Total pages in book: 34
Estimated words: 32145 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 161(@200wpm)___ 129(@250wpm)___ 107(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 32145 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 161(@200wpm)___ 129(@250wpm)___ 107(@300wpm)
I feel myself getting agitated. Not because this is even a story I would ever put out but because I’m not getting anything out of this. Unless you count the orgasm. Sure, that was mind-blowing, but really, all it’s done is made me fall more for him.
With every second I spend with him, I fall deeper. I’m going to end up with nothing but a broken heart because he wants to use me as a shield to ward off females. I don’t think that’s even working. Bubbles didn’t care. Rose didn’t either.
I keep forgetting this isn’t real. The urge to run rides me hard. I didn’t think I was a runner, but Van has me running scared.
“What kind of story do you need?”
“That’s not the point, Van. You’re using me.” I snap, my own anger with myself bleeding off onto him.
“Using you.” He lets out a humorless laugh.
“Just take me home.” I fold my arms over my chest.
Van throws the car into drive, taking off out of the parking lot. I peek over at him. That was way too easy—or maybe he is done with me and our deal.
Chapter
Twenty
VAN
Imade a mistake. It was an honest one because who Smurf is interested in boning isn’t of much importance to me, so why would I pass that along to Fleur? Besides, it is no-nut November. He’s the guy who runs around with that metaphorical banner in the locker room, so the fact that he’s interested in boning Ms. Funnel is as newsworthy as sharing that Smurf’s favorite color is blue. He’s not sleeping with her.
But…Fleur’s right. I haven’t shared everything with her mostly because anything interesting that goes on outside of football is when I’m with Fleur.
She says she’s not getting anything from me, but the thing I want to give her—me, in all seriousness—is the one thing guaranteed to make her bolt. I can see the panic in her eyes. The tightness on the corners of her mouth. She’s thinking of how soon she can ditch me. To go where? Back to that apartment with the shady boyfriend who’d like to do more than stare at Fleur’s legs if he thought he could get away with it? And she’d be alone. Everyone at school likes Fleur. She’s invited everywhere, people talk to her; there’s never a time she doesn’t have someone to sit with, but I also noticed that she’s got this little aura around her that keeps people at a distance. If she has problems, she’s not sharing them with anyone at school. There’s no shoulder she can cry on.
I start thinking, and then I start talking. “Brook Kosinski did Bubbles Anderson after the last game. She always offers herself up as a prize to the highest scorer, but since that was me and I’m yours, I passed. I told her to go to Roman Park, that’s our quarterback, but I guess Kosinski intercepted. Last year Tucker was really into this girl from Younger Christian School, which is some private religious school over in Pine Valley, but she told him she was saving herself for marriage. But then over the summer we heard she got knocked up by the youth pastor of the church. He was married but not to her.”
I glance over to see Fleur staring out the window. She could not be less interested.
“Smurf’s favorite color is blue, if you want to write that up.”
“It’s not about Smurf.” She’s silent for a couple blocks. “The Pine Valley stuff is a little newsworthy. What happened to the youth pastor?”
“Not sure. I wasn’t around last year, and Tucker’s story ended with him asking me if it didn’t count if you do it with your pastor.”
“I think it counts.”
“I told him he dodged a bullet. It could’ve been him as the baby daddy. That would’ve given you something to write about.”
“I regret telling you that you didn’t give me anything.”
I pull up next to the curb a half mile from her apartment. She peeks out the window before arching an eyebrow in my direction. “Did you forget where I lived?”
“Nah. I don’t want to take you home yet.” Or ever.
“You can’t keep me at your house forever.”
“Why not?” I don’t have an ounce of laughter in my voice.
“Because that’s kidnapping.”
“Sounds kinky. Do you have a room at the house that you like the best? I’ll lock you up there.” Silence. “When you escape, you’ll have a good story.”
“Just… take me to the apartment.”
She doesn’t even call it home. She hates it there. I hate it, too. “No.”
Her mouth tightens, and the panic in her eyes turns to flint. I love her when she’s like this. I can’t let her go. If she runs, then I’ll chase her. I’m fast. There’s no way she can escape me. I’ll just keep pursuing until I catch her.