Total pages in book: 44
Estimated words: 42306 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 212(@200wpm)___ 169(@250wpm)___ 141(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 42306 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 212(@200wpm)___ 169(@250wpm)___ 141(@300wpm)
“Wow. Guess this would be the reason you wanted me to stay away from her. Huh, Coach?”
Startled by the deep voice that echoes off the walls, we splinter apart as a gasp falls from my lips and we stare at Levi.
Not once does the football player glance in my direction as he continues to glare at the older man.
Before Mason can offer an explanation, the QB turns on his heel and stalks away. The heavy metal door opens before getting slammed shut again as I stare at the last place I saw him standing before disappearing around the corner.
“Fuck,” he mutters, dragging a hand through his short, dark hair.
My fingers sweep across my lips, which already feel swollen from his kisses. “I’m sorry.” In hindsight, making out in the locker room was reckless.
He glances at me, and the tension filling his shoulders dissolves. “It’s not your fault. I knew better, and should have put a stop to it before it got out of hand.”
Even though what happened doesn’t feel like a good thing, maybe it is. Maybe now, we can stop sneaking around.
“You know,” I say cautiously, “if we tell Dad that we’re seeing each other, then there won’t be a reason for us to hide our relationship.”
“Is that what this is?” He jerks a brow. “A relationship?”
Uncertainty rushes through me. Is it possible that I’ve read too much into this? “I thought so.”
Just as the muscles in my belly contract, a smirk flashes across his face as his hand snakes out to nab my fingers before drawing me closer. “You know it is.”
He presses a kiss against my lips.
“I was hoping to give it a little more time before we told your father. Maybe if I talk to Levi, he’ll keep quiet about what he saw.”
It takes effort to swallow down my disappointment. Doesn’t he understand that life would be so much easier if we were out in the open and didn’t have to worry about people catching us? I totally get that he doesn’t want to jeopardize his new job, but I honestly don’t think Dad would fire him.
“Okay. Sure.”
When the locker room door swings open again, Mason takes a few hasty steps in retreat until there’s at least four feet of space to separate us.
“Hey, sweetheart,” Dad’s voice booms as he strides around the corner. By his easy expression, I can only assume he didn’t run into Levi in the corridor. “Sorry about that. I thought it would be a quick five-minute conversation with the trainer. Turned into twenty.”
“It’s not a problem.”
He stuffs his hands into the pockets of his shorts. “Have you been waiting long?”
“Nope. Just got here.”
He glances at Mason before jerking a thumb in the younger man’s direction. “Hopefully this guy kept you company.”
The way his lips were crushed against mine minutes ago flits through my head.
I clear my throat along with those distracting thoughts and keep my attention focused on Dad. “Yeah. We were talking about your schedule for the season.”
With a nod, he glances at his assistant coach. “Anne was just saying this morning that dinner with the four of us worked out so well, we should find the time to do it again.”
The words sit perched on the tip of my tongue. It wouldn’t take much to push out the truth and let the chips fall. One glance at the tension radiating from Mason is enough to swallow them back down again.
What’s clear from our conversation is that he’s not ready for us to go public.
My biggest fear is that he never will be.
Poppy
With an extra fifteen minutes before the start of class, I decide to stop by the coffee house on campus and pick up an iced latte. I need something to get my blood pumping, and with any luck, this will do the trick.
If not, I’m in for a long morning.
As I open the door, I realize quite a few people had the same idea. I step into the queue and wait patiently for my turn.
Thankfully, the baristas are used to the heavy student traffic and keep the line moving at a steady clip. As another person steps up to the counter and places their order, a voice from behind says, “Hey, Poppy.”
My heart stutters as I glance over my shoulder and find Levi. We haven’t spoken since he walked in on Mason and me kissing in the locker room. I caught sight of him in class a couple days later. Instead of parking himself next to me like usual, he sat with a couple of friends. When he refused to meet my gaze, I’d assumed he was angry.
“Hi.” My fingers flutter nervously before tucking a stray lock of hair behind my ear. “How are you?” I steel myself, unsure if I’m about to get an earful.
“I’m good.” He glances at the large picture window that takes up most of the front wall. “Looks like it’s gonna be another nice one today.”