Page 35 of Thirst Trap
She doesn’t look at me, instead fixating on the hemline of her shirt. “I had this whole speech ready to go about you hiding something from me. And how this wasn’t going to work if we weren’t honest with each other. I guess I forgot that I was hiding something as well.”
“Why didn’t you tell me who you were?”
She takes a long, deep breath before beginning. “Do you know you’re my first real relationship?”
I wasn’t expecting that. “I am? I mean, I’m not calling you a liar, but I can’t believe that you… how can that be?”
She takes a breath, still focusing on the damn hemline of her shirt. I want her to look at me, but I don’t want to push her, either.
“When I was thirteen, I thought I was head over heels for this boy. He was cute, and he got me a carnation from the school fundraiser for Valentine’s Day. He even walked me to and from each of my classes. I thought he liked me just as much as I liked him. It was your classic middle school crush.”
She takes a breath, but I don’t dare say anything. I just give her hand a squeeze.
“Then came the spring dance, and I for sure thought he was going to ask me. My friends even heard him talking about it. They heard wrong. Because instead of asking me to the dance, he asked me if I could get him and his dad Alabama spring game tickets.”
“What a little fucking piece of shit,” I say. Who the hell did this kid think he was?
“That was the first time something like that happened, but it wasn’t the last. Every guy I started talking to, it was only a matter of time before my dad, or my brother, or Alabama football came up. None of them wanted me for me. Or if they did, it was for bragging rights that they were dating a beauty queen. So I quit trying. Dating wasn’t worth it if I had to constantly wonder if they were in it for me or they just wanted to date me because of my family. Then you came along.”
She takes another breath, but this time she’s the one who moves closer, taking my free hand in hers. “When I went to Nashville, I was just Whitley. You didn’t recognize me. You liked me for me. I didn’t have to wonder. It felt good. I guess I just didn’t want that feeling to end, or if you would look at me diff—”
I cut off her words with a kiss. One, because she’s been with me for hours now and I haven’t felt her lips against mine and that’s unacceptable. And two, because I need to kiss that thought right out of her beautiful head.
“You listen to me,” I say, breaking away just enough so I can say what I need to. “I don’t care if you are the Princess of England. I don’t care if you are the president’s daughter or that your brother is a big-wig football coach. All I care about is you. Because you, sweetness, are the only one for me.”
This gets me the smile I’ve been aching to see all night. “So that girl earlier?”
I let out a deep laugh. “Krystal? Not even a little bit. Let’s just say she’d done her tour around town, and I am proud to say that she’s never made a stop here.”
My explanation doesn’t get the reaction I’m hoping for. Instead, she goes back to playing with the hemline of her shirt.
“What’s the matter? Talk to me, Whit.”
“I…” she pauses, and I can see the wheels turning in her head. “The videos. I need to know, Jake. Why are you making them? And why didn’t you tell me?”
It’s now my turn to confess. “I had no intention of doing it. I swear I didn’t. But my mom needs a new roof, and she’s a little low on cash right now. Trent told me how much money I could make on the app. Whit, she’s going to have a new roof by the end of this month. And, well, it’s kind of fun.”
“Fun?” she asks, clearly not prepared for me to say that. “How is taking off your shirt and dancing on the Internet fun?”
“It’s not about that,” I say, bringing her close to me, hoping that what I’m saying will make sense to her. “You know I love to dance. That night in Nashville, that was me being my true self. I’m the guy who likes to dance and be out there for people to watch. And if it makes me a little money to help out my mom and makes some people smile along the way, then I call that a win-win.”
“I believe the app calls it being a thirst trap.”
“Is that what they are calling me?” I say, a hint of teasing to my voice. “The beauty queen and the thirst trap. A match made in heaven.”
This gets me the laugh I’ve wanted. I take the opportunity and bring her to my lap.
“Are you okay with me making the videos?” I ask. I would hate to stop, but I can find other ways to make money if it bothers her that much.
“If you enjoy it, I don’t want to tell you how to live your life. I just…” she pauses for a second, gathering her words. “I didn’t realize how jealous I was going to be of the women who were commenting on the videos. They are aggressive. Then I saw Krystal tonight and I lost it a bit.”
“Come here,” I say, bringing our mouths together again. This kiss isn’t deep, but I hope she can feel what I’m trying to say through it. “You’re the only one for me. Those women commenting? They are strangers. They will never know the real me. You? You are real. You know me. The real me. And you’re the only one who gets to see my moves in real life, you get me?”
She smiles, her finger beginning to trace up and down my rib cage. “Does being the girlfriend of a thirst trap get me private showings?”
I pick her up slightly, so she’s now straddling me. She loops her arms around my neck, and for the first time since she arrived in Rolling Hills, I find myself breathing easier. “That depends. Does being the boyfriend of football royalty get me tickets to the Iron Bowl?”
This takes her back. “I thought you said you weren’t an Alabama fan?”
I bring up her shirt, kissing my way across her chest, hoping this will ease the blow I’m about to deliver.
“I’m not. I’m an Auburn fan.”
