Page 32 of Blocked Score

She’s right. Nothing about me or Scarlett having sex with other people strikes me asfunright now.

I don’t know where this stupid caveman reaction is coming from. I’ve never had any hang-ups about a girl’s previous partners before. And I know that Scarlett’s lived a full life.

Hell, I know she’s going to keep living it. I’ll probably have to get used to not just hearing about her with other guys, but seeing her with them while she’s living here.

The thought has my stomach twisting into a tight ball that radiates a very unpleasant feeling through my body.

This is something I’m going to have to get over. But I’m not getting over it within the next couple of minutes.

“What about you, Jamie?” Scarlett asks, turning to the rookie who’s been silent ever since we got on this topic.

Although, I guess he’s not a rookie anymore. He’s halfway through his sophomore year, and he’s turned himself into an incredibly valuable member of the team. Filled in for me on the first line while I was injured. But I guess in my mind, he’s still the quiet and reserved freshman I knew him as last year.

He shrugs, blush crawling up his neck. “I don’t really have any stories, either.”

Sebastian props his elbows on his knees and leans forward. An interested look fills his eyes as he regards Jamie. “Yeah, you don’t. You never do. I never hear you talking about girls. Or see you with any.”

The blush crawls faster up Jamie’s neck and fills his cheeks with a splotchy redness.

“Maybe he doesn’t kiss and tell,” Scarlett says. “Someguys are still gentlemen, believe it or not.”

“Yeah,” Rhys echoes, “there’s nothing wrong with?—”

“Are you a virgin?” Sebastian’s cuts off Rhys’s words.

The effect of Sebastian’s question to Jamie is like a tray full of dishes clattering to the ground and smashing over the quiet murmur of a restaurant.

Rhys’s brow quirks. So does Scarlett’s. And so does mine. Jamie’s only getting redder as the four other pairs of eyes in the room are trained on him.

He opens his mouth to answer. But then it flaps closed. He’s still for a beat. Then he shrugs.

“Duuuude,” Sebastian’s exclamation breaks the silence, “you haven’t got laid yet?”

Rhys lifts his brow in surprise. “Wow,” is his more subdued response.

Now poor Jamie’s face looks like a ripe cherry.

Sebastian hoots a laugh, slapping his knee. “Damn, dude. I knew you sucked at talking to girls, but …”

“Oh, fuck you,” Jamie answers, rolling his eyes and holding up his middle finger at Sebastian.

Jamie starts to push up from his chair, but Sebastian throws up his hands in amea culpareaction. “Sorry, didn’t mean to be a dick. Don’t go. We have questions.”

Scarlett flattens her lips at Sebastian. She angles herself toward him and crosses her arms. “What questions? If Jamie doesn’t want to have sex yet, what business is it of anyone else’s?”

My chest warms at seeing her immediately jump to the defense of someone she just met.

My mind is pulled back to that day when she stood up to the guy in the airport ranting about a crying baby. Or the day she fell into my arms, when she told me she’d been kicked out in the first place for coming to the defense of a girl inside who was being harassed.

“It’s just …” Jamie begins, pausing to find his words. “I don’t want to do it with someone I don’t feel an emotional connection with. Don’t get me wrong, if people want to have sex just for fun, I don’t judge. That’s fine. But I … I don’t know, I don’t. Iwant it to be something more than that, for me.” His eyes dart diffidently side to side. “Is that weird?”

“Of course it’s not weird!” Scarlett says supportively.

Sebastian shrugs. “It’s a little weird.”

I snort. “No, it’s not, asshole.”

“Whatever you wanna do with your dick, Jamie, I support it.” Rhys’s announcement is solemn and dignified.

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