Page 47 of Heart of Thorns

I pause and try to think. Surely he’s had a girlfriend before, right? I search his face, and there isn’t a single flaw on there. All I see is hesitation and unease.

“I’ve never had a steady girlfriend.” He glances away, like he’s embarrassed. “And I certainly do not consider the girls my parents force me to dategirlfriends.”

Thorne continues pulling me toward the table. He’s walking slow enough that I don’t have to half drag my injured knee with me. I don’t know if he’s doing that to save me the trouble, or if he’s doing it to save himself the trouble of having a gimp for a girlfriend.

Before we sit and likely make fools of ourselves, causing everyone to question our relationship, he leans in close. “I don’t consider the girls I fuck my girlfriends either. So, you’re my first, grumpy cat.”

A flush works its way up my neck and stays long after his warm breath disappears from my skin.

I hope he thinks I’m flustered because I’m being introduced to his group of friends as his girlfriend and not because I’m affected by the thought of himfuckingsomeone.

Unfortunately, I think it’s a little of both.

CHAPTER 16

THORNE

Ben fucking Patterson.

He’s not at our table, luckily, but he is close. And he keeps glancing over like he can’t put two and two together. It’s not so unbelievable that Briar and I are together, is it? She’s gorgeous. Yes, she scowls or frowns more than she smiles, and she only wears black, and she seems like she’s one snide comment away from ripping your face off…

But she’s soft, too. Her hand is still caught in mine, and neither of us have made any move to pull away. She’s nervous—but what surprised me wasmynerves.

It’s true: I haven’t had a real girlfriend. Never wanted—or needed—one. Until now anyway. Now… I squeeze her fingers, and she squeezes back almost instantly.

The booth we’re in is comprised mostly of my offensive end. There’s Rhys, obviously, the greatest running back at Shadow Valley. My center, Aaron Jacobs, and his long-time girlfriend. Her name escapes me… I kind of just assumed, when they got together freshman year, that they’d be a fling.

And then they just stayed together, and I couldn’t very well admit that I never bothered to learn her name. That kind of makes me seem like an asshole, and I really try not to be.

Names are just not my strong suit.

Patterson is a corner like Stephen McDowell. They’re best friends, too. They even kind of resemble each other, in a weird way. You know how people look like their dogs?

That’s Ben Patterson and Stephen McDowell.

Ben’s the dog in that scenario. Just, you know, for the record.

“How did you two meet?” Aaron’s girlfriend asked. “We didn’t know you were dating anyone, Thorne.”

Shit, that’s probably something we should’ve talked about. Briar and me, I mean. We didn’t really talk about what we were going tosayto people. The lack of experience on my end, about how to navigate this precise situation, makes my heart pound.

I’d rather be staring down a monster than try to figure out the right thing to say in this situation.

“He picked me up off the sidewalk,” Briar says.

Her voice cuts through my anxieties.

“Some jerk passed me, and his backpack was open, spilling baseballs all over the place.”

I nod sharply. “Anyone would’ve fallen. It was a hazard.”

“You were sure-footed.” She turns her gaze on me, somehow softening her eyes—hell, her whole expression seems gentle. “I think I nearly bit your head off when you tried to help me.”

I grin. “I was gonna leave that part of the story out.”

“It was part of my irresistible charm.”

She’s right.

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