Page 51 of Text Me Baby One More Time

“Don’t play games, Bucky. It doesn’t suit you. You can ask what Braxton meant.”

“What did Braxton mean?” The words tumble from my lips even though I’m scared of the answer.

“You remember Jacob Gerard from college? Played on the team with me?”

“I can’t picture his face but the name sounds familiar.”

I watch the muscles in Shep’s jaw jump. “He remembers you, Den—quite well, actually.”

“Okay,” I say, stretching the word out, confused. “What about him?”

“Last month I was up north, hanging with some guys from the team and some from college after one of the games. Gerard was there. We were sitting around…” He pauses, trying to choose his next words carefully. “Let’s just say we were talking about our college experiences.”

The way he says it gives it away.

“You mean your college conquests.”

He shuffles around uncomfortably, and I can’t help but laugh.

“Trust me, Shep, I know you’re not a virgin. The whole fucking college knew you weren’t a virgin. No need to act shy about it now.”

“You weren’t exactly an angel yourself.”

“You’d be real damn surprised,” I mutter.

He’s right, I wasn’t an angel in college. I had my fair share of flings and fun, but I didn’t sleep around as much as people tended to say I did. In fact, most of the guys I brought home with me just ended up getting to second base and that was as far as things went.

I knew they were running back and telling their friends they were scoring homeruns, but I didn’t care, because I knew it was pissing Shep off.

Hence why I “dated” half the baseball team.

He’d get so mad every time he’d see one of his teammates with me. I loved to see the way his teeth clenched together, the naggingthat could have been minefeeling that shone through his eyes.

Was it petty of me to flaunt that in front of Shep? Sure, but it was wrong of him to break my fucking heart too.

Fair is fair.

“What does that mean?”

“Nothing,” I tell him. “Tell me what I have to do with what happened last month.”

His knuckles turn white as he clenches the edge of the tailgate, staring out into the parking lot with rage and annoyance on his face.

“You might not remember Gerard, but he definitely remembers you. I had to sit through a rather detailed description of your…time together before he told us your name.”

He’s upset—fuming almost.

“And your asinine conversation earned him a good beating because…”

“Because it’s you, Den!” he explodes, leaping off the truck. “Because I had to hear in excruciating detail about all the things that should have been mine!”

His? HIS?!

“You have got to be kidding me, Shepard.Youruined us!”

I take a few deep breaths, trying to calm myself, not wanting to let him get the best of me yet again.

“It was you,” I repeat, quieter. “Not me. You don’t get to be mad at me for moving on with my life, especially not when youmore thanmoved on. If you think I haven’t had to hear all about your escapades, you’re dead wrong, buddy.”

---