Chapter 1

Riley's POV

Dallas Airport at 2 AM was cold as an abandoned space station.

I crouched in the corner of the arrivals hall, back against the freezing wall, phone screen lighting up and dimming. The flight had been delayed three hours, and my patience was completely shot. The journey back to Texas from New York felt even longer than I'd imagined.

"Chase, you ASSHOLE, pick up the phone!" I muttered under my breath, dialing for the seventh time.

Finally, a drunk voice answered: "Hello? Which lovely lady is this?"

"It's your SISTER!" I gritted my teeth. "I'm at Dallas Airport. Didn't you say you'd pick me up?"

"Oh oh oh... pick you up, of course I'll pick you up!" Chase's voice was barely audible over the loud background music. "I'll send someone to get you, don't worry babe..."

"CHASE! Are you even listening? It's Riley, your actual sister!"

"Yeah yeah, I got it covered, sweetheart..."

The line went dead. I stared at my phone screen. The guy was completely wasted, hadn't heard a word I said. But at least he promised to send someone, which beat taking a cab back to campus alone.

Half an hour later, a black F-150 pickup pulled up in the pickup zone. The door opened, and a tall figure stepped out.

My heart skipped a beat.

Golden hair catching the soft glow of streetlights, sharp nose, those unforgettable green eyes... It was Mason Cole. University of Texas quarterback, my brother's best friend, and... the guy who'd haunted my dreams throughout high school.

DAMN you, Chase! Why did it have to be HIM picking me up? I quickly used my phone's front camera to check myself—hair a mess, lipstick smudged, dark circles under my eyes!

He looked around, clearly searching for someone. When his gaze landed on me crouched on the ground, his expression shifted from confusion to shock.

"Are you... Riley?" He walked over, voice filled with disbelief.

"Uh... hi?" I awkwardly stood up, brushing dust off my jeans, trying to appear composed. "You are..."

"Mason." He extended his hand. "Mason Cole. I'm Chase's friend."

I hesitated deliberately, then took his hand: "Oh... hello. I'm Riley Matthews."

His green eyes studied me carefully: "Do you remember me? We've met before, at your house."

"Uh..." I pretended to struggle with the memory. "Sorry, I have a terrible memory. You said you're Chase's friend?"

Mason's expression showed a flicker of disappointment, but he quickly recovered with a smile: "No worries, you were just a kid then. That bastard Chase told me to pick up some sports reporter who wanted to interview him. Never expected it to be his baby sister."

"Sports reporter?" My eyes widened. "No wonder he was so confused on the phone! He thought I was..."

"That reporter from The Daily Texan who's been trying to get a date with him." Mason grabbed my suitcase. "Come on, let's get in the car. Texas mornings are colder than New York."

Sliding into the passenger seat, I was surrounded by familiar masculine scent mixed with subtle cologne. My heart started racing, but I fought to maintain surface calm.

"So," he started the engine, "welcome back to Texas, Riley."

My name rolling off his tongue with that lazy drawl sent shivers down my spine.

"Thanks... Mason." I tried to keep my voice steady.

The truck left the airport onto the empty Texas highway. I was so nervous my palms were sweating, unsure what to say. To escape the suffocating tension, I decided to fake sleep.

"You tired?" he asked gently. "Still an hour to campus. You can rest."

"Yeah... a little tired." I closed my eyes, leaning back in the seat.

I'd started out pretending, but the seat warmer and exhaustion from the day made me genuinely drowsy. My consciousness began to blur as I drifted between sleep and wakefulness.

In my haze, I felt something warm brush against my cheek, like fingers gently fixing my scattered hair. The touch was light as a feather, careful and tender.

Was it the wind? I wondered groggily. The windows were clearly closed...

"Riley..." A deep voice softly called my name, with a tenderness I'd never heard before.

I wanted to open my eyes and look, but my eyelids were too heavy. That dreamlike feeling made it impossible to distinguish reality from fantasy.

High school memories floated through my mind. Mason back then wore the football team's blue and white letterman jacket, golden hair gleaming in the sunlight. He always appeared on campus with Chase, surrounded by all kinds of girls. And me, just invisible, watching him from afar.

I remembered his smile, his sweat-soaked figure on the field, those afternoon scenes of him and Chase throwing footballs in the backyard.

Even then, I knew this person was special.

The truck's stop jolted me slightly awake. Mason gently nudged my shoulder: "We're here, sleeping beauty."

I "woke up" startled, finding myself still leaning against the seat, face instantly flushing red.

"Thanks for the ride." I hurriedly gathered my things, preparing to get out.

"No problem." He retrieved my suitcase from the back seat. "Welcome home, Riley."

I reached for the suitcase handle, and our fingers accidentally touched. The electric sensation made us both freeze.

"Um... Mason?" I turned to face him, his eyes deep as oceans in the moonlight.

"Yeah?"

I blinked, then suddenly flashed a mischievous smile: "Thanks, Mr. Quarterback."

Mason's expression froze instantly. He stared at me wide-eyed, then slowly broke into a grin.

"So you knew who I was all along."