“There’s no need to explain. I got it loud and clear. You used me and I was stupid enough to fall for your lies.” I press a shaking hand to my chest. “My bad. Won’t happen again.”
His eyes flare as he shakes his head. “No, it wasn’t like that…”
Laughter explodes from my lips.
Who is he trying to kid?
I fell for his smooth talk—hook, line, and sinker. In all honesty, I deserve everything I got. Lesson learned the hard way.
“You can stop with the BS, Beck.” My voice hardens.
When he reaches out, trying to stroke the curve of my cheek, I bat his hand away and retreat, needing to put as much distance between us as possible.
“Mia, please,” he whispers, “you have to believe that I’m sorry. It’s not what I want.”
The sad thing is that I almost believe him.
That he’s able to break my heart all the while trying to convince me how sorry he is only proves that I’m no better than all the foolish girls who trail after him. This is exactly why Beck Hollingsworth is dangerous to the female species. Even when he’s cutting your heart out, you want more.
Not bothering to respond, I stab a finger toward the window. If he thinks I’ll cry and beg him to reconsider, he has another thing coming. “Get out.”
When he opens his mouth, looking like he might argue, I cut him off. “I said get out!”
Anguish flashes in his green eyes as his shoulders collapse, and he jerks his head into a nod. He wavers for a moment before retreating to the window. Silently, he pushes it open before turning back to me. “I’m sorry for letting everything get out of hand this morning. It’s my fault for hurting you.”
I snort.
Beck can take his apology and shove it up his ass.
A wave of nausea crashes over me. I’ve never felt so used or dirty. Even though I took a shower earlier this afternoon, the need to take another and scrub every memory of him from my skin pounds through me.
I’m an idiot for believing I was anything more than a one-night fuck. Or that Beck was mature enough to have a real relationship. All he did was prove that he’s exactly what I suspected he was.
An asshole who will use and abuse you before throwing you away.
Guess the joke is on me for believing I was too smart to fall for his lines.
Chapter Six
Mia
Sophomore year of college…
Alyssa grabs my hand and drags me through the doors of the football house. For obvious reasons, it’s the last place I want to be on a Saturday night. The Wesley Warriors crushed Tennessee this afternoon and everyone is out celebrating.
“Can’t we go somewhere else?” I yell, so she’s able to hear me over the thumping beat of the music that reverberates off the walls. It’s so loud that it feels like my brain is rattling against my skull. When she fails to respond, I add, “In case you haven’t noticed, there are a ton of other parties.”
We traipsed past a dozen of them to get here.
“No,” she shouts, bursting my bubble. “I told Colton we would meet up at nine.”
Yup, you heard that correctly.
Colton and Alyssa are officially a thing.
It’s still relatively early in their relationship, so who knows if it will last.
Alyssa is thrilled.
And me?
Shocked speechless would be an adequate description.
But I have to give the girl props where they’re deserved. She was bound and determined to bag her man, and against the odds, she made it happen.
As you can imagine, she’s become something of a legend on campus, having attained the unattainable.
She’s known as the Yoda of Wesley.
The jock whisperer.
Girls come from near and far to seek out her sage advice. It’s amusing to watch her dole out her wisdom magnanimously like a queen.
I glance around, noticing that most of the students are football players or friends thereof. Making up half of the population are the jersey chasers. Those girls are prepared to cling to the first meaty bicep they can attach themselves to.
Without trying to be obvious, I search the surrounding vicinity for one face in particular. My muscles loosen when he remains elusive. Ever since we had sex after graduation, I’ve done my best to keep my distance from Beck.
The first couple of months on campus were nerve-wracking. Once I realized I wouldn’t run into him around every corner, I could relax and have fun. Since our families always celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas together, I was concerned we would finally come face-to-face, but he was conspicuously absent from the holiday parties. It’s been more than a year without contact.
Other than to serve as a warning not to mess with athletes, I like to pretend it never happened. It’s my dirty little secret to keep. I feel guilty about not telling Alyssa, but I don’t need her pushing me toward Beck. And that’s exactly what she would do. Especially now that she’s with Colton.