AllFreeNovel
Share Us
That’s when I see it. Her hand caressing my bicep. It must have been an involuntary move to comfort me, but as she comes to her senses, she releases me like my arm is a hot pan fresh out of the oven.
Then before my brain can tell me to stop, I start over-sharing.
“Yeah, well, then she told me what a mess of a boyfriend I’ve been. Never around. Not giving her enough attention.”
I don’t know why I’m still talking. Maybe it’s because I can’t stand the silence. Or maybe Josie’s charm is still over me. I’ve never been able to hold anything back from her. With anyone else, I can take any secret to the grave. But Josie is like a priest on my deathbed; I’m compelled to tell her everything.
“Oh dear,” Josie says, hugging herself as if the warm breeze has a chill. “You know that’s why we could never––”
She stops again and her face pales.
It’s too late, the damage is already done.
Her words slice right through my chest, cutting away the scars around my heart. It throbs against my ribcage.
I can’t talk anymore. Hot tears prickle my eyes and there’s a tightness in my throat. I curl my fingers into a tight fist and try to keep my emotions in check.
How is it possible that after all these years, a simple sentence from her pretty lips can rip me to shreds?
“I’m sorry.” Her voice lands like a kiss on my cheeks, but it burns.
All of the signals in my brain are telling me to run before I get another stab to the heart. But the message isn’t getting to my feet; they stay firmly planted on the ground like two blocks of cement.
Josie takes a step back and starts to play with her hair. It’s thinner now, not fluffy and thick like I remember it. The urge to touch her becomes all-consuming again. My eyes land on her mouth as I register what she’s asking me.
“Are you going to the reunion?”
My own mouth is glued shut, so I hum with a casual shrug.
I sound like an idiot. What has this woman reduced me to? I’m Logan Black, AKA the Bull; lead NFL player. Under her gaze, I’m a bull headed for the slaughter. Her question is the deadly blow.
The reunion.
I knew that going to the reunion would be a bad idea. Seeing Josie again in the flesh has sent my mind into a spin, and the thought of having to see her again in front of all our old classmates—dealing with all those questions—sounds like more pain than getting slammed to the ground during a tackle in a game.
But her eyes are sparkling and the corners of her mouth lift expectantly. Does she want me to go?
I shake the thought away. I must not read into this. Josie is just being polite. “Well, I’m planning to… But it’s not something I’m looking forward to.” I scratch an invisible itch on my neck and watch as Josie’s eyes travel south.
Her gaze makes me feel like I’m standing butt naked in the middle of the street. “I know exactly how you feel…” Her eyes lift to meet mine again and everything zings.
Wyatt is right. I’m not over Josie. Not even a little bit. Is that why every relationship I’ve been in has ended in disaster?
Now she looks thoughtful. “Call me crazy, but I think I know a way we can avoid all the awkward questions at the reunion…”
I lift an inquisitive brow. “Not go?”
She smirks. “No… How about we pretend we’re together for the high school reunion?”
5
JOSIE
Sometimes, I wish my mouth didn’t have the tendency to run away from me.
Logan has been standing still and blinking at me for several long minutes.
You’d think I just asked him to fly to the moon with me.
