Page 106 of Don't Let Me Go (Don't Let Me 2)

My gaze snaps to his. “I’m going to stop you right there.”

He frowns. “Blake––”

“Seriously. Stop,” I beg, continuing the massage. The sooner I finish, the sooner I can escape this conversation. And boy, am I ready to call it a day.

“Is this about Theo?” he demands, keeping his voice quiet.

My hands freeze, and my spine straightens. “What?”

“I wanna know if this is about Theo.”

“It’s none of––”

“It is. Isn’t it?”

“There’s nothing going on between me and Theo,” I lie.

He shakes his head as if he can’t believe I’m such an idiot.

Neither can I, buddy.

“Theo’s bad news, Blake,” he reminds me. “The parties he throws? You’ve been there. It’s like some freakin’ orgie or some shit.”

My fingers hesitate against his skin as a dry laugh escapes me. I’m blown away by the audacity of this guy. Seriously, he can’t be this dense. Even if I want to personally strangle Theo half the time, it doesn’t mean I won’t stand up for him when he isn’t around.

“That’s the tactic you’re gonna go with?” I ask him. “Theo’s a bad guy?”

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Burrows mutters, “He isn’t a bad guy, he’s––”

“And now you’re not even going to stick with it?” I tsk, more amused than annoyed. “Come on, man. I expected more from you.”

I can almost taste his exasperation on my tongue as he shakes his head and asks, “What do you want from me, Blake? How can I convince you to give me another chance?”

I glance at Russ again, my spidey-senses tingling, but he isn’t listening. He’s too engrossed in the x-rays Graves’ doctor sent earlier this week.

“I’m not looking for a relationship right now,” I whisper, my thumbs moving from his knee and down to his calf.

“Not even with Theo?”

“Especially not with Theo.”

“I saw you looking at him on the ice.”

“I was looking at everyone on the ice,” I lie. Truth be told, the guy managed to steal the show, but I’m not about to admit it to Burrows. “And even if I was looking at him,” I add, “we’re just friends.”

“So, you aren’t dating him?” he challenges.

“I’m not dating anyone. Especially anyone on the team.”

“And if I weren’t on the team?”

“I still wouldn’t be interested.”

He grabs my wrist, sitting up fully until we’re far too close for my comfort. “Why? Because you want someone else?”

“What I want is to keep this internship.”

“Then let me talk to Coach. I’ll explain––”

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