Total pages in book: 137
Estimated words: 131271 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 656(@200wpm)___ 525(@250wpm)___ 438(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 131271 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 656(@200wpm)___ 525(@250wpm)___ 438(@300wpm)
“Tell us before we all crossed lines.”
I smirk and fold my arms across my chest. “Crossed lines. That’s an interesting way of summing up Jacob hitting on me and then getting nasty because I said no, Shawn hitting on me, and then you kind of hitting on me by stealth.”
His cheeks turn a very pretty shade which matches my coat, and around half a dozen sweaters and tops in my closet at home. “I didn’t hit on you,” he says.
“No? You claimed me like a caveman in front of your caveman buddies.”
“You kissed me, and you knew.”
He runs his free hand over his mouth and jaw, trying to wipe away the reality of that sweet gesture of gratitude. The sweet gesture that I’ve been tormenting myself over ever since.
“It was a friendly gesture.”
“It felt like more.”
I shake my head and turn away from him to watch a couple crossing the quad. They’re wearing matching black coats and are so wrapped up in each other that it’s hard to work out where one starts and another ends. For a blink, I wonder if that kind of connection will ever happen to me. Will a decent man who’s not just looking to warm his dick for an hour ever want me? Can I find someone who sees me, the whole of me, and not just the curvy bits they want to consume, or am I destined to keep myself apart? My chest hollows like sadness has chased away some of my substance. It’s the same kind of sadness I felt after my mom died, and I carried around with me for most of the time I lived with the Draytons.
“It wasn’t,” I say softly.
“Shit.” He turns back to the coffee shop, exhaling through his nostrils.
“It’s no biggie, Hayes. You and your brothers are just people I crossed paths with a long time ago. No need to beat yourself up about it. We just keep clear of each other from now on.”
He studies me, his chin slightly extended, and eyes narrowed. Under his scrutiny, I feel strangely naked.
“Why? Why would you want to steer clear of me… and my brothers?” He adds the last bit like he forgot I’m talking about the three of them, not just him.
It’s on the tip of my tongue to tell him I remember their unkindness and would rather not encounter it again, but revealing the thorn in my side is too personal. We’re just strangers now.
“We were never friends, Hayes. Not then, and now… now, I’m not down with the constant hunt for places to stash your hockey sticks.” I glance down at his groin area and regret it immediately. Why did no one give me the memo about gray sweatpants and their clinginess to the pant python? Hayes’ huge dick is so visible, it’s practically punching its way out. My cheeks turn into hot tomato soup, and when my startled eyes drag themselves away from a part of Hayes Drayton I should never have found myself so familiar with, Hayes is staring at me.
“Hey, Hayes,” a booming voice bellows from behind him. A rumble of linebackers makes its way from the building across the way, with Forester spearheading the approach. He’s even bulkier in the cold light of day.
“Forester.” Hayes immediately puts himself between me and the approaching man, shielding me from what was an interested and slightly amused expression. God, I want to wipe the stupid jock’s smugness off his face with one sharp full-frontal punch to the dick.
“Just wanted to say I’m sorry about last night… I didn’t know Roxy’s your girl.”
“Riley,” I hiss before I clamp down my mouth.
Hayes quickly tips his head in my direction and then finds my hand, enveloping it in his own. His skin is dry and warm, and his grip is so strong, it makes me conscious of all the places my body craves to be grabbed and held tight.
“Riley. Yeah. Anyway, I didn’t know, or I wouldn’t have broken the bro code.”
Oh my God. Is this guy serious? The urge to puke all over his shoes is real.
“Just…” Hayes pauses, taking time to think through his response. “Girls don’t like that approach, Forester. It’s too fucking forceful.”
Behind Forester, his teammates snicker, and the dark-haired linebacker’s jaw tics with annoyance. “What the fuck would you know about it? This is the first girl I’ve seen you with. And maybe tell people when you start dating someone. Why all the fucking secrecy, dude? You embarrassed of her or something?”
Fury is a volcano of lava on the cusp of exploding from my mouth, but Hayes squeezes my hand to let me know he’s got this.
“This girl…” He shakes his head. “The only place you’ll ever get to know this girl is in your dreams. And, if I keep her to myself, that’s because I’m possessive as fuck about her attention, and I don’t want other people speculating about our relationship or trying to break it apart. You get one pass, Forester, because you didn’t know. But keep my girl’s name out of your mouth.”