It couldn’t be more obvious that my ex-girlfriend is trying to crawl under my skin. She wants me to explode in a fit of rage and create a scene like the time I walked in on them.
The smug look on her face sets my teeth on edge. She thinks she has gained the upper hand, and I hate how, for a moment, I feel like maybe it’s true.
As the others fall into conversation, she whispers something in Arkin’s ear, though her attention remains on me, and it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that she’s offering to suck his dick.
It’s her favorite fucking pastime at lunch, after all. I should know—she’s been on her knees for me more times than I can count.
My knee jiggles restlessly beneath the table, and now I almost wish I could grab Arkin’s hand and place it on my cock.
Jealousy is a vile thing, yet here I am, suffocating in it.
Why doesn’t Arkin turn her down? Shove her off his lap like the snake she is.
I shoot up. “You know what? Fuck it. I think I’m free for a study session tonight, after all.”
Ryan stands up too, pretending to hump his chair. “That’s my boy! Spread your beautiful seed, Zach. Make us proud.”
“Gross,” I hear Amy scoff, but I don’t stick around to watch her flirt with Arkin.
The doors slam open, and I escape into the hallway, then down a quieter one, away from prying eyes, where I rest one of my hands against the wall as I dig my fingers into my eyeballs.
Can my ex not go after Harrison or Ryan? Anyone except Arkin? Of course, she won’t because she wants me to get jealous, so I’ll take her back.
I’m jealous, okay—so fucking jealous it takes a herculean effort not to release a frustrated roar and ram my fist into the wall.
If she was a guy, I’d drag her outside and beat the shit out of her, but I can’t resolve this with violence.
“Fuck,” I mutter, but then I’m grabbed by the arm and pushed inside the nearest empty lecture hall.
Arkin traps me against the door and then his lips are on mine, hungry and demanding. Our tongues war for dominance, while he pulls on my hair and crushes his body against mine.
I try to speak, so he silences me with an even deeper kiss as he grips me by the ass and pulls me into him.
It’s all I can do not to melt into a puddle on the floor.
He came after me.
He’s here. Touching me.
He breaks the kiss and holds my chin tenderly, though it only lasts for a brief second before he tightens his grip.
Blue as the endless sky on a clear summer day, his eyes flare, and I wet my still-tingling lips. “Only you,” he whispers, stroking his thumb through my stubble before he leaves.
My heart pounds in the ensuing silence.
Only you.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
The afternoon sun hangs low, painting the football pitch in hues of gold and shadow. Our rivals brought their A-game today. With only minutes left of the second half, the score is tied, and tension crackles in the air like static.
Amy shrieks my name on the sidelines, where she bounces with her friends in tall heels out here on this muddy field. Rain poured down last night, and it’s by some miracle the game wasn’t canceled.
I run a hand through the damp curls plastered to my forehead as I jog back into position.
“Let’s go, mate,” Ryan calls, slapping my back as we regroup in midfield. Harrison jogs up to us, breathing heavily but grinning. “We can totally take them. One more, and we’ve got this. Then it’s party time at Jensen’s place.”
“Just think of all that pussy,” Ryan says. He flicks his hair out of his eyes and rubs his hands together. “I can practically visualize it now.”
