won’t blabber everything out and tell her what she wants to know. Not the best circumstances to be in, considering it’s not only my frail heart in jeopardy but hers, too, if I tell her the truth.
She might hate me now for thinking I stole her only shot at leaving Asheville, but if she knew the real reason behind her downfall, I doubt her hate would be the only thing I’d get in return for such a confession. I’m thinking some steel cuffs and iron bars would be part of my immediate future.
“No,” I state, already pushing myself up from the ground.
But Stone is having none of it, so she grabs one of my wrists to keep me still while shaking her head disapprovingly, and retorts, “Yes. You are going to sit down and do exactly as I say, quarterback. You’re not in a position to negotiate.”
“Nuh-uh. Not happening. I don’t want to play this game with you.” I shake my head profusely.
“Yes, you do. If you want me here, you’ll play. And if you leave, I won’t be coming back. Ever.”
I crack my knuckles and press my tongue to the side of my cheek, conflicted with the fact that the damn brat is playing hardball. I do want her here, and the idea of not ever seeing her again just breaks my heart further.
These past two weeks without her have been hell—total and utter hell. It’s been the little things that have been driving me up the wall the most. Unable to see her glorious face up close, or smell her perfume. Unable to caress her cheek, or hear her voice. She must know that the distance has been killing me, and now she wants to play one of her games just to torture me further. I’m not sure who’s squeezing my balls tighter—The Society or Stone.
“Same rules as before,” she begins after making sure that I’m not going anywhere. “I’ll ask a question, and you’ll tell me the truth. If not, then you either drink or strip.”
“I don’t want to play by your rules anymore, Stone. I’m tired of playing games.”
“Okay, then I’ll do you one better. For every truth you tell me, then I’ll be the one who strips.”
My cock immediately claps and nods madly, confirming that he definitely wants to play. The fucker doesn’t even see the trap she’s setting for him. All he heard was Stone getting naked in front of him, and fuck the consequences.
“That’s not fair.”
“Life’s not fair. Now get with the program, quarterback. We haven’t got all day.”
“I could just get up and go back into the house,” I threaten half-heartedly, not moving a muscle to follow through on my threat.
“You could, but then you would have to live with the fact that you could have seen the twins once again and passed at the chance.”
“That’s playing dirty, and you know it,” I grumble, almost pouting like a three-year-old because, apparently, I like to be pussy-whipped like a motherfucker by the tattooed she-devil.
God, help me.
“We’re well past playing nice,” she pinpoints with an all-knowing stare.
“Whatever,” I quip and grab the tequila from her hands, taking a long gulp until I feel the warm liquid burn my insides.
If I’m going to watch Stone take off her clothes without being allowed to touch her, then I might as well do it drunk to numb the pain.
“I’ll go first,” she sings, pleased.
“Of course you will.” I sigh, taking another long-ass sip.
“First things first, why did you quit football?”
“You heard about that? Keeping tabs on me, brat?” I try to play it off, but the endearment just falls flat on the ground, with her no-nonsense glare. I let out a long exhale, and give her what she wants. “I quit because I was tired of doing something I didn’t love and for the wrong fucking reasons. There. Question answered, so pay up.”
There is a little smirk beginning to surface on her pretty red lips as she begins to take off the diamond studs I gave her, one at a time. My stupid heart latches onto the thin thread of hope as I watch Stone carefully place them in her bag, making sure nothing happens to them.
“You’re going to have to do a lot better than that,” she retorts, her brow up in the air.
“If you want better answers, then you’re going to have to show me more than your bare lobes,” I rebuke, wetting my lips, yet again, with her liquor of choice.