Page 112 of The Game Changer

Casey’s arm comes around me. It’s both a protective move and an obvious staking of his claim. I feel like I’m standing between two cavemen for a second.

One’s ready to defend my honor, while the other wants to drag me to trial where I can be punished for my reckless behavior.

“I can’t fucking believe this.” Ben grips the strap of his bag, the muscles in his jaw clenching as he stares down at me.

My chin bunches as I find a spot to stare at on the floor.

“You shoving your tongue in my mouth and telling me I was hot was just all bullshit. All those sweet words while you fucked me. While I made you come?—”

“That’s enough!” Casey barks, fisting Ben’s shirt and shoving him away.

The guy might tower over my boyfriend, but Casey’s shifting into pit-bull mode, and I don’t doubt the damage he could inflict.

“It’s fine.” I touch his arm. “Just leave it. He has a right to be mad.”

“He doesn’t have a right to yell in your face and humiliate you.” Casey’s voice is low, his eyes trained on Ben with a steely warning. “He needs to back the fuck off.”

With a little growl, Ben shoves Casey’s hand off him before pointing a finger at my face. “I’ll be expecting to hear from you. I want to know who the kid belongs to. I need to know if it’s mine.” He turns and stalks away, shouting over his shoulder when he reaches the door, “Find out!”

Every head in the hall turns to watch Ben leave, then swivels back to stare at me.

I slump against the wall, my body aching from the searing headache to the tips of my toes. I want to disappear into a dark room and beg the universe to swallow me whole.

“Hey.” Casey’s voice is a soft lilt, his knuckles grazing my jawline as he moves in front of me, creating a wall from the prying gazes.

The tender touch is so sweet, I want to hide within his shell.

But another part of me can’t even look at him right now.

This is such a fucking mess, and I want it to be over.

No amount of hugs or comfort is going to change the fact that the baby growing inside me might not belong to the man I love.

And if it belongs to Ben… who the hell knows how that’s going to unfold.

“You look pale.” Casey touches my forehead.

“I don’t feel great,” I admit.

“Here, let me walk you back to your dorm. Why don’t you sleep it off, and you can catch up on your coursework later.”

“No, you’re not skipping any more classes for me.”

“I don’t care.”

“I do!” I snap, brushing his hand off my face. “I’m fine. Please, just go.” He looks kind of hurt by my dismissal, and I try to soften it with a smile. “I’ll call you later, okay?”

He sighs, reluctantly stepping away from me.

“I promise I’ll call.”

He nods, giving me one last frown before walking away like a dejected puppy.

Great. Now I’ve managed to hurt two guys. Perfect.

But I need a minute on my own.

I feel like shit—mentally, emotionally… physically.

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