On The Rebound (Steinbeck U #1) - L.A. Cotton Page 0,23
thrown caution to the wind and let herself believe that I was still the boy she once loved.
“I hate you,” she breathed, unshed tears clouding her eyes.
My hand slid to Calli’s throat, pinning her against the wall, our lips so close I could almost taste her. “You should. I’m not a good guy anymore, sweet pea. I’m not the hero of this story.”
“I didn’t ask you to be.” There was a hint of sadness in her words. “You ruined my night.”
“I was sav—”
“Saving me? Yeah, keep telling yourself that, Zach.” Her lips twisted into a wicked smirk, setting my teeth on edge. She was mocking me. Little Calliope James was mocking me.
Who the fuck was this girl?
“Know what I think?” she snarled, baring her teeth. “I think you saw that guy touching me and you didn’t like it. Because you still care. That’s why you chased me down last Halloween and that’s why you’re here now. You can’t let me go, just like I can’t let you go. So the question is... what are we going to do about it? Because I need to let you go, Zach...” Pain shone in her eyes. “I need this to be over.”
I jerked away as if she’d slapped me. Who the fuck was she to come into my life and tell me how I felt?
“You think I care?” The words vibrated through me. “The only thing I care about, is not getting chewed out by my teammates for not saving you and Josie from being sexually assaulted by those two guys. Although I’m beginning to think I should have just let him have at it.”
She sucked in a harsh breath, one I felt all the way to the pit of my stomach. But then her eyes narrowed, pinning me in place. “You’re lying.”
Somehow, she’d turned the tables on me, and suddenly I found myself on the back foot.
Well, fuck that.
Fists clenched at my side, I advanced on her again, pressing the entire length of my body against hers. Calli’s breath caught again, as she craned her neck to look at me.
“Let’s get one thing straight, sweet pea. I’m Zachary Messiah. I have a line of girls all looking to ride my dick, all I have to do is say the word. What could you possibly offer me that they couldn’t?”
I expected her to lose it. I expected hitting and yelling and tears. But none of that happened.
Instead, Calli exhaled the softest of breaths as she pressed her hand to my cheek. “Who did this to you, Zach? Who made you this way?”
You, I wanted to roar. You did this.
But she’d managed to disarm me with her brave words and false bravado.
Fine. She wanted to play dirty...
I plucked her chin between my fingers and lowered my face to hers, almost kissing her. Her hands curled around the back of my neck as I felt the fight leave her body.
If I kissed her right now, she’d succumb. She’d opened up for me like a flower.
She’d lose.
“Do you want me, Calli?” I whispered, ghosting my lips over hers, feeling blood pound between my ears and other places. But dicks were fickle things. They didn’t care who the pussy belonged to so long as they got a taste.
“Do you want me to fuck you again?”
“I shouldn’t,” she admitted, her lashes fluttering against my face as her eyes closed.
“But you do, don’t you?” I taunted. “You want me, sweet pea, even after all this time…”
“I’ve tried... I’ve tried so hard to forget about you. You hurt me, Zach. You hurt me so much, but I still want you. I still care about you.”
She was drunk, high on liquid courage. It was the only explanation for her honesty. I, however, was stone cold sober. So there was no excuse for what I said next.
“I wouldn’t fuck you again if you were the last girl on the planet.”
Surprise registered on her face, but it quickly morphed to hurt.
Stark, blinding hurt.
“Y- you bastard.” She slammed her hands against my chest and shoved. Hard. But I barely felt it, taking a step backward. “This is all a game to you, isn’t it?”
“I don’t play games.” I ran a hand through my hair. “I just want you to stay the fuck away from me and the team.”
“Well, that’s tough luck. Josie is my friend, and her brother is on the team. We’re going to be around.”
“Your brother is on the team, but they don’t even know who you are, do they?” My brow