Page 65 of Catch
Ethan: I like you and I don’t want to give you food poisoning lol?
Jett: I don’t know if it’s a good idea. The gym or dinner.
Ethan: We both need the workout, and we both need to eat. It’s hanging out, not a date.
I don’t know who I’m trying to convince, me or Jett.
Jett: Since you put it that way… maybe. But no complaints if you don’t like my food.
Ethan: I never complain if someone else cooks. So, are you nervous about tomorrow?
Jett: Yeah, the usual pre-race nerves. But I thrive on the pressure once I’m in it.
Ethan: Me too. It’s a high I love to chase.
Jett: I better go. I need calories and zzzs. C u tomorrow
Ethan: I’ll be the loud one
Jett: As long as you’re cheering for our side
I wish I’d called him instead. I want to see his face, hear his voice. Fuck, it’s only been a few hours, and I’m like a teenager with their first crush. Or an addict needing their next fix. I rub my chest but the tightness that’s settled in there won’t leave.
Suddenly, music blasts through the walls of my bedroom. I can hear voices too, as Gage and Marshall’s party gets underway. I should go down and join them. Relax, have fun, flirt, drink. I’m not the least bit tempted to join them.
Instead, I spend the rest of the night studying.
Jett, that is.
CHAPTER 16
JETT
THE NEXT MORNING
Race-day nerves mean I’m awake an hour before my alarm is set to go off. Okay, nerves aren’t the only factor at play. They’re hardly a factor at all. I had a hard time falling asleep last night and now I’m wide awake, lying in bed and staring at the sunrise. And all because of Ethan. One cocky, arrogant frat boy and one incredibly hot encounter, and look at me.
All I could do last night was replay our kiss. The mutual hand jobs were awesome too, but it was the kiss that totally wrecked me. I didn’t expect it to feel like that, to blow every other kiss I’ve had out of the water.
Looking back, Renner was more interested in his own pleasure than mine. I didn’t always enjoy having sex with him, and I couldn’t understand why. I told myself things would get better, but they didn’t, or that it was all my fault, but it wasn’t. The longer I was with my ex, the more uncomfortable I felt. Which is why I didn’t let him fuck me. Ethan’s right. My body told me something was up, but I refused to listen.
I’m sure as hell listening now.
Only, I can’t believe that my gut is steering me toward Ethan.
He’s persistent, and I’m hooked, giving in every damn time. I should call it off, cut him off, but I don’t. I want to see if what happened with him on that trail was a fluke or the real deal. And maybe I also want to see if Renner was right about me. Am I a lousy lay? Or maybe I was with a lousy person.
My phone pings with a reminder. It’s time to put my hormones on the back burner and get myself ready for the race.
I finally force my body to move and head for the bathroom. After taking care of business, I shower and shave. My stomach rumbles, so I down a protein shake and shove my headphones on. Music always gets me in the right mental head space for a competition.
Once I’m dressed, I head for the lake in hopes that I’ll get there before everyone else. The walk is quiet, with most students still in bed at this hour, which suits me fine. The air is surprisingly warm today too, like a second burst of summer, and there’s hardly a cloud in sight.
When I arrive at Lake Kinnear there’s a hazy magic to the stillness of the water. It centers me like nothing else. The only thing that comes close is being back home and riding my horse, Whiskey. Early-morning trail rides are therapeutic too.
Stepping out on the dock, I pull my headphones off and shove my sunglasses in my pocket. I soak in the silence, watching as the sky gets brighter and the birds louder as the minutes tick by.
“Hey, you.”
