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“Well, you can’t deny that you move between girls faster than you change your boxers, so I’m sure someone got the information from somewhere.”
He pinches the bridge of his nose between his fingers and sighs, his eyes pointed down at the tiled floor. “Are you ever going to stop hating me?”
I snort at his question. “Are you kidding me? After the way you treated me, you expect me to like you? Please, let’s stop pretending we’re friends and that you’re here out of the kindness of your black heart. While I appreciate you helping me tonight, I can’t stand being around you. You make me so mad my skin feels like it’s covered in fire ants. I’ll never forget how you made me feel back then. Never,” I add for good measure.
“And I’ll never forgive myself for acting the way I did,” he confesses. “I was drunk and stupid. You didn’t deserve any of the shit I said to you.”
“There’s no point in rehashing the past.” I press my palm to the toilet seat and Julian grabs my arm, helping me up from the floor.
He towers over me, all six feet five inches of muscle and sex appeal. His eyes blare into mine, cutting through me like shards of emerald glass. My skin pricks with tiny bumps when his finger touches my arm. And he doesn’t miss a beat. His irises sparkle with acknowledgment. My heart races from his delicate touch.
“At least consider my offer,” he says. “You’ll need someone to help you.”
“Thanks, but no thanks. I’m not staying in your bedroom at the hockey whorehouse. The last thing I need is for anyone to think we’re together… again.”
“My driver will take you home,” he says, leaving no room for argument.
I roll my eyes at him. Sadly, he’s not the only spoiled shit on campus with a personal driver on speed dial. “Whatever you say, boss.”
He frowns at my words. “Just do what I say, Bri. You’ll thank me for it later.”
Julian removes his cell phone from his pocket and types out a quick text, reading the immediate response. “Ramon will be here in five.”
“Thanks,” I mutter, truly appreciative of the ride back to my dormitory because I’m in no shape to walk home alone with this concussion. “I still owe you a date.”
He hooks his arm around my back and pulls me closer to him. “Don’t worry about it.”
Tired beyond words, I rest my head on his thick chest and sigh. It feels so natural to do this with Julian, which is the reason I have avoided him like the plague. I was afraid we would fall into old habits. Being with him was as easy as breathing. And after a short amount of time around him, I’m starting to relax, the tension from my body lessening as I lean into him. He holds me in silence, making me hate him a little less.
“We can figure that out later,” he says after a few minutes, slipping his big fingers between mine. “When you’re better.” His cell phone dings in his pocket. “Your ride is here. Time to get you home, Bri.”
Home. I’ve never had a real home. But when I’m with Julian, that’s where I am—home. He has always been that for me. And the thought makes my heart ache. Because I know how much it will hurt when I lose him all over again.
Chapter Ten
Julian
Staring out the window in the study, I sit on the ledge and look out at the backyard that faces other Victorian houses on campus. It’s close to midnight, the moon casting a soft glow across the people on the lawn who are dancing and pounding beers. I don’t feel like partying tonight.
We beat Penn State at home. I should be more excited about knocking them out of regionals, but all I can think about is Briana. She should have been here with me tonight. But because I invited her to my game, she’s now laid up in her dorm room, all alone and unwilling to accept my help. What if she sleeps for too long? What if she needs to go to the hospital and won’t call an ambulance because she’s too worried about the money?
I should leave this party and break down her door. Otherwise, she won’t let me into her room. She won’t allow me to sit with her while she sleeps or hold her hair for her while she pukes. I was surprised she let me do it earlier. Briana hates letting anyone see her vulnerable. But I love when she shows me that she’s human. Most of the time, she tries too hard to make people look past the fact she’s poor. No one cares if she has money. But because of it, she shuts everyone. Only a few people have ever gotten close to Briana. And I’m lucky enough to be one of them.
Nash strolls into the dark study and clears his throat. I stare at him, waiting for him to speak, but he just stands there like an idiot, sipping the beer in his hand. He’s a big guy, only a few inches shorter than me with dark sleeves of tattoos branded into his tanned arms. His parents hate that he “ruined” his body. I remember when his mom showed up at our house unannounced and cried for ten minutes after seeing the ink on his skin. He did it just to annoy his dad.
“Why are you hiding?” Nash says as he approaches me. “Some of the girls are asking for you.”
I’m usually the life of the party, not the one avoiding it. But I needed to think about Briana, who has occupied my mind from the second she won the auction. After Nash tapped the keg, I wandered off into the back of the house and haven’t budged from this windowsill since. I share this old house with nine of my teammates. When you live with this many guys, it’s hard to find the time to just think. And in this case, I wanted to get lost. I was hoping no one would find me until after I figured out what to do with Briana.
“I’m not hiding,” I lie. “I just needed a break from everyone.”
“What happened earlier with Briana was kinda weird, huh?” He hands me the plastic cup in his other hand, which I gladly accept. We tap cups and then he adds, “I know you’re gonna run after her.”
“She blames me for her concussion. And she should. I invited her to the game. If she hadn’t come tonight, she wouldn’t be in this situation.”
He nods. ”Don’t let her fuck with your head again. We need you in game ready shape with how
close we are to regionals.”
