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Chapter 42: Cassidy
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STay Chapter 43: Cassidy
##Chapter: 43Book One; Stay"All right, what do you want to talk about?" His attention falls to my mouth as his tongue darts out to lick at his bottom lip.I glance around the semi-crowded parking lot. "Is there somewhere more private we can go?"His gaze snaps to mine before he searches my eyes with more care as if only now realizing that what I need to tell him is important."Sure." He reaches over and slides the seatbelt across my chest. "This sounds kind of serious."I draw a deep breath as the familiar feelings of anxiety prickle along my skin, and a thick ball of tension settles in my belly. "I promised to tell you what happened last year and that's what I'm going to do."The heat filling his eyes moments ago dissipates as he pulls my hand onto his lap and holds it there. A heavy silence falls over us as we drive. By the time he pulls into a gravel parking lot that faces a small lake, I'm so tightly strung with nerves that my stomach is queasy. He cuts the engine before releasin
STay Chapter 44: Cassidy
##Chapter 44: CassidyBook One: Stay"Nate was my first." Unable to hold his stare, I drop my gaze to my hands. "Honestly, I don't remember much about the experience except that it was fast." I grimace at how awkward and painful it'd felt. "Big surprise, I never heard from him again. There were a few other guys after that. Just random hookups. None of them meant anything, but they dulled the pain and took my mind off everything else that was going on." Embarrassment heats my cheeks as I stare out the windshield. "I'd get so trashed that I usually couldn't remember what happened the next morning."His shuttered expression scares me more than anything, because I have absolutely no idea what he's thinking. Cole has such an expressive face and he's always so open with his feelings. That's no longer the case.Even though my throat feels as if it is closing up, I continue, needing to get it over with. "I was still going to classes because I thought by some miracle, I'd be able to pull off pa
STay Chapter 45: Cassidy
##Chapter 45: CassidyBook One: StayCole drops a kiss against the crown of my head. "You're going to be great out there."His arms band around me as people walk past on the way to the stands. Excitement charges the frigid air around us."I'll be in the bleachers the entire time," he murmurs when I remain silent.He's doing everything he can to help settle my nerves. I haven't played in a real game since high school. Last year, I rode the bench during the season. Even though this is just an intramural game, I'm choking on my nerves. Cole will be watching, and I don't want to embarrass myself or disappoint him. More than anything, I want to make him proud.He presses another kiss against the top of my head before whispering, "Just have fun out there. That's what it's all about. That's what it's always been about."I know he's giving me solid advice, but the nerves won't stop churning in my belly. They probably won't stop until I get out on the ice for warm-ups.No pep talk is going to c
STay Chapter 46: Cassidy
##Chapter 46: CassidyBook Two: Don't Leave"Wake up, babe." Cole kisses his way across my naked shoulder. "We've got class in an hour."Still sleepy, I stretch against the firm length of his body. "Not yet," I mumble, "we don't have to get up just yet."Twenty-five minutes. That's all we need to roll out of bed and still have roughly thirty seconds to slide into our seats for Psych 201. Unable to pry my eyelids open, I turn in his arms as my palms find the solid planes of his chest before stroking over them. It isn't long before my wandering fingers descend down his body.Have I mentioned just how amazingly hard and cut he is?Hours spent on the ice and lifting in the gym have made him into the chiseled god that he is. A few heartbeats later and my hand is delving into his boxer briefs before gliding over the rigid length of his morning wood.Well, hello there."Looks like we won't be making it out of bed on time after all," he growls, warm breath feathering across the outer sh
STay Chapter 47: Cassidy
##Chapter 47: CassidyBook Two: Don't LeaveAs I leave Mackenzie Hall, where my Economics class is held every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon, my feet grind to a halt and a shiver of dread slithers down my spine. Luke Wellington is sprawled out on one of the stone benches along the walking path.His gaze sweeps over the exiting crowd. A pit the size of Texas grows in my belly as he studies the mass of students leaving the building. Unsure of who he's searching for, I duck my head and hope that my long curtain of black hair will shield me from his view so I can escape.Most of the girls on campus would be ecstatic to catch Luke's eye. He's tall, probably around six feet or so, with broad shoulders. He's muscular from skating hard at practice and lifting weights in the gym several times a week. He's handsome with blond hair and blue-gray hazel eyes.But that's not what I see when I look at him.I see someone who has the power to resurrect my past and bring the fledgling success I've
STay Chapter 48: Cassidy
##Chapter 48: CassidyBook Two: Don't LeaveIt's a relief when his gaze drops to the steaming cup of coffee before flicking back up again. "When we were dancing at that party, I didn't realize it was you." He corrects himself. "Not right away."I hadn't recognized him, either.We were just dancing, having fun at some off campus fraternity party. A few days after that, Cole and I ran into him at a restaurant, and he told my boyfriend that he knew me from a different school. When he'd mentioned Dartmouth, everything had clicked into place.The realization had rocked me to the core. Ever since that happened, I've been terrified he would spill all my secrets.I'm knocked from those thoughts when he says, "At first, I thought I was imagining the likeness." He lifts his eyes to mine before sifting carefully through my shuttered expression. "I tried to find you after that night. I wanted to make sure you were okay, but you disappeared from campus. Not knowing what happened to you on
STay Chapter 49: Cassidy
##Chapter 49: CassidyBook Two: Don't LeaveThe way he searches my eyes for answers to questions he has yet to ask scares me, because I can't give him anything more than friendship."I'm glad you're doing so well."I lift my lips into a smile, hoping to reassure him. "I am."Is it possible I've overreacted to the situation and the peculiar feelings that have sprung up between us?After today, Luke will go his way and I'll go mine. Maybe, at some point, we'll run into each other on campus or at a party. When we do, I won't feel the need to avoid him. We can be friendly.Or maybe we can be friends.Who knows?That's when I realize I'd actually like to be friends.How ironic is that?I've tried so hard to run from him these past couple of days, and now that we've sat down and cleared the air, I realize our shared history has unexpectedly bonded us together."Does Cole know what happened to you?"Breaking eye contact, I jerk my head into a tight nod. "I didn't tell him right away."It
STay Chapter 50: Cassidy
##Chapter 50: CassidyBook Two: Don't LeaveWith my heart lodged somewhere in my throat, I finally catch up with Cole outside the building. He's already made it down the cement stairs to the pathway that snakes through campus. Even though I yell his name, begging him to stop, he ignores me. It's like I'm not even there. When I'm close enough, my fingers wrap around his arm, biting into his flesh.I've never seen him this angry. The Cole I know is always calm and in control of his feelings. But that's not the case right now.What I hate most is the hurt that flashed in his whiskey-colored eyes. I don't want to lose him over a fledgling friendship with Luke."Cole," I plead, "please stop and talk to me."In that moment, it feels like he's slipping through my fingers like sand. Allowing Luke to touch me was wrong."It's not what it looked like."Those six words have him grinding to a halt before wheeling around to face me. The movement happens so quickly that I slam into his ches
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