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“I did it to protect you.”
“You did it so I wouldn’t find you,” I quip, voice filled with full-on rage.
She whips around to face me. “No, that’s not it—”
“Bullshit. You lied.You. The most religious person I know lied to me. Don’t tell me it was for my benefit. That’s bullshit, and you know it. You never wanted me in the first place.”
“That isn’t true. You don’t understand—”
“Oh, I understand that I wanted you a lot more than you wanted me.” I don’t mean to bear my soul, but her rejection stung. On the other hand, it feels a little freeing, getting three years of frustration off my chest. “I fucking followed you here, and you wanted nothing to do with me.”
“What do you mean you followed me?”
I let out a frustrated breath, more pissed at myself than her. Really, who’s the bigger fool here? “I overheard you on the phone outside that store in Bellow Bay. You mentioned Cessna University on the phone. I assumed you were going there. After you left, I thought I could find you. So I transferred to Cessna University.”
Her eyes widen. “But you would’ve been redshirted.”
“Yeah, I was.”
“Why would—”
“To find you!” I look toward the ceiling to calm myself down. “I thought what we had was special. I didn’t know it was one-sided.” I hate putting myself on the line like this, but maybe she’ll open up to me if she hears the truth.
“Dalton, I . . . I don’t know what to say.”
“Tell me why you had Nicole block my number.”
Her eyes soften and fill with tears. “You broke my rule.”
“What rule?”
“I told you not to fall in love with me.”
This knocks my ego back a step. Was I so stupid that I thought she’d actually tell me? She hasn’t answered a damn question of mine.Ever.
“Why didn’t you get in touch with me?”
“It was supposed to be a summer fling.”
Damn, this girl is frustrating.
“Why didn’t you get a hold of me?”
She remains tightlipped.
“Tell me why you let me fuck you. Explain why you handed me your virginity if we were nothing more than a summer fling.”
Her hand flies up, but I catch her wrist before she connects with my face. Her chest heaves up and down. I see the hurt in her eyes, but damn it, she’s the one who left, shutting me out. She’s the one who lied. Staring into her eyes, I demand, “Tell me.”
“You need to push aside whatever happened between us.” Her voice is cold and devoid of emotion. I stagger backward. How can she be so callous?
“How do you expect me to do that? I loved you.”Or else, I thought I did.Maybe it was more lust or infatuation. No. I shut that thought process down. What we shared went beyond any of that. I fucking cared for her. I fucking gave up my dream college and trucked clear across the country to find her. I gave up a year of baseball for her. “Tell me why you tossed me aside. I deserve that much.”
“If you get caught looking at me like you’ve been, my dad will send you packing. He has friends in high places. Ones that could end your career. Youhaveto forget about us. I beg you.” A tear slides down her cheek, and the pure devastation written across every facet of her face tells me everything I need to know. She still wants me. She’s just fighting it.
I don’t want to fuck things up any more than what I have. I desperately need to make this summer work, but this girl means everything to me.Fuck.I shove my hands through my hair and tug on the ends. I want to scream. I want to punch the fucking wall. My chest heaves as I blink and look away. My gaze lands straight on Jesus.
What do you say, Big Guy? Is she worth this frustration?I know the answer before I even ask the question. Of course she is. She’s worth whatever consequence I face. My feet chew the distance between us until our bodies join. I keep moving forward until her back pushes against the wall. We seem to keep finding ourselves in this position—me pressing against that soft body of hers and her cheeks flushed and looking every bit like a woman who wants me. “How am I supposed to do that?”You’re everything to me.
