“She gave me an ultimatum,” Nico said, holding Stone’s gaze, his chest still heaving. “If I don’t go to Texas Tech, she’s not interested in me anymore.”
That sounded like Chelsea. She was annoyingly self-centered. Never mind that Nico had a scholarship opportunity, Stone could see her insisting he follow her around like a puppy.
What Nico probably didn’t know was that Chelsea’s view on relationships wasn’t much different than Stone’s. He figured that was partly why she’d dated Nico on and off for the past few years. She had someone to fall back on when she needed him, and when she didn’t, she could push him aside, knowing he would always come back.
“What about Jenny?” Stone prompted. “You fuck her?”
Nico’s eyebrows slammed down. “Hell no. She’s Chelsea’s best friend. I’m not a complete asshole.”
“So what happened?”
Nico’s blue eyes skimmed his face, but he still didn’t attempt to shove Stone away. “I flirted with her. Figured it would get back to Chelsea, and she’d have a reason to dump me without feelin’ bad about it.”
Well, hell. Maybe Nico wasn’t as clueless as Stone thought he was.
“Youwanther to break up with you.”
“It’s what’s best for her,” Nico said, his voice lowering. “Above all else, we’re friends. It’s easier for her to hate me now than to lose that.”
Stone’s ire dissipated, replaced by a new respect for the guy. It sounded like he genuinely cared about Chelsea. Enough to sacrifice his pride.
“You two done? For good?”
Nico nodded. “It’s been over for a while. This just makes it official.”
“Good.”
“Why?”
Stone smirked. “Because I said so.”
He let his gaze slide to Nico’s mouth, and he imagined all the wicked things the guy could do with it. It didn’t matter that Nico’s lip was split, he still wanted to know how good those lips would feel wrapped around his cock.
When he looked up, Nico was still watching him. Only now, he was breathing harder despite not having moved an inch.
“Where’s Stevie?” Nico asked, obviously bringing her up because he thought Stone had forgotten about her.
He hadn’t.
Rather than tell Nico that Stevie was standing only a few feet away on the other side of his truck, listening to every word, he said, “Where do you want her to be?”
Stone’s gaze shifted to his girl. Her eyes were wide, but the way she nibbled her lower lip told him she wasn’t worried. She was watching them with intrigue glittering in her pretty brown eyes.
He held her stare for another second, and that was when he saw it. Her left eyebrow rose slowly. He swore he heard her silent question:Is he the one?
Their last intimate conversation replayed in his head. The one where Stone told her he was bisexual and asked if she’d one day be up for bringing another guy into the mix. A one-night-only kinda thing. An experiment. For both of them. Granted, he’d only been partially serious, but Stevie hadn’t hesitated to agree when he asked.
Not only that, but Stevie had talked about Nico more than once in the past several months. Since Nico was Stevie’s best friend’s brother, she was around him a lot. More than Stone had been comfortable with back in the beginning. At least until Stevie assured him she simply thought Nico was hot. She wasn’t interested in being with him.
So, was she suggesting Nico as their plus-one?
Stone kept his eyes on her as he tilted his head toward Nico and raised an eyebrow.
Her response was a slow nod.
Damn, but the girl never ceased to amaze him.
Stone remained where he was, keeping Nico pinned to the truck, neither of them speaking. The guy should’ve been shoving him away, trying to free himself, but he wasn’t. No, he was standing there like a deer trapped in the headlights of a speeding truck, those big blue eyes wide as he anticipated the inevitable crash. But the flash of heat Stone saw in them intrigued him.
