Vote Then Read: Volume II

by Lauren Blakely

  Relenting, I place my shaking hand in his.

  “I’m thinking strawberry banana pancakes and thick cut maple bacon. What about you?” he asks, ignoring the tremor in my hand.

  I give him a weak smile, but don’t answer. Fear and emotion lodge in my throat, making it impossible to form words.

  “You look like a blueberry pancake kind of girl,” he continues, pulling open the door with his free hand.

  “I’m allergic,” I manage to say as my pulse pounds in my ears.

  “That sucks. Blueberries are awesome.” Bryson doesn’t seem to notice the hush falling over the diners as they turn to see who’s entering.

  He gives my hand a reassuring squeeze when I try to pull it from his, refusing to let go. How I can be both grateful and annoyed at his insistence is beyond me.

  The hostess seats us quickly, and Bryson chooses the seat with his back to the majority of the patrons, forcing me to face them. Whispers and darting glances are thrown my way by several people who recognize me, and I stick my nose in the menu to avoid the attention.

  “The cheesecake crepes look really good. Want to try those?” I nod my head and hand him my menu as the waitress returns with coffee and glasses of water.

  Bryson orders for both of us while I busy myself pouring coffee.

  “This place is busier than I anticipated on a weekday,” he says, looking over his shoulder.

  “It’s always busy,” I say, keeping my eyes focused on him.

  “Oh,” he says, swinging his head back in my direction. “Emerson wants to come down this weekend. I know I should’ve asked first, but I already told her it would be fine.”

  I focus on his words, attempting to ignore the buzz in the diner that feels like it’s directed only at me.

  “That’s okay, right?” he asks when I fail to respond.

  “Sure,” I answer.

  “You don’t sound sure,” he teases. “If it’s a problem, I can text and cancel.”

  Reaching out, I place my hand over his as he picks up his phone from the table. “Seriously, it’s fine. Maybe you’ll be cleaner while she’s around.”

  “Doubtful,” he says, twining his fingers with mine.

  My phone rings in my pocket just as the waitress begins to pile our plates on the table, giving me the excuse I was looking for to pull my hand from his. After seeing it’s Duncan’s mom calling, I send it to voicemail, then delete that as soon as it dings the alert. I’m still angry at his parents and have absolutely nothing to say to either of them. I wish they’d stop trying to call me altogether.

  Thankfully, brunch is uneventful, filled with small talk and warnings from Bryson about his meddling sister. I love how his face lights up when he speaks about her. He may pretend she’s annoying, but the sparkle in his eyes is undeniable.

  Things are going fine and the novelty of me sitting in the diner seems to be wearing off until the woman he brought home the other night saunters her lean body up to our table.

  “Hey, handsome,” she purrs, practically sitting in his lap.

  “Simone,” he says, a hint of irritation in his voice. “You remember my roommate, Olivia.”

  “Not really,” she says without a glance in my direction.

  I hate how his identification of me stings, even though I know it shouldn’t bother me at all. I turn my eyes away from them and look out the window, but my awareness of their conversation never falters.

  “We’re having breakfast. Can I help you with something?” he bites out, the hint of annoyance in his voice turning to obvious anger. Well, obvious to me. Simone seems oblivious as she coos in his ear and rakes her fake nails over his chest.

  “Don’t,” he says, his voice stern as he grabs her hand, urging her away.

  “Fine,” she says, her tone bitter. “Enjoy your breakfast.”

  A devious smile hits her lips. With a broad sweep of her hand, she intentionally tries to knock over my glass of ice water, but Bryson seems to have predicted her reaction and already has his hand wrapped around it.

  “Enough, Simone,” he warns.

  She narrows her eyes at me, then turns back to Bryson. “Whenever you’re over this little obsession with the hermit, you know where to find me.”

  He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath before turning his dark gaze back to me.

  “Real winner you have there,” I deadpan.

