Page 38 of Play It Sinful

He skates away, leaving me reeling. Does that mean he’s going after her now that I told him he can’t?

Alex and Logan stop next to me, and Alex asks, “What was that about?”

“Nothing,” I grumble.

“Nothing my ass,” Logan chimes in. “You said something that pissed off Westwood.”

“Isaidit’s nothing.” I move away from the duo, but they follow me.

“Is this about your hot stepsister?” Alex asks.

I turn around so fast that he almost collides with me. “What did you say?”

His blue eyes go rounder. “Whoa. Calm down. I was just asking because I saw Ryder with her earlier.”

My pulse is thundering in my ears. What if Ryder didn’t simply walk Ashley to her car? “Where?”

“At the library. Damn, you look like you’re going to blow.”

“Dude, what’s your deal with her?” Logan butts in. “You’re acting like she’s your girlfriend, not your sister.”

“Stepsister,” I reply through clenched teeth.

The twins trade a knowing glance. Fuck. I think they just figured out the truth.

“There’s no deal. I just don’t want her getting involved with anyone on the team.”

Alex smirks. “Right.” He taps my shoulder. “I think you’re full of it, Davenport.”

He and Logan skate toward the bench, leaving me drowning in the realization that I’m utterly fucked. This isn’t just about sex. Maybe there’s always been some deep-rooted fucked-up feeling, and it’s growing at an exponential speed now that I opened the latch. Ashley owns me, and that’s a fucking problem.

CHAPTER 16

ASHLEY

As I predicted, Sean totally ghosted me. It’s been a week since I caught him in the library flirting with another girl. He didn’t even bother replying to the text I sent him. It’s better that it ended this way, with him showing his true colors and acting like a jerk. I won’t say I got out of it unscathed, but thank God for my Ivy League education, which is distracting me from the sting of his actions.

My days keep getting busier, and because of a paper due on Monday, I didn’t meet the girls on Saturday at the tailgating barbecue hosted by one of the fraternities. Kadence argued I had all of Sunday to work on it, but I knew I wouldn’t have a good time knowing I still had work to do. It wouldn’t be smart to feed the anxiety monster. That’s why I’m growing closer to Blair, who is as dedicated to her academics as I am.

I finished the paper late last night, and now I need to go outside. I’m craving fresh air and nature, but Kadence and Scarlett have their phones on silent mode. I’m sure they’ll be useless even when they wake up. And Blair doesn’t do nature.

It doesn’t matter. I can hike on my own. There’s a park near campus with some cool trails that I’ve been dying to explore. The sky is cloudy, but the weather forecast says there’ll be no rainthis morning. I wear my waterproof jacket anyway and grab the brand-new umbrella I bought. I’m pretty sure I won’t bump into any cute guys with an umbrella this time.

When I get to the park, the sun is peeking out of the clouds. I decide to leave the umbrella in the car. If it rains, my jacket with a hood should be enough. I don’t want to carry a bunch of things with me. I packed a small backpack with light snacks, a water bottle, my phone, and my ID.

Before I start the trail, I take a deep breath of cool air, inhaling the crisp and refreshing scent of the forest.

The rumble of an approaching car makes me turn. I’m curious about the other early rising, nature loving person. Or it could be a serial killer, so I’d better check them out. If they give me psycho vibes, I’m outta here. But I don’t want them to know I’m waiting to check them out before I start the trail, so I pull my phone out and pretend to scroll. I’ll look up when they come near.

The door opens and shuts, and a second later, a chuckle breaks the silence. “I’ll be damned.”

My heart takes off at breakneck speed before my eyes can confirm that the voice belongs to Sean. “What thehell. Are you stalking me now?”

He furrows his brows. “Don’t flatter yourself. I had no idea you enjoyed nature.”

“You would if you’d ever bothered to get to know me.”

Remorse seems to shine in his eyes, but it vanishes fast, and his lips curl into a cruel smile. “All that I care to know about you, I already do.”

---