Page 44 of Breakaway

“Yeah,” he says, nodding. He’s handsome, with a sharp jawline and a medium-brown complexion, his dark hair twisted into braids. “I’m Evan.”

“Oh, right, Evan Bell.” I smile. The way Dad talks about him, he has a nice skill set and impressive speed on the ice. “Nice to meet you.”

“Don’t worry,” Cooper says in a loud whisper. “He knows I’m your sexperience tour guide. Your spice coach, if you will.”

Mia bursts into laughter. “No fucking way.”

I try to stomp on Cooper’s sneakers, but he steps out of the way in time. “I regret teaching you that phrase. Is he always this insufferable?”

“Yes,” Sebastian and Evan say at the same time.

“Game days are the worst,” Evan adds.

Cooper sulks, looking to me for backup, but I just grin, as unrepentant as he is when he drags a really good orgasm out of me. It’s been harder than I thought, not letting feelings get tangled up in any of this. I’m not falling for Cooper—that’s not what I want right now—but we’re friends, and that means I like him. He’s a better guy than I thought, unexpectedly sweet and genuinely funny, and I have to admit that since we began this whole thing, my life has improved for the better. It’s fun to tease him with his friends, because I know he’s going to find a way to get revenge when we’re in the dark of the theater.

We order popcorn and sodas, and Cooper pays for the whole thing, which should annoy me but doesn’t, really—at least, not as much as it should. When we walk into the theater, Cooper—and therefore Sebastian and Evan—follows us, and of course I end up sitting next to him. I just heave a sigh and open the packet of gummy bears I added in once I realized he was determined to treat us.

“Can I have some?” he asks.

I shake a couple into his palm. “They’re my favorite.”

“Noted.”

“Igor died.”

I’m not sure why I tell him, exactly. When he discovered Igor—after snooping around my room while I went to go pee, mind you—he thought it was hilarious that we gave him a gender and named him and everything. But then he watched me use him in what had to be the hottest mutual-masturbation session to ever take place in Lamott Hall, and he gained a new appreciation for him.

“What happened?” he asks. He waggles his eyebrows. “Did you ride him too hard?”

“Don’t make me regret telling you.”

His face softens. “I’m sorry. That sucks. Did you get to finish, at least?”

“No,” I admit.

“Ah, no wonder you’re so grumpy.”

“I’m only grumpy because you’re acting way too familiar in public. What if someone sees us?”

The lights dim at that exact moment, of course, so Cooper says, “I think we’re in the clear,” and then I feel his hand on my thigh, and my breath stutters in my throat.

“Come to the city with me tomorrow,” he says. “I’ll buy you new toys. As many as you want.”

“I have class.”

“So do I. Play hooky with me. I’m meeting my brother for lunch; you can meet him and then we can go to my favorite sex toy shop.”

I wish I could see his face better, because I can’t tell if he seriously has a favorite sex toy shop or if he’s teasing. His hand slides to my waistband, his fingertips stroking my bare belly. He traces my birthmark, a part of me that always seems to fascinate him. The first time he did it, I tensed, and he asked if I didn’t want him to touch me there—and of course the consideration made me want him to do it again.

“I don’t know.”

“It’ll be fun.” He shifts closer; I can feel his breath against my skin. The trailers have started, so it’s loud in the theater, but I can still hear him when he whispers, directly in my ear, “Whatever you want, Red. And then we’ll try them out.”

Chapter 24

Penny

The next morning, instead of hurrying to my microbiology lecture, I sip on a chai latte at the Moorbridge Metro-North station, scanning the parking lot for Cooper. I’ve been here for ten minutes, and the train comes in two. If he doesn’t hustle, he’s not going to make it on time, which would be a bummer because—putting aside the fact this is a bad idea—I’m excited to get away from campus for the day. I love McKee, but sometimes it’s easy to forget that there’s a world beyond the postcard-perfect campus and equally cute town. When Dad and I first moved, I couldn’t get over all the ivy-covered bricks, maples and evergreens, and tiny one- or two-lane roads. I’ve only been to New York City a couple of times, but I think the city environment will do me good, even if it’s way bigger than Phoenix.

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