“Push him? How could I possibly be pushing him when he chewed her up and spit her out like she’s nothing?” His smile was easy, but his tone was cool.
Yeah, Asher was pissed and I couldn’t blame him.
“You want my sloppy seconds, Bennet?” I swallowed the guilt crawling up my throat, and doing what I did best, I dialed up my asshole meter. “She’s all yours.”
“You’re a heartless fucker, you know that, Ford?” he said before storming off.
Cam shook his head, rubbing the back of his neck. “Was that really necessary?”
“He’s wanted her since day one.”
“And you’d be okay with him being with her? Because you know he’ll probably go after her just to prove a point.”
Shrugging, I pushed the press harder, grunting with exertion. “Like he said, she’s fair game.” The words snaked around my heart.
“I don’t believe you,” Cam said. “You’re a cruel motherfucker but you care about her.”
“Yeah, well I don’t care enough.”
I half-expected Cam to take a page out of Asher’s book and storm off, but he didn’t. Cameron was loyal to the bone. It’s why it had taken him so long to go after what he really wanted: Hailee. Still, he wasn’t impressed with my attitude and for the next ten minutes, we worked in painful silence. All while he studied me, trying to see past my icy exterior. But if anyone was an expert on keeping their emotions locked down, it was me. I’d had years of practice and I wasn’t about to open up now.
I had more important things to think about.
By the time lunch rolled around, all I wanted was to eat my turkey sub in peace. But even that was too fucking much to ask.
“You know, if you want to go over there, I’m sure they wouldn’t—”
My head snapped up to Grady and I levelled with him a hard look. “Jeez,” he breathed out. “Someone has a giant stick up their ass. I’m just saying—”
“Well, don’t.”
As if they heard our argument, Asher and Felicity both looked over at us. Ash held my stare, a silent ‘fuck you’ glittering in his eyes. I let my eyes run right over him to her. The blood drained from Felicity’s face as she tried to remain unaffected, but I saw the tell-tale signs. Wide eyes, the way her breath hitched, and I knew if I was close enough, if I ran my fingers up her neck, her skin would be warm.
Felicity wasn’t the only one affected though. My heart was racing like I’d just done an hour of cardio. It beat so hard I felt it in my skull. Curling my hands into fists, I pressed them into my jeans, urging myself to calm the fuck down. She saw it though. She saw it and instead of letting it go, she decided to bait me. Sliding closer to Asher, Felicity leaned into him, laughing at something he said.
“Easy, bro,” Grady said under his breath. “Before you break something.” He got all up in my face, blocking my view of Asher and Felicity. “It’s not worth it,” his voice was low.
“Yeah, I’m cool.” I sat back, forcing my hands to uncurl.
“Eyes on the prize, remember?” Grady moved back, squeezing my shoulder. “You need to get laid, work off some of that tension, Cap.”
“Did someone say my name?” Jenna appeared, a seductive smile on her face. “Hey, baby.” She made a show of wiggling onto my lap, draping her arm around my neck like she belonged there.
Like I belonged to her.
“S’up?”
“You, if I have anything to say about it.” Dipping her hand between us, she grasped my junk.
Grady bellowed with laughter, high-fiving a couple of the players. “Yo, Jenna, where’s the rest of you?”
“The girls will be here soon enough.” She shot him a suggestive wink.
“Mr. Ford, Miss Jarvis,” Principal Finnigan appeared out of nowhere, clearing his throat. “Please keep it clean. This a school cafeteria, not a strip club.” His narrowed gaze fixed right on me, his disdain for everything I represented etched into every line of his face, and there were plenty. “All set for Friday?”
I gave him an imperceptible nod.
“Well, I look forward to it.” He stalked off to his next unsuspecting victim.