Page 38 of Bump and Run

“Nau-gh.”

“Maybe you should slow down. Take it easy. It’s not a race.”

She reaches over and pats my shoulder.

Fuck this.

I push the stop button and hop off the treadmill. My legs turn to jelly beneath me but I keep myself upright, sending all of my strength to my knees. The last thing I want is to humiliate myself in front of her. Again.

I glance back at her, unable to stop myself from staring at her perfect fucking body. Blood that should be fueling my pounding heart fires downward. Images of her lying spread eagle in my van flash in my brain. Her taste emerges on my tongue; a flavor that no amount of rinsing with salt water was able to get rid of last night.

I’ve never wanted to hate fuck a girl so badly in my entire life.

Eliza fucking Pierce.

I lean over the water fountain by the locker rooms and shoot the water on my face in a sincere attempt to drown myself. It’s ice cold and it hurts but I don’t care. I let it trail through my hair and bleed into my eyes.

When I stand up, there she is.

“Hey,” she says, leaning against the wall beside the water fountain.

“Nope.” I twist away, headed straight for the men’s locker room.

She latches onto my arm and she tugs me with her instead. My weak, jelly-filled legs follow her as she shoves the door to the ladies’ locker room open and forces me inside.

“What are you doing?” I snap.

She closes the door behind us and blocks me from leaving. “I wanted to talk to you and it’s safer in here where no one will see it.”

“Oh, god forbid someone sees us talking,” I mock. “You didn’t seem to have an issue with anyone seeing you stealing my clothes last night.”

“You had it coming.”

“I had it coming?”

“Yes.”

“How?”

“Junior, you openly admitted that the only reason why you asked me out in the first place was to sleep with me and get back at my father for telling you to stay away from me.”

“Right, I was honest with you from the start,” I point out. “Some girls might consider that a good thing.”

She pauses for a second and nods. “Okay…”

“You know…” I shift on my feet. “For a second there, I thought you were having a good time.”

“For a second, I was.” She takes a breath. “Junior, I grew up with a dad that collected women like trading cards. Obviously, I don’t appreciate being treated that way and I don’t put up with it. But to each their own. If you want to keep doing what you’re doing, I’m not here to stop you or judge you. I just ask that you pivot your intentions elsewhere from now on.”

No problem, lady.

“I can do that,” I say, keeping my calm. “Honestly, I think you might be more trouble than you’re worth anyway. I’ve lost interest.”

She twitches. “Is that so?”

“Yeah. Girls like you are too high strung to really let loose the way I like.”

It’s ballsy, and stupid, but I really enjoy the subtle anger boiling the oceans in her eyes right now.

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