Page 38 of Chosen Boy

“I don’t think I ever actually hated you, Sutton. I hated what you stood for.” I swallow. “Or what Ithoughtyou stood for.”

“Which was?” she whispers.

“I thought you were like your parents. Shallow and all about money and clout.” I look down at her, tilting her chin up. “I guess I thought all you cared about was following their rules, making them happy. But you, Sutton Savage, are your own person.” I pause, inhaling. “I also thought you were weak. Like a little bird stuck in a cage, but not willing to fight your way out. But, shit, I was so wrong. Because here you are. Free.”

She sucks in a breath. “Thank you, Hunter.” She smiles. “That means…a lot.”

“You’re still a little bird. But you sure as hell are not in any cage.” I grin down at her.

I know she likely won’t be coming to my game and that it was just all for show, but a small part of me is just hoping she might anyway. I kind of like the idea of her in the stands, cheering me on. Even more, I like the idea of her watching me play, wearing my number on her back.

What the fuck is happening to me?

Sutton

I walk inside my house, sighing as I replay the past few hours. I know one thing to be true. When Hunter holds me in his arms the way he did after his parents left, I know…I’m in trouble.

Shit.

And even though it hasn’t been easy, escaping that world has been almost like a blessing. Hunter will be living in that world, no matter what happens with hockey.

If he makes it to the pros, he’ll be living in the limelight. Rich and famous, adored by millions. And if he doesn’t play for the NHL, he’ll likely return to Tennessee and take over his father’s practice. Which comes with power, money, and a whole lot of stipulations, I’m sure.

I want to live my life for me. Because for most of my life, I haven’t gotten to. I know I love to dance, but then I wonder, do I really love to dance? Or is it just all I know? I’ve always been über-competitive, pushing my own limits to an unhealthy place. But if I took dance out of my life…what would I even have? I mean, shit, I don’t even have a cat to keep me company.

I wrap my arms around myself, and I swear I can still feel the effects left by Hunter’s touch earlier. When I close my eyes, reliving the moment, my stomach whirls, butterflies the size of bats flying around. Every part of my body feels him when he’s near. Even though I wish it didn’t.

“So, you and Hunter, huh?” Poppy’s voice startles me, and I open my eyes, looking to where the voice came from. “I saw you guys on the porch the other day.”

I give her a once-over and shrug. “Yep. Me and Hunter. Hunter and I.”

Standing outside her door, she holds a small, round laundry basket in her arms. “Last I knew, he was still trying to make things work with Paige. You do realize she and I are friends, right?”

“I wasn’t aware of that,” I say, shrugging. “And to the best of my recollection, she dumped him. Close totwoyears ago. So, I’m not sure where you’re headed with this.”

“They are going to get back together.” She says the words so surely, her eyes narrowing. “After college, when he’s in the pros, they’ll get married and have kids.” The smallest smirk creeps up. “And you will be long forgotten. So, do yourself a favor. Stop being a home-wrecker. It’s not really a good look.”

“They would have to have a home to wreck for me to be a home-wrecker, Poppy.” I stand taller, not backing down to her and her mean-girl energy. “And word on the street is, she’s certainly not waiting around for him either. What I’ve heard is…she might be more into football players these days.”

The words roll from my lips because it is something I’ve not only heard, but I also saw it the other day when we were leaving the coffee shop. I didn’t tell him who she was with because, frankly, I didn’t want to hurt him more than he’d already been hurt.

“He wants her, not you, Sutton. You’re a mere distraction. A body to fill the void,” she mutters. “Give it up.”

Walking into her room, she closes the door behind her. And suddenly, every ounce of the electricity I felt on my lips moments prior…is gone.

Because she’s right.

I’m a pawn. Something for him to use to make his ex jealous. And I have no reason to be upset because that’s exactly what I agreed to. But it seemed so much easier before he kissed me.

14

Hunter

Iwave to Sutton as she sits in the stands. Her friends, Ryann and Lana, are next to her. Lana is smiling so big that it looks like it hurts. Ryann…looks like she wants to murder someone.

I blow Sutton a kiss because that’s what a good boyfriend would do. But instead of blowing one back, she stiffens before holding her hand up and waving. She forces a smile, but something is off with her—I just don’t know what it is.

She’s never minded the pretending with me before. But right now, she seems like she wants no part of it. Maybe I took it too far, kissing her the other night. Truthfully, I did some of that for selfish reasons. I needed to taste her lips. The trouble is, now that I have…I want more. The floodgates of dirty thoughts have opened, and I can’t make them stop.

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