Total pages in book: 160
Estimated words: 163089 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 815(@200wpm)___ 652(@250wpm)___ 544(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 163089 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 815(@200wpm)___ 652(@250wpm)___ 544(@300wpm)
“You sure are,” he says, deadpan.
“Juuuude!”
“You are, Pres.” He flicks me on the forehead. “The best clown around.”
“Pay me for keeping your life interesting, bitches.” I flip them off. “I’ll see you later.”
“You’re not coming?” Kane asks.
“I’ll check my calendar!” I singsong as I leave the locker room.
I’m totally not going. I have better plans that include being railed into the nearest surface and cuddling all night long.
My steps are light as I head to the parking lot where I agreed to meet Marcus after everyone leaves.
I asked him to park his bike in a hidden spot only Jude knows, because he puts his motorcycle there sometimes.
Soft yellow light brightens the area as I lean against the bike, my legs crossed, and check my phone.
My lips curl when I find a text he sent when I was with the guys.
Marcus
You look hot. Also, you’re moving in with me tomorrow.
Me
You didn’t have to go all out during the game. I would’ve moved in even if you lost.
As I hit Send, thick arms wrap around me from behind as soft lips brush my throat. “Mmm. I missed you.”
His voice rumbles deep, and my pulse stutters in response.
I don’t think I’ll ever get used to how quiet it is in my head when he touches me. He doesn’t even have to do much—just his hands on me bring on a sense of peace I never thought I’d experience.
“You smell like locker room,” he murmurs. “What were you doing around naked guys, Preston?”
“Checking out alternatives?”
He slides his hand up my chest and lifts my jaw so that he’s staring down at me. “You have no alternatives but me, you hear me?”
“Relax. I was just consoling them. You know how they can’t function without me.”
“Is that so?”
“If I were on the ice, you wouldn’t be limping out of that arena with a win. I’d have kicked your ass six ways to hell, Osborn.”
“Cute. You think you’d survive ten seconds with me right now?”
I grab a handful of his hair, leaning close until my lips are a breath from his. “How about you?”
“How about me?”
“You can’t survive me for even a second. You’d fold the moment I touch you.”
“No argument here.” He closes the distance, sealing his lips to mine, sucking on the lower one before thrusting his tongue in, licking the inside of my mouth.
It’s a hungry kiss that leaves me breathless, and he feels it when I moan in his mouth.
The taste of him floods my head, then spills down my spine in a slow shiver.
God. I could kiss him all day, every day.
How the hell did I even survive without kissing him before?
How could I bear to stay away from him when I’m so in love with him?
That will never happen again. I also promised him that from now on, he’ll be the first to know when the voices in my head get too loud.
“What the fuck is going on here?”
My eyes flash open as Marcus is ripped away from me by none other than Jude.
Fuck me sideways.
Marcus doesn’t resist. He seems really, truly annoyed that he was interrupted mid-kiss.
Kane stands to the side, his hands in his pockets, his gaze sharp and calculating, but at least he’s not being a raging bull like Jude.
“Preston, step back from this asshole,” he says. “He forced you, didn’t he?”
“No.” With a sigh, I stand beside Marcus. “He kissed me, and I kissed him back. That’s how kissing works, big man.”
His lips part, and he looks to be on the verge of having an aneurysm. “Are you out of your mind?”
“Yes, diagnosed. Any other obvious questions?”
“This asshole—” Jude’s about to hit Marcus, but Kane pulls him back.
“Enough, Jude. It’s not what you think it is,” Kane says.
“You…” Jude stares at him. “You knew?”
“I had an idea since Dahlia told me Marcus was skating with Miley and Preston.”
Fucking Dorothy and her big mouth.
“Wait…” I say. “You knew?”
“Not entirely.” He holds Jude by the nape. “Just bits and pieces here and there. Nothing too concrete. I mostly confirmed it after Osborn went on a revenge spree for you.”
“I would do it again in a heartbeat,” Marcus tells me with that small smile that makes me melt.
“I would do the same.” I interlace my fingers with his and face my best friends. “Jude, Kane. Meet the love of my life, and you better fucking like him.”
“No. No, he’s not the love of your life,” Jude says. “Find a different love.”
“How about I tell you to find someone other than Vee, asshole?”
He purses his lips but says nothing. There’s a sort of tension in the air as Jude’s frown deepens, and even Kane looks a bit tense.
Marcus slides his fingers from mine. “I’ll give you a moment.”
He’s aware I’m apprehensive about telling them since I’ve yapped about it for weeks, so he knows this is a big moment for me and he’s giving me the chance to face my best friends on my own terms.