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I jerk my shoulders, only wanting to shoot down every obstacle she attempts to throw in my path. “He doesn’t have to know.” There’s a pause. “It can be our little secret. Just like when you used to sneak into my room at night and crawl into my bed.”
Even in the darkness that floods the bar, it would be impossible to miss the color that stains her cheeks when I resurrect our past. It’s never been something we openly discussed.
Especially afterward.
It’s almost a surprise when she doesn’t immediately shut me down. I was expecting more of a battle.
When she remains silent, I press forward, only wanting to secure her agreement. “It can be a strictly friends-with-benefits situation.”
Her gaze flickers away and for a heartbeat or two, I wonder if I made a tactical error. But…
It’s not like Carina wants to date me. Even the thought makes me want to laugh. She’d rather shank me in the eye than actually introduce me as her boyfriend.
Her cool gaze slices back to mine as she silently assesses me from under a thick fringe of lashes. Just as I shift beneath the relentless scrutiny of her gaze, she says, “Don’t you mean frenemies-with-benefits?”
The easy-going grin I’d been wearing now feels forced and brittle around the edges. “You got it, sweetheart. That’s exactly what it would be.” I have no idea what propels me to take it one step further. I press my lips to her ear. “A little hate fucking could be cathartic for both of us, don’t you think?”
Her body goes whipcord tight as she whispers, “Well, I do hate you.”
If her response leaves me feeling hollowed out inside, I shove it away, unwilling to inspect it too closely. “So, we’re on then?”
Anticipation coils deep inside me. All I want to do is lock her ass down tight. I want to know that for a few days, weeks, or whatever, Carina Hutchins belongs to me.
And me alone.
“I’ll think about it and get back to you.”
I pull away just enough to search her eyes. “No one else touches that pussy until I get an answer.”
“You get to decide that as well, huh?”
“Yeah, I do. Do we have a deal?”
There’s a long, drawn-out silence that ratchets up the thick tension between us until it becomes almost unbearable.
“I guess.”
That’s all it takes for my muscles to loosen and the air to leak from my lungs.
I’m one step closer to getting what I want.
One step closer to getting my hands on Carina.
Chapter Thirteen
Carina
“How did I let you talk me into this?” I mutter as we walk away from the ticket booth.
Juliette throws an arm over my shoulders and tugs me close. “Because I promised to buy you a box of popcorn. And you’re a whore for arena popcorn.”
“You know me well,” I reluctantly admit.
She flashes me a grin as her eyes dance with humor. My bestie is positively glowing and that has everything to do with Ryder McAdams. Her feet no longer touch the ground when she walks, and her head is always somewhere in the clouds. The girl is over the moon happy.
And who can blame her?
Ryder McAdams has always been a hot commodity on this campus, and she managed to lock him down tight.
