Текст книги "Frigid"

Автор книги: Jennifer L. Armentrout

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Frigid

#1 NEW YORK TIMES AND USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR

Jennifer L. Armentrout

writing as

J. Lynn

SPENCER HILL CONTEMPORARY

Copyright © 2013 by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Sale of the paperback edition of this book without its cover is unauthorized.

Spencer Hill Contemporary, an imprint of Spencer Hill Press

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever.

Contact: Spencer Hill Press, PO Box 247, Contoocook, NH 03229, USA

Please visit our website at www.spencerhillcontemporary.com

First Edition (e-book): July 2013.

First Trade Paperback Printing: November 2013

Armentrout, Jennifer L. 1980

Frigid: a novel / by J. Lynn – 1st ed.

p. cm.

Summary:

A college student in love with her best friend ends up trapped alone with him at a ski lodge.

The author acknowledges the copyrighted or trademarked status and trademark owners of the following wordmarks mentioned in this fiction: Coke/Diet Coke, Dateline, Disney, Durango, Frogger, Goodwill, Honda, Humane Society, Jack Daniels, Jell-O, Jim Beam, Jose/Jose Quervo, Little Orphan Annie, Mickey Mouse/Mickey ears, Nyquil, Oompa Loompa, Outback, Popsicle, Sam Adams, Starbucks, Thermos, Tilt-a-Whirl, Trapper Keeper, Victoria’s Secret

“Itty Bitty Titties” David Allen Coe. Used in parody,

because that song should ALWAYS be used in parody.

Cover design by Sarah Hansen of Okay Creations

Photo by Jennifer VonDrak

ISBN 978-1-939392-74-9 (e-book)

ISBN 978-1-939392-75-6 (paperback)

Printed in the United States of America

Also by Jennifer L. Armentrout

The Covenant Series

Daimon (novella)

Half-Blood

Pure

Deity

Elixir (novella)

Apollyon

Sentinel (November 2013)

Coming from Disney-Hyperion:

Don’t Look Back

Obsession

From Entangled Publishing:

The Lux Series

Shadows (novella)

Obsidian

Onyx

Opal

Origin (August 2013)

Writing as J. Lynn:

Tempting the Best Man

Tempting the Player

Wait for You

Unchained (2013)

To every book lover, big and small, these books are for you.

Chapter 1

Sydney

I was in love with my best friend.

And it could be worse, I guessed. I could have been in love with a male stripper or a drug addict. Kyler Quinn was neither of those things. Although he could easily be passed off as a male stripper with those jaw-dropping good looks and messy brown hair, and he was as addictive as any drug out there.

I saw him before he even knew I was here. There was no way anyone could miss Kyler, not even in the packed Dry Docks, where everyone from the University was out celebrating the start of winter break. People flocked to him, especially the girls.

Always the girls.

I didn’t want to say that Kyler looked like a god, because sculptures of Greek and Roman gods typically didn’t fall on the attractive side of things. And they were all really small down there. I doubted he was hurting in that department, since there was an endless train of women who came back for seconds and thirds. But he was beautiful in a purely masculine way. A nose with a slight hook in it offset broad cheekbones, defined jaw, and wide expressive lips. He’d broken his nose in a fight freshman year

I still felt bad for that nose.

And when he smiled? Aw man, the boy had the deepest dimples ever.

His eyes were a warm brown, the color of a rich coffee bean that darkened whenever he was feeling froggy, and I bet he was feeling all kinds of froggy right now.

Right in the middle of the bar, I stopped and leaned my head back. Exhaling loudly, I really wanted to punch myself in the face. Not only was Kyler completely off-limits due to the fact that we’d been inseparable since the day he pushed me off the merry-go-round and told me I had cooties for trying to hold his hand. I’d retaliated by holding him down and forcing him to eat a mud pie the following day. People had a hard time understanding how we were so close. Even I couldn’t figure it out. We went together like a lion and a gazelle. Actually, we went together like a lion and a gimpy gazelle that had no chance of outrunning the predator.

I was the gimpy gazelle.

As I made it closer to the table he and our friend Tanner occupied, a blonde with legs longer than I was tall plopped down in Kyler’s lap. His arms went around the girl’s impossibly narrow waist, and a stupid, totally inexcusable sharp pain sliced through my stomach.

Yeah, Kyler might not be a stripper, an addict, or a terrorist, but he was a player.

