Total pages in book: 134
Estimated words: 124135 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 621(@200wpm)___ 497(@250wpm)___ 414(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 124135 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 621(@200wpm)___ 497(@250wpm)___ 414(@300wpm)
His dark blue eyes were glazed from liquor and struggled to fix on me. “What the fuck?” he growled.
“Cromwell, I’m sorry. It’s Easton. He—” My voice cut off when I heard a mattress creak. My eyes immediately moved to Cromwell’s bed, and my heart completely shattered in my chest. I didn’t know that was possible. I didn’t realize my heart was still able to function this way.
“Cromwell?” A voice I knew sailed from the bed. Kacey lay under the comforter, only her bra straps showing.
My face set on fire. My cheeks burned and I struggled to breathe. I looked up at Cromwell and found him still watching me. Only now his face had paled. His lips parted, as if he was going to say something, but the only word whispered was “Bonnie…” I heard something in his voice. Saw something in his eyes as he stared at me, something I couldn’t explain. Guilt? Embarrassment?
I didn’t know if that was just wishful thinking.
Ever the one to torture myself, I couldn’t stop studying him further. His chest was red and glistening. His hair, which was, to be honest, always in some form of disarray, was even more messy and unkempt. And then I focused on his lips. I didn’t know why, but seeing them red and swollen got to me most. When I’d gotten to my dorm tonight, I’d stupidly let myself wonder what it would be like to kiss them. To feel them against mine. To hear my name whispered from them as he held my hand…
I made myself focus on the here and now and push that painful vision from my head. Cromwell was practically naked. As was Kacey. I quickly realized that Cromwell hadn’t cared. What we had shared tonight hadn’t meant anything to him. Not if he could, only hours later, go out and do this.
“Oh, hi, Bonnie.” Kacey sat up in the bed. Her eyes avoided mine. Her cheeks blazed with embarrassment.
“Hi,” I managed to force out. I turned, ignoring Cromwell. “Um…I was bringing Easton home. He drank too much.” I walked back to where Bryce was glaring daggers at Cromwell. “But he can stay in my room with me. I can see you’re busy.”
I put my hand on Bryce’s shoulder and ushered him back. I didn’t want to turn around to see if Cromwell had shut the door or watched us go. But nothing seemed to be going my way tonight. A glutton for punishment, I glanced over my shoulder, only to see Cromwell standing in the doorway, his tattooed body taut as his hands gripped his black hair. But it was those deep blue eyes. Those eyes as dark as a summer’s night that fixed on mine, drunken desperation shining in their depths, that utterly destroyed me.
With every step, I grew more and more confused. It was only when I missed the turning for my dorm room that I realized how shake up I actually was. There was a pit forming in my stomach.
I wanted to gouge out my eyes when all I kept seeing was Cromwell’s flushed skin and pink cheeks. His chest coated in sweat from…from…
“Bonnie, it’s this way.” Bryce was waiting for me at the door to my dorm.
I smiled and brought out my key. “Sorry. I’m so tired.” I didn’t know if Bryce bought it or not, but he dutifully followed me through my door and placed Easton on my bed.
Easton was fast asleep in seconds. I pulled the comforter over him and then faced Bryce. “Thank you,” I said, finally making myself look at him.
“You okay?”
“Yeah.” I sighed. “I need sleep. I…I still haven’t been feeling too well.”
“Okay.” Bryce stood awkwardly on the spot, before he leaned down and pressed a kiss on my cheek. I sucked in a breath as his lips touched my skin. My chest didn’t tingle with flutters, and my stomach didn’t tighten the way it did around Cromwell, but it was sweet. Bryce was sweet.
And he wasn’t intent on self-destruction. On destroying me too.
“See you tomorrow, Bonn.” He walked out of the door. I rocked on my feet as I watched him go. I thought back to Cromwell and Kacey. The way he clearly didn’t feel anything toward me like I’d thought. The music he’d shared with me meant nothing; it was simply a display of his talent. I laughed a mirthless laugh. I thought I’d somehow helped Cromwell play from his heart in some magic way. It turned out it was only true in my mind.
“Bryce?” I spoke before I’d even thought it through. But when Bryce turned, I ignored the blush that burst on my face and said, “You know you always ask…” I shook my head, my voice wavering. I tipped my chin up and met his eyes. “If you want, we could go out on Friday?” I glanced at the floor. “I mean, if you want—”