Falling For You (Love In All Seasons #2) - Frankie Love Page 0,115
on mine, and he kisses me hard. Deep. Our tongues entwining, and my belly warming with all the memories of our first time.
And I’m falling.
Hard.
“Andy Stafford,” a girl’s voice grates out behind me and I feel him tense around me. “God, I knew you were a player, but really?”
He pulls back, brows drawn down in worry when he glances over my shoulder. He mutters, “Shit.”
I turn to see what, or rather who he’s looking at. A blonde, who I recognize from campus stands there with a few of her friends, arms crossed, glaring between me and Andy.
“Kristen,” he says.
“It’s Kiersten,” she practically shrieks, face red.
“Right, sorry,” he winces, and tries to steer me away, but the girl isn’t ready to let us go that quick.
“I can’t believe you.” She points a manicured finger into his chest. “You bring me here, fuck me in the maze, then two weeks later you’re here with someone else. My friends were right, you really are a manwhore.”
All my fears slam into me.
That he’s exactly who I thought he was.
That I’m nothing but another notch in his belt.
That he is going to break my heart.
Kiersten storms away, her little entourage glaring at Andy over their shoulders as they follow her.
“Shit, Ava. I’m sorry--”
“It’s fine. I just... I think we should go.”
“Ava--”
“I’m not mad.” I have no right to be. I knew who he was. Knew his reputation. But I can’t put my heart on the line for someone like him. Someone who’ll be onto the next conquest as soon as he’s bored with me. “I just want to leave.”
With a heavy sigh, he nods, and we walk back to his car in silence.
Storm clouds roll in above us from the east, and by the time he opens the door for me, little droplets of water are hitting my cheek, like tears that I won’t let fall.
No words are spoken as we drive back, it’s only when he pulls the car to a stop in front of the sorority that he says, “I can’t take back what I did in the past, Ava.”
“I’m not asking you to. You are who you are.”
“And who do you think that is? You judged me before you met me. I know the labels: dumb jock, man whore, what else?” Frustration drips from his words.
“I’m not judging you. You’re allowed to live your life the way you want. I just...” I glance out the window, the rain coming down harder now, and when a crack of thunder rumbles across the sky, I feel it in my chest. “You’re not good for me.”
“I’m more than you think I am. And I can be what you need.”
I look at him then. “Until when? Until the next girl catches your eye? I know how guys like you work.”
“Guys like me?” Anger burns in his words. “And what kind of guy do you think I am, Ava?”
“A guy that’s never made a commitment in his life.” The words come out before I can bite them back.
“You have no idea the kind of commitments I’ve made. But you’re right, I’ve never made a commitment to a girl. Because I’ve never met one worth the risk. Not until you.”
Lightning lights up the sky, and another boom rattles through the car.
“Andy...” As nice as his words are, they’re still just that... words.
“Take a chance on me, Ava.”
“I don’t take chances. I...don’t want to get hurt.” My hand is on the door handle, ready to flee.
“Ava, I get it. You’re scared. You’ve never had a boyfriend, but I want to be yours. I was your first and I want to be your last. I want to be your everything. ”
My eyes well up with tears. “I like you, Andy, so much. But I don’t want to get my heart broken.”
He drops his head, but before I step out of the car, he meets my gaze and says, “You can never get struck by lightning if you aren’t willing to walk in the rain.”
Andy
The girl is either going to be the end of me or the beginning. Twice now, she’s run from me. What she doesn’t realize is that I’m not only a star football player, but also came first at State in the five-hundred-meter dash. She can run, but I will catch her.
Not tonight though. Being a so-called manwhore has taught me a few things about women. They need space. Especially when you’ve upset them.
Tomorrow, the storm will have passed, the sky will clear, and I’ll be able to