.
“I’m sure,” Travis said. “That doesn’t mean I’m going to stand here and let you beat him.”
Which was also why Ty had chosen this moment and this place. Travis was taking history this period too.
Ty rubbed his jaw and shrugged at Mark. “Like I said—thinking about me all day.”
Mark lunged for him, but Travis held him back.
Travis looked over his shoulder at Ty. “Shut the hell up, Ty. Get lost.”
Yeah, okay. Ty bent to pick up Hailey’s books and handed them to her, giving her a little wink. “Totally worth it.”
She was staring at him with wide eyes, her cheeks flushed, lip gloss smudged.
Ty wiped his thumb over his bottom lip where the gloss had been transferred. “Love this flavor.”
Mark jerked forward, but Ty sauntered off down the hall.
Hailey deserved to be kissed by a guy who thought she walked on water, and she deserved to have two guys fighting over her.
About the Author
Erin Nicholas is the author of sexy contemporary romances. Her stories have been described as toe-curling, enchanting, steamy and fun. She loves to write about reluctant heroes, imperfect heroines and happily ever afters. She lives in the Midwest with her husband who only wants to read the sex scenes in her books, her kids who will never read the sex scenes in her books, and family and friends who say they’re shocked by the sex scenes in her books (yeah, right!).
You can find Erin on the web at
www.ErinNicholas.com
,
on Twitter (
http://twitter.com/ErinNicholas
)
and on Facebook (
https://www.facebook.com/ErinNicholasBooks
)
More from Erin Nicholas
Now Available at all book retailers!
Sapphire Falls
Getting In the Spirit, Christmas novella
Getting in the Mood, Valentine’s Day novella
Getting to Her (book 6 companion novella)
The Bradfords
Just the Way I Like It (short story, 3.5)
Just What I Need: The Epilogue (novella, book 6)
Anything & Everything
Counting On Love
The Billionaire Bargains
Single titles
Promise Harbor Wedding
Boys of Fall
Out of Bounds
, Erin Nicholas
Going Long
, Cari Quinn
Free Agent
, Mari Carr
Illegal Motion
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Going Deep
, Cari Quinn
Red Zone
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Getting Over It
Copyright © 2015 by Erin Nicholas
All Rights Reserved.
No part of this book, with the exception of brief quotations for book reviews or critical articles, may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by an means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from the author.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used
fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Digital Edition
ISBN: 978-0-9863245-8-1
Editor: Heidi Moore
Copy editor: Kelli Collins
Cover artist: Valerie Tibbs
Digital formatting: Author E.M.S.
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