“Wow,” I spat, clambering to my feet. “You know I’m a firm believer in not believing everything you read about somebody in the press. About giving someone the benefit of the doubt. But I guess this time, they were pretty damn accurate.”
He pulled his arm away and glared up at me. “You don’t know the first fucking thing about me.”
“Good, something tells me I don’t want to.” I spun on my heel and stormed off up the beach.
How dare he.
How dare he come down here and insert himself into my sanctuary and then kiss me and act like it was nothing.
Before I could stop myself, I glanced back only to find he hadn’t moved. He was still lying there, staring up at the sky. I needed to tell Josh and Carson. It wasn’t right. He couldn’t just go around kissing people like that.
A shiver ran through me. I wanted to believe it was disgust that I was so outraged by what had happened that my body was having a physical reaction.
But that was a lie.
Because it wasn’t only outrage. It was something else.
Ugh.
As I headed back toward the house, I played over in my head how I would tell Josh. I’d done nothing wrong; I’d pushed Aiden away. I would just come clean and tell him.
But as the house appeared up ahead, my cell phone vibrated. I pulled it out.
Josh.
Dread snaked through me.
But it quickly turned to something pricklier when I opened the message.
Josh: Sorry I missed your call. Going out with my roommate so I’ll call you tomorrow. Love you. xo
Tomorrow?
As I clutched my phone, I tried to tell myself it didn’t mean anything, that he was just busy getting settled and finding his feet.
But as I let myself into the house, unshed tears burned my eyes.
He wanted space.
And he seemed determined to get it.
CHAPTER5
AIDEN
“Where have you been?”Carson asked the second I stepped into his kitchen.
His house was a big, sprawling place overlooking Lake Erie. No wonder Coach Tucker had sent me out here. It was the perfect place to exile me.
“For a walk.” His brow lifted at that, and I added, “Don’t worry, I didn’t get into any trouble.”
Much anyway.
My mind instantly went to his friend, Dayna Benson.
Shit, I shouldn’t have kissed her, but she was looking at me all doe-eyed and cute, and before I knew it, I’d pressed my mouth to hers.
Girls at Lakeshore U didn’t usually care. I was Aiden fucking Dumfries. The guy everyone wanted to know. The guy that girls tripped over themselves to get a piece of.