Total pages in book: 59
Estimated words: 56962 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 285(@200wpm)___ 228(@250wpm)___ 190(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 56962 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 285(@200wpm)___ 228(@250wpm)___ 190(@300wpm)
After a painfully long minute, I inclined my head, wordlessly asking him to follow me a few feet away from the chaos. There was enough commotion around us that no one would pay attention. I hoped.
“It’s not what you’re thinking,” I said in a desperate tone.
Phoenix let out a humorless half laugh. “Oh, I think it is.”
“No, I can explain. I—”
Before I could think of a way to reassure him everything was cool, Sky stepped forward and nudged my shoulder. “Good game, Max.”
“Thanks,” I said tersely.
He ignored my “get the fuck away” look and tipped his baseball cap at Phoenix. “Hey. I’m Sky. You must be Phoenix. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
Phoenix frowned. “Oh?”
“One of the guys on the team mentioned you…well, he was talking about Max and your sister.” Sky turned to me and smirked. “But I know the score. You make a cute couple. Although I gotta say you’re not Max’s usual type.”
“Fuck off, Sky,” I hissed.
“Oh, come on. We both know it’s just a matter of time,” Sky taunted.
“What the fuck are you doing?”
“Stating the obvious. Not to worry…I’m back now, babe. And you know I love a good threesome.” Sky winked, then started to turn. He snapped his fingers as if he’d just remembered something important. “Oh! Hey, I’ll see you tomorrow night. Your mom invited me to dinner. Ciao.”
The urge to go after Sky was strong. And he knew it. It was how we worked. He’d say or do something to piss me off, and we’d go at each other like rabid animals, tearing at clothes and sucking on any available bit of exposed skin in a manic quest to inflict equal amounts of pleasure and pain. Once the balance was off, nothing worked. Pain always outmeasured pleasure. In his mind, the worst thing he could do would be to out me, but he’d have to expose himself too. He’d tried and failed. But he could mess with me. He knew how to push every button. He knew my family, my friends, my schedule.
But he didn’t know me.
I shot a meaningful glance at Phoenix, wordlessly asking him to hang in there. I waved good-bye to my parents and gave Javi a thumbs-up when he called out a reminder to meet up at the Pizza Dome.
“I’m off too,” Sunny said. “Nix?”
They had one of their intense twin mind-meld conversations. No words necessary. After twenty minutes…okay, two seconds, Phoenix nodded. “I’ll be right there.”
Neither of us moved immediately. Snippets from nearby conversations drifted in the air along with the near-constant rev of engines indicating a lot of people were exiting the parking lot at the same time.
“So that was Sky,” he said in a low, blank voice.
“Yeah. I don’t know what that was all about. He’s been fine all week. He acted totally normal at practice…humble even. And he had a good game, but—”
“He’s been here for a week?”
“Yeah, but—”
“Why didn’t you tell me your ex was back? Seems like a big detail to leave out, Max,” he said softly.
“I know, but you were auditioning, and I didn’t want to mess with your mojo…or mine and…” I stepped closer to him and sighed. “Look, I know it’s not ideal and I know Sky is a tool, but there’s nothing I can do about him. The season is almost over. One month, six weeks tops if we make the championships. And if we keep playing like today, we might. Having Sky back sucks on a personal level, but the team needs him.”
He went perfectly still, then nodded. “Got it. I shouldn’t have come today. I’m sorry.”
“What do you mean?”
My mouth filled with cotton or sawdust or a deadly combo of the two. I licked my parched lips and inched closer still before lifting his chin and meeting his eyes. He looked resolute and very unhappy.
“You know what I mean, Max. If I hadn’t come, I wouldn’t have known and that’s the way it was supposed to be. Life in the closet. He does that well, doesn’t he?”
“Who?” I asked, stalling for time while I tried to figure out which hole to patch first.
“Sky. Your boyfriend.”
“My ex,” I corrected sternly. “What are you—”
“He’s hot and it sounds like he wants you back,” Phoenix said evenly.
“I don’t want anything to do with him. This is baseball. Only baseball. He’s like…the guy in the play who you’d rather never see again, but no one else knows the role as well he does, so you have to put up with a bunch of bullshit you don’t want to because—”
“No. I don’t have to do this again. I’m not hiding, I’m not pretending. And I’m not playing any fucked-up games with your ex. I should have known this would be another version of the closeted-jock saga. I did this before, Max. I wanted something that was never going to be mine. It didn’t turn out well.”