Page 89 of Ruled Out

Tara leans back in her seat. “Ugh. Do we have to?”

This time, I take her hand in mine and lead her down the hallway. “Come on. I’ll buy you a coffee. Caffeine can get us through.”

It’spast eight p.m. when we finally emerge from the library.

“I’ve never studied so much in my life.” Tara giggles, holding the door open for me. “Neither have I ever left the library in the dark.”

“Feels kind of good though, right?”

She quirks a brow. “I guess, but best believe I’m watching trash TV to cleanse my brain when I get back.”

I smile, continuing to wear a brave face. Today has been a total write-off. Approximately zero of the notes we downloaded have sunk in, as my mind is still whirling over Jessie.

We walk for another five minutes until we reach the place Tara works at, and she stops next to me. “I need to check my shifts. Meet you back on the couch?”

“Yeah, sure,” I say when my phone rings in my bag, and I fetch it out, showing herJwritten on the screen.

“Now I know what theJstands for.” She smiles before turning and waving over her shoulder. “Trash TV for one then. Have fun.”

“Hey,” I say after hitting Answer before voice mail can pick up.

“Hey, Sweetheart,” he replies, sending tingles to my toes.

“Where are you?” I ask, continuing to make my way home.

“About twenty yards away.”

Standing under the same streetlight he was that night he stayed at my dorm and slept on my floor, Jessie watches me approach. A smile growing on his lips, the closer I get.

When I’m within a couple of feet, he pulls me into him, wrapping his arms around my waist.

“You still haven’t cut your hair,” I say, reaching up and pushing his floppy hair out of his eyes as it peeks out beneath his black beanie. “But at least you’re wearing a jacket tonight.”

He looks tired but in control, and I push out a relieved breath into the space between us when I realize he hasn’t been drinking either.

Releasing me for a second, he drags the zip down on his dark gray winter jacket and steps back, holding it open. “I’m heading to Dallas tomorrow for an away series.”

“I know,” I say, bringing my arms around his warm body, and he wraps his jacket around us.

He blows out a long breath. “I needed to see you before I left.”

I look up at him. “Did you pay your dad?”

When his warm lips meet my forehead, my eyes flutter shut.

“Yeah.”

“Jessie, you can’t keep?—”

He cuts me off when his mouth presses against mine. “I know, Mia. I know I can’t. But I’m here tonight to say I’m sorry about what happened on Saturday.”

I shake my head. “You didn’t do anything wrong. I get it. Everything.”

He nods in response. “Try telling that to Kate Jones. She said you looked upset before we left yesterday, and she was convinced it had to do with me.”

With another kiss to my lips, he lightly sweeps his tongue inside, massaging against mine. There’s no one around uswhen I bring my hand to the back of his neck, deepening our connection and drawing a whimper from his chest.

Jessie pulls back, his blue eyes sparkling beneath the streetlight. “No more secrets. I’m here to tell you everything I should’ve said on Saturday.”

---