Page 40 of Play It Sinful

He looks over his shoulder. “And that was…?”

“Rolling down the hill. I’m beginning to think it’d be less humiliating.”

Sean presses his lips together, fighting to contain the laughter I know is stuck in his throat. His eyes are telling me as much. He turns around and finally bends his knees so I can hop onto his back.

His strong hands grab my thighs, making me forget my injury for a moment. Looping my arms around his neck, I press my chest against his back and have to fight the sigh trying to escape my lips. I must be a glutton for punishment, because I missed touching him.

He moves impossibly fast, and for a second, he reminds me of Edward, carrying Bella across the forest with supersonic vampire speed. True to his word, he doesn’t lose his balance, but he doesn’t set me down once we reach the easier part of the trail.

“I can walk from here,” I protest.

“No sense. We’ll be faster if I carry you all the way to your car.”

He’s not wrong, and I’m in too much pain to argue. Sean veers for his car though, not mine. “Hey, where do you think you’re going?”

“I have to drive you to the ER. You can’t use your right foot, remember?”

Crap on toast. I didn’t think of that.

“Ugh. This wassonot in the plan.”

He opens the passenger door and only then sets me down. “Falling on your ass, or getting stuck with me?”

I lean against his car and look into his eyes. “Both.”

CHAPTER 17

SEAN

Ashley has a mild sprain, and it will take a couple weeks to heal. The ER doctor gave her a brace for her ankle and some pain meds. They weren’t strong enough to make her spew nonsense, but they made her drowsy. She fell asleep on the way to her dorm, and when I park the car by her building, I take a moment to stare at her. She looks so peaceful and vulnerable. I become overwhelmed with a need to protect her, just like when I heard her scream on the trail. Until I found out what happened to her, I had my heart in my throat.

My stomach tightens, and I feel a pang in my chest. I don’t know why these emotions are suddenly taking root, or why I can’t get her out of my head. Twice now I tried to stay away and convince myself I could forget this obsession, but all it took was being in her presence for my resolution to crumble. It doesn’t make any sense. I truly don’t know her. I never tried to, because I was too busy antagonizing her.

Staring at her like a creep while she sleeps won’t give me clarity, though. I shake her lightly. “Ash, wake up. We’re here.”

“Uh?” She blinks her eyes open. “Where are we?”

“We’re at your dorm. Come on. You probably want to sleep in your own bed.”

“Yeah, sleep is good.”

I get out of the car and walk around the front to open the door for her. She doesn’t move a muscle, so I lean inside, bringing my face inches from hers. “If you don’t get your pretty tush out of the car, I’ll be forced to carry you all the way to your room... damsel-in-distress style.”

“Just confess you want to hold me close to your chest.”

I drop my gaze to her lips, and the craving for her kiss comes with a vengeance. “That’s not a lie.”

She pushes me back. “Whatever. Call your library buddy if you want a warm body to get cozy with.”

Yeah. I knew she didn’t like seeing me with Margot, just like I didn’t enjoy watching her with Ryder. We’ve definitely crossed into dangerous territory.

“Enough talking. Come on. It’s one o’clock already and I’m starving.”

“Ugh. Fine.” She tosses her legs out of the car and stands, ignoring my helping hand. “If you get the crutches for me, you can go.”

I grab the crutches from the trunk, but when I give them to her, I say, “I’m walking you to your dorm room.”

“You don’t need to babysit me.”

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