The Punk and the Plaything (When Rivals Play #3) - B.B. Reid Page 0,103

and up the long drive. There was a silver SUV with the back hatch wide open. I could see Jamie’s duffel and guitar already loaded inside.

A few more minutes, and I would have missed him.

My heart squeezed tightly at the thought, and I forced myself to take a deep breath. Everything’s fine. You didn’t miss your chance.

Rounding the SUV, I stopped when I saw Jamie standing by the front door, arguing with his parents. Throwing my bike down, I shouted his name.

Jamie’s head swung in my direction, and his eyes bucked the moment he saw me standing there, breathing hard and dripping sweat all over the place. I could see the relief in his brown eyes even from here. I had the feeling he’d been refusing to leave until he got to see me. My heart swelled even as my knees trembled at the thought of not seeing him for an entire year.

But what if he didn’t keep his promise to come back? What if I never saw him again?

Jamie left the porch, and his father said something to him, which Jamie ignored. Pulling me behind one of the trees lining the drive for privacy, Jamie pressed something in my hand.

When I opened my palm, I frowned in confusion. “Stamps? What are these for?”

“For your letters when you write to me,” he demanded.

I carefully thumbed the stack. There had to be hundreds. Enough for each day until he returned…

“I’ll write every day,” I vowed.

Gripping my chin—I loved it when he did that—he lifted my head, making me meet his serious gaze. “You swear?”

“Cross my heart and hope to die.” I grinned, but he didn’t smile back. In fact, I’d never seen him look quite so serious before.

Glancing at his parents and confirming they weren’t paying us any mind as they loaded the SUV, he kissed my lips. It was over far too quickly. Nothing like the lingering, experimental kisses we’d shared all summer long. “Tell me you’ll miss me.”

I choked back a sob. “You know I will.”

“I want to hear the words, Bee.”

I didn’t hesitate to tell him what was in my heart. “I’ll miss you.”

For a moment, I wondered if we were getting too intense too fast, but then he kissed me, and all those worries melted away. As he pulled away, I felt him press something else in my hand. Looking down, I saw his harmonica lying in my palm. He’d been teaching me how to play, but I didn’t understand why he was giving it to me when he loved it so much.

“Keep this safe for me.”

Mrs. Buchanan began calling Jamie’s name, so he reluctantly pulled away. Fresh tears started falling from my eyes. Summer had never seemed so far away.

“Barbette…” Hearing my name, I was instantly alert. He never called me Barbette unless he was upset, serious, or mocking me. “I want you to do something else for me.”

I was too busy looking around anxiously to see the storm brewing in his gaze. His parents were only a few feet away. Any moment now, we’d be caught. “What? Anything.”

If I’d known he’d ask the impossible, I never would have spoken so confidently.

“Stay away from Ever.”

Present

FORGIVE HER? BARBETTE REALLY EXPECTED me to forgive her? I wanted to punch the air and then the wall and maybe someone’s flesh until they bled. My teeth threatened to break as I replayed her words.

Fuck, no. I couldn’t forgive her.

I wasn’t sure who I was more upset with—her for asking or me for that split fucking second when I’d actually considered it. I seemed to be a glutton for punishment, and that wasn’t her fault. I should have never stuck my dick in her. I already knew I was going to do it again.

I was in the kitchen looking for something to grub on when I heard a sound coming from the pantry. It was a butler’s pantry, so it was pretty large and even had a window. Thinking it might be a burglar, I found a weapon seconds before the door opened.

“What the hell, man?” Ever said when he saw me wielding an iron skillet.

I frowned as I lowered the pan. “What the fuck were you doing in the closet?”

“I climbed through the window. The lock is still broken.”

So that’s how Bee got in.

I would never admit that it turned me on knowing she went through the trouble. She’d snuck into my room in tiny shorts with her ass hanging out and a thin top that could barely contain her