* * *
For the next two months, things follow along a similar path with Nick and me. We spend every weekend dancing at the Dungeon before an impromptu romp either in his truck or his bedroom. When we take our fun back to his house, I drive my own car. I'm not adding more embarrassing walks of shame to the measly one I have on my list.
We’ve also had a handful of “dates.” We either go to the café at Bronte’s Peak, or we catch a movie. Nick definitely isn’t the talkative type, but my heart races every time he holds my hand or kisses me with so much tenderness my knees buckle. I know the more time we spend together, the harder it will be for me to leave for New York, but I can’t give up a single moment he’s willing to share with me. I cherish every minute I have with him, because deep down inside, I know something will eventually come between us.
I just didn’t realize it would be me leaving for college.
I’ve mentioned my plans to Nick a few times, and for the most part, he didn’t seem fazed by it, but he’s a lot quieter tonight than usual.
“Only one round?” I give him a flirty wink, ensuring he knows my comment is in jest.
We’re parked at Bronte’s Peak. The foggy windows expose how we’ve spent the last fifty minutes. Our make-out session was out of this world, but it's unusual for Nick to only go one round. Usually, I’m the one who ends things from exhaustion kicking in, so you can imagine my surprise when he tucked his dick away within seconds of coming.
“Keeping up with you on the dance floor must have worn me out,” he replies with a chuckle. His laugh isn’t his full-hearted one. It's reserved and withdrawn. After yanking up his zipper, he lifts his eyes to me. “What time do you fly out on Friday?”
A stabbing ache hits my chest. “Ten AM.”
“Do you need a lift to the airport?”
I shake my head. “No, Emily is dropping me off.”
His lips twist as he struggles to hold back a snarl. “Alright.”
Not speaking another word, he fires up his truck and begins our trip home. He doesn’t talk the entire time, but he does kiss the living hell out of me outside of my front gate. His kiss is so tender, it shatters my heart into a million pieces. It’s a goodbye kiss, the one you give someone when you know you’re not going to see them for a very long time—if ever again.
When he pulls back, I stare at him, wordlessly begging him to say or do something to show he wants me to stay. If he were to ask me right now to stay, I would. Falling in love was never part of our plan, but that’s what makes it so exciting. We’ve created something unique, something worth exploring. He just needs to ask me to stay.
He won’t, though, because I’m not just requesting he bend the rules he lives by; I’m asking him to snap them.
He won’t do that for anybody.
Not even the girl who fell in love with him before she slept with him.
Chapter Seventeen
Nick
Ipush my cell close to my ear as I continue strolling toward the entrance of Mavericks. “How’s the big city?”
“It’s okay, a little daunting,” Jenni replies, her voice shuddering.
She left two weeks ago to start college in New York City. We’ve exchanged a handful of texts during that time, but I was so desperate to hear her voice tonight, I called her instead of replying to the “good luck” text she sent me.
“It will get better. You just need to give it some time.” I’m sure it won’t take long for her to settle in. She has a personality that draws people to her. That’s why Slater took her under his wing so quickly.
“Hopefully.” She breathes out her unease before taking on a more carefree tone. “Are you excited about tonight?”
My shoulder notches up. “Yeah, I’m excited. . . and maybe a little nervous.”
She giggles. “You’ll be fine.”
She can say that. She’s not the one about to perform for a handful of music execs. Tonight, Isaac’s friend is coming to watch our band perform. Because I never gave Isaac the information he wanted on Emily, he never mentioned my band's name to his friend. It was just lucky I met Cormack in passing one day and mentioned my band to him myself. He didn’t seem that interested, so you could imagine my surprise when he showed up to Mavericks a few weeks later. He was so impressed with our performance, he took one of our demo CDs home with him.
During an informal meeting with him last Sunday, he advised he had arranged for some music scouts to come and watch us perform tonight. Hence my nerves.
My nerves take on a whole new meaning when Jenni whispers, “I miss you, Nick.” She is so quiet, if I weren’t in the deserted lot at the back of Mavericks, I may not have heard what she said.
I'd be lying if I said I didn’t miss her too. I miss her every day. I miss her when I walk into the Dungeon and she isn’t holding my hand. I miss her when I order a bottle of beer and a glass of wine because I had become accustomed to doing it every weekend for the past two months. I miss the way she smells, and I miss her knockout smile, but I’ll never tell her that. Why? Because I’ve broken so many of my “Player” rules for her, but there’s one rule I’ll never break – I’ll never fall in love.
