Page 100 of Freckles

“All of it, considering it’s the middle of winter.” Her nose tilts adorably into the air. “Or do you want me to freeze? And you never said no panties, that’s just plain unhygienic.”

“Gaslight away. I only let you spout these lies because you’re beautiful. Now get your cute little butt into the stands to cheer us on.” When her face scrunches, I add, “Grab the rug from the car if you’re cold.”

She holds out her hands for the keys, and I give them to her, stealing another kiss before she leaves. I walk backwards for a few steps just to soak up the view, then enter the locker room to a chorus of cheers.

“Settle down. Save that energy for the opposition.”

Jared sniggers. “We’d say the same to you if we weren’t already too late. Hey, since you’re no longer taking offers from the lineup, you won’t mind the rest of us shooting our shot, would you?”

I guess Hailey dumped him for real then, not just the party. Smart girl.

“Now, why would you want to disappoint those lovely ladies like that?”

He shoves me while the rest of the team crack up, and I sit down, mentally preparing myself for the match while the room echoes with pre-game laughter.

CHAPTERTHIRTY-FIVE

FRANCESCA

I beepthe remote alarm for the car, then Aidan waves to me from a few vehicles down and I pause, waiting for him to join me. “Hey, stranger. Does this mean I’m not persona-non-grata anymore?”

He pulls a face. “Yeah… sorry about that. It wasn’t my choice.” He glances around with a shifty gesture I didn’t know was part of his repertoire. “Can we talk somewhere private?”

“Doesn’t this count as private?” I laugh. “There’s no one else here.”

“It’s…” He puffs out a breath. “Look, you’re with Kincaid and that’s your choice, obviously, but I just wanted you to know…” Aidan’s voice trails off like he’s struggling with his emotions, but if he is, there’s a disconnect with his expression.

He lookspissed, and it makes me uneasy. Just like with Lance on the weekend, it’s like he’s peeled away his outer disguise to reveal a different persona underneath.

I shiver, then pretend it’s from the cold, rubbing my arms and turning my back to the wind. “Could you just tell me? I mean, it’s obvious either Kincaid or Ezra warned you away from me and I know how much sway they have in the team. I don’t hold a grudge for putting rugby first, if that’s what’s worrying you.”

“Is that what he told you?” Aidan gives a hoarse, humourless laugh. “You think I’m that petty?”

“Kincaid didn’t tell me anything.” I wait a second but when he still doesn’t talk, I add, “And neither have you.”

“I couldn’t.” He blows out a breath, placing his hands on his hips. “He warned me if I got in contact with you, he’d cut you. Likeproperlycut you, so you’d wear the scars for life.” When I don’t react, his voice gets higher pitched. “He threatened to slice open your face.”

“When?”

Aidan looks astonished. “Does it matter? I just said your boyfriend threatened—”

“A while ago, then?” I’m not sure why I’m salty at his admission, but my temper is all the way fired. “But you waited till today to tell me?”

“I was scared before.” Outrage creeps into his voice. “Scared for you.” When I still show no signs of having the right reaction, his cheeks mottle with colour. “I don’t know why you’re upset with me. I’m the one trying to help.”

Trying to help.The idea is a drill bit in my brain.

“If you were scared before, what changed?” He doesn’t answer but his eyes narrow and I keep my gaze trained on his face, trying to catch every micro-expression. I vividly remember how much of a gut-punch it was when he ignored my greeting in the corridor.

The day I walked inside with Kincaid holding my hand.

“It was the Thursday I bunked off my afternoon classes, wasn’t it?”

His lips purse and I take it as a yes. The day I went to the clinic and the pawn shop. A day where I could have used a friend.

Later, Kincaid had showed his vulnerability while confiding how he got his scars, and everything between us started to change.

If Aidan had told me before that, would it have been any different?

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