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He sighs. “I was never with any other women, though. So, I don’t get why you were so mad in the first place.”
“Because you were mine. You were the one good thing in my life other than Sadie. And I didn’t want to share you with anyone.”
“That’s not realistic, Bri. You know that. Hockey is my life. Women come with the territory. There will be other women that show me attention, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to do anything about it. I never did and I never will.” He blows out a puff of air. “What do I need to do? Anything. Name it.”
“At the end of the day, I’m still me… and you’re you. Julian Rivers, every girl’s fantasy. How can I ever compete with the girls who want you? Some of them look like models.”
“There’s nothing wrong with being you.” He cups the side of my face in his hand and traces a line across my jaw with his thumb. “You’re beautiful, Briana. I wish you could see yourself through my eyes. I don’t care about girls that look like models. I don’t care about any other girls for that matter. I like you the way you are and always have. Even after all of these years, you’re still the only girl I want.”
I want to believe him. After years of feeling worthless because of my circumstances, it’s hard to be with someone like Julian and not think he will eventually find someone better. His parents never liked me. I’m the poor girl they assume wants his money, when that couldn’t be further from the truth. Even his friends were never welcoming. Sure, they tolerated me, but I never truly fit in with them.
After a few minutes of considering Julian’s words, I rest my head on the pillow. My head is pounding from thinking too much about the past. Julian massages my scalp and tells me to get some rest, and not long after, I drift off to sleep.
Chapter Thirteen
Briana
I wake up to Julian’s big body dipping the mattress and get a whiff of something foul. It’s me. Overnight, I’ve turned into a homeless person again.
Awesome. Real sexy.
Looking over at him, I yawn and stretch my hands above my head. He’s dressed in a different pair of designer jeans and an expensive-looking black golf shirt with a gold logo on the left pocket. His black hair is sticking up in its usual spikes that look messy but on purpose.
He nods at a bunch of bags sitting at the end of the bed. “Those are for you. I had Ramon pick up some clothes, toiletries, and a few girly things.”
I glance at the fancy department store bags and sigh. From the looks of it, he bought enough clothes to last me a month.
“You didn’t have to buy me anything. I can go back to my dorm and get my stuff.”
“I thought you might like those.” He tips his head toward the bags. “I also picked out a dress for you to wear on our date.”
I laugh. “What date? You already blew it.”
He blushes, though he’s not the least bit offended by my remark. “You still owe me a date. When you’re better, of course.”
“I need to shower,” I say, wondering if he’s just as grossed out with me as I am with myself. “I haven’t had one since the night of your game.”
He slides off the bed and extends his hand to me. I take it without complaint, and he helps me to my feet. I have to press my hand to his strong chest to maintain my balance. He must know I’m struggling to stand on my own because he hooks his arm around my back and pulls me tight against his chest.
“You gonna be okay in the shower by yourself?”
I peek up at him and nod. “I think so.”
“We don’t have handrails in our shower or anywhere for you to sit.” He bites his bottom lip, as if deep in thought. “You know what, let me go check it’s even clean. I live with a bunch of guys, so you never know.” He lowers me back to the mattress. “Wait here for a sec.”
A few minutes later, he returns and then leads me into the bathroom. Julian closes the door behind him and follows me into the room. “I can help you wash your hair if you want.”
I smile, which fades the second I realize he would have to see me naked to wash my hair.
“No, I’m good. But can you maybe sit on the toilet just in case?”
He nods. “Yeah, I can do that.”
“And turn around so I can get undressed.”
Julian laughs. “It’s not like I haven’t seen you naked hundreds of times. But sure, I can do that, too.”
After he adjusts the water and turns his back to me, I strip down to my birthday suit and hop inside the tiled shower. It’s massive and fit for big ass hockey players like him. The steam from the shower fogs the glass, though I can see in the mirror that the silhouette of my body is visible.
