Page 21 of The Promise

I flash him a scowl. “No, it’s not her fault. I’ve just not had time to see her much this week and it’s making me horny as hell.”

Sean snickers, slamming his locker shut and slinging a towel over his arm. His gaze falls to my hand when I haul my bag over my shoulder and his eyes immediately widen. “What the hell happened to your finger?” I look down at the stormy coloured bruise that circles the top of my index finger and shrug. “Molly bit me.” When I look back up at Sean, a cloud of confusion hangs over him. “During sex,” I clarify, my hands up in defence. “Not just randomly,”

Sean breathes a laugh and rubs his face. “Thank fuck for that, because I was kind of worried about you, that girl is a fireball sometimes.”

“Nah,” I smirk, “she’s just fucking wild in bed.”

Sean nods, lips clamped to stop his smile. “Yeah, I could believe that.” I twist around, grabbing my shoes and sinking my feet into them. “Is that a hickey too?” Sean gawks, poking a finger into the column of my neck that’s now littered with purple swells.

“Yeah, she likes to mark me so people know I'm taken.” I rub the back of my neck, eyes trying to land anywhere but Sean’s face right now. I’m not embarrassed of the hickeys or the bruised finger. I want everyone to know I'm Molly’s and that I'm not in the market to see anyone else right now, but for some reason, Sean’s questioning is making me squirm with anxiety. Sean nudges my shoulder, lowering his voice to a whisper. “Thought you two were just casual?”

“We are, but she doesn’t want me to see anyone else while we're fucking.” Sean barks a quiet laugh, checking over his shoulder to make sure no one is listening to our private conversation. “Well, not only is she wild, but she’s very fucking brave trusting you not to fuck anyone else.”

I shrug, heat creeping up my neck again. “I don’t want to fuck anyone else.”

Sean’s expression changes immediately, his eyebrows lifting on his forehead. “Careful man, sounds like you’re catching some feelings there.” I shake my head, probably a little too fast. “No, no,” I hold my hands up, “it’s just, you know, sex.” Sean’s lips press together and I feel even more compelled to defend myself. “Seriously Sean, it’s—it’s…ahhh.” I run a hand down my face, shielding myself from Sean’s accusatory smirk. “Yeah, sure man, whatever you say.” He snickers, flashing a toothy grin over his shoulder as he heads for the showers.

Why the hell can’t I learn to keep my mouth closed instead of embarrassing myself at every turn?

Chapter 16

Kyle

I take Molly’s hand, fucking aching to get naked with her and play a few games of hide the pickle before the party later. It’s been exactly one week since I’ve seen her and the sunshine that blinds me as she smiles, eager to play with me too, is making my stomach flip. We barely said a word on the drive here from her dorm, her leg bobbing as my hand closed in on it, squeezing tightly and numbing a little of the desire I have to be touching her at all times. She yanks open my front door, not waiting for my invitation — she doesn’t need it anyway, she’s here just as much as I am. This week has been hectic, both of us drowning in coursework and barely getting a moment to call each other for phone sex, let alone actually fuck with her braid wrapped around my fist. God, I can’t wait to get her up those stairs.

“Callie I mean it, I'm serious about this.” Sean’s stern voice grabs my attention and I look up from where my gaze was pinned to Molly’s stellar ass. Callie is stirring a pan of sauce on the stove, the fiery red spitting up and painting tiny red freckles on her hand. Her face is stricken with indifference, an eyebrow raised as Sean tries to boss her around, clearly it’s failing.

Callie rolls her eyes. “Fine, whatever.”

Sean lifts his hands in a ‘what the fuck do I do with her?’ gesture and I have to hide a snicker behind my hand for fear of the dragon at the stove burning me alive if she catches me laughing. Callie lifts her sweatshirt over her head, fanning her face and blowing out a sharp puff of air. I can see her sweating from here, even though the house is fucking freezing. It's so cold in fact that Molly’s nipples are waving hello to me through her tank top right now.

Sean’s Adam’s apple bobs. “Are you hot baby? What are you doing?” Callie glares at him, covering her pan with a lid. “I’m not doing anything Taylor, fuck off.”

“Well, aren’t you two a ray of sunshine today?” I finally say, neither of them even acknowledging Molly or my existence.

Sean huffs a dry laugh, pointing at his girlfriend. “She’s just grumpy because she’s p—”

“Sean!” Callie shrieks, palms to the sky, giving her head a shake. Sean looks her up and down, eyes wide with guilt before crossing the room and lifting her to his waist. “I’m sorry,” he kisses her lips once, then each cheek. “I need to learn when to shut up.” He peppers kisses up her neck and along her jaw as I watch the tension dissolve from her.

Jesus Christ, for a six-foot-four weapon on the ice he sure is a total fucking marshmallow when it comes to his girl.

Molly’s fingers weave through mine and I twist to look at her, her eyes are narrow, suspicious even, as she watches them. I nudge her shoulder, nodding to the stairs and silently asking to take her up there. Instead she holds up a finger, telling me to wait. Her fingers slip through mine and she moves across the kitchen to our friends, leaning her elbows on the island, bright, blonde braid hanging down her back. I follow her movements, walking across the room to stand beside her and I can see the cogs turning in her brain. There’s some sort of accusation on the tip of her tongue as she watches Sean place Callie to the ground and take his seat back on the bar stool.

“I need a snack, I can’t stop eating lately.” Callie groans and Molly is quick to respond.

“Want some ice cream?”

Callie’s eyes turn glassy with delight. “Oh yes, thanks Mol, it’s in the bottom drawer.”

Molly yanks the drawer of our freezer open, rooting through but coming up empty. “Sorry Cal, looks like they’re out.”

Callie’s eyes well up immediately, like an overflowing dam and suddenly she’s planting her hands on her face, sobbing.

“Hey,” Sean almost falls off his stool he moves so fast to her, palms on her cheeks. “Baby it’s ok, I’ll go and buy you some, I’ll go now.” “Hold on,” Molly shakes her head, hands waving through the air. “What the hell is going on? Why are you crying over ice cream? Are you on your period or something?”

“No,” Callie and Sean respond at the same time and the entire vibe of the room goes south, the two of them sharing panicky glances and avoiding me and Molly altogether. I’ve never been more confused in my life, but luckily for me, Molly is like a bloodhound and I watch as her eyes wash with realisation…of what I have no fucking idea.

Molly looks between them, face pale and the cogs whirring again. “Are you pregnant?”

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