Total pages in book: 127
Estimated words: 123435 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 617(@200wpm)___ 494(@250wpm)___ 411(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 123435 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 617(@200wpm)___ 494(@250wpm)___ 411(@300wpm)
“Were you trying to get Alana’s attention or something?”
“Not in the slightest,” I reply, which startles her. I roll my eyes at her reaction. “Come on, Mac. We both know Alana and I were just killing time. We were just bored.” I shrug. “I like Cassie, so I kissed her. Big deal.”
“I like Cassie too. And what if it is a big deal?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, she’s really sweet. I don’t want to see her get hurt.”
I swallow my irritation. Why must women always jump directly to the worst-case scenario? And why do they always assume one measly kiss will lead to a trip to the altar? Like, damn. Slow down, ladies. Sometimes we kiss because it feels good.
“I don’t plan on hurting her,” I answer with a frown. “I like her. And all we did was make out.”
“Then maybe you should leave it at that. Just be her friend.”
I bristle. “You in charge of my dick now, Mac?”
“No, but …” She pauses, then voices a sheepish confession. “This morning when her grandmother and I had a moment alone at the Beacon, Lydia asked me to watch out for her. I don’t know … I guess I’m a bit worried. You’re the king of hookups. Which is fine,” she adds hastily. “No judgment. That’s probably why your arrangement with Alana worked so well. Neither of you have ever been interested in relationships. But Cassie is one hundred percent girlfriend material—you get that, right? She seems a lot more serious than your usual type.”
I feel a deep groove form in my forehead. She’s not entirely wrong. Cassie is different. Sweeter, as Mac had said. And not as confident or outwardly experienced as women I’ve been with in the past.
“I just figured I’d point all this out before things out there got … un-take-back-able.”
I draw a troubled breath. The more I’m thinking with my upstairs head, the more I’m realizing Mac’s cockblocking might have been for the best.
“Unless you’re in the market for a girlfriend now, which I don’t think you are. I mean, you just spent months seeing Alana, who we both know is the safest choice for someone actively not looking to settle down. She’d be the first person to say she’s not interested in a commitment. She’s constantly referring to herself as emotionally unavailable.”
I go silent. In all honesty, I never gave much thought to why I spent so much time with Alana. But my gut tells me Mac isn’t completely off-base. For as long as I’ve known her, Alana has been aloof, untouchable. The woman locks her emotions behind a steel wall. I never had any illusions about breaking down that wall.
“Anyway, I’ll stop meddling now. But I made a promise to Lydia, and I just wanted to make sure you’re going into this with your eyes wide open.”
“Noted.”
“Okay, good.” She heads for the door, adding over her shoulder, “Oh, and I do need you to bring out a couple cases of beer.”
“Yes, Mom.”
I’m grumbling under my breath as I cross the garage toward the drinks fridge. Despite my lingering aggravation, I can’t quite bring myself to hate on Mac for interrupting. Now that the buzz is wearing off and my head is clearing, it’s easy to see the mistake I almost made.
Hooking up with Cassie is a disaster waiting to happen. First off, we’re neighbors. What if we sleep together and things go south? I’d still have to live next door to her until September, and that could get mighty awkward.
And then there’s the fact that I like her a hell of a lot. She’s fun to talk to, and I can envision us building a genuine friendship this summer. To some people that might seem more like a perk than a disadvantage, but I know how fragile male/female friendships can be. After Cooper and Heidi hooked up a couple years ago, their friendship almost didn’t recover. Yes, Alana was my friend when we started sleeping together, but like Mac said, Alana isn’t Cassie.
I’m not sure whether Cassie can keep things casual. Sure, one conversation could clear all that up—but that’s based on the assumption she’s being honest with herself. In my experience, plenty of women say they’re down for no-strings sex. And maybe they mean it in the moment. Maybe they think they’ll be okay keeping it strictly physical. But more often than not, the strings form before you can blink, and suddenly you’re accused of being a selfish prick. It’s a frequent occurrence for my more promiscuous friends, but to me it only happened once.
Last year of high school, I slept with a cute girl on the yearbook committee, not realizing that one—she was a virgin, and two—she’d had a crush on me for years. Lindsey assured me she just wanted a hookup before she left for college. Next thing I know, I have her entire friend group screaming at me in the school corridor accusing me of breaking her heart and ruining her life. To this day, I feel goddamn awful about it. I never meant to hurt Lindsey, but I’d made it clear I didn’t want a relationship.