Veering back toward the bar at the last minute, I almost plowed straight into someone’s back. I rolled my eyes. Giving myself a concussion would be perfect. Multicolored Christmas lights dangled from the edge of the bar and I thought that was kind of hazardous with all the drunks spilling their drinks. I found an empty stool at the bar and waited for the bartender to notice me. And it was easy to notice me. I looked like I was sixteen, so they usually checked my ID right away. The bartender appeared, asked for the standard, and I ordered the standard—a Diet Coke with rum.

Over the hum of conversation and music, a giggle teased my ears. It was like some kind of damn beacon. No good would come from looking, and there was no reason to ruin the night already. I crossed my ankles. Placed my hands on the bar. Tapped my fingers to the song I was barely paying attention to. Stared at the rack of liquor bottles my other best friend was intimately familiar with.

But I looked, because I was a girl and diving head-first into girl-stupid.

Blondie was straddling Kyler. Her short denim skirt had ridden all the way up her thighs. One would think it wasn’t winter outside based on how she was dressed, but then again, I’d wear a skirt like that all the time if I had her legs.

His back was to me, but he must’ve said something interesting in her ear, because she laughed again. Her hot pink nails dug into his shoulders, bunching the material of his black sweater. Then she reached up, running her hands through the hair at his forehead, tugging it back.

I couldn’t look away now. Like a fat glutton for punishment, I was fixated on them.

He tilted his head to the side and tipped it back. I could see half his face now, and he was grinning. Not the big smiles that revealed those totally lickable dimples, but I knew he was rocking that half-grin of his—the infuriating and incredibly sexy half-grin. His hands settled on her hips.

“Here you go.” The bartender placed my drink down.

Turning away from what was about to go down over there, I glanced up at the bartender as I knocked a strand of long black hair out of my face. “Thank you.”

He winked. “No problem.”

The bartender ambled off to help someone else, while I was left to wonder why he’d winked. Thinking I probably shouldn’t have let Kyler talk me into coming out tonight, I picked up my glass and took a larger than normal gulp. I forced myself to swallow the bit of alcohol, even as it burned my throat.

Just as I placed my drink down, I was hugged from behind. The vanilla-scented perfume and high-pitch squeal gave away the culprit.

“You’re here! I saw you from the other side of the bar and tried to get your attention,” Andrea said, spinning me around the bar stool. Her red curls were twisted in every which direction. My roommate looked like Little Orphan Annie all grown up…if Little Orphan Annie had a potential drinking problem. As evidenced by the beers she was double-fisting.

“How much have you had to drink?” I asked.

She rolled her eyes. “This beer’s for Tanner, you bitch.”

“Since when do you get beers for Tanner?”

Andrea shrugged. “He’s being nice tonight. So I’m being nice tonight.”

Tanner and Andrea were weird. They’d met last year and it was hate at first sight. Somehow they kept ending up in the same places, and I guessed they tripped and fell on each other’s lips or something. They’d made out a few times, fought a lot more, and now she was serving him drinks. I could never figure them out.

“How long have you guys been here?” I asked.

“About an hour.” She wiggled her way between me and some girl on the other stool. “Kyler’s Official Girl Parade has been in full force.”

I winced. “I can see.”

“Yeah, I noticed that you saw. That’s why you weren’t paying a bit of attention to me.” She took a swig of beer. “You coming to the table?”

To the table where Blondie was practically dry humping Kyler? Sign me up. “I’ll be over in a little bit.”

She pouted. “You need to hurry your little ass up and come to the table. Kyler will run the girl off if you’re over there, and then I don’t have to worry about catching herpes.”

“Herpes isn’t airborne,” I told her.

“Yeah, you say that now, but then it mixes with chlamydia and genital warts then you have a super-strain of herpes.” Her nose wrinkled. “You breathe it in, and then bam! You’ll need antiviral therapy for life.”

Andrea was planning on going to med school after college, and I thought she needed to take a few of her classes over again if she believed that was possible. But I knew what the real problem was, and it wasn’t the gift that kept giving.

Where there was one girl after Kyler, there were at least two or three more girls hanging on the outskirts. I looked over my shoulder. Yep. Two girls. Andrea didn’t want me over there to make sure Kyler behaved. She was just as good at hiding her feelings as I was.

She didn’t want one of those other girls to fall into Tanner’s lap, which looked close to happening. One of the girls was chatting it up with the tattooed, buzz-cut police officer’s son. Tanner appeared only half-interested, saying something to Kyler. Blondie wasn’t happy with the lack of attention. She twisted around, scooped up a piece of ice out of a drink on the table and popped it in her mouth. With her other hand, she tugged Kyler’s head toward hers as she bent her head down.

“Oh, look at that.” Andrea sighed. “I think I saw that once in an 80s movie. Do you think that girl has any sense of shame?”

