Total pages in book: 70
Estimated words: 70294 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 351(@200wpm)___ 281(@250wpm)___ 234(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70294 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 351(@200wpm)___ 281(@250wpm)___ 234(@300wpm)
“I’m not going to.”
“You deserve good things, Gray,” I said. “It’s like you said. I’ve had a lifetime of good things. Everything’s been handed to me. But you… you deserve greatness. Just take it, even if it fucks up everything for me.”
“You don’t mean that.”
“I don’t want it to happen, but I can’t stop it, can I?”
“Okay, now I know you’re crazy when you’re drunk,” Gray said.
“Iced coffee, on the house,” Max said as he appeared a moment later, swooping in with a tall, icy coffee in his hands.
“Did you order me that?” I asked Gray.
“Bet your sweet fucking ass I did. Drink it. Perk up a little.”
Max gave me a little salute before heading back over to the busy bar.
I took a long swig of the iced coffee. It tasted like Max must have put a little shot of vanilla syrup in it.
“This is the most delicious iced coffee I’ve ever had. Does coffee always taste this good when you’re drunk?”
“Probably.”
“Jesus Christ, I’m really going to be on national TV in an hour, aren’t I?”
I leaned on the edge of the pool table, staring at the spot in the center. Just a couple of hours ago, I’d been having the time of my life in here, missing Gray and telling him to get his ass over here.
Now I was disintegrating.
Saying things I didn’t mean.
And saying too many things I did mean.
“You’re going to rock it, too,” Gray said.
I turned back to look at him.
His blue eyes made my heart ache even more than usual.
“You’re being very nice to me,” I said softly.
He reached out a hand and gripped the front of my shirt in his fist.
“Because I fucking want to be nice to you. Now will you shut up and accept it?”
Leave it to Gray to be totally aggressive about how he complimented me, too.
“You don’t have to say you like me just because I said it. It’s okay. I was cheated on and heartbroken, but I don’t need pity.”
Gray gave me a hard stare. “Andrew, the next time I see Danny I’m going to struggle not to put my fist to his face. I don’t know how anyone could hurt you.”
My heart did a little backflip in my chest. “Seemed pretty easy for him.”
He released his grip. “You have more important things to think about right now. Water, coffee, and practice what you’re going to say to ESPN. Those are your top three priorities.”
“No. This is.”
I moved forward and put my hand under his chin, dipping to catch his lips in a kiss.
Nothing made sense anymore.
Some of that was the liquor.
But a whole lot more of it was the way Gray made me feel, even when it felt like my whole world was entering code-red panic.
The moment my lips were on his, I didn’t give a fuck about the rest of the world.
Maybe this would all crash and burn still.
Maybe he’d write a horrible article about me, and my life would come to a swift end in two weeks at Homecoming.
But the raw urge to kiss him was too strong.
As if I was in a burning building anyway, and I may as well kiss him before it turned to ash. Let the people in the bar see it. Hell, I’d do it on ESPN, live for the cameras, if I had to.
I kissed him slowly, letting one hand move to his hip and squeezing him there.
“I still can’t stand you, you know,” I murmured against his lips before pulling away. “How are you somehow still cocky even when you’re comforting me and helping me?”
“Could say the same for you,” he told me. “When you were being a mother hen and fixing up my wounds, your ego was still the size of your fucking cock.”
I hummed. “You’re good with compliments.”
The next hour was a mad rush of preparation.
Luke came back over with more water, iced tea, and a big BLT sandwich for me to eat.
By the time we’d all piled into cabs, I was…
Still drunk, for sure.
But better.
A little.
I thought Gray would just go home, but he followed in his sports car and stood at the side of the field where he usually did as Luke and I set up for our interview. We headed into the locker rooms for a few minutes, throwing on TNU jerseys that would look best on camera.
We walked back out onto the field, and that’s when my nerves started to come back.
Coach got there soon after, patting me and Luke on the back.
“You boys are superstars,” he said. “Have I told you both you’re awesome recently? Because you are.”
It seemed like Coach Ennick had been drinking tonight, too.
I watched Gray’s eyes land on him, studying him in a way he never had before tonight.
Did you really mean it when you said you wouldn’t write about me and Danny?