Page 83 of Striking Heat
I hate that I’ve been lying to her.
I sigh. “Can you keep a secret?”
“Did you forget who you’re talking to? How many of your secrets have you told me that I’ve never told a soul?” She bumps my shoulder with hers. “Remember when you hid all of Jessica’s cleats from her in college because she kissed the guy you liked? I never told a soul, even though she was pretty sure it was you.”
I smile, remembering how mad Jessica got. “You know, I never did feel bad about that one. I know I should, but I don’t.”
She nods. “That bitch had it coming.”
I chuckle. “Yeah, she did.”
“So, what’s going on, Mac? What body are we hiding or who do we hate? I don’t care what it is. I’ll do whatever you need. I just want to know.”
She’s right. I’ve never kept secrets like this from Cassie, and it’s killing me not to tell her. But I’m afraid of what will happen if I say something to her. I’m not worried that it’ll make it real, because it already is. I just don’t want to tell her and have it somehow got out. Not that I don’t trust Cassie; I trust her withmy life. It’s someone overhearing us talking about it. I couldn’t live with myself if I outed Danny and me, leading to something bad happening to him.
But I also hate lying to Cassie. She’s right, if there were a body to hide, she would be the one who would help me hide it. It’s time to let her know what type of a body we’re hiding.
“Are we the only ones here?” I ask her.
She looks around. “I think the coaches are in their office. But other than that, I have no idea if anyone else is here.”
“Please promise me this stays between me and you.”
“I’ve got your back through hell and back.”
“I know you do.” I pull her into a hug.
“Spill it, sister.”
“I’ve been sort of seeing Danny Taylor for a while now. It started out just as hooking up and trading witty banter, and now it’s developed into more. Like last night, he took me out on a date and basically asked me to be his girlfriend, and of course I said yes.”
I stare at her for a moment and watch as she digests the information. I’m expecting a bad reaction, so I say more. “Look, he’s really nice and really sweet. The sex is so hot, too. I haven’t felt this way about someone in a long time, and while it’s not smart, I’m doing it.”
“I’m so happy for you. When did this start?”
“We had a flirtation for a while, but he took me home the night of the charity bar night. Some guy tried to hit on me and he saved me. It went from there.”
Cassie hugs me. “I’m so happy for you,” she repeats. “But you do realize that this isn’t going to go well when it gets out. He could lose his job, Mac. And all credibility as a journalist.”
“I know. That’s why I tried to pretend that it was nothing for so long, but I couldn’t anymore. He made it impossible to pretend.” I flush thinking about the night he made love to me in the hotel room.
“I love it for you. But damn, you don’t make anything easy, do you?”
I laugh. “I guess not. Do you really think we’ll be screwed if anyone finds out?” I know the answer, but I still asked it.
“It won’t exactly be welcomed with open arms wheneveryonefinds out about the two of you. Like, what do you think Cromwell will say? Or August? Ohh, he’s not going to like this at all. Those two have formed some weird friendship. I saw them at the bar the other night, just hanging out together with Jase.”
I nod. I know how hot she thinks Jase is, but I don’t bring that up right now. The policy against those two being anything is pretty strict. Worse than Danny and me.
“Yeah, they have become really close. It’s weird, but I get it. They have a lot in common. Both are kinda caught in their father’s shadows.” My voice trails off without really finishing my thought.
“Yeah, I feel bad for August sometimes. It can’t be easy being kept under his father’s thumb. Danny’s dad is that NFL guy, right?”
“Yep.”
“Have you met him?”
“No, we haven’t really gone public. The only date we had was at the beach. We were trying so hard to be careful, but then Nick, his photographer, figured it out.”