My stomach dipped like I was poised atop a rollercoaster. It wasn’t about not having shame. It was all about going for what you wanted. Part of me envied Blondie—a really huge Kyler-sized part of me. “I seriously hope their mouths aren’t touching, because now all I’m thinking about is herpes.”

Andrea pushed off the bar. “Uh…”

Their lips were touching.

Damn it.

A second later Kyler leaned back, his jaw working as he chewed what I assumed was the piece of ice Blondie had so openly shared.

“Ugh,” I murmured, turning back around. Andrea winced, because she knew…she was the only person who knew. “I’ll be over in a little while. Going to finish my drink first.”

“Okay.” She smiled, but sadness crept into her eyes. “Sydney…”

Now I felt like a lame turd. “It’s all right, really. I’ll be right over.”

“After you finish your drink?” When I nodded, she sighed. “You never finish a drink, but I’ll be waiting. Don’t take forever.” She started to turn and then whipped back to me, nearly losing a bottle of beer. “Actually, take your time.”

“Huh?”

Her smile spread. “Look who just came in.”

I craned my neck to follow her gaze. “Oh.”

“‘Oh’ is right.” Andrea bent down and kissed my cheek. “Forget about Kyler the man-slut. You’re better than that. But him?” She nodded at the door. “That’s a keeper who’s more than willing to end your celibacy.”

Heat swamped my cheeks. Before I could argue the use of the word “celibacy,” Andrea had skipped off and I was left staring at Paul Robertson.

Paul was new to our group; I’d met him in my Cognitive Processes lab. He…he was good-looking. He was nice and funny. He was perfect, really, but…

He stopped just at the edge of the dance floor, tugging off his skull cap. Scanning the bar, he smoothed a hand over his blond hair. His eyes met mine and a quick grin spread across his face. Giving me a little wave, he easily navigated the group of people huddled around round tables.

Paul would be perfect for me right now, and for that very reason alone, I needed to stop thinking about the unattainable and start thinking about what was right in front of my face.

Taking a deep breath, I mustered up what I hoped was a sexy smile. There was no better time than tonight.

Kyler

I was already starting to get a headache. By the way the chick was squirming in my lap like she was ready to get it on right now, this was going to be a long night. I crunched down on the piece of ice, half-tempted to spit it out.

But that would be sort of rude.

I should have been in the mood to celebrate, except I wasn’t. One more semester of college left, and then what? Join the family business and shit? God, that was the last thing I wanted. Well, not necessarily the last thing. Trying to explain to my mom why I didn’t foresee a career in bar restoration in my future was probably the last thing I wanted to do. It was never something I wanted to do, but almost four years of college later, and I was about to walk out with a degree in business bullshit.

Reaching around the girl, I grabbed the neck of the beer bottle. Across from me, Tanner raised his brows. I smirked as he turned back to whatever the brunette chick was saying to him. Something about getting a wax yesterday and she was outside the mandatory twenty-four hour waiting period. Seriously? That was pretty much the last thing either of us wanted to hear.

Knowing there was an all-clear on getting down did have its bennies, but Tanner didn’t look too into it.

“Kyler,” the blonde crooned in my ear as she wiggled her ass. “You don’t seem happy to see me. I’m happy to see you again.”

And apparently I wasn’t too into it, either. Taking a long drink, I knew I had to proceed with wise caution. Supposedly I knew this girl—like knew her, knew her—but I couldn’t place her face or her ass, which was all kinds of messed up. How could I not know her when I’d most definitely slept with her at some point?

Fuck.

Sometimes I was sick with myself.

She leaned in, pressing her breasts right up under my chin. Okay. I wasn’t that sick with myself. “Honey,” I said, fingering the bottle. “I’m going to need to breathe at some point.”

Giggling, she leaned back far enough that I could sneak another drink. She ran her hands through my hair, tugging it off my forehead. I fought the urge to knock her hands away. “You gonna play your guitar for me later?”

My brows rose. “I played the guitar for you?”

Tanner choked on a laugh.

The girl—and damn, I hoped her friend said her name real soon—frowned. “Yes!” She smacked my chest playfully. “You played it with those awesome, talented fingers of yours, and then you played something else.”

Oh.

Tanner leaned back in his chair. “Look at you and your awesome fingers.”

“My awesome, talented fingers,” I corrected him.

Shaking his head, he looked away as the brunette leaned over, tracing the edge of the tattoo that popped out from under his rolled-up sleeves.

“You don’t remember?” She stuck out a glossy lower lip. “My feelings are hurt.”