  Ignoring my words, he pulls cash from his wallet, leaves it on the table, and stands from the booth. I grab my things and follow his lead. We walk to the truck in silence, but even in his annoyed state, he opens the door for me and closes it with a soft snick once I settle inside.

  “I have a few errands to run before heading back,” he informs me a few minutes later as he puts the truck in park in front of the student bookstore. “You coming?”

  “Not a chance,” I say, trepidation settling in my bones.

  “I’ll leave it running,” he says before climbing out and walking away.

  The perfect fit of his jeans does not go unnoticed by me or the small group of girls standing near the entrance. I chuckle under my breath when all four track him with their eyes until he disappears inside. Seems everyone on campus wants a piece of Bryson Daniels.

  18

  Bryson

  “Don’t even start,” I warn Liam as I walk up to the table he’s sitting at with a couple guys from the team. I knew I’d find at least a few of them here.

  When we got to the apartment earlier, Olivia was barely talking and seemed to shut down right in front of me—again. And while our outing appeared to do more harm than good, I knew it wasn’t just that. There was something more brewing under the surface and I hated to admit how much it hurt that she wouldn’t open up to me. Needing to clear my head, I went for a run, then headed to Cody’s for a beer when that didn’t work, instead of going to class. It would have been a waste of time anyway with how aggravated I was. With every step we took forward, it felt like we went back five, and I wasn’t sure what to do anymore.

  “Simone is floating around here somewhere,” Liam says, looking to the front of the bar. “She says you dissed her in public. Mentioned something about fucking your roommate.”

  What is this, fucking high school? It hasn’t even been two hours and his ass already knows what went on this morning.

  “Fuck, Liam, why are you so worried about what I’m doing?” I ask, unable to hide my irritation. I flag down a waitress and order.

  “If I recall,” Liam continues, ignoring my outburst, “you did tell me your roommate was hot as fuck, but you also said she had a boyfriend. You dipping your stick in someone else’s pussy?”

  I clench my fists in anger and one of our teammates places his hand on my shoulder. “Ignore Ashford, man. He’s pissed off and taking his anger out on everyone.”

  “Yeah, herpes will do that to a dude!” another guy chimes in, holding his beer up in a mock toast.

  A smile spreads over my face. “Serves your ass right. All that whoring around.” I kick at his foot on the barstool.

  “It’s crabs, you pieces of shit!” He tilts up his beer and takes a long pull before turning his attention back to me. “Do you know how bad your nuts hurt from using that tiny little comb?”

  I hold my hands up. “I’ve got no clue, man. I don’t sleep with questionable women.”

  He huffs. “You fucked Simone.”

  “Everyone here knows she’s waxed smooth, dude!” Joey says from across the table. I look over to see him fist bumping another player. “I told you to stay away from that damn freshman.” Liam hangs his head, mumbling something incoherent under his breath.

  Her overpowering perfume hits me before I feel Simone walk up behind me. I turn in her direction, needing to apologize for earlier, but the smirk on her face annoys me, and her words piss me off further. “I knew you’d get tired of the roommate. Her pussy isn’t as good as mine, is it?”

  “I haven’t touched, tasted, or stuck my dick in her pussy, Simone, but I can
tell you, I’d choose hers over yours any day of the week,” I sneer, my jaw clenching. So much for apologizing.

  “You haven’t tasted mine either, handsome. If you did, I can promise you’d never taste another one.”

  “That’s because he’d be dead,” Joey adds.

  A smile splits my face at their antics, calming my anger just a bit.

  “Listen, Simone, we had fun together, but it’s not going anywhere.”

  “Fun?” she hisses. “That’s all I was to you?”

  I take a step back. “Don’t show any fear,” Liam whispers in my ear. “She can smell it.”

  I want to ask him why he didn’t warn me about her being crazy, but the fire in her eyes is more imminent.

  “You threw yourself at me,” I remind her. “Not the other way around.”

  “I sucked your dick.”

  “You sucked my dick,” Joey says.

  “Mine too,” Liam adds.

