Page 87 of Play It Sinful

My cheeks warm. It’s a stupid reaction. It isn’t like I was a virgin before I met him. “Duh. Of course.”

“And?” Zoey leans forward.

I narrow my eyes. “And nothing. I ain’t going to kiss and tell.”

“More like smash and tell,” Blair pipes up.

The girls laugh, and I do too, but my amusement isn’t heartfelt. I wouldn’t refer to sex with Brian as smashing. There’s only one man who rocked my world in the bedroom, and he destroyed me.

The wedding coordinator enters the room and announces the ceremony is about to start.

Happy with the interruption, I stand and grab my bouquet. “Let’s do this.”

SEAN

For three years, I’ve tried to extricate Ashley from my heart. Maybe I didn’t do a very good job, because she still owns me, even though wanting her is so fucking wrong. Now she has a boyfriend, and it’s agony to watch them together.

I could have brought a date to Jesse and Riley’s wedding, but I didn’t want to feign interest in a girl who wasn’t Ashley. I’ve had hookups since I broke up with her, but they were meaningless. I don’t think I’ll ever stop being in love with her.

Unfortunately, I’m sitting at the same table as Ashley and “bore me to death” Brian. I don’t know what she sees in him. I’m sulking and barely listening to the conversation around me.

“You just want her because you can’t have her,” Noah replies to something Logan said.

Logan tosses a napkin ball at him. “Shut up, rookie.”

Ashley and her leech get up from their chairs. “We’re going to the bar to get drinks,” she says. “Anyone want anything?”

Everyone at the table replies except me. I grind my teeth instead, trying to hide my annoyance. I doubt I’m successful. It’s hard to pretend being in her presence isn’t difficult. I watch her walk away, and my heart seems to grow smaller with each step she takes.

“What do you guys think about Ashley’s date?” Blair asks.

“He’s a moron,” I blurt out before I can stop myself.

“I guess Brian doesn’t have big brother’s stamp of approval,” Darren jokes, and I want to rip his head off. That comment coming from him is even more annoying. He knows Ashley and I dated freshman year. I’m not sure what he’s trying to accomplish here. Maybe he’s drunk.

“Ashley can do whatever she wants.” I push my chair back and jump to my feet. “She isn’t my sister.”

Hell. How I wish that were true. I walk away before I say something I’ll regret.

What I need is fresh air. Or maybe I should just bail. We’ve gone through all the important moments of the ceremony. Now it’s time to relax and have a good time, but that’s impossible for me. It’s better that I leave while my judgment isn’t clouded by booze, or Brian might end up on the other end of my fist.

One thing is clear. I need to get over Ashley once and for all. Maybe that can be my New Year’s resolution.

CHAPTER 39

SEAN

ONE WEEK LATER

When the buzzer finally announces the game is over, I sigh in relief. We won, but today was brutal. I’ve been running on fumes, thanks to burning the midnight oil this past week. It’s the beginning of a new semester, and all my professors are hard asses. My workload is double. I should be thankful the game started early and we’re done by four o’clock.

We all get on the ice to congratulate Darren on the win since he’s the goalie, and as we’re skating toward our bench, Logan moves closer and asks, “You coming to The Heritage?”

“Maybe.”

“Maybe? Come on, man. You have to come. I’ve lost my wingman.”

I roll my eyes. “You don’t need a wingman.”

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