I snorted and took another drink, my eyes scanning the now-packed bar. Sometimes I had no idea how I ended up in situations like this. Okay. That was a bald-faced lie. What was between my legs was how I ended up in situations like this.

But it was more than that.

It had always been more than that.

“Kyler,” the girl whined.

I took a deep breath and turn back to her, giving the girl my most charming smile. “Yeah?”

“You gonna share?”

Before I could respond, she took the bottle from my hand and downed damn near close to the whole thing. My brows shot up. Damn. That was sort of impressive… and gross.

Her friend giggled. “Jesus, Mindy, take it slow tonight. I am so not carrying your drunk ass back to the dorm.”

Aha! Her name was Mindy! I felt a little better about this.

Mindy just shrugged as she turned back to me. She leaned in and when she spoke, all I could smell was beer. “You’re so incredibly sexy. Have you ever been told that?”

“A time or two,” I replied, wishing for another beer.

Andrea appeared at the table, two beers in hand. One was for her and the other for Tanner, so that sucked. She looked at me and huffed. “Like Kyler needs his ego stroked.”

“Kyler needs something else stroked,” Mindy murmured, pushing down with her hips.

A look of disgust crossed Andrea’s face as she sat on the other side of Tanner. The look didn’t bother me. Now if it were someone else? “Have you seen Syd?” I asked.

Andrea eyed me over the rim of her bottle, eyes narrowed. She didn’t say anything.

I sat back in the chair, sighing. “I invited her.”

Tanner arched a brow. “You know damn well Syd’s in her dorm, packing for our trip. Actually, she’s probably repacking for our trip.”

A smile pulled at my lips. She probably was retentively going over what to bring.

“Who cares about her?” Mindy folded her arms, which made her breasts even bigger. Impossible. She looked at her friend. “I need another drink.”

“So do I,” I said, bouncing my knees so she’d get off. She didn’t take the hint. I sighed. “Since you drank mine, why don’t you go get us a refill?”

Another pout graced Mindy’s lips. “Have you seen how packed the bar is? It will take forever.”

“You could always get up,” Andrea suggested.

I looked over my shoulder at the bar. The damn thing was packed. Shit. Half of the University appeared to be here.

Mindy’s beer-soaked breath brushed my cheek. “You should go get us a drink, babe. I love Jell-O shooters.”

“I’m not your babe.” My gaze traveled over the people at the bar. Was that Paul? He didn’t come here regularly, only if Syd actually showed up here. Wait a sec… I leaned to the side to get a look around some huge dude. Was that Syd at the bar? With Paul?

A hand ended up in my hair again. “You were my babe a couple of weeks ago.”

“Interesting,” I murmured. The dude moved away, beers in hand, and holy shit, it was Syd. Her long, black hair was down and her feet were crossed at the ankles. She looked so damn tiny sitting there, I was surprised she’d even gotten served.

I was also surprised that she was at the bar, without me and with Paul.

What the fuck was wrong with this picture?

Turning back around, I pinned Andrea with a look. “When did she get here?”

She shrugged. “Dunno.”

My irritation spiked. “She shouldn’t be at the bar by herself.”

Mindy said something, but I wasn’t listening. I had this wonderful selective hearing thing going on right now.

Andrea shared a look with Tanner, a look I ignored. Therefore, the look never happened. “She’s not by herself,” she said sweetly.

“That’s the point.” I gripped Mindy’s hips. An excited look crossed her pretty face. Too bad I was about to burst her horny bubble. Lifting her out of my lap, I deposited her on her feet. “I’ll be back.”

Mindy’s jaw unhinged. “Kyler!”

I ignored her. I also ignored Andrea’s smirk and the eye roll Tanner gave me as I stood and pivoted around.

Syd really shouldn’t be at the bar by herself. Being with Paul didn’t count. She needed someone to look out for her, to keep an eye on things, because Syd…well, she had this naїveté about her that drew dickheads in by the masses.

Dickheads like Paul and other guys like me who pretty much did nothing but get a girl on her back. But I was different, way different when it came to Sydney Bell. And it had been my job since I could remember to keep her out of trouble. Right now was no different than any other time.

Yep, that was exactly the reason I was about to break up this little conversation.

Chapter 2

Sydney

“Hey,” Paul said, sliding into the spot Andrea had occupied. “I didn’t know you were coming out. You didn’t say anything in class today.”

“Last minute decision.” I took a sip of my rum and Coke. It was already watered down. “How was the final?”

“I think it went well. You?”

I shrugged. “I think I passed.”

“You probably aced the damn thing.” He stopped, ordering a Sam Adams when the bartender came around. “