Fourth Down and Dirty: A Bad Boy Sports Romance by Kristen Flowers Page A

face.
“How could I be so stupid?” That was it—things were going to be completely
professional from now on. There was no question about it.

 
 
    The next tutoring
appointment I was filled with dread. I had no clue how he was going to act with
me, but I already made up my mind to take it as just one of his little games.
Like I told him in the library, he didn’t take anything seriously and I
couldn’t think of a single reason why kissing me would be the exception. I had
to make it clear that he was ONLY my student. I couldn’t risk losing my job.
The stakes were far too high.

 
    Landon walked in a
few minutes earlier so he decided to kill time in the lobby by playing on his
phone, making it a point not to look over at me. This wasn’t lost on me and I
felt a bit nauseous. Things were going to be even more awkward than I had
anticipated. When it was finally time to start, he walked over to the desk and
took his seat. He seemed pissed off and dismissive. It was almost like he was angry with me. Instead of paying any
mind and figuring it out, I found it easier to assume he was just the asshole
jock I pegged him as from the start. He had his fun kissing me, now he’d moved
on to the next poor girl.

 
    “Let’s start where
we left off with your term paper last meeting,” I began.

 
    “You think?” He
responded sarcastically.

 
    I glanced at him
sideways, but he was staring straight down at his notebook. He pulled out the
notes from our previous tutoring session and started tapping his pen on the
desk.

 
    “Well, we were
talking about–”

 
    “I know what we
were talking about, thanks,” he told me with a derisive smirk. “Just tell me
what you want me to do next to get this thing done.”

 
    “Well, it’s not
about what I want , Landon.” He was
making me feel beaten down. Although I had prepared for a less than pleasant
experience I never banked on him being quite like this.

 
    “Sure,” he told me
with a scowl. I jerked my head back and stared at him. He still hadn’t looked
at me even once. He was being cold and particularly difficult. I didn’t know
where to go from there and I felt my stomach sink. Kissing him had been nothing
less than a huge mistake.  

 
    “And what is that
supposed to mean?” I finally mustered the courage to ask even if I was afraid
of what he’d say next.

 
    He scoffed and
shrugged. “Let’s get on with it.”

 
    “You don’t get to
talk to me like that.”

 
    Landon finally
looked up to meet my gaze and I saw anger in his eyes. I flinched. “I can talk
to you how I damn well please,” he hissed.

 
    I slammed my hand
down on the table, “No you do not .
That may be the case elsewhere, but it won’t be here.” Now I was angry. His
entitlement had gone too far, even for him.

 
    “Of course
everything has to be to your convenience,” he shot back.

 
    I narrowed my eyes
and looked at him, trying to figure out just what in the hell he was talking
about. It was clear he was mad, but why he
was escaped me. “What?”

 
    “You just took
off!” He finally blurted. “Why?”

 
    “ That’s what you’re so pissed about?”

 
    It was the last
straw. He was so full of himself to think he could get away with behaving like
this, at my job no less, just because he thought I snubbed his kiss? It was
absolutely ridiculous. “Look, Landon, some of us have real problems to deal with. Unlike your perfect, little rich boy
life, I have a ton of worries to occupy my time on top of school. You want to
know why I left? I had to run home because my sick mother was waiting for me.”

 
    Landon blinked in
disbelief. I wanted him to feel like the world’s biggest asshole. “I, uh, kind
of assumed you had a boyfriend.”

 
    "I don't have
a boyfriend," I barked angrily. For some reason, he couldn’t seem to
understand that a bookworm-girl like myself doesn’t exactly go out and meet
guys. Maybe he couldn’t fit that