Page 5 of Never Your Girl

“Yeah.” I rub the back of my neck as the tension coils tighter. “I should go deal with this.”

“Want backup?”

“Nah.” I nod toward where Lilah is laughing at something by the pool tables. “Go save your ‘friend’ from whatever frat boy she’s hustling.”

His eyes narrow. “She’s not hustling anyone.”

“Keep telling yourself that.” I stand, tugging my cap lower. “Try not to murder any of her admirers while I’m gone.”

A few people reach out and pat my shoulder, congratulating me on winning our first playoff game. It takes more effort than usual to smile and thank them before escaping out the door.

The drive to my father’s house is a blur of streetlights and nerves. It’s the last place I want to be, but there isn’t much choice in the matter. When Richard Sanderson, or Dick as I like to call him, demands your presence, you show up, whether you want to or not.

By the time I park outside the sprawling brick Tudor on campus, there’s so much dread pooling in my gut that I’m practically drowning in it. I grip the leather steering wheel, willing myself to pull it together before releasing a steady breath.

The sooner I get this over with, the quicker I can get the hell out of here.

That’s the only thought I can focus on right now.

The front door creaks open like a warning. Inside, the house is silent. Oppressive. It’s always felt more like a museum than a home. I learned at a young age that warm, fuzzy family moments don’t happen within these walls. These days, I only come when summoned, like now.

I find him in his study, exactly where I knew he’d be. Richard Sanderson is nothing if not predictable. He stands at the window, bourbon in hand, power stance perfectly calculated.

Everything about the man is calculated.

“You’re late,” he says, voice cold.

I straighten to my full height, refusing to shrink in his presence like I did when I was a kid. “We were celebrating our win.”

He finally turns, his sharp eyes taking me apart piece by piece. “Yes, I watched part of the game. You played like shit.” His lip curls. “And then, on top of that, yet another embarrassing message. I’m tired of making excuses for you to the Board of Regents. You’re just hell-bent on humiliating me at every turn, aren’t you?”

My fingers curl into fists. “You do realize that I’m not the one sending them,” I say through gritted teeth. “I’m just as tired of this as you are.”

He sets his glass down with a sharp clink that echoes through the room. Three long strides and he’s in my face, bourbon breath hot against my cheek. “That’s not the point. You’re a direct reflection of me, and right now, you’re making me look like a fool. You can’t even manage your own life.”

Even though I know better, I can’t stop myself. “Maybe if you just backed?—”

The slap cracks across my face before I can finish. My head jerks to the side, copper flooding my mouth where my teeth cut into my cheek. I force myself to remain still, refusing to give him the satisfaction of a reaction.

“You really think I should back off?” His voice drips venom. “How can I do that when you’re so incompetent?” A pause, then the killing blow. “Just like your mother.”

I bite my tongue, swallowing down both blood and rage. He always brings her up when he wants to gut me. And it works like a charm every time.

“Clean up your act,” he says, voice eerily calm. “Or I’ll make sure you regret it. Now, get the hell out of my sight.”

It takes everything in me not to snap, to throw a punch, to finally fight back. But that’s exactly what he wants. Proof that I’m the failure he says I am. Instead, I turn and walk out, each step measured and controlled until I’m back in my car.

Only then do I release the breath I’ve been holding as my hands shake on the steering wheel. My phone buzzes, and for a second, panic spikes, thinking it’s him.

But it’s not.

It’s her.

FragileLikeABomb

Sorry to leave you hanging. You still alive over there?

The simple message feels like a life preserver thrown into raging waters. She has no idea how perfect her timing is or how much I need this connection right now.

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