Page 36 of Flip the Field
Amerie
“Amerie,” April called after me. I stopped in my tracks a few feet outside the building’s entrance.No. I am not running away anymore.This was my school. I was here first, and Brady was my man. I turned around fast and April and I ran into each other.
“Owee,” She clutched her chest. “Slow down. Where are you going now?”
“To snatch Theresa’s blond hair off her head one strand at a time,” I huffed.
April giggled. “As much as I would pay to see that, it’s not necessary.”
She pointed. Brady stood just outside the door with a sexy smirk on his face. I grunted in his direction and took off back toward my house.
“Amerie, wait,” He caught up to me, grabbed my hand, and spun me around.
“What?” I yelled in his face. He smiled. “What are you smiling at?”
“You’re really hot when you’re jealous.”
“Jealou—” I covered my mouth with my hand and bit my palm to keep from screaming. “You think I’m jealous.”
Brady stepped back and looked around. “Well, not anymore.”
“I’m not jealous,” I stepped toward him. “I’m so pissed off at you, I can’t think straight. First, you lie to me about being in prison,” I counted on my fingers. “Then, your stubborn ass ignores me for a week. And now, you think so little of my intelligence that I would be jealous of Theresa, who throws herself at every man on campus twice.”
“Fuck, Amerie,” he gritted out between his teeth. “I spent six months in county jail, not fucking Pelican Bay. Calm the fuck down. I get it,” He rubbed his face. “You’re not jealous. And I didn’t ignore you.”
“You didn’t call me,” I wasnotgoing to cry. “You didn’t even call and check on me.”
A crowd had formed outside the dorm entrance. Brady took my hand and led me toward my house. When we were far enough away from prying eyes, I pulled out of his hold.
Brady signed. “Amerie, baby. I’m sorry. I just didn’t know what to say to you.”
“How about the truth?”
“It’s not that easy, and I was scared,” He whispered the last part.
“Scared of what?”
He turned away from me.
I stepped in front of him. “Scared of what, Brady?”
“That once you found out, you’d stop looking at me the way you do,” He caressed my cheek.
I gripped his hand and pulled it away from my face. I held on to him, though. I needed the connection as much as he did. “You think I’m that superficial?”
He shrugged.
“Why did you even come after me in the first place?” I dropped his hand.
“What do you mean?”
“Brady,” I shook my head. “How did you think it wouldn’t come out? My father is on the freaking intelligence committee. If your goal was to keep it a secret, you should have stayed far away from me.”
“Yeah, well, it wouldn’t have stopped me.”
“Why?”
“Because I love you.” He stepped into me and pulled me toward him. “From that very first kiss.” His lips landed on mine.
