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Carter looks startled and then chuckles. “Emilia, I’m single and I’m a football player. I’m not gonna stand here and pretend I’ve been a saint. We’re at college, for God’s sake. It’s not like you’ve been a saint back home. How’s Landon these days?”

I frown. “Landon?” I ask, confused. I haven’t even thought about him in a year. “We broke up like a year and a half ago,” I tell him.

Carter straightens and stares at me with wide eyes. “You what?”

I look away and wrap my arms around myself. I broke up with Landon the first time Carter came home from college. I still remember the exact moment I knew Landon and I would never work out. I tried pulling a prank on Carter and he caught me. He had me pressed up against his window, his fingers buried deep inside me. I knew right there and then I’d never want Landon the same way and that it would be unfair to keep dating him, when I knew I was just using him to get over Carter. I broke up with Landon the next day.

“I only dated him because I was wondering what dating might be like. It wasn’t really as good as I thought it would be, so I ended things.”

Carter blinks in disbelief. “Why didn’t you tell me?” he asks, his eyes flashing with anger.

I frown. “When was I supposed to tell you, Carter? Whenever you came home, you ignored me. Besides, why would you even care?”

Carter runs a hand through his hair and looks at me through narrowed eyes. “You said it wasn’t that good. What wasn’t that good? Did you sleep with him?”

I shake my head instinctively and immediately regret it. Carter’s lips tug up at the edges and his entire demeanor relaxes. I grit my teeth and glare at him.

“It’s none of your business who I have or haven’t slept with, you manwhore.”

Carter chuckles. “Hmm okay, Minx,” he murmurs. My heart skips a beat and I hide my face in my coffee cup. He hasn’t called me Minx in so long. It’s always Emilia these days. To hear him call me the way he used to oddly revives the butterflies I try so hard to keep buried.

“So those two times with me are the only times you’ve had sex, huh? You’re practically still a virgin, Minx. At this rate you might as well keep it up until marriage.”

I almost choke on my coffee and cough violently. Carter grins as though my unease is amusing him. I prod his chest angrily. “Whose fault is that, Carter? You kept everyone away from me. Even after you left, most guys didn’t dare come near me.”

I’m shaking with anger. Even though we always denied it, everyone always saw me as Carter’s girl. As the girl that’s out of reach unless you want to deal with Carter himself. Long after he left, people would ask me how he’s doing. Other than Landon, there weren’t many guys that could even look at me without immediately associating me with Carter. Not that it would’ve mattered. No one captured my interest anyway. In the last two years, I couldn’t even imagine sleeping with anyone other than Carter. I still can’t.

“Seems like you don’t have that issue, huh? You’re far from virginal, aren’t you?” I say, my voice breaking. I’m consumed with pain and rage that I know I have no right to feel. I glance at my cup, longing to give into my temper and dump the coffee on his head. It won’t mend my broken heart, but still.

Carter laughs and tips his head toward me. “Do it. I dare you,” he murmurs.

I grit my teeth and glare at him. I can’t believe he still reads me so well. I hate it. I hate that he still owns every piece of me. “Don’t think I won’t,” I snap.

Carter crosses his arms and grins at me provocatively. I glare at him and rise to my tiptoes, my coffee cup in hand. I bring it to his head slowly. Carter watches me in amusement, as though he’s waiting to see whether I’ll actually do it. I hold my cup over his head and empty it slowly, looking him in the eye as the coffee streams down his face. He could’ve evaded me easily, but instead he leans back against the counter, allowing it to run down his body.

My eyes follow the trail down his abdomen and a moment that should’ve felt victorious and vindictive instantly turns into more. I lick my lips and try to keep my mind off licking the coffee from his body. I swallow hard and Carter’s eyes darken as though he knows exactly what I’m thinking.

The moment shatters when my eyes zero in on the kiss marks on his skin. Just looking at them makes me feel like I’ve been sucker punched. How many girls know exactly what Carter’s abs taste like? Hell… some girl probably still has the taste of him on her lips. I look away, equal parts disgusted and heartbroken. It’s obvious he’s been spending his days fucking around.

He’s clearly moved on, just like he said he would. So why am I still stuck in the past? Why am I unable to even want anyone else? Seems like Carter is having great sex and I’m just missing out. I’m missing out because I keep comparing every man I meet to the one I can no longer have. No more. I’m going to live it up at college as much as Carter has. Maybe that’s exactly what I need to finally get over him. Seems to have worked just fine for him. I’ll find someone to sleep with before the week is over. How hard can it be?

I grit my teeth and Carter grabs my jaw. He turns my face toward his and shakes his head. “It’s not happening, Minx. Whatever you have in mind right now, forget about it. It isn’t happening.”

I glare at him, hating that he can still read me so well. “We’ll see about that, Carter.”

Chapter 2

Carter

I feel like a dick even though I haven’t done anything wrong. Emilia and I aren’t together — we’ve never actually been together. Yet the way she looked at me when she saw those hickeys on my skin made me feel guilty. I’ve had plenty of wild nights since I went to college, and last night was no exception. Never once have I felt ashamed of my sex life, though. Not until today.

I thought I was over Emilia, but I still can’t stand to see her hurting. I didn’t expect it to happen, but my heart still races when she smiles at me and I still crave her with every fiber of my being. It doesn’t help that she’s even hotter now than she used to be. It’s not just her body I want, though. I still feel that need to mess with her and to rile her up. Seeing her again brings back so many memories. I still remember all the childish hopes and dreams I had for us and all the things I thought I’d show her when she finally joined me in LA.

My mind drifts back to the day I saw her standing in her bedroom with Landon. I’ll always remember that as the day every hope and dream I had for Emilia and me shattered. I’d been so infatuated with her, and so heartbroken to see her with someone else. Things seemed pretty serious with them back then, so it seems odd that she broke up with him so quickly. I can’t believe Kate didn’t tell me about it either. Not that it would’ve mattered. She and I never would’ve worked out. My mother was right. We were too young and my sister never would’ve gotten over it. Part of me wishes she and I never even got together. If we hadn’t, we might’ve still been close now. We might not have grown apart the way we did. I might not have pushed her away.

I hate to admit it, but I’ve actually missed her. I’ve missed the pranks we used to pull and the friendship we shared. I sigh and set up Emilia’s little Nespresso machine in the dorm room she’ll be sharing with Kate. I glance at her and grin to myself. The way she looked at me with all that coffee streaming down my body… she looked like she was thirsty as fuck. Thirsty for me. The chemistry between us is still there, and it’s still hot as fuck. I doubt that’ll ever change. Emilia’s eyes meet mine and I can’t help but want to mess with her a little.

“Want some coffee, Minx? You did spill the cup you made this morning.”

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