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Up in my room, I washed up and got changed for bed. When I crawled into bed, I was still able to smell Evan on me and feel the ache in my muscles from him pressing into me. It wasn’t how I’d thought the night would go. I hadn’t even considered he would show up at Teller’s, but he had. And now things were more confusing than ever because Evan had finally fessed up. More than that, he’d opened up to me. It was all I had wanted, so why wasn’t I jumping for joy?
I’d told myself it would only be one kiss. But who was I kidding? It was never just one kiss with Evan. When he’d touched me and looked into my eyes with his intense, pained gaze, my walls had crumbled down around me, and it was hard to remember he’d lied. That every time he’d been with me, telling me to watch my back, to stay away from Rogues and The Vault, it was because he knew.
Knew that Kendall was out to get me.
All along he knew, and he never said a damn word.He just wants to protect you, a traitorous voice whispered. Ugh. It was so confusing and frustrating.Hewas so confusing. Evan had spent weeks keeping me at arm’s length—the constant push and pull—to keep our budding relationship from everyone. And now, suddenly, he wanted to what? Walk into school as a couple? Wouldn’t that only piss Kendall off more? More importantly, did I even care?
My cell phone bleeped on the nightstand, and I leaned over to grab it. Evan’s name filled the screen, and I opened the message.
You were amazing. Be ready at seven thirty. E
Rolling onto my back with a smile, I typed out a reply.
I have legs. I can walk.
Seven thirty, Becca.
I smiled wider. Evan had always been bossy, but he was taking it to a whole other level. Deciding to let him stew for a while, I went to lock the screen when I noticed another unread message. The one I’d received on the ride out to the field. My finger hovered over the little envelope, realizing it was the same number as before. Part of me wanted to delete it and not even acknowledge it, but I was a sucker for punishment.
When my finger pressed, and the words filled the screen, I instantly regretted my decision.
There’s no escaping the game, bitch.Be ready.
CHAPTER18
EVAN
“Where have you been?You’re late.” Mom was leaning against the door, obviously waiting for me.
“I told you I was going out.”
“With her?” It came out a hiss, and my defenses snapped into place.
One night.
That wasn’t too much to ask, was it? Just one night of being a normal eighteen-year-old?
Refusing to get into an argument with her, I brushed past her, changing the subject. “Did Eli go to bed okay?”
She followed me into the living area. “He was fine.”
“I thought you’d be asleep by now. Don’t you have to be at the store early?”
“I was waiting for you.”
“Mom, you don’t need to wait up for me anymore.”
Her face softened a fraction, and a look of melancholy passed over her features. “Were you with her?”
“She has a name, Mom.” I helped myself to a glass of water.
“She’ll try to take you away from me, from Eli. You can’t leave us, Evan. We need you.”
I leaned back against the counter, gripping the edge. “Mom, come on, I’m not going anywhere, but Becca is important to me. You need to understand that.”
We’d already had this conversation more than once, but each time, Mom got too hysterical, so I’d changed the subject. I knew it was residual shit from my father leaving her, but it didn’t make it any easier to bear.
