Page 28 of Puck Me Secretly

I continued to flail in this one-way conversation. “I owe you so much.”

“You owe me nothing.”

“My dad scripted that entire meeting.”

“I know.”

“You knew?”

“I’m not pissed about that meeting.”

“Why not?”

“I’m aware of the circumstances in which I’m coming to this team. I expected some version of that conversation.”

Now I didn’t know what to say. “What are you pissed about?”

“Doesn’t matter.”

“But you admit you’re pissed.”

“Are we done here?”

His coldness cut me to the bone. I forged on. “I also wanted to mention one more thing. In private. Which is why I showed up here.”

He answered by crossing his arms across his broad chest.

“I think it’d be best if we told no one what happened between us.”

“No shit.”

I dropped my eyes down to mom’s pumps. Shoes that werepinching my toes to the point of pain. “My dad wouldn’t be too happy if he heard what happened.”

“I figured.”

Without speaking, I turned on my heels and started towards the door. It was stupid that I had shown up here. Stupid and reckless. I don’t know what I had been expecting, but it wasn’t this. I worked to keep my emotions under control.

I squeaked when a big hand grabbed my wrist and spun me around.

“Rory.”

“What?”

He ran a hand through his hair. “My career is hanging by a thread.”

“I know.”

“I shouldn’t have touched you that night.”

“I asked you to.”

“It wasn’t right.”

“Don’t tell me it was wrong.”

“It was a mistake.”

I worked to keep my bottom lip from trembling. “What are you saying?”