End Game_Bellevue Bullies Series Read online

  And just like that, the spell is broken. I pull my face out of his hand, even though I’d rather die right there. I can’t give in to him. No matter how much I want to, I have to resist until I know I’m ready. Because I’m pretty sure he wants one thing and one thing only. “I can’t make it easy for you.”

  He widens his eyes as he looks away, chuckling. “No, you can’t.” He tucks his hand into his pocket as he sways back on his heels. “So, I’ll see you tonight?”

  I want to say no. I should say no, yet I murmur, “Maybe.”

  He’s surprised by that. “Maybe?”

  I shrug. “Maybe.”

  His grin takes up his whole face as he nods. “Well, if you maybe show up, find me.”

  “I might do that.”

  I don’t see him move until his fingers thread through mine. “I’ll make it worth your while.”

  “Oh?”

  He brings my hand up, kissing my wrist ever so gently, his blue gaze never leaving mine. “Yeah.”

  I shrug before pulling my hand from his. My wrist is burning as hot as my insides are. “We’ll have to see.”

  I start to move, stepping backward, and I’m surprised when he doesn’t follow. Instead, he just grins. “I can’t wait.”

  I turn without answering him as a stupid, foolish grin spreads over my lips because I can’t wait either.

  And I have no idea what that means.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Sofia

  Shutting the door behind me, I lean into it, a goofy grin on my face as my heart flips in my chest. Amelia is snuggled deep in her bed, her ass is in the air, and pillows are covering her head. She sleeps in the most awkward ways, and while I know she loves her sleep, I need to talk to her. Going over to her bed, I poke her in a patch of skin that is showing. I think it’s her shoulder, but she doesn’t move.

  “Amelia.”

  She groans before snuggling deeper in the bed, the skin disappearing under the blankets.

  “Hey, Amelia.”

  “Ugh,” she moans, though it’s muffled. “Go away.”

  “I need to talk to you.”

  “Later.”

  “Please, now.”

  When her foot comes out, smacking me in the back of the calf, I grimace before laughing loudly. “Amelia!”

  “Go away.”

  “No, be my best friend.”

  When she sits up, pillows go flying, and her hair is sticking straight up in a pseudo-mohawk that has me holding back my laughter. “That’s a rude request at—” she pauses to look at the clock “—almost six a.m.! Are you crazy? I need my beauty sleep!”

  “You’re already too beautiful as it is.”

  “Because I sleep!”

  I chuckle as I sit on her bed, wringing my fingers. “So Ryan showed up at yoga.”

  She blinks, her eyes dark and tired. “Yeah? He’s a weirdo who does yoga. That’s nothing new.”

  “Yeah, but he flirted with me the whole time and bought me coffee.”

  She nods. “Yeah, seems about right. I told you, he’s persistent.”

  “And I may have agreed to go to the Bullies’ party tonight.”

  Her mouth parts as she blinks at me. “No way.”

  “Yeah.” When she jumps out of the bed, landing on her feet with ease, my eyes widen in confusion. “Amelia?”

  “Oh my God, what are we gonna wear? Moon will be there. I gotta look extra hot, and so do you since we all know why you’re going. Let’s skip our afternoon classes and go shopping!”

  “Whoa, calm down, crazypants.”

  But she’s moving. “No, wait, I have this black dress that puts my ass on display like an English ham on Christmas.” I want to laugh, but she taps her jaw. “So you can wear that one since your ass is ten times better than mine. Ryan won’t know what hit him.”

  “See, that’s the thing—” I call out, though I feel she isn’t listening to me.

  “Can I straighten your hair? Have you ever done that? I bet it would look so amazing. J.Lo, for sure.”

  “Amelia.”

  “And you can wear heels, right? I have some Louboutins I stole from my aunt that will make your calves look like complete magic. Everyone will be drooling over you, for real.”

  While I don’t know how a pair of shoes will make anyone drool, I’m annoyed that Amelia isn’t noticing how nervous I am. “I don’t know if I want to go.”

  She whips her head to me, and her eyes widen. Turning from her closet, she’s holding two dresses as her eyes plead with mine. “No, we’re going.”

  “But—”

  “No, you need this. It will be fun, and we have nothing this weekend. I mean, there is a hockey game Saturday night, but we don’t have to be on our game for that.”

  “Amelia.”

  “Sofia, for real. You got this.”

  Frustrated, I yell, “I think he thinks I agreed to sex.”

  Her face twists in confusion. “Huh?”

  “Ryan. I think he thinks I’m coming to have sex with him.”

  She blinks and then shakes her head. “What in the hell did you say? What happened?”

  So I tell her about the whole morning. His quick little one-liners that had me in knots. His eyes that knocked me on my ass. How he flirted endlessly with me, and how I may have flirted back in my weird way. I tell her about the almost-kiss, or at least, I think he almost kissed me, and then how I told him I couldn’t make it that easy for him. It all sounds just so silly when I repeat it. Biting my lip, I chance a look at her as she stands, still with the dresses in her hands.

  Looking back to me, she sets me with a look. “Did he ask you to come to the party for sex?”

  I hold up my index finger. “No, but he said he’ll make it worth my while.”

  “You so need to get laid,” she groans, sitting down beside me before laying the dresses beside her. “I know this is hard to believe, but not everything is about sex. I mean, he may be all about it, with every intention of taking you into a room and screwing your brains out. But I know my brother, and as smooth as he thinks he is, he’s actually a big dork. I don’t know. I mean, I’m his sister, but if I were in your shoes and he was Moon, I wouldn’t think he was trying to get sex out of me. I’d just think he wanted to be with me.”

  Incredulous, I ask, “So if the roles were reversed, you don’t think Moon would want you?”

  “Well, duh, he wants me. Look at me. Plus, he is always liking my photos. He wants it, but I mean, I’m not holding back.” She throws her hands up. “These situations are different, and I honestly don’t think Ryan wants to bang you right from the jump. I think he wants to get to know you. You intrigue him.”

  I look down at my legs. My wounds are still covered with the bandages he put on me. He was basically naked that morning, and he never made a move on me. He just continued to ask me out. Even this morning, he had every chance to kiss me, but he didn’t.

  Why is this so scary?

  Licking my lips, I shrug. “I don’t know. It scares me. Putting myself out there and stuff, I don’t know. What if I do something wrong? What if I say the wrong thing, and he thinks I’m down but I’m not?”

  Wrapping her arms around my neck, she leans her head on them. “Sofia, that’s the great thing about being a woman. We run this. We make the decisions, and while some dickheads don’t respect that, I know for a fact that Ryan would. But, really, I don’t think he’s thinking you’re coming to hook up. I mean, you’ve been blowing him off for weeks, and then all of a sudden, you’re ready to get down? I don’t think so.”

  I nod slowly. I think she’s right. “I don’t know. God, this is stupid! I should be working out. Instead, I’m sitting here talking about this because it’s a distraction. I told you!” I say, setting her with a look, and she grins.

  “But isn’t it fun?”

  Well, maybe I think you’re the perfect distraction.

  His words shake my core and have my thighs trembling. No, I’m not a nun, and he’s hot a