End Game (Bellevue Bullies 4)

Chapter Ten

Sofia

It has beentwenty-one hours since I tried not to watch Ryan leave the gym.

Twenty-one hours of trying my hardest not to think of everything about him.

His amazing shoulders.

His lean waist.

His long legs.

Those lips…

And those eyes… Crap.

Even those damn glasses that make me want to knock them off his face in the middle of rough kisses.

Also, twenty-one hours of ignoring the fact that I want to hug him, nuzzle my nose in the middle of that thick chest of his, and feel his hands on me.

Basically, I’ve spent the last twenty-one hours torturing myself with my feelings, and now I’m running. Running out my frustration for wanting some guy who would probably ruin everything for me, and running to kill off the nerves about my mom. One would say I’m a hot mess, and I wouldn’t disagree with them. I feel a mess.

The only good thing from yesterday was that Amelia got us the job. Her mom was more than happy to help me out and insisted, like Amelia said she would, my mom stay with her. She even offered to buy the plane ticket for me in advance, but I refused very quickly. I don’t want to owe anyone anything. It’s killing me knowing someone is basically paying my way and giving me everything I need because I’m good at gymnastics.

But then, isn’t that what I worked for?

No. Actually, it’s not. I worked for the Olympics, but that dream went up in smoke very quickly.

But now is not the time to dwell on that.

Wiping the sweat from my forehead, I continue my run around campus. The Bellevue campus is amazing. The design of it was one of the many things that appealed to me. It’s like a compound with everything you need: housing, food, a store, and then, the halls of education. But around the perimeter, through some woods, is an awesome running track. Usually, it’s meant for the track team, but I was told four a.m. was a good time to run since no one was out here.

And I love it.

I don’t love running, and I don’t trust people who do like running. Sadistic people, in my opinion. But since I have to run, I love this track. It’s way better than the one in Nevada for sure, very flat and good for my knee. In Nevada, I stayed on the treadmill for the simple fact that everything was bumpy and dusty. My knee couldn’t handle the terrain, but here, I’m doing well. Been running this track for three months now, and I enjoy it.

As much as someone who hates running can enjoy it.

I wish I could get Amelia out of bed to run with me, but I’m pretty sure that girl does two things—no, wait, three things. Sleep, obsess over boys, and gymnastics. How she is carrying a 4.0 is beyond me. She doesn’t study or even stress about papers or anything. She is just insanely smart, and it frustrates me. I have to work for my grades, unlike gymnastics. In a way, we’re like yin and yang, which is funny I guess, since we are so different but the same. Man, do I love her dearly.

And then there is her undeniably hot brother, whom I blew off.

I should be proud of that, apparently. From what Amelia says, no one turns down her brother, and I can see why. He is stunning and charismatic. That quick grin, those eyes, and then his big ol’ hands… Yeah, I need to stay very clear of Ryan Justice. Very, very clear. But I’m unsure how to do that. He and Amelia seem very close, even though yesterday I thought they were two seconds away from tearing each other apart. He did not want to accept that I didn’t want anything to do with him. It was kind of hot how resistant he was to Amelia’s words. He didn’t believe them, which made me nervous. If he asked me, I don’t know if I could lie. Especially under that blue gaze of his, his thick body towering over me. I have a feeling my body would betray me.

Stupid body.

It lets me down a lot.

Shaking my head, I run a little faster, trying to burn off these crazy, lusty feelings. I’ve been trying that for the last hour, and I don’t think it’s working. It’s completely unfair. Problem is, I want to know more about him. I know if I ask Amelia though, she’ll know he does actually intrigue me, and she’ll push for me to get to know him.

So she can get to know Moon.

I laugh to myself. She’s so funny. She follows Moon on all the social media, and she told me she’s going to talk to him the next chance she gets, but I don’t think I believe her. Her ex-boyfriend, Drew, has been calling a lot, and I don’t think she’s over him, as much as she desperately wants to be. Not that I would ever say that. Isn’t my business, but in my opinion, she is still very much in love with him, which could pose a problem with Mr. Moon. I don’t think Moon is even thinking of her, but then, he is following her back. I wonder what Ryan would think of that. He seems very protective.

Which is oh so hot.

I’m burning all over, which I blame on my run, not the fact that I can picture Ryan physically taking out Moon at the mere thought of him touching his sister.

He’s just so burly.

And sexy.

Rawr.

I don’t even know who I am right now. I don’t lust over guys. I don’t. I don’t have time. But it took only one glance at Ryan to know I could lust over him for months. Which, I’ve already acknowledged, is very, very bad. So bad. Yet, here I am, running and lusting.

Not the best combination.

I’m not gonna make it. I’ve gotta get him out of my head before I hurt myself.