Page 76 of Puck Block

“Lucky me.” His teeth grip onto my earlobe, and I tremble.Oh.

Claire and Theo are beside me dancing, and when she meets my eye, she wiggles her eyebrows. It’s encouragement that I keep a hold of because when Knox spins me and puts his hands in the back pockets of my jeans, I catch Ford staring from the kitchen.

I’m grounded immediately.

The moment is short-lived. Ford abruptly pushes off the island, grabs some girl by her drunken hand, and they plant themselves right beside Knox and me.

No.I silently tell him.You set me up with him, so deal with it.

It’s like he can read my mind, because he aggressively rolls his eyes and turns his back and starts to dance with the half-stumbling girl.

I glance around the party quickly and then back to Knox.

“Let’s go.” I grab his hand and pull him to the stairs. He trails after me willingly, but his eyebrows fall with confusion. “We gotta disappear before my brother decides to make an appearance and force us apart.”

“Who’s your brother?” he asks.

“Emory. The goalie.”

I’m not worried about my brother even in the slightest. Instead, I’m worried about his best friend.

Knox puts on the brakes. “Your brother is Bexley U’s goalie?”

I peer over my shoulder at him. “Yeah, are you having second thoughts?”

Ford comes to mind, and I hate him for inserting himself into my brain, whether it’s on purpose or not.

Knox’s face smooths. “Absolutely not. Lead the way.”

[ 34 ]

FORD

I slapthe top of the Uber and throw some money on the girl’s lap before shutting the door. The Uber driver rolls his window down.

“I sent you the address. Get her home safely,” I say.

“Will do, man. Good game tonight.”

I nod to the older gentleman, then he’s driving off with my drunken dance partner. I was half inclined to jump in the Uber with her to put some much-needed distance between me and Taytum, because I know what she’s doing, and I have no one to blame but myself for the raging jealousy storm I’m in the middle of.

I stare at the football house. The white sheet that’s hanging on the porch with a child-like painted wolf on the front is blowing in the wind, and I contemplate whether or not I should head back inside. I move my gaze farther to stare at the stars, hopeful that there’s a hidden answer up there, but I stop at the bright light coming from the upstairs window. My breathing halts, and I stumble backward.

I blink once, then twice, and then bite my tongue so hard blood fills my mouth. My eyes shut tightly, and I curse God.

“Are you fucking testing me?” I ask him.

An owl hoots from the tree, and I stand there, completely dumbfounded, before finding the beady little monster.Really?

I can’t help but look at the window again, hoping to God Taytum isn’t still there for the world to see, but naturally, she is. My blood boils. He’s touching her like he knows what she likes, and I hate to break it to him, but I know what she looks like when she’s completely out of control with pleasure, and the face she’s making isn’t it.

Fuck. Just leave.

I turn around and stare at the car-lined street, but I can’t move.

I’m frozen in place.

I can’t have her.

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