Page 139 of Zero Chance

Keene blinked at me before grinning.“You just want to date a bull rider, is that what I’m hearing?”

I rolled my eyes, only to bite my lip and tease him by replying, “Well, therewassomething seriously hot about watching you in that arena defying death itself.”

Throwing back his head, Keene laughed.“Oh-ho.So the truth comes out.You’re only hooking up with me in the hopes I’ll renew my TYBR membership.”

Grabbing my waist, he tugged me over the center console and into his lap.“I see how you are,” he murmured before drawing my face down for a long, thorough kiss.“And I’m still fine with it.”

Falling victim to his lips, I kissed him back, plowing my fingers into his hair as he gripped my ass and ground me down onto his hardening erection.

When his mouth finally broke from mine, he sighed with pleasure and closed his eyes briefly before opening them to send me a solemn look.“I get what you’re saying, though.Ididgive him more than he deserved by starting and stopping the rodeo thing the way I did.”

I stroked the sides of his face before murmuring, “It’s okay.As long as everything you do from here on out is because it’s whatyouwant, I’ll allow it.”

“Yes, Mistress,” he whispered, reaching for my face to draw me back to him.

But before we made contact, a vibration came from my book bag in the back seat.

“Oh shit,” I yelped in horror, already knowing who was calling.“It’s my mom.”

Keene laughed.“And you know this because…?”he asked as he held onto my hips to steady me as I lurched onto my knees and reached into the back.

“Her tracking app alerts her whenever I travel anywhere over a mile,” I panted as I dug for my phone, cursing under my breath when I didn’t immediately find it.“And she’s going to wonder why I left campus early, plus whose address I’m at.”

“Well, damn,” Keene said as I came back to sit on his lap, still straddling him as I pressed the phone to my ear.

“Hello?”I asked, cringing over how out of breath I sounded.

“Where are you?”The seriousness in Mom’s voice told me she wasn’t fucking around.

It caused Keene to lift his eyebrows in surprise because he was sitting close enough to hear everything she said.

Biting my lip, I stared into his eyes and knew I couldn’t tell her I was skipping class to hook up with a guy, so I lied my ass off.“My friend Xander wasn’t feeling well, so I drove her home.She’s not doing good at all; I might stay with her for a few hours.”

There was a pause, and then Mom said, “So you’re skipping class?”

“Just one,” I argued.“And we’re not doing anything important there today.I can catch up by rereading all the assignments, no problem.”

She sighed out a disgusted sound.“Why can’t this girl’s family take care of her?”

“Her parents live all the way in Victoria, and her cousin in town had his own classes to attend.I thought I’d just do it.”After a pause, I added, “I wanted to be a good friend.”

Mom had been prodding me into making friends for years.She couldn’t argue against the fact that I was helping one now.

And realizing it seemed to irritate her more.“Just—don’t make a habit of skipping classes.Alright?Your future is more important than some school friendship that probably won’t last a month after graduation, anyway.Okay?”

In front of me, Keene widened his eyes at her advice and mouthed the word,wow.

I sent him a dry look, but on the phone, I said, “Of course.”

“Alright, bye,” she said.“Love you.”

“Love you too,” I told her, hanging up and breathing out a long breath, unable to believe how readily I’d told her an untruth.

Under me, Keene lifted a finger.“So question,” he said.“Why exactly are we not telling your mom the truth?”

I blinked at him, stunned he didn’t already know.“You heard how irritated she was about me leaving class to help a friend.How do you think she would’ve reacted if I’d told her I left school to have sex?”

He thought that through before nodding.“Good point.”Then he tipped his head.“Does she even know about us?”

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