Page 58 of Beautiful Collide

“It really is.”

“I don’t find cheating a laughing matter.”

“That’s great because I didn’t cheat. I was talking to my mom. She calls me every time I travel to a game to make sure I get there safely.”

I scoff. “That’s a convenient excuse.”

“It’s not an excuse,” he insists.

“Sure, it isn’t.”

I believe him slightly less than a puppy with crumbs all over his snout.

Sure, Buddy. You didn’t sneak into the cookie jar.

He shakes his head. “If I’m such a playboy, how could I have a girlfriend? Aren’t playboys notoriously commitment adverse?”

I shut up. He has a point.

I acknowledge it with a begrudging huff. “Fine.”

“That sounds suspiciously close to an apology.”

“Whatever.”

I cross my arms and glare out the window, determined to get through this day without strangling him.

It probably won’t happen, but here’s to hoping.

18

Hudson

Man,this is bad.

I shouldn’t have even come. I knew this wasn’t a good fit for me, pun intended, since I’m sitting across from the suits running Secure Condoms.

The room smells like cheap cologne and desperation. My agent is about to get a piece of my mind, but I need to get through today first.

I’ve been in plenty of awkward meetings, but this one takes the cake.

Someone says something, but I can’t focus on what they’re saying. Something about “target audiences” and “brand synergy,” but all I can think about is the woman sitting next to me.

Molly Sinclair.

She’s dressed in a tailored blazer and skirt, her hair pulled back into some sort of elegant twist. She looks like she walked straight out of a boardroom and into my personal hell.Professional, poised, and completely unimpressed by everything happening around her.

Of course, she’s annoyed to be here—loaned out like some favor to help me.

I get it.

But she’s here.

And despite the fact that she’s probably plotting my demise, I’m grateful. More than she will ever know.

Her presence makes the whole situation a little more bearable.

A little less humiliating.

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