I didn’t get jealous.
I was Jason fucking Ford.
But as I moved down the hall, kids diving out of the way to make room for me, all I could picture was Felicity smiling up at Asher, his arm hung over her shoulder. And I wanted to kill something.
“Run it again,” Coach yelled from the sideline. There wasn’t a muscle in my body that didn’t ache, but I welcomed the burn. The burn numbed everything else. Tamped down all the unfamiliar emotions that had taken root in my chest, snaking through me like slow acting poison.
“If I didn’t know better,” Asher taunted from the scrimmage line. “I’d say you had a bad case of blue balls.”
“Fuck off, Bennet,” I snapped, getting ready to call the play.
“I’m just saying, you don’t seem yourself.”
“Ash,” Cam warned from his wide position.
“Chill, he knows I’m only yanking his chain.” He flashed me a smug grin.
I called the play and barked, “Hut,” as I received the ball and dropped back to make the pass to Cam.
“Nice,” Coach boomed. “Keep playing like this and we won’t have anything to worry about Friday. Everyone hit the showers, I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Yanking off my helmet, I tucked it under my arm and started toward the locker room.
“Hey,” Ash jogged up beside me, “Serious talk. You okay? I was only—”
“What the fuck are you doing?”
“I’m not doing anything.”
“Don’t give me that bull.” My eyes slid to his, narrowing. “You’re pushing me. Why?”
“I’m not...” He pressed his lips together, mulling over his reply. “Fine. I don’t get it, okay? You like her. I know you do. And for some bizarre reason, she likes you too.”
“And?”
“You’re too fucking stubborn to do anything about it.”
“Maybe I don’t want to do anything about it.” The lie soured on my tongue. I wanted to do something about it all right, but I knew I shouldn’t.
The rest of the guys gave us a wide berth as we slowed down.
“Come on, Jase, this is me. I know you better than that and I know no girl has ever got under your skin the way she has. Tell me I’m wrong?” His brow rose.
It was my turn to smother my reply.
“Didn’t think so.” He flashed me a knowing grin.
“You like her,” I said.
“It doesn’t matter.” Asher shrugged in that easy laidback way of his, but I saw the tightness around his eyes.
He did like her.
Probably a whole lot more than he’d ever admit.
“So what’s the plan? Try and talk me into giving her a shot and then you hang back in the wings waiting for me to screw it up and swoop in and fix her broken heart?”
It was a joke. An attempt to wipe the smug smile off his face. But it backfired because the second the words left my mouth, I realized it was probably true. I would screw it up and he would be there, waiting to wipe away her tears.
“Admit that you like her, and I’ll back off,” he said. “I know it kills you seeing me flirt with her.”
“You’ve lost your fucking mind.” I barged past him and kept walking. Asher didn’t know the first thing about what I felt.
Dammit, I didn’t even know.
“Jase, man, when are you going to stop and pull your head out of your ass?”
Stopping, I glanced back, eyes narrowed to slits.
“She won’t wait forever.” He just wouldn’t stop pushing. “And yeah, maybe I will be around to help her forget all about you. Then what? You just gonna sit by and watch me move in on your girl?”
My girl?
It shouldn’t have sounded so damn good.
“You’d choose her over me?” I deflected his slip of the tongue.
“What are we, five?” He ran a hand down his face. “All I’m saying is, you’d better figure out what you want because I’m sure there are plenty of other guys just waiting to take your place.”
“Is that a threat, Bennet?” I stood taller, irritation rippling up my spine.
“You’re a dick, you know that?”
“Never claimed to be anything else.”
“Just don’t destroy her, man. She’s strong but she’s not that strong.” He moved around me, not sparing me a backward glance, while I was left standing there wondering when life got so complicated.
The answer as clear as day.
Felicity fucking Giles.
I was done waiting.
The plan was simple—lure Felicity into meeting me and fuck her clean out of my head. Because Asher was right, she was under my skin. Burying herself deeper and deeper. She’d been the one to tell me she wouldn’t play my games, yet it felt like she was running circles around me. And for as much as I wanted her, wanted to taste her lips again, to soak up the quiet that existed whenever she was around; deep down, I knew this thing between us could never work.
Me: Tonight. You, me, and every item on your list you haven’t completed.
Felicity: I never had you down as a dog lover…
Me: WTF?
Felicity: Nothing, forget I said anything.
Me: You’re so fucking strange.
Felicity: So you like to keep reminding me.
Shit. Not the best way to score brownie points. Considering my reply, I went with the truth, for once.
Me: What if I told you, I like your brand of strange?
Felicity: Hold the phone. Did Jason Ford just admit he likes something?
Me: Easy there, Giles. I said I like your strangeness... I’m not sure it’s a reason to be flattered.
Felicity: You like me.
Yes.
Yes, I do.
But I couldn’t tell her that. So instead, I went with something typical jock-asshole.
Me: I’d like you bouncing on my dick more.
Felicity: Okay.
My eyes almost bugged out of their sockets.
Me: Okay, you want to bounce on my dick? Because I’ve got to say, Giles, I’m a little surprised...
Felicity: Very funny! Okay, I’ll meet you...
My pulse ratcheted.
Me: Yeah? After school? Or now?
Felicity: Cutting class is on my list.
I smirked triumphantly. I fucking knew it.
Me: Meet me after second period, round by the locker room.
Felicity: You’ve really given this some thought.
Me: I think about a lot of things.
Her. Naked. Underneath me.
Felicity: Goodbye, Jason. I’ll see you soon.
Chapter Seventeen
Felicity
I’d lost my freaking mind.
It was the only explanation as I hid out in the girls’ bathroom until the hall had emptied. When a good five minutes after the start of third period had passed, I slipped out of the bathroom, ducked down the hall and straight out of one of the side entrances. My heart pounded in my chest as I crossed the lawn and went around the back of the building. But it was nothing compared to how it galloped away when I spotted Jase’s Dodge Charger, the engine humming just like the gentle hum beneath my skin.
He looked completely at ease as I opened the door and slid inside. “I didn’t know if you would come.”