Page 4 of Cougar

Fuck this.

My mind switches to autopilot, and the next thing I know I’m walking down the sidewalk toward my house with my arms protectively crossed over my midsection.What just happened?I should’ve pushed her to listen to me. To tell her the truth. But I’m beyond pissed.How could she think I would do something like that? Has she always thought so little of me?

“Emerson!” I hear Chris calling out behind me. “Em!” I look over my shoulder to see him jogging toward me. “Where’re you going? You look upset.” His eyes flick over my face in concern.

“Home.”

“Let me drive you.” He reaches for me but I step away. “What’s wrong?”

I huff out a humorless laugh. “Go back to the party, Chris.” I spread my arms wide. “I’m sure Rebecca is waiting for you with her legs spread wide open.”

Chris’s face pales under the streetlight as he takes a step in my direction. “Emerson, I—”

I shake my head and hold up my hand. “I saw you with her today. There isnothingyou can say that will change how I feel about you right now.” I turn on my heels and continue toward my house, but I feel his eyes on my back the whole way home.

* * *

Taking the seat closest to the window, I stare out at the clear Florida sky and convince myself that the tears rolling down my cheeks are because I’m going to miss my family.

Up until a few days ago, life couldn’t have been more perfect. I was a high school graduate, captain of the cheer team, president of the student council, and prom queen. I had a best friend who I adored and who adored me. I had a boyfriend who loved me. Or so I thought.

Just days ago, I was planning to spend the summer on the beach with my friends before we all went our separate ways. Instead, I’m on a plane heading to California to spend the summer with my cousin Lilly until I’m able to move into my dorm at UCLA.

The scent of soap mixed with something else—something masculine—assaults my senses as the passenger beside me settles into his seat.Damn, he smells good.

I keep my gaze trained out the window because I’m not in the mood to—

“Hi,” a smooth and extremely sexy voice says.

Turning my head, I lock eyes with the most captivating pair of blue-green ones so intense my breath catches in my throat. I can’t look away. And neither does he.

Reluctantly, I tear my gaze from his to take in the rest of his features. His dark hair is tucked under a baseball cap, his jaw covered in a light scruff, his olive skin a perfect backdrop for those eyes the color of the island seas. I trail down to the dark blue T-shirt stretched across his muscular chest and the colorful tattoo peeking out from under the edge of his sleeve.

God, this man is… breathtaking.

And yes, he isdefinitelya man.

“Hi,” I breathe. “I’m Emerson.”Crap.Did he even ask my name?

His lips stretch into a devilish grin. “Emerson.” The way my name rolls off his tongue has my eighteen-year-old heart racing and I nearly melt in my seat. “Beautiful name for a beautiful woman.”

Woman?I’m eighteen. I’m hardly a woman.

“It’s nice to meet you, Emerson.” He holds out his hand. “I’m Marcus.”

* * *

This morning as I said goodbye to my family and boarded a plane to California, heartbroken and scared, I decided I was ready to move on and face whatever the world had to offer. I wasn’t expecting fate to step in and change my life forever.

“Why are you crying?” he asks.

I shrug and turn my head to look out the window. I’m not an emotional girl, and crying isn’t something I do often. The last time I’d cried was when our family dog, a thirteen-year-old Shih Tzu named Lulabelle, died a few years ago. I grew up with a jock for an older brother, who convinced me that crying made us vulnerable and weak.

I exhale a sigh. “I’m just… sad.”

“Emerson,” he whispers, and I turn to face him. “Those aren’t sad tears. I know emotions. I make a living based on emotions. Those are tears from a broken heart. Who hurt you?”

My eyes flick between his. I’m not the type to pour my heart out to a total stranger, even a handsome one. Trust and I aren’t on good terms at the moment, but something in his eyes has me opening my mouth and spilling my entire life story.

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