Total pages in book: 98
Estimated words: 94653 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 473(@200wpm)___ 379(@250wpm)___ 316(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94653 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 473(@200wpm)___ 379(@250wpm)___ 316(@300wpm)
But that doesn’t change the fact that it does.
“Sorry, I need to go.”
Before he can stop me, I rush away, hurrying toward the library with my shoulders hunched. Blood rushes in my ears. It’s so tempting to fold in on myself. Instead, I release a shaky breath and attempt to calm my racing heart as I take the stairs to the second floor and bury myself in the dusty stacks where no one can bother me.
Yanking out the chair, I drop onto it as hot tears prick the backs of my eyes.
At some point, I need to get over the fear eating away at me that the scar on my chest makes me ugly.
That anyone who sees it will be repulsed.
Turned off.
And maybe the best way to do that is to allow this man to see exactly what he’s purchased.
Chapter 8
Wolf
She’s in.
I draw a sharp breath into my lungs as I reread Chloe’s text for the tenth time.
I can’t believe that Fallyn is actually going through with this. The thought that I’ll be her first is enough to have my cock stiffening right up.
She doesn’t know it’s me, right?
There’s no way she’d allow me to touch one damn hair on her head if she did.
But I have to be sure.
Nope. Totally clueless. Inquiring minds want to know…is this a Fallyn thing or a V-card thing?
I roll my eyes and quickly tap out a response.
This chick is relentless. I’m reminded of why I went out of my way to avoid her in the first place. Although, who knew she had these kinds of connections. Can’t say that’s not a surprise.
It’s a none-of-your-business thing.
A laughing emoji and then a shrugging one immediately pops up on the screen.
Just know there’s more where that came from.
It’s a one-time deal.
That’s too bad.
A second later, another text pops up.
When do you want to meet with her?
My heart slams against my ribcage as I think about my upcoming hockey schedule and type out a response.
Set up the first one for Tuesday.
I’ll text Fallyn with the info and get back to you.
Sounds good.
Pleasure doing business with you.
She tacks on an emoji that’s blowing a heart.
Instead of responding, I pocket the phone and glance around the Union, where we’re camped out for lunch. There was a time in the not-so-distant past when puck bunnies would be buzzing around the table like drunken bees.
Now there are girlfriends.
Juliette, Maverick’s sister, is going out with Ryder McAdams. That relationship sprung up out of nowhere and totally caught me off guard. Ford and his ex-stepsister, Carina, are now an item. Although, anyone with eyes could see that one coming from a mile away. It was only a matter of time before the sexual chemistry they always seemed to generate exploded. And then Riggs and Stella. That was another relationship I would have laid odds on. It’s only recently that Riggs got fed up with being friend zoned and made his big move.
My gaze lands on Madden and Viola. I knew there’d been a girl in his past, but I had no idea that it was Fallyn’s cousin. We haven’t talked about it, but it’s pretty obvious that he knows about what happened since they were together when the accident occurred. At some point, we’ll have to bite the bullet and discuss the situation. But I’m in no hurry to do that. Now that Viola has been coming around more, I give them a wide berth.
And I fucking hate it.
Not only is Madden my roommate, but teammate. And he’s a good friend.
One of the best I have.
When our gazes catch, he gives me a chin lift in acknowledgment.
I return the gesture.
I hate that he knows about my past and what happened with Miles. There’s never been a day that I haven’t thought about the guy who was more like a brother to me.
Or how Fallyn was snatched from my life.
One day she was there, and the next she was gone.
I drag a hand through my short strands and jerk my eyes away. The last thing I need is him sifting through my inner thoughts.
The ones I keep locked up tight.
Even from myself.
There’s only a handful of single guys left in our tight knit group.
Colby, Maverick, Bridger, and Hayes.
The girl on Colby’s lap twines her arms around his neck as she presses closer. Every time I see the dude, there’s a different groupie trying to dry hump him. I don’t know where he finds these chicks. They certainly don’t care if he’s allergic to monogamy.
As soon as my phone dings with an incoming message, I slip it from my pocket and glance at the screen, hoping that it’s Chloe. I want the situation with Fallyn locked down tight. I want to know that in four days, I’ll finally be able to get my hands on her.