Excerpt The Hardest Fall by Ella Maise

Excerpt The Hardest Fall by Ella Maise
I stopped speaking when Dylan’s gloved hand—his huge gloved hand—cupped my cheek and gently tilted my face up. The world around me slowed down, and I stood still. I swear to you, I watched his eyes roam my face in slow motion.
“I like having your eyes on me, Zoe.”
I managed to force a nervous smile. His thumb moved on my cheek, rendering me…basically completely helpless.
Forgetting myself, forgetting where we were, I whispered, “I like watching you.”
His tongue peeked out and touched his lower lip. “I know.”
Oh, Dylan, why did you do that?
“I meant I like watching you—liked watching you play tonight. I didn’t mean it to sound like I like watching you when you’re not playing. I definitely wouldn’t watch you if you were just standing there, or I don’t know…I wouldn’t watch you when you’re working out, and I would never watch you if you were—”
“You know why I like watching you?”
The question shut me up pretty quickly, which was probably for the best; who knew what else I would spew out.
“Because I can’t take my eyes away from you. Everything else…it all disappears, and…”
And… And…
“And?”
I tried my best not to look eager for his answer—or let’s say not too eager, because there was no way he couldn’t tell I was very interested and invested in hearing what he was about to say.
He let out a heavy breath and decided not to finish that particular sentence. I’d seen it in his eyes, a slight change, there and gone.
Goddammit!