Total pages in book: 50
Estimated words: 51243 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 256(@200wpm)___ 205(@250wpm)___ 171(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 51243 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 256(@200wpm)___ 205(@250wpm)___ 171(@300wpm)
Last night … and this morning were real. And the sex …
Slowly pulling away from him, I climbed out of his bed and rushed down the hall. With my mind racing a mile a minute, I grabbed a hoodie from my dresser and changed pants. As I was searching for a pair of tennis shoes, Taylor cleared his throat from behind.
“Going somewhere?” he asked.
“No.” I turned to face him. “No, I—yes. Yes, I’m going somewhere.”
His lips curved into a smile. “Mind if I join you?”
“Yes, I do mind.”
“Why?”
“Because I need to process the fact that I just fucked the guy who used to bully me in high school.”
“Glad you’re finally learning how to say used to.”
“Last night was a one-time thing.”
“You came far more than once.”
“That’s not what I mean.” I blushed as he eyed me like he was seconds away from asking for another round. “I meant that whatever happened will never happen again.”
“Okay, Audrey.” He smiled. “If that’s the case, then it sounds like you’ve already processed things. You should let me drive you to wherever you’re going.”
Every part of me still hummed from him, and every rational thought begged me to forget it.
Run away from him right now.
“Audrey?” The way he said my name made me want to sleep with him on the spot. “Is that a yes to letting me drive you?”
TRACK 25. GETAWAY CAR (3:24)
TAYLOR
Audrey stared out the window of my car, doing everything she could not to look at me.
The reflection of her face in the glass looked softer than it should’ve—hair still damp, lips faintly swollen from me.
“Aren’t we going to Gayle’s?” she asked.
“Yes.”
“You passed it.”
“We’re going to one that’s a little farther out.”
“I think you’re famous everywhere.”
I laughed and pulled into a gas station. “Mind if I stop here for a second?”
She shook her head.
“Audrey.” I pressed my hand under her chin, tilting her face toward me. “You can’t look at me now?”
“I can’t look at myself.”
“I’d believe that if you were avoiding the mirror…”
“I wasn’t trying to sleep with you, Taylor.”
“Good,” I said. “Next time, don’t start something you can’t finish.”
Her eyes flicked toward mine—brief, defensive—and for a second I forgot what guilt was supposed to feel like.
“I’m serious.” She blushed. “Dead ass serious.”
“I’ll be right back.” I held back a laugh and stepped out, heading into the mini-mart.
Thankfully, there were no other customers inside—just the cashier, scrolling on his phone.
I grabbed a few snacks and dialed my agent.
“I was just about to call you,” he answered on the first ring. “Are we still on for lunch today?”
“No, I need to reschedule. Something came up.”
“Something with the Bears?”
“Something personal.”
“Well, tell me what it is, and I’ll do whatever I can to push it out of the way.”
“I’m pushing you out of the way, Nick.” I handed the cashier a twenty. “I need today and tomorrow for myself.”
“Preseason starts soon, Taylor.” He sounded like he was about to hyperventilate. “We have commitments, and I made one hell of a transport schedule so you won’t miss a beat between the writing stuff and being on the sideline.”
“I wasn’t asking you about today and tomorrow,” I said. “I’m telling you. I might need a few days after that too, but I’ll let you know when I’m sure.”
“What the fuck? Taylor, don’t you—”
I hung up and muted his number—along with everyone else’s.
I’d unmute them later, because if what I knew about Audrey held true, she would try to push me away before the end of the weekend.
And I didn’t want that.
No, I didn’t need that.
Outside, she was still staring out the window, tracing raindrops down the glass with her finger.
And for the first time in a long time, football, deadlines, and everything else felt small compared to that.
TRACK 26. IT’S NICE TO HAVE A FRIEND (2:02)
AUDREY
The salt air hit me the second we stepped onto Gayle’s patio—sweet, heavy, and far too calm for the mess inside my chest.
The restaurant guarded the edge of the ocean with a wide wooden deck strung in soft lights that gleamed above turquoise tables and checkered floors.
“Welcome, y’all!” A waitress skated up to our table, handing us two menus. “Have you ever been here before?”
We shook our heads.
“Well, we have the best pancakes and waffles in the world, and this is probably the quickest you’ll ever get a table here—so good timing.” She clicked her pen. “You can’t go wrong with anything, but the Carter & Ari and Rachel & Ethan specials are my personal favorites.”
I glanced at the menu, overwhelmed by the riot of pictures.
“We’ll take one of each,” Taylor said, making it easy.
“Perfect!”
She rolled away and returned with coffee, then left us in silence.
The clink of her skates faded, leaving only the low hum of the ocean and the sound of him breathing across the table—steady, patient, like he could wait me out forever.