Total pages in book: 139
Estimated words: 130380 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 652(@200wpm)___ 522(@250wpm)___ 435(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 130380 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 652(@200wpm)___ 522(@250wpm)___ 435(@300wpm)
We’d shown our cards, and he’d played his ace.
For a long moment, we stood there, me wrapped around Leo and him breathing loud, shallow breaths, both of us staring at the door Nero had disappeared through.
When I finally released him, I shoved him hard.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?!”
“Me?” Leo spun to face me, his eyes still wild. “I should have killed him, Mary. He’s a fucking scumbag and—”
“And I can handle my damn self!” I shouted, chest heaving. “I kneed him in the balls. I walked out of here with my head held high and at least a scrap of my dignity still in place. I don’t need you swooping in like some fist-happy shining knight to defend my honor. I had a plan, which you’ve now shot to hell. Because now I’ll never work anywhere in this city because I have a psychotic boyfriend.”
Leo blinked, taking two long breaths. “Boyfriend?”
I chuffed a laugh, turning and striding to my car. The words that burst out of my throat without permission were immature and hasty, but I didn’t care. “Ex, now.”
“Whoa, whoa, wait,” he said, catching up to me and taking me by the elbow to spin me toward him. “What do you mean ex?”
“You completely disrespected me,” I screamed through my tears, chest tight. “I asked you not to. I begged you. And you did it anyway.”
Leo’s face leveled out more with every word. “Mary.”
“No,” I ripped my arm out of his grasp. “I can’t believe you.” I shook my head, tears blurring my vision. A short laugh chopped out of me. “Actually, I can. I really fucking can. I should have known better.”
I hated myself before the next words even left my lips, but I wanted to hurt him. I wanted him to feel loss like I felt in that moment.
A small part of me remembered feeling this way before with him, seven years ago, when he hurt me and I was desperate to return the favor.
“You don’t really care about me,” I said. “You just wanted a prize, something to have on your arm and get in fights over. You didn’t stop to think twice about what I wanted, how this would impact me and my fucking dream. I have worked for years for this. Years, Leo. Imagine if I did this to you, if I tore through the stadium and ripped a cheerleader off the top of a pyramid by her hair for ogling you or bragging to her friends in the bathroom how you’d fucked her into the next decade at a party last year.”
Leo had completely sobered now, all the fight gone from him as he rushed me and pulled me into him. He held me tight, brushing his fingers through my hair.
“I’m sorry,” he breathed.
His knuckles were bleeding.
So was his eyebrow.
“I’m so sorry,” he said again when I didn’t pull away. “You’re right. I was stupid. I just—”
“Didn’t think,” I finished for him, sniffing and pulling away. “Yeah. I know.”
He crumpled. “Stig, I—”
I held up one hand to stop him. “Don’t you understand?” The realization hit me like a boulder, one that fell from a skyscraper and squashed me like a bug. I sniffed, searching his gaze. “I trusted you.”
That nearly broke us both, and I tore away from him, needing to get away from his touch.
“I trusted you not to hurt me. You promised me I could.”
“I would never hurt you,” he said, voice booming.
“You already did.”
His nostrils flared, jaw hinged tight as his eyes glossed over just like mine. But he didn’t move, didn’t try to touch me again, didn’t try to argue. He just stood there waiting for me to absolve him.
And I couldn’t.
“Leave me alone, Leo,” I pleaded softly, bringing my eyes to meet his. “I need you to leave me alone.”
He swallowed. “What if I can’t?”
“Then you’ll prove that you really don’t care about me at all.”
Twenty minutes later, I pulled up to Giana and Clay’s.
They made up the couch for me without asking a single question, and Giana held me as I cried until I fell asleep.
Leo
Twenty-four hours ago, everything was different.
My biggest worry yesterday had been football. We had an away game against our rivals in two weeks after our bye this weekend, and it was all we could focus on. If we won, not only would it be a rivalry win, but it would secure a bowl game for us.
Coach had also told me there would be multiple scouts at this game — scouts who had been visiting our campus throughout the season with their eyes on our seniors.
On me.
Yesterday, I was full of hope. I had sped home with nothing but excitement flowing through my veins as I rushed to tell Mary. Yesterday was a whole different world, a completely different universe.
Today, I woke up in hell.