On The Rebound (Steinbeck U #1) - L.A. Cotton Page 0,29
I clipped out.
“You two know each other?” Joel frowned, glancing from me to her and back again. I waited, testing the waters. It was the perfect opportunity for her to fess up.
“I...” She hesitated and I knew then that she still hadn’t told him.
Running a hand over my jaw, I flashed him a wolfish grin. “We met the other week at the party. Isn’t that right, Calliope?” I let her name roll off my tongue with suggestion.
I was being a dick. But seeing them together, seeing her with anyone, brought out my monster.
Her eyes flared with indignation and my lips formed a slight smirk.
“The party?” Joel asked coolly.
“Yeah, she fell right into my arms,” I said. “You should really watch your girl, J. It was a good thing I was there to catch her.”
“Oh, it’s not like... we’re friends.” Confusion clouded his eyes, but I was only interested in Calli. Her body went rigid, and I didn’t miss her sharp intake of breath.
That’s right, sweet pea. It was my arms who carried you home that night.
Her cheeks burned with embarrassment. “And that’s why I’ll never be going to a party again.” Strangled laughter spilled from her pouty lips. Joel laughed too, but it was strained. They were both squirming while I stood there, like the asshole I was, reveling in the tension that had suddenly descended over the three of us.
“Next time, I’ll look out for you.” Joel winked at her. The fucker actually winked.
My nostrils flared as I tried to rein myself in. Any other girl. He could have latched onto any other girl on campus... but no, he had to pick the one girl who had the power to make me crazy. The smart thing was to walk away. But I’d never claimed to be any such thing. I was a sucker for pain. A self-saboteur. It had happened last Halloween, and it was happening again.
And it was all because of a girl who had betrayed me.
Before I could stop myself, I said, “We should all hang out.”
“We should?” Joel balked.
“Yeah, me, you, Calli, Victoria. She’s struggling with things. It might be nice for her to make a new friend.”
Calli’s eyes were narrowed now, glaring at me as if she was trying to figure out my angle. I didn’t have one except trying to get under her skin, the way she’d buried herself under mine.
“Uh, I guess. But isn’t that a bit too... double date?” Joel’s eyes flicked to Calli, and another flash of anger shot through me.
He was looking at her with longing in his eyes.
He wanted her.
He fucking wanted her.
Only because he doesn’t know the truth.
“Nah, it’s just a bunch of friends hanging out,” I said. “But no pressure.”
We both looked at Calli and she seemed to shrink under our attention. “I—”
The blare of Joel’s phone cut through the tension. He dug it out of his pocket and said, “I need to take this. Raincheck on lunch?”
“Sure.” Relief washed over Calli.
“I’ll catch you at the gym later?” he said to me, and I nodded.
Joel hurried away, arguing with someone on his phone.
“What the hell are you doing?” Calli said the second the coast was clear.
“Me?” I played dumb, folding my arms over my chest and pressing my thumb against my bottom lip. “I thought I was being nice.”
“Nice?” She scoffed. “You were being an asshole.”
“You and Molineux, what’s the deal there?”
“We’re friends.”
“Friends?” I snickered. “Guys like Molineux don’t want to be friends; they want to fuck the hot little freshman.”
“You think I’m hot? I’m flattered.” Calli sassed, surprising me. She was different. Harder around the edges, and I wondered what had made her that way. She had enough ammunition sure—her old man, Callum… me—but she’d never been like this before.
Not even last Halloween.
“I thought I told you to stay away from the team.” I moved into her space, forcing her backward until we were blanketed under a tree. Her eyes glittered with irritation.
“Joel is a friend.”
“That wants to fuck you.”
“So what if he does?” She jabbed her finger at my chest, but I snagged her wrist, holding it midair between us. “What are you going to do about it?”
“Do you think he’ll want you once he knows I’ve been there?” I glanced around, checking we didn’t have an audience. It was a quiet path, and the tree provided some cover. Deciding it was worth the risk, I leaned in, sliding my hand up her throat and running my nose along her jaw. “Once he knows I