The sweat from my hairline skimmed down my face, dripping from my chin before landing on the concrete floor of the gym. The Texas summer started to rear its horns, but it would only get worse. Counting the beads of sweat that dripped from my chin had been my distraction from Dec—Rage. Rage. What kind of person is named Rage? My body hummed at the thought of the night before. His rough callouses pressed against my most personal place, his fingers bringing me to the highest of highs. And yet, he still backed away. I knew he felt that connection when his mouth met mine. Warmth cloaked my cheeks, but I swallowed the shame. No one watched me in the corner of the gym, scrubbing the floors like Cinderella. Dad hadn’t asked me to do it. I just needed something to take my mind off of him. It didn’t work. Rage spent the morning laying gravel in the parking lot before jumping right into practice with the other boys. Dad talked for an hour about an upcoming me

Those dark eyes didn’t waver from me, even when I stepped through the threshold of the small cabin, I felt his eyes on my back. The door shut quietly behind him, but I kept forward, afraid to look too soon. There were too many emotions coursing through me. Half of my brain screamed for me to run while I had the chance and the other already pulled off his clothes. “Neveah,” he whispered behind me, his breath sent chills up my spine. “You’re shivering.” I was, bad. It should have embarrassed me, but I knew he was the only person that would cure the ache. Slowly, I turned to look up at him, his grey eyes were dilated, a look of primal need on his face. “I want you,” I bravely whispered. “I can’t take this anymore.” The corner of his mouth lifted. One hand rested behind me, pinning me against the nearest wall, and the other rested on my waist. “You don’t have to take anything anymore, because I can’t wait another damn minute for you.” H

“We’re going to drive the short bus to the match,” Wes called out over the gym. I hadn’t been able to hear anything else he’d said, my head was too messed up to think straight.A week had gone by quickly, and Neveah hadn’t said one word to me. She’d disappeared every time I’d walked into the same building as her. She stood in the corner of the gym in those stupid short shorts and polo shirt. Not once had she looked in my direction, and the primal instinct inside of me was fed up with it. “If it’s the short bus, Neveah needs to ride with us,” Chase yelled out from the other side of our small semi-circle. I clutched my hands on my knees. Neveah rolled her eyes, and still avoided my gaze. “Let’s get moving, guys,” Wes gestured for everyone to exit. “We don’t have enough seats for everyone, so Rage you’ll have to ride with Neveah to Dallas.”S

I was up when the sun hit my blinds the next morning. My eyes ached for sleep, but there was no way in hell I got any. I’d only been in my bed for an hour when the sun rose. My body ached when I stretched from sleeping on the ground next to him. The things he whispered to me through the night had my mind on high. Despite the fact that I didn’t care he’d gone to prison, I wanted proof that he’d told me the truth, and he had. I’d checked online. There was something else teetering in his gaze, something worse, and it made me want him more. I wanted to know everything about him. Lucy jarred my bed with her paws, and it was a great distraction from the war going on in my head. There were more questions I wanted to ask, but my mouth had been preoccupied with his. Prison. The torment in his eyes when he told me what Denver did to him shredded my heart.Despite the fact that he’d withheld information that was

Kill me now … Cooper pulled into the driveway and turned off his lights. Both hands clutched the steering wheel and judging by the grim look on his face, I knew I’d pissed him off at the movies. He only tried to put his arm around me seven times and hold my hand twice before he got the hint. This wasn’t happening. “Well, this was fun,” I said, grabbing the door handle. He grabbed my knee and squeezed. “Neveah,” he whispered. “You can’t be serious? You didn’t even give me a chance.”“I told you I wasn’t interested. I gave you your date, now it’s over.”His blue eyes darkened in anger. I didn’t care. My part of the deal was done. Shoving the door open, I walked toward the porch. The lights were off inside which told me Dad had already passed out. “Neveah, wait,” Cooper said, shutting the door I’d opened. &ldqu