least you won’t have to worry about those nerds at Harvard distracting you.”
I frowned at her assuming everyone at Harvard was a nerd but pushed it aside for a subject more pressing. At least to me. “He’s not my man,” I whispered, my gaze fixed on the sand. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Selena pause before she lifted her sunglasses enough to see me clearly.
“What do you mean?”
“We’re just…friends.” The word tasted like acid in my mouth, and it only seemed to be that way whenever I was referring to Vaughn.
“Friends? That’s not how he acted when you were together.” She lifted a brow skeptically. “Is he seeing anyone else?” I shook my head before hugging my legs and resting my chin on my knees. “So how long have you two been just friends?”
“Ten months next week.”
“So, are you fucking him?”
My eyes widened at how quickly she’d gotten personal. I wasn’t as prudish as Jamie accused me of being, but sister or not, I barely knew her. Suddenly, I wished for my friends. I’d invited them to the beach, but no one had been able to make it. Four and Ever had gone to visit her mom in psychiatric care, Wren and Lou were spending some much-needed alone time together, Jamie and Bee were still honeymooning their new relationship, and Vaughn was MIA. Once again, he hadn’t answered any of my phone calls or text messages. Something was definitely up. Training had never kept him this busy before.
“I know what you’re thinking, baby sis, but I’m not going anywhere, so you better get used to my bluntness. Besides, it’s just between us girls.” She nudged my shoulder with her own before offering me a conspiratorial smile.
I briefly considered her point before deciding not to be so uptight for once. “We’ve done stuff but…no. We haven’t gone all the way.”
There was a twinkle in her eye that I didn’t know how to interpret as she sat up. “Well, it sounds like you’re in a relationship to me. If he were just in it for sex, he wouldn’t be waiting a year for you to give it up. Especially not a guy that looks like that.”
I started to tell her that there was so much more to Vaughn than his Adonis looks, overwhelming popularity, or the fact that his parents were as well-connected as they were rich. For some reason, I held back. I guess I wanted to keep those hidden treasures, the parts he’d only shared with me, all to myself.
“He said we couldn’t be together even if he wanted to,” I told her instead.
She frowned at that but didn’t seem surprised. I was starting to see the benefit of having an older sister. Obviously, Selena was wiser and had experienced more. Maybe I should pick her brain and figure out how to make Vaughn mine once and for all. “Why?”
I shrugged even though he’d told me why. I also knew he’d been lying, so I wasn’t quite sure what to think. There wasn’t much that could top a bigot on the despicable-human ladder—except a child molester or maybe a serial killer. I had a hard time picturing the man who could sire Vaughn Rees as either of those.
Sticking to my original theory, I said, “I think he wants to keep his options open for when he goes pro but doesn’t want to hurt my feelings.”
“Pro?”
“Yeah. He got a lot of offers to play college ball. It’s only a matter of time before the NFL picks him up.”
“Shut up!” Selena said, sounding even more excited than when I told her I’d been accepted into Harvard. “He’s that good?”
“He’s amazing,” I said, meaning that in more ways than one. I never expected Vaughn to stick around when he realized I wouldn’t be an easy conquest. I certainly hadn’t expected him to be so patient with me. Even though it was looking like we’d never be a couple, I was lucky to have him as a friend.
“Well, then you have to show him what he’ll be missing if he lets you get away. Vaughn might be the coveted football star, but you are the real prize.”
I am the real prize.
I met Selena’s gaze, and it was like looking in a mirror. “How do I do that?”
Her lips slowly spread in a smile that almost seemed triumphant. I blinked at that. “For starters, you said you two had done stuff before?”
“Yeah…”
“In the bedroom?” she clarified at my confused look.