“So I have a proposition for you,” he whispers with hooded eyes.
“What proposition?”
“I’ll help you with your soccer, if you help me with mine.”
“Help you how?”
“Be my distraction.”
“Distraction.”
He nods and somehow his scent has become thicker and the space around me has grown darker.
It’s like he’s blocking all the light with his big chest and dousing me in his musky, delicious scent.
He’s dousing me in himself like he’s gasoline and I have no choice but to drip, drip, drip with his scent.
“Yeah, distraction. My rebound girl. You know everything about me. You know I’m angry and I’m hurt and I’m upset. You know I can’t play when I’m like this. So why not? Besides, you ruined it for me, the other night. It’s only fair that you make it up to me now. What d’you say? Want to be my rebound girl, Salem?”
My belly clenches when he says my name on a whisper.
On a thick, rough whisper that rolls down my spine like the beads of sweat his heat is causing.
“I need to…”
Think.Leave. Get away. Throw myself at you.
My brain is short-circuiting right now.
All the wires, all the nerves in my body are coming loose and getting tangled up with each other, firing off like crazy.
And his next words do not help at all. “Come on, you looked pretty jealous back on the soccer field. You didn’t think I’dnotice? I saw the way you were all outraged. It was pretty funny actually. I’m not into schoolgirls but they’re fun to play with.Youare fun to play with. Plus as I said, girls have always found me irresistible and I know you’re not immune. So if you have a little crush on me, no one would blame you. Especially not now. I’m not with your sister anymore. This could be your turn. Your golden fucking chance.”
My turn.
This could be my turn.
He’s right.
Iwasjealous. And now I know that he was flirting with those girls to provoke me.
Idohave a crush on him, only my crush feels like love, big and doomed. All consuming.
It is love.
It has been love for years. For eight miserable years when I’ve cried in my pillow, written him secret letters, pined for him, longed for him,watchedhim.
Because he was in love with someone else. He was in love with my sister.
But he’s not with her anymore, is he?
I know I promised myself that I’d stay away from him and keep him safe from my advances.
But he’s the one suggesting it and he’s in pain and…
And then, I’m not thinking anything at all because he’s touching me again.
The thumb that he was moving back and forth on my belly is now on the corner of my mouth.
