AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He shrugged. “Dull.”
“And what if that isn’t all my fault? What if it’s both of us? What if it’s you?”
“Of course it’s not me. I’ve had plenty of girls. They don’t have any problems getting off.”
I folded my arms. Nausea rolled in my gut. “Plenty of girls? I’ve been faithful to you since school. All this time…”
He turned and went back to his rowing. His expression was taut and derisive. “Regardless of what goes on between me and you. This is my house. I’m not leaving.”
My head pounded. I stormed out of the gym and upstairs to the bedroom. Hangers screamed on the metal rail as I rifled through my wardrobe, throwing clothes into a case. Fuck Sean. How dare he? Half of me wanted to march downstairs and argue with him, but my heart hurt too much. I bit back my tears. I didn’t fall apart. The captain needed to be strong.
In a daze, I stumbled downstairs and out the front door. Cold air hit my face and I tried to take deep breaths. What now? I needed a plan. I could go to my parents, but they’d have so many questions. I didn’t want to be grilled like a squid by my mum. I couldn’t bear to talk to anyone. I’d have to go to a hotel. My heart ached. How long could I do that for? I needed a place to think straight, but I couldn’t think with this horrible scratchy gnawing in my chest.
I threw my bag in the boot of my car and set off for the training pitches. Hot panic sizzled over my skin and made my chest constrict. Only one thing could help me when I felt like this. I needed to calm down. My breath snapped hot and sharp in my lungs. Pain speared my chest. Reece’s voice drifted to my mind.
Your feelings will make themselves heard however they can. They won’t always choose the most convenient times.
Reece was right. I didn’t need distraction. I needed to talk to somebody. I needed Reece. But first, I needed to kick a ball as hard as I could.
Chapter 22
Reece
Skylar hadn’t looked at me once since she entered the office. She wore her football kit: a blue jersey, shorts, and knee socks. I leaned back in my seat, getting comfortable, seeing if she would mirror my movements and relax. She didn’t. She could probably see I was faking. No part of me could relax in her presence. She looked so different from this morning. Her hair tumbled in a messy lilac waterfall to her shoulders. Dark hollows shadowed her pretty eyes. Had I made her feel like this? We hadn’t even talked about last night. I shouldn’t have let her walk out of my house.
I tried to stop my gaze from drifting to the bookcase. A couple of the spines protruded at odd angles. It made my skin prickle with the need to straighten them. An ache blazed right between my shoulder blades, but I fought to sit still and composed. After a night tossing and turning, my spine was the only relaxed part of me, and it was supposed to be supporting my entire body.
I took a breath. “How are you? Have you come straight from practice?”
She shrugged and adjusted her football socks below her knees. “No practice. I just needed to kick things. I was heading for the pitches, and I ended up here instead…”
Hot air licked over my skin. Skylar chewed her lip and smoothed her hands over her toned thighs.
I cleared my throat. “About last night… You don’t need to feel bad or any guilt about what happened between us. This was my fault. It’s my responsibility to manage the boundary. This is my failure, but—”
“He’s such a prick,” she said quietly.
“Sorry?”
“Sean.”
Sean? Had she seen him? Had something happened since I’d last seen her?
Her shoulders quivered and she sniffed. “Sorry.” She swiped her cheeks. “I don’t cry.”
“You don’t have to apologize for crying.” I nudged a box of tissues across the coffee table. “Cry all you want with me.”
Her fingers quaked as she took a tissue and dabbed her eyes. She folded her tissue into a tiny square with quivering fingers then took a shuddering breath. “He was at the house. I was having a bath and I heard him downstairs. He was there on the rowing machine, pretending like nothing was wrong…” Her voice broke off and she turned her face to the window. “I phoned Miri. She invited me to stay, but I thought you’d be more comfortable if I don’t. Gabe is letting me stay at the Beaufort.”
“No. You should stay with us. I can go elsewhere for a while.”
“The hotel is fine.” She blew out a breath and a bitter smile trembled on her lips. “Just when I thought I was making some progress. The worst part is that he’s right about all of it.”
“Right about what?”
The silence grew so thick it smothered us. I fought every compulsion to break it. That wasn’t the way to help her in this room.
“You know, the worst part is that I’ve never asked for much. I want someone who I can love, and who will love me back. I’ve got a lot of love to give. Do you know what I mean?”
