Total pages in book: 124
Estimated words: 119005 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 595(@200wpm)___ 476(@250wpm)___ 397(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 119005 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 595(@200wpm)___ 476(@250wpm)___ 397(@300wpm)
I gave her a chin lift in acknowledgment but nothing more. My … date curled her upper lip at Beth and kept walking.
My neck prickled as we took the next staircase with Beth falling into step behind us.
“Looks like another nice day,” she prattled amiably. Still attempting to irritate me.
I grunted.
“Congrats on your game.”
Surprised, I nearly did miss a step.
“Lucky Baird is such a good goalie, huh,” she goaded.
And that was more like it.
“Tell him I said congrats. You’re lucky to have him.”
The brunette at my side cut Beth an annoyed look over her shoulder. “Who the fuck are you?”
Charming.
Beth didn’t miss a beat. “The neighbor. And Baird’s friend.”
“You’re not friends,” I gritted out without turning around.
“We’re definitely friends. John too. They love me. I’m lovable. Tell them I said hi.”
“No.” We reached the front entrance of the building and I spun to face Beth. “You are not friends with my friends.”
Look, I knew it was immature. But I couldn’t have Beth Carmichael infiltrating my life via my mates. It was bad enough we were neighbors.
Those large, tip-tilted eyes narrowed and then she turned her big, gorgeous smile on Jules. “Hey, I’m Beth. Nice dress.”
To my shock, the brunette put up a palm and snapped, “Get out of our faces, slut.”
Pinching the bridge of my nose, I really, really regretted my life choices in the last twelve hours. Also, this woman was in desperate need of some anger management classes. “Ah, fuck.” I cut Beth an irritated look before turning on a heavy sigh to Jules. “Right, you can catch the bus.”
She gaped at me. “What?”
“You heard me.”
“Because of her?” she sneered. “Fuck you! Fuck you for getting me up this early and then not giving me a lift!” She slammed out of the building and tottered across the cobbles and into the car park, her ankle bending dangerously before she righted herself.
“Great, thanks to you, she’s going to tell everyone I’m a prick.”
Beth pinched her lips together and then asked with a gentleness that belied her words, “Like they didn’t already know?”
“That was your fault.” I pointed in Jules’s direction. “If you didn’t try to befriend everyone I’m with, that wouldn’t have happened.”
“No. That’s your fault. Up until this moment, you’ve had good taste in sexual partners. So this one’s on you.”
Damn her for being right. “Pfft!”
Beth struggled not to laugh. “I see that you agree.”
I raised my middle finger at her and pushed open the door to exit. Hurrying toward my Land Rover, I grumbled under my breath at the sight of her MINI parked right next to me.
“Captain?”
Just ignore her.
I glanced back at her. “What?”
A frown marred her brow. “You do get health checks, right?”
Was she kidding with that shite? “Not that it’s any of your business, but we get health checks at the club constantly. Now, can I have your promise you will not befriend anyone I bring over? In fact, can I have your promise we will ignore each other from now on?”
Beth considered it. “Nope to the former, yes to the latter. I’m not going to ignore other people because they made the epically bad decision to either be your friend or sleep with you.”
“You’re a pain in my fucking arse.”
At my biting tone, Beth narrowed her eyes. “I hope she”—she gestured to the gate my one-night stand disappeared out of—“gave you a venereal disease.”
“You are a venereal disease.”
To my shock, she beamed. “Hey!” She raised her arms in celebration. “You made a funny! Good for you.”
“I hate you.” I climbed into my Defender and ignored Beth’s little wave and sexy smirk as I drove past her.
Damn it. I’d let her get so under my skin I’d forgotten to tell her about her mail.
CHAPTER SEVEN
CALLAN
Nine years ago
The bus dropped me off ten minutes from the school. Using my phone for directions, I followed the road that seemed to go on forever and finally started to see other kids in the same uniform I now had to wear. To play football, I’d do anything. Even go to some fancy stupid private school on a scholarship where the uniform was mandatory.
The houses started to get bigger and more modern the nearer to the school I got. I tried not to stare at anyone. Tried not to look like I didn’t belong and was actually grateful we all had to wear the same clothes. Just a quick glance at the designer backpacks and iPhones told me most of these kids, unlike me, were not here on a football scholarship.
Drimwhinnie Academy was in Cramond. I had to take two buses to get here from Sighthill. The school itself was architecturally newer than I’d expected when I’d come here to discuss the scholarship. I’d had to bribe my dad with money he’d given me at Christmas to come here and sign me up to the school. He and my stepmum, Ashley, were uninterested in me. I could live with that. I only had two more years before I was an adult and could get out on my own, anyway.