fucking bowl of chili while I hadn’t eaten a goddamned thing since this morning really set my teeth on edge.
That, or maybe it was the fact that he had his hands on my woman .
And that was more true than anything.
Masen was mine.
She’d been mine since I’d taken her virginity at seventeen.
And although ten years had passed, the feelings hadn’t.
She hadn’t moved on, and neither had I.
And I never would.
So when Bowe shot that smirk in my direction, I nearly lost it.
Nearly just because Tai stopped me before I could get two steps in Bowe’s direction.
“Hey,” Tai said, stopping me with a hand on my chest.
I looked down at him.
He was six foot or so. I was six foot five.
I had plenty of inches, as well as pounds on him.
He just plain didn’t have the bulk that I did, but I respected Mia.
Respected the man she chose, even if I didn’t necessarily like him.
“What?” I asked through clenched teeth, not taking my eyes off of Bowe.
“You need to take a step back. You’re at work. Bowe’s at work. You have to work with him for however long you plan on staying here. Don’t fuck it up,” Tai’s voice of reason barely penetrated my brain.
I bared my teeth at him.
“She’s mine,” I snapped.
Tai snorted.
“Then fucking get her back. Stop fucking around, and get her the fuck back.”
Chapter 8
Just got 20 minutes of cardio from trying to pick an ice cube up off the kitchen floor. Do I still need to work out?
-Masen’s secret thoughts
Masen
He was wearing my shirt. Or the shirt he’d taken back from me. The one he was wearing when we met.
It wasn’t anything special.
Just a navy t-shirt with the words ‘LETU baseball’ across the chest.
The sight of him wearing that shirt shot me back years, to a better time…and a better place.
Making me freeze in the middle of the parking lot and stare at the man that loved to torture me.
***
Twelve and a half years ago
Masen- 16 years old
Booth- 20 years old
“Please, please, please, please,” Mia chanted over and over again.
I looked at her, blindly picking up a French fry and dipped it into the ketchup before I shoved it in my mouth.
“Why do we have to go to a college game?” I asked. “There’s going to be no way in hell that any guy even takes a second look at us.”
I was sixteen, almost seventeen, and I knew, logically, that I’d never get anyone that was that much older than me.
Not to mention it was illegal seeing as I was still sixteen.
Twenty-five days until I’m seventeen.
Those thoughts flittered through my head as I absently finished off my fries before I answered Mia.
“Who’s there that you want to see again?” I asked.
“Jeff Tidwell’s brother is playing today,” she said. “And he invited me. And if you loved me, you wouldn’t make me go by myself.”
I sighed.
“Fine,” I said. “But you have to buy me nachos while we’re there.”
“Deal!” Mia cried, holding out her hand.
I took it and shook, making her laugh.
“Now, I want to throw your trash away so we can go,” she said laughingly.
I rolled my eyes and handed her my trash.
Mia had been my best friend for a very long time, but there were times that I couldn’t handle her exuberance.
Although, had she not been exuberant, I probably wouldn’t be where I am today.
She’d pulled me out of a lot of my delinquent activities, before they went too far, making sure I never got into too much trouble.
“Let’s go already, we’re going to be late,” she ordered, grabbing my hand.
I sighed, following her out to my Jeep.
It was pretty.
And old. But still pretty.
Well, to me anyway.
Mia didn’t like it because it made her hair blow all over the place due to the top being off.
Me, I liked it. Mostly because the air had gone out in it a few months back.
The only problem I had was when it rained.
Which in Texas, in the dead of summer, didn’t happen all that often.
“Where am I going, exactly?” I asked.
I’d never been
That, or maybe it was the fact that he had his hands on my woman .
And that was more true than anything.
Masen was mine.
She’d been mine since I’d taken her virginity at seventeen.
And although ten years had passed, the feelings hadn’t.
She hadn’t moved on, and neither had I.
And I never would.
So when Bowe shot that smirk in my direction, I nearly lost it.
Nearly just because Tai stopped me before I could get two steps in Bowe’s direction.
“Hey,” Tai said, stopping me with a hand on my chest.
I looked down at him.
He was six foot or so. I was six foot five.
I had plenty of inches, as well as pounds on him.
He just plain didn’t have the bulk that I did, but I respected Mia.
Respected the man she chose, even if I didn’t necessarily like him.
“What?” I asked through clenched teeth, not taking my eyes off of Bowe.
“You need to take a step back. You’re at work. Bowe’s at work. You have to work with him for however long you plan on staying here. Don’t fuck it up,” Tai’s voice of reason barely penetrated my brain.
I bared my teeth at him.
“She’s mine,” I snapped.
Tai snorted.
“Then fucking get her back. Stop fucking around, and get her the fuck back.”
Chapter 8
Just got 20 minutes of cardio from trying to pick an ice cube up off the kitchen floor. Do I still need to work out?
-Masen’s secret thoughts
Masen
He was wearing my shirt. Or the shirt he’d taken back from me. The one he was wearing when we met.
It wasn’t anything special.
Just a navy t-shirt with the words ‘LETU baseball’ across the chest.
The sight of him wearing that shirt shot me back years, to a better time…and a better place.
Making me freeze in the middle of the parking lot and stare at the man that loved to torture me.
***
Twelve and a half years ago
Masen- 16 years old
Booth- 20 years old
“Please, please, please, please,” Mia chanted over and over again.
I looked at her, blindly picking up a French fry and dipped it into the ketchup before I shoved it in my mouth.
“Why do we have to go to a college game?” I asked. “There’s going to be no way in hell that any guy even takes a second look at us.”
I was sixteen, almost seventeen, and I knew, logically, that I’d never get anyone that was that much older than me.
Not to mention it was illegal seeing as I was still sixteen.
Twenty-five days until I’m seventeen.
Those thoughts flittered through my head as I absently finished off my fries before I answered Mia.
“Who’s there that you want to see again?” I asked.
“Jeff Tidwell’s brother is playing today,” she said. “And he invited me. And if you loved me, you wouldn’t make me go by myself.”
I sighed.
“Fine,” I said. “But you have to buy me nachos while we’re there.”
“Deal!” Mia cried, holding out her hand.
I took it and shook, making her laugh.
“Now, I want to throw your trash away so we can go,” she said laughingly.
I rolled my eyes and handed her my trash.
Mia had been my best friend for a very long time, but there were times that I couldn’t handle her exuberance.
Although, had she not been exuberant, I probably wouldn’t be where I am today.
She’d pulled me out of a lot of my delinquent activities, before they went too far, making sure I never got into too much trouble.
“Let’s go already, we’re going to be late,” she ordered, grabbing my hand.
I sighed, following her out to my Jeep.
It was pretty.
And old. But still pretty.
Well, to me anyway.
Mia didn’t like it because it made her hair blow all over the place due to the top being off.
Me, I liked it. Mostly because the air had gone out in it a few months back.
The only problem I had was when it rained.
Which in Texas, in the dead of summer, didn’t happen all that often.
“Where am I going, exactly?” I asked.
I’d never been
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