Page 69 of Collide
Suppressing my grin is harder than I expected. “Not really.”
She takes a menacing step closer. “Did you threaten him?”
“Threaten is a strong word.”
Anger flares in her brown eyes. “You told him not to talk to me?”
“No, I told him what would happen if he did.” I’ve never been jealous of anyone, not even in the cocky jock way. But when she kissed him, something green like ivy burned through my veins.
“So, a threat,” she says.
“Look, I’m only looking out for him. I don’t like to see my fellow athletes get used.”
Disbelief darkens her expression. “You think I’m using him?”
Man, I loved it when she speaks with that fiery attitude. She gets this crease in the middle of her eyebrows, one I know would disappear if her thighs were wrapped around my neck. “I believe it was my name coming out of your mouth a few hours after you kissed him.”
Her throat twitches. “Well, I got that out of my system now.”
“Igot it out of your system.”
I hope it isn’t out of her system. She is the furthest thing from out of mine, and that night just made my itch for her grow. I didn’t think she’d care that I talked to Connor after we hooked up. She hasn’t outright said she isn’t interested, but being upset over another guy is making how she feels loud and clear.
“Whatever.” Her mood has dampened and I feel responsible. I don’t like it. I prefer her expressive eyes and her sharp tongue.
“I’m sorry for ruining whatever it is you had with Connor. I didn’t know it was serious. If you want him, I’ll talk to him.” It pains me to even say it.
Her sardonic laugh doesn’t comfort me. “I never wanted him.”
That statement cuts through my sulking, and joy erupts. “So, we’re good then. I did you a favor.”
Summer glowers. “No, Aiden, you didn’t do me a favor. But it doesn’t matter because letting you decide what he can do makes him irredeemable.”
I guess that's a plus, but I still don’t like the annoyed look on her face. “You’re right. I did it for me,” I admit.
“Shocker.”
“To apologize for my selfishness, let me get you a drink. We have margaritas.”
“Margaritas won’t get you redemption, Crawford.”
“How about three margaritas?” I smile but she ignores me. I try my hardest not to seem like a petulant child. “Just talk to me, Summer. That’s what we do—we communicate, right?”
“We’re talking right now.”
Someone taps my shoulder, probably to wish me, but my focus is Summer, and I need for us to be alone. In a brave move, I take her hand to lead her upstairs. We’re not even halfway when she yanks it away.
“Talk.” Her stubborn stance tells me she’s not going anywhere with me. This might be a good thing because I don’t know if I could stay true to my word if we found ourselves alone again.
“Why are you upset?”
She unravels. “Because I’m trying to do what you said, and even when I try I can’t get it right. I want to let loose, have fun and not stress about everything.”
That, I understand. I'm sure that night in her dorm was a catalyst for all this, but it doesn’t explain why she didn’t just come to me. I could give her all of that and more.
“Connor is your idea of fun?” I ask.
She huffs. “I don’t need to explain myself to you, Aiden.”