  I roll my lips between my teeth to keep from smiling. I’m not trying to be an asshole, but she knew the score. Even if I wanted to keep something going with her, the way she acted toward Olivia earlier would have put an end to that.

  “You’re an asshole,” she spits. “Forget the offer from earlier. Don’t come crawling back when you want more of this,” she hisses, adding extra emphasis, and I cringe as she grabs at her crotch like a man.

  “Nasty bitch,” Joey mutters as she walks away.

  “You could’ve warned me that she gets crazy,” I say, taking a sip of my beer after the waitress hands it to me, pointing my eyes at Liam.

  “Don’t look at me,” he defends. “She’s never acted like that before. You must have a special cock or something.”

  “Lucky me,” I mutter, falling onto the empty chair beside him.

  He winces as he shifts in his seat, and I can’t help but laugh at him. “Why didn’t you just shave that shit, man?”

  “I asked the same thing,” Joey says. “Says his garden is a delicate area and it should grow freely.”

  “Well,” Liam says with another groan, “next time, I’m shaving.”

  Joey laughs. “How about staying away from the nasty ones so there isn’t a next time?”

  I nod my head in agreement.

  “The nasty ones are the most fun,” Liam explains on a whine, and we both throw wadded up napkins at his dumb ass. In an attempt to change the subject from Liam’s seafood nut salad, we focus our attention on one subject we’ll never get tired of talking about—baseball.

  “I don’t know about Jason, though,” Joey says, shaking his head.

  “How did that base clogger even make the team? If he could hit it over the wall, his slow-ass run wouldn’t be such a problem,” Liam adds.

  “But he can’t. I hope coach keeps him benched,” Joey mutters, turning his beer up to his lips.

  Red flashes in my periphery as a high-pitched giggle reaches my ears. I look over to see Simone sitting in some love-drunk dude’s lap. She has his rapt attention, his bright, glossy eyes gazing up at her. Simone, on the other hand, only has eyes for our table. Indifferent to her performance, I turn my attention back to my teammates.

  “Which one is Jason?” I ask Joey.

  “The ginger with the scraggly beard,” he explains.

  Commotion from Simone’s direction draws all of our attention again, just in time to see her slap her enamored suitor’s cheek and storm off.

  “Asshole,” she seethes as she walks by me.

  I watch her walk away, hoping she’ll leave, but she posts up near the bar and looks over her shoulder at me. I chew at the inside of my lip as dread washes over me. Cold fingers reach out and grab my beer, the desire to wash away the sour taste in my mouth hitting hard. This isn’t going to be the last I hear from Simone.

  “I’m not going to give you these notes until you swear I’ll get them back before class tomorrow,” I tell Liam as I stick my key into the apartment door.

  “Calm down, dude. I won’t forget your notes,” he agrees.

  “That means you actually have to go to class tomorrow.”

  “No shit,” he mutters as we step inside.

  When I see Olivia sitting on the couch, my smile grows. My eyes skirt over her, and I blow out a relieved breath, grateful she’s back in her sweats and hoodie. Walking in with Liam and finding her in those little shorts she’s so fond of wearing would have more than likely ended with me kicking his ass.

  She grins back, seeming to be in a much better mood than when I left her, but just as fast as the smile came, it drops, and all the color drains from her face.

  “Olivia?” Liam says, stepping farther into the apartment. “I thought you moved home.”

  Her eyes dart between Liam and I, but no sound comes from her mouth. My brows furrow at her visceral reaction to the sight of Liam, and I gaze back to him before shutting this shit down. Grabbing my bag from beside the door, I pull out all of my economics papers and shove them at Liam while pushing him out the door.

  “Dude, we have to talk,” he insists, his voice low.

  “Not right now,” I say, dismissing him.

  “Seriously, Bryson. That’s—”

  I shut the door in his face and turn my attention back to the quaking woman on the couch. She’s staring off into space as if she’s seen a ghost, her body trembling. I sit beside her and pull her against me, much like I did last night, trying to calm her.

  “What’s wrong?” I ask into her hair, my voice soft.

