Total pages in book: 78
Estimated words: 74103 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 371(@200wpm)___ 296(@250wpm)___ 247(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 74103 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 371(@200wpm)___ 296(@250wpm)___ 247(@300wpm)
“I’ll see you later,” Blair whispers, slipping beneath my arm and out of the room, taking her sweet scent with her. A knife twists in my gut, and the strings around my heart tug on my emotions. I’m tempted to grab her, twist her around, and hold her to my chest, leaving her with nowhere to escape, but I don’t.
She wants time to herself, then she’s going to get time to her fucking self.
Two hours later, I find myself in the Dean’s office. Sebastian Miller sits on the other side of the mammoth desk. I’d heard all about him, and his little fiasco with a student who is now his wife. The rumor of him sleeping with a student spread like wildfire around campus. What can I say? College guys are all about sex, and anything involving student and teacher drama is bound to get some type of attention.
“Cage Wilder…” he drawls, tapping his fingers against his desk.
Sebastian is young, very young for a dean, and has an air about him that makes him seem friendly. Almost like he’s your friend instead of an authoritative figure.
“Yes, I punched Berk in the face, and yes, he deserved it,” I confess, leaning back in the chair, which creaks under my weight.
Blair left me in the study room with nothing but time to think of a reason, and still, the only reason I had was because he was a prick to her. There was no point in lying about something that I did, not in my mind. It isn’t like he could punch himself in the face and break his own noise.
“His name is Brad, and even if you feel he deserved it, fighting is against school policies. Plus, you’re an athlete, you know better.”
I withhold the need to roll my eyes. “You’re telling me that fighting in school is as bad as the dean screwing a student?”
“Touché.” He chuckles. “But considering that the student was willing and is now my wife, and Brad didn’t want to get his nose broken, I would have to say yes. What you did is worse.”
“Bullshit, double standard,” I mutter under my breath and shake my head. “What’s the damage? Am I going to jail? Getting a spanking?”
“Well, Brad’s nose is broken, and I talked him out of pressing charges thankfully. Coach Willard was ungodly mad when I told him that I would be suspending you from a game, but there are repercussions for your actions, and I had to do something. Hopefully, you learn your lesson, and you don’t end up back in here.”
“No promises, chief. As long as there are douchebags like him, then there will be assholes like me.”
Dean Miller chuckles. “You remind me of my brother, Remington.”
“You mean he’s an arrogant asshole too?” I grin.
“Something like that.” He smirks, but then the smile fades from his face, and his features turn serious. “No more breaking noses, Cage. I’m serious. If football means anything to you, you need to stay on the straight and narrow.”
I grit my teeth, and my molars grind together.
If football means anything to you…
It’s like he knows.
“If it helps, I didn’t do it because he was looking at me. He said something to someone I care about, and I wasn’t going to let him cut her down with his words.”
He nods. “Yeah, well, sometimes you have to bite your tongue. I know it’s hard, but it’s that way with all things in life. I can’t tell you how many times I wanted to lash out at someone for saying something to Lily when she moved in with me. Everyone has their own opinions, even if they are wrong.”
“I get it. Next time, I’ll think before I react,” I tell him, hoping there isn’t a next time and that me punching Brad sends a warning out to all the fuckfaces who might try and mess with Blair. On my way out of his office and to my truck, I pull out my phone. There is a text from Coach Willard, and three missed phone calls from my father.
I don’t know what the big deal is. One game is nothing. Hell, I’d sacrifice all of them if I had too. I text Willard back, apologizing, and ignore my father altogether. I don’t have the patience to deal with him tonight. I need to make things right with Blair. Ever since our little spat earlier, I’ve been anxious and worried that she won’t be there when I return to the condo.
Fuck me. I’m growing dependent upon her. Like a drug, I crave her presence, her body, her soul, and her mind. For the first time in my life, I don’t want a woman just to fuck them, and that terrifies me.
When I arrive at the condo, I walk into the house, toss my bag on the floor near the door, kick off my shoes and rush up the stairs and into my room like a child. I’m ready to make up with Blair, to put what happened behind us.