Page 103 of College Hockey Bully

But I don’t.

“How did you know I was here, anyway?” I ask sternly as he thanks the guys for coming and they walk away after wishing him luck.

He sets the stereo on the floor. “You weren’t answering the phone, so I decided to wait until you were in my territory. Lucky for me, your mom said you’d be here today.”

Oh, Mom, you traitor.I shake my head. “Aiden, this gesture is cute and everything, but we’ll never work.”

“Give me one reason,” he says urgently as I push past him.

“Other than the fact that I can’t trust you’ll be there when things get rough? I’m not interested in being your girl on the side or whatever you want me to be.”

“Girl on the side?” His thick brows lift with alarm. “What are you talking about?”

“Casey?” I fire back, my heart sinking as awareness sets in. He’d forgotten that I know about his longtime girlfriend, obviously.

“Casey and I were never a thing—not since we broke up over a year ago,” he finally replies.

“You seemed quite cozy at her party, though.”

He glances around him furtively. “It’s a long story.”

I fold my arms over my chest, staring at him firmly. “I’ve got all evening.”

Slight caution dances in Aiden’s eyes. “Can we talk in my car?”

This sounds serious.Curious, I nod.

He takes the boombox and we walk in silence to his car. Once we get settled in the front, he looks seriously at me.

“What I’m about to say can’t leave this space, understood?”

“Understood,” I mutter.

My jaw drops when he starts talking. I don’t know what I expected to hear, but it’s definitely not that his dad’s cheating led to his mom’s attempt to blackmail him. No wonder she was so mad after walking in on us naked that morning. God, Mrs. Hunter is even worse than I thought.

“So, let me get this straight. You’re dating Casey to please your parents, but you want to be with me. Is that right?”

“No.”

I sit up straighter, perplexed. “Aiden, you just mentioned your dad’s plans to expose your medical records if you don’t take Casey back—”

“Let me finish, woman,” he murmurs, squeezing my knee. With a huff, I listen, jaw dropping when he mentions his mother walking in on the mistress. A telenovela could take notes from that angsty scene.

“Even before that incident, I already told Casey it won’t work,” he says, smiling fondly at me. “Do you know why?”

“Because you can’t stand two-timers?” I guess and his smile widens.

“That, and the fact that I’m in love with you,” he whispers, and my heart does a somersault. “I’ve been fascinated with you since that first day in Calculus, too.”

I snigger. “No, you weren’t.”

His expression goes serious. “That sassy little know-it-all with the baggy clothes and hair that looks like spun gold had a serious effect on me for some reason. Over the last month, I figured out why.”

My racing heart pounds violently in my ears as Aiden eases over the center console. “You’re unlike any woman I’ve ever met, Scarlett,” he whispers against my lips. “With so many layers that I’m so intrigued to pull back and find what’s under there. Give me a chance. Let me prove I’m the guy you can trust with your life.”

With a conceding sigh, I kiss him softly. He moans, kissing me back, his hand gently cupping my cheek. “If you break my trust again, I’m cutting your balls off, FYI,” I mutter as we pull apart.

Aiden chuckles. “Why not just take the whole thing?”

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