Wait for You. J. Lynn

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      ‘Maybe.’ His lashes lowered as he started peeling his boiled egg.

      I took a drink. ‘I guess it’s different for you.’

      ‘Hmm?’

      ‘I bet you have girls hanging all over you. Dozens would probably kill to be in my spot and here I am, allergic to your bread.’

      He looked up. ‘Why? Because of my near godlike perfection?’

      A laugh burst from me. ‘I wouldn’t go that far.’

      Cam chuckled and then shrugged. ‘I don’t know. Don’t really think about it.’

      ‘You don’t think about it at all?’

      ‘Nope.’ He popped a whole freaking egg into his mouth. Besides that, he had impeccable table manners. Chewing with his mouth closed, wiping his hands on the napkin he’d pulled from the holder, and not talking with his mouth full. ‘I only think about it when it matters.’

      Our gazes collided, and my cheeks flushed. I ran my finger along the rim of my glass. ‘So you’re a reformed player?’

      He paused, egg halfway to his mouth. ‘What makes you think that?’

      ‘I heard you were quite the player in high school.’

      ‘Really? Who did you hear that from?’

      ‘None of your business.’

      A brow arched. ‘With that mouth of yours, you don’t have a lot of friends, do you?’

      I flinched, because that was a spot-on observation. ‘No,’ I heard myself saying. ‘I wasn’t really popular in high school.’

      Cam dropped his egg on the plate and sat back. ‘Shit. I’m sorry. That was an asshole thing for me to say.’

      I waved it off, but it stung.

      He watched me through thick lashes. ‘Hard to believe, though, that you weren’t. You can be funny and nice when you’re not insulting me, and you’re a pretty girl. Actually, you’re really hot.’

      ‘Uh … thanks.’ I squirmed, holding my glass close.

      ‘I’m serious. You said your parents were strict. They didn’t let you hang out in high school?’ When I nodded, he finished off the egg he’d dropped. ‘I still can’t imagine you not being popular in high school. You rock the trifecta—smart, funny, and hot.’

      ‘I wasn’t. Okay?’ I set my glass down and moved on to tugging at a loose string on the hem of my shorts. ‘I was, like, the very opposite of popular.’

      Cam started peeling another egg. I wondered how many he’d eat. ‘I am sorry, Avery. That … that sucks. High school is a big deal.’

      ‘Yeah, it is.’ I wetted my lips nervously. ‘You had a lot of friends?’

      He nodded.

      ‘Still talk to them?’

      ‘Some of them. Ollie and I went to high school together, but he spent his first two years at WVU and transferred down here, and I see a few around campus and back home.’

      Wrapping my arms around my legs to keep from fidgeting, I rested my chin on my knees. ‘Have any brothers or sisters?’

      ‘A sister,’ he replied, picking up the last egg—the fourth one. A genuine smile appeared. ‘She’s younger than me. Just turned eighteen. She graduates this year.’

      ‘You guys close?’ I couldn’t imagine having a brother like Cam.

      ‘Yeah, we’re close.’ A dark look crossed his face and vanished quickly, but it left me wondering if they really were that close. ‘She means a lot to me. How about you? A big brother I have to worry about visiting and kicking my ass for being here?’

      ‘No. I’m an only child. Have a cousin who’s older, but I doubt he’d do that.’

      ‘Ah, good.’ Devouring that egg, he sat back and patted his stomach. ‘Where you from?’

      I pressed my lips together, trying to decide if I should lie or not.

      ‘Okay.’ He dropped his arm off the back of the metal chair. ‘You obviously know where I’m from if you’ve heard of my extracurricular activities in high school, but I’ll just confirm it. I’m from the Fort Hill area. Never heard of that? Well, most people haven’t. It’s near Morgantown. Why didn’t I go to WVU? Everyone wants to know that.’ He shrugged. ‘Just wanted to get away, but be somewhat close to my family. And, yes, I was … very busy in high school.’

      ‘You’re not anymore?’ I asked, not really expecting him to answer, because it wasn’t my business, but, hey, if I could keep him talking, I didn’t have to say anything.

      And I was … interested in learning more, because Cam, he was fascinating in a way. He was like every überpopular, sexy guy in high school, but he wasn’t a dick. That alone made him worthy of a scientific study. Also, it was better than sitting around alone and thinking about harassing phone calls and e-mails.

      ‘Depends on who you ask.’ He laughed then. ‘Yeah, I don’t know. When I was a freshman—those first couple of months, being around all the older girls? I probably put more effort into them than I did my classes.’

      I grinned, easily able to picture that. ‘But not now?’

      He shook his head. ‘So where are you from?’

      Okay. Obviously what changed his ex-player status was something he didn’t want to talk about. Visions of pregnancy scares danced in my head. ‘I’m from Texas.’

      ‘Texas?’ He leaned forward. ‘Really? You don’t have an accent.’

      ‘I wasn’t born in Texas. My family was originally from Ohio. We moved to Texas when I was eleven and I never picked up any accent.’

      ‘Texas to West Virginia? That’s a hell of a difference.’

      Unfolding my legs, I stood and picked up my plate and his bowl. ‘Well, I lived in the strip mall hell part of Texas, but besides that, it’s kind of the same here.’

      ‘I should clean up.’ He started to stand. ‘I made the mess.’

      ‘No.’ I backed away with his bowl. ‘You cooked. I clean.’

      He relented, opening the foiled bread. It did smell wonderful. ‘What made you choose here?’

      I washed the dishes and his little frying pan before answering that doozy. ‘I just wanted to get away, like you.’

      ‘Got to be hard, though.’

      ‘No.’ I picked up the pot he used to boil the eggs. ‘It was incredibly easy to make the decision.’

      He seemed to consider that as he broke the bread in СКАЧАТЬ