Total pages in book: 145
Estimated words: 138775 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 694(@200wpm)___ 555(@250wpm)___ 463(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 138775 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 694(@200wpm)___ 555(@250wpm)___ 463(@300wpm)
My stomach sank. Did he have a girlfriend? I’d never thought to ask. It was okay if he did, but just seeing the way she was looking at him—and the way he was looking back at her—was a bit of a shock. Was she perhaps the reason why he’d never followed up on that date he’d made me agree to?
She laughed at something he said, and she placed her palm lightly on his flat stomach. I knew how sculpted his muscles were, and my fingers ached to touch him.
Kyle clearly wasn’t looking for me—I wasn’t even sure he remembered I existed—but I ducked behind the edge of the building, anyway. There was a tree in front of me, and it was a good place to see but not be seen.
I shook my head, chiding myself. I wasn’t a stalker. There was no reason I couldn’t just walk up to Kyle. He’d offered to drive me, after all. But it was too intimidating with his good-looking friends all there, talking loudly and laughing.
And with the redhead who appeared to be hanging on his every word.
After a few minutes, the vibe changed in the group, and it was clear they were saying goodbye. I felt relieved for reasons I couldn’t quite identify. Or perhaps didn’t want to identify.
I waited for a few moments after his friends walked off, the redhead going with them, thankfully.
Kyle scanned the area, hopefully looking for me. My plan was to pop out when he was facing the other direction, so that it didn’t look like I’d been spying—even though I had been.
But that plan went up in flames when I spotted something else flame colored. The redhead had circled back.
Crap.
She called his name, and he turned, one eyebrow raised in that arrogant way of his. It was a look I knew well. The redhead sidled up against him and slid her arm around his waist. Kyle’s went around her shoulder. She angled toward him, her face tilted up, inches from him.
Were they going to kiss? If so, I didn’t want to see that. But I somehow couldn’t look away. She reached her free hand up and grasped the hand he had slung over her shoulders, basically assuring he wasn’t going to let her go anytime soon. How did she know how to do that? Or how to gaze at him with such intensity. If it had been me, I would’ve flushed and looked away by now.
They looked good together. Comfortable. Lucas had always hinted that Kyle would go after any woman, and it seemed like maybe it was true. Then again, I didn’t know their history and how serious he was about her.
My stomach twisted in knots, and I wondered if I should just text Jayden or Lucas to see if they were still on campus. Kyle was clearly occupied. I’d spent so much of the past week or two sneaking peeks at him that I could read his body language pretty— Wait.
I squinted, trying to ignore the redhead and just focus on him. His face. His tall, ripped body. On the surface he looked like his normal cocky self. Shoulders back. Chin up. The ever-present smirk.
But he was tense. The signs were subtle but there. His free hand clutched the strap of his backpack tightly, his knuckles white. His shoulders were slightly raised. And mostly importantly, he had his body, his feet, angled away from her. Or as much as she would let him—she was clinging to him like a barnacle.
Maybe they weren’t together, although the redhead hadn’t gotten the message.
I slipped out of my hiding spot without conscious thought and walked toward them.
“There you are! I thought you’d stood me up.” I gave a light, breezy laugh as if that couldn’t possibly be the case.
“Never,” he said. There was a question in his eyes, but he seemed ready to go with the flow. It actually reminded me of how he looked on the field when he played shortstop. He’d stand between second and third looking ready to pivot in either direction in a split second.
I paused a few feet away. “You’re still hungry, right? I’ve been dreaming about sushi all day.”
“Yeah, I’m hungry all right.” The direct look he gave me made my pulse spike, but I tried to look casual.
“Who’s your friend?” I purposefully asked him, not even looking at her.
“Jasmine,” he said. Then he looked down at her as if he’d forgotten that she was glued to his side. “And this is Tori.”
“Hi,” Jasmine said, but since she wouldn’t tear her gaze away from Kyle, it sounded as if it was directed at him.
“Nice to meet you, Jasmine.” Jasmine. Of course she was named something sexy like that. But I was glad Kyle had introduced me as Tori. The full version of my name sounded so old-fashioned… except it somehow sounded hot the way Kyle often said it.