  She shakes her head no, but doesn’t say another word, and I comfort her without drilling her for information. I don’t want to cause more stress, and I certainly don’t want her to leave my arms.

  Before long, her breathing slows to the point that I know she’s fallen asleep, which I’m okay with as well.

  The third episode of Survivor Man plays on the television, the sound almost muted. Over the last two-and-a-half hours, she has managed to shift her body to where she’s lying stretched out on the couch with her head in my lap. I started to stroke her long, blonde hair the second she fell asleep.

  I want to touch her all the time, but the only time she allows it is when she’s upset and distraught. It’s not the best-case scenario, but I’ll take every opportunity I can get. I continue to stroke her hair like I have been for a while when she stirs, sighing.

  “I missed you so much,” she mumbles, the words almost incoherent as she nuzzles deeper into my lap. “I knew you’d come back.”

  My hand stills on her hair when I realize she’s either talking in her sleep or thinks I’m him.

  “Olivia,” I say in a hushed tone, not wanting to startle her, but needing her to know Duncan isn’t the one comforting her right now. He broke up with her, tossed her aside, and left me to pick up the pieces.

  She stiffens and jolts up, pulling her head from my lap. Her eyes lock with mine, and for the briefest of moments, I realize she’s disappointed I’m the one holding her on the couch. Fire sears my veins as my breaths come out fast and short.

  “Why’d you let me do that?” she all but hisses at me. Her eyes dart around the room and her hands fidget as if she’s been caught doing something wrong.

  “Do what? Hold you when you’re upset? Comfort you when you need a friend?” I reach out to touch her face, but she whips away, scooting farther from me on the couch.

  “That,” she spits, pointing to the erection in my jeans from her grinding her head on my cock. “That’s not comfort.”

  “It’s not like I unzipped my pants and stuck my dick in your ear, Olivia. I can’t help how my body responds when you’re close,” I say, adjusting myself into a less-conspicuous position. I don’t have it in me to feel embarrassed by my spontaneous hard-on.

  “You need to learn, Bryson. And you never should’ve let me fall asleep on you like that.” I want to reach for her again when she stands from the couch, but there’s only anger on her face, drawing in her brows and forcing her nostrils to flare.

  “You just s
eemed so upset and exhausted,” I explain, scrubbing my hands over my face, confused by her swift change in mood. “I don’t… fuck. Sorry.”

  She shakes her head in disgust and walks out of the room, the lock on her door clicking into place a second later.

  19

  Olivia

  “You seem sad. I don’t want you to be sad, sweet cheeks.”

  I peer across the room, sighing and refusing to look at the computer screen.

  “Look at me,” Duncan whispers, urging my eyes to meet his.

  He pauses, waiting for the response I deny.

  “It’s not fair that you call and then ignore me. I get that you’re upset, sweet cheeks, but acting this way isn’t doing anyone justice. We can’t work it out if you don’t tell me what’s wrong.”

  “You know what’s wrong, Duncan. I shouldn’t have to rehash it every time we talk.” My voice echoes from the small speakers on my laptop.

  “This isn’t my fault. Do you know how many times I’ve prayed and hoped for a different life? I didn’t ask for this.” Tears glisten in his sunken, tired eyes, forcing the same from mine.

  “I know you didn’t.”

  “I hate seeing you upset and in pain when I’m unable to fix things. Some days, I wish we never met so you wouldn’t have to go through this with me.”

  “Don’t ever say that!” A violent sob escapes my lips as resignation clouds his face.

  “It’s true, sweet cheeks. I found a doctor willing to help,” he says with a rough swallow.

  “I can’t talk about it. That’s not the answer, Duncan. Please.”

  “You know as well as I do it’s over. I’ve been telling you for weeks. Your denial doesn’t change the future.” The sudden drop in his shoulders is a clear sign of defeat, and my chin trembles at the wave of emotions passing over his face.

  “I’ve already filled out the paperwork, sweet cheeks. It’s done.”

  I slam my laptop closed, unable to listen to another word.