Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 79155 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 396(@200wpm)___ 317(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79155 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 396(@200wpm)___ 317(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
“If people don’t like seeing me kissing you, they can get used to it.” I let out a low growl, leaning in close to kiss him again. “I kind of want to get used to it, too.”
I pulled his body in closer to mine, letting him know that I wanted every goddamn minute of this. The TV cameras were rolling, and I let them. People were probably pulling out their phones, but I couldn’t give a fuck less when Nathan’s tongue was sliding against mine. He didn’t pull away. He let his hand come up, his fingers getting lost in my hair.
It was the smallest thing. In the scheme of my life, I’d been kissed so many times, and even many times in public, in front of people, just like this.
But no kiss before this one had ever felt like coming home.
And it had been a long, long time since I truly felt I could be at home with someone else. Years of hurt had bubbled up in me tonight—hurt that I’d shoved away for so long I’d fooled myself into thinking it wasn’t there. Years of pretending to be someone I wasn’t, anytime I was with family. Then a whole year of pretending I didn’t care that they hated me now. Nathan saw me as a famous, hot football player, sure. But he also saw me as so much more.
Turned out that no matter how fun it could be to be treated like a god, I preferred being treated like a person.
I wasn’t perfect. But with Nathan’s arms around me, I sure felt like my world was perfect, just for a moment.
“Who is that?” I heard some low voice say from the other side of the pool. By now, I was used to being a public figure, constantly subjected to having other people critique every aspect of my life. But I knew Nathan wasn’t.
“You doing okay?” I asked low near his ear, my heart still pounding in my chest. There were actual camera flashes going off now, and I knew we’d be on the internet as a new piece of gossip within seconds, if we weren’t already.
“I’m going to have a lot of explaining to do to my parents, but I’m going to go ahead and say it’s worth it,” Nathan said. He had a smile on his face like he couldn’t believe what he’d just done. Like he’d just gone on a roller coaster and was still enjoying the drop. “Kace, when you said you want to get used to it—get used to me—does that mean what I think it means?”
I leaned back a little, looking at him in the eyes even though the world around us was starting to erupt into mild chaos. “I sure hope it does. Are you asking if I want to date you, cutie?”
He snorted. “I think I might be. No matter how weird that sounds.”
“It doesn’t sound weird to me,” I told him confidently. “I think you’d make a pretty fucking killer boyfriend, Nathan.”
“Christ,” he said, and I could tell he was blushing even in the low blue light reflecting from the pool.
“Too much?”
“Not too much,” he said quickly. “Never too much. I’m just embarrassed by how much I like the sound of that. It’s been a long time since I’ve gotten to be someone’s boyfriend. And I think I really want that.”
I gave a quick nod to the crowd around us. “Even with all of this bullshit?”
He shrugged one shoulder. “Worth it.”
A surge of affection rushed through my heart. That, I realized, was all I wanted. I wanted someone who did think I was worth it. Who could be with me even through the insane fucking whirlwind that was my life. Who knew exactly who I was, and wouldn’t shy away for a moment.
“Nathan Wood,” someone said from behind him, and I glanced over to see his best friend Rush, beaming at us. “You owe me a long conversation, but first, an even longer hug.”
“Go ahead,” I said to Nathan. “I’ll be right here when you’re done. Watch out, though, because probably half of the people at this party are going to want to be your new best friend.”
Nathan looked blissed out, the kind of way he looked after he came. I resisted the urge to drag him into the bedroom away from everyone, right now, and be possessive as hell for the rest of the night.
Later, he could be mine.
The moment I turned around, I saw Callie behind me, her eyebrows raised.
“I know,” I said preemptively. “I know.”
“No explanations necessary,” she said, holding her hands up. “I’m really fucking happy for you, Kace.”
“I have a boyfriend,” I whispered to her, surprised at how triumphant it made me feel. “I didn’t even fucking know I wanted a boyfriend.”
“I’m pretty sure you didn’t want one, unless it was a one-in-a-million person,” Callie said. “And I need to get to know him better, but something tells me I’m going to like him, too.”