Page 54 of The Revenge Plan (Forbidden Descendants 1)

His pale eyes flickered with surprise before he tucked his bottom lip between his teeth as if to hide the cut from me, even though I’d already spotted it.

I shook my head, confused. “You didn’t have that cut last night.” I stepped closer, squinting. “And is that a bruise on your cheek? Oh my God, what happened?”

He shrugged—his I-don’t-want-to-talk-about-it shrug—then shifted backward away from me. “Practice,” was all he mumbled.

“Oh,” I said slowly before cringing. “Wow, hard practice. Shouldn’t you guys take it easier so close to a game day?” Without realizing it, I reached out to examine the cut with my fingers, but he tipped his face to the side, dodging my touch, so I jerked my hand back.

“Sorry.” Cringing, I wrung my hands together against my chest. “Prodding at it right now is probably bad. I’m sure it’s tender.”

“It’s okay,” he said.

Except I wasn’t sure which part he meant was okay: me trying to touch him or the tenderness. If the pain was okay, then he’d pretty much just admitted he’d moved away only because he hadn’t wanted me to touch him. But if he was telling me it was okay that I’d tried to touch him, then why had he moved away to begin with? God, figuring this guy out was impossible.

Trying not to let the questions drive me crazy, I cleared my throat and got back on track. “Anyway, I know what you’re thinking. You wish you hadn’t told me—about the other girls—but I’m glad you did. I… I’m glad I know. And now I know I need to get myself checked out, which just may help me avoid, you know, medical issues or something. So, please, just…” I glanced away, unable to handle all the regret I was seeing in him. “Stop looking at me like I’m going to fall apart. You didn’t do anything wrong. I asked. I can deal with the answer. I really appreciate your telling me.”

Wick took a step back, away from me. For a moment, I thought he was going to leave, but then he said, “My sister…”

I glanced up when he paused. Wincing, he went on. “My older sister, Darcy, works in the student health center. I could get you an appointment there if you want one. You know, to get checked out.”

Just thinking about the possibility of having an STD made my stomach revolt again, but I managed to swallow the bile back down this time. Breathing deeply through my nose, I nodded and said, “I would like that very much. Thank you.”

“Okay. I’ll get you set up first thing in the morning then.” And with a single nod, he turned away and left me alone.

15

Haven

So, early Friday morning, Wick had me meet him at the student health center for my checkup. It felt wrong that I had to even do this; I’d always taken safe sex seriously. Why had I been stupid enough to think the only boyfriend I’d ever had would feel the same way? Now, here I was, paying for my own naïve gullibility.

The wind seemed to think it personally needed to slap me across the face for my idiocy too. It whipped my hair out of place, obstructing my view and clogging my mouth so I was still scrambling to hand-brush it back into place and hold on to my backpack that I had hooked over one shoulder as I pushed through the front door.

Disheveled mess that I was, however, I was apparently at least a quiet one. No one heard me enter.

One woman sat out in the waiting area, flipping through a magazine. A receptionist sat behind a tall counter. And Wick Webster stood leaning against the same counter at the far end where he chatted with a young nurse who bustled around on the other side, organizing files.

I jarred to a halt, gaping, while my hormones took a moment to simply shudder and then sigh longingly. I swore he’d gotten five times hotter since yesterday. The long-sleeved button-up shirt clinging to him seemed a size too small as it pulled taut across his chest. Tucked into a pair of simple black jeans and a dark belt, the cloth looked extra crisp and extra white, almost virginal, which was ironic compared to the thoughts seeing him in that shirt gave me. And I think the top three buttons on said shirt would agree because they appeared to have fainted clean off him after pressing so snugly against such luscious male flesh. They certainly were nowhere around to hold the shirt together anymore, that was for sure.

But the outfit came second to the absolutely relaxed way he stood with his elbows on the counter as he played with a pen and talked with a vibrancy I’d never seen before.

He wasn’t this open and easy around me. It made jealousy zing through my bloodstream as I turned my attention to the pretty, young nurse who could apparently bring out the comfortable side of Wick Webster.

Then again, he’d straight-up told me he would never be able to relax with me around as his roommate, hadn’t he? I’d just ignored his warning. But now I was realizing just how big of a deal it was.

The nurse neared the counter where he leaned with a file folder that she set down and opened. When she reached for a pen in the nearby pen holder, he must’ve said something to irritate her because she jabbed her pen at him threateningly as soon as she grabbed it, only for him to playfully lift his own pen he’d been fiddling with and block her as if parrying in a swordfight.

Envy roared even hotter through me because I wanted to know this Wick, the playful, easygoing one. The realization was immense and kind of frightening.

The nurse noticed me first, glancing over, only to pause and then murmur something that had Wick turning his attention my way as well.

As soon as our gazes met, my insides went liquid with panic, nerves, and utter awareness. His eyes lowered and then raised again as he checked me out. Under my shirt, my nipples pearled and the knots that formed low in my stomach had my thighs tingling.

He straightened and waved me toward him.

I started forward, feeling more mindful of my own body than I could ever remember feeling. Brushing self-consciously at my hair again, I winced when I found more strands totally out of place.

Dear God, I was a hot mess.

Smiling nervously as I reached him, I said, “Hi. Sorry. Am I late?”

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