Page 49 of The Pass Protection
Me: Don’t lie, Rebel. I saw you clenching your thighs together.
Rebel: Maybe I was just thinking aboutlast night.
Me: Repeat tonight?
Rebel: If you’re lucky *wink emoji*
Bret rolls over until she’s on her back facing me. Her toes nudge my leg as my attention turns to her. “Hey, I have to create an educational campaign for one of my classes. I have an idea in my head, and I was wondering if you could help sketch it out?”
“I’m not the best at sketching anything other than animals, but I can try it.”
“Thanks.” Her lips tip up in a smile and flutters erupt in my chest. It’s the same smile she flashes me when we are alone.
Late last night, after Bret arrived home from dinner with her dad and brother, she snuck in my room after our roommates had gone to bed. The two of us fooled around before she fell asleep in my arms. I had to wake her early this morning before the guys woke up so she could sneak back into her room.
I can’t wait until we don’t have to hide our relationship anymore. There isn’t a better way to start my day than by waking up with her in my arms. But if keeping our relationship a secret is the only way I can have her, then I’ll take that secret to my grave.
Me: Good luck! I’ll be cheering you on from home.
Crew: Don’t get too crazy with the girls.
Crew: Or if you do, send pics ??
Me: ??
Me: I think I’m going to take a nap before they come.
Crew: Sleep in my bed so my sheets smell like you when I get home.
Me: And what do I smell like?
Crew: Sweet, seductive, warm, and, best of all, like mine.
Me: *image of me lying in Crew’s bed. His navy sheets draped over my bare chest, showcasing the swellsof my breasts.*
Crew: For fuck’s sake. Now I have to adjust my dick in the dining room.
Crew: But you look good in my sheets, Rebel.
Me: ??
An hour later, I’m woken by the sound of my phone’s alarm going off. Tonight the guys have an away game, so instead of being home alone with the shadows and insecurities, I decided to text the girls for an impromptu girls’ night in. I’m proud of myself for going outside of my shell and initiating a night in with girlfriends. When I asked if they’d be interested, the girls were enthusiastic about the idea.
Tonight, the group chat is leaving the chat.
The girls are coming over around five for dinner before kickoff at seven-thirty. Glancing at my phone, I resist the urge to text Crew. After our flirty conversation this afternoon, he’s all I can think about. Not only am I the girl who doesn’t want to be a distraction before a game, but I don’t want to risk getting caught since he’s around the team. Earlier, when I sent him another photo, I made sure my face wasn’t visible. I’ve never been one to send nudes or sexy pictures to a guy, but there’s something about Crew Riggsby that makes me want to live life on the edge.
Maybe it’s the thrill of getting caught? Whatever it is, I’m here for this new, bolder Bret.
Tossing my hair into a claw clip, I flip on the handle to start the shower. I then press play on a playlist on my phone, which connects to the tiny Bluetooth speaker sitting on a shelf in the bathroom I share with Crew.
I try to keep the bathroom as clean as possible, even though I’m a total hot mess. I’m the type of girl who keeps her makeup in her bag, but the bag hangs out on the sink, and my skincare products sit next to the sink because what’s the point of always putting everything away when I use it every day? Crew, on the other hand, is the organized to my chaotic life. Every one of his products has a place in the bathroom, and if I didn’t see him come in and out of this room, I’d think he’d never used it. But I’m trying to be better.
While I wait for the water to warm, I stare at my reflection in the mirror. There’s a glow around my face that wasn’t there before. Slowly, my light is starting to come back into my eyes. Is this what happiness feels like? It’s been so long since I was actually happy, not the fake kind, but the real kind. The kind that makes food taste better and colors shine brighter.
My phone has been radio silence from he-who-shall-not-be-named for weeks. A part of me is waiting for the other shoe to drop while the other part of me is hoping that this is what life is going to be like from now on. Maybe he finally got bored with the chase and the threats now that I’m states away. And he has no idea where I am.
Steam fogs the window, and I take that as my cue to get in the shower. Stepping inside, I let the hot water melt my skin away as I pour body wash onto my loofa and lather the sudsy liquid. Scrubbing my skin, I let my mind drift back to sitting on the dock in Silo Bay. Something about that place called to my soul. There was such a sense of community between the volunteers who welcomed us to Sunset Shores and the people who created signs along the road for Crew’s homecoming. It’s the type of place you read about or watch in movies. Small towns in the Midwest have magic to them, and this place has sucked me into its orbit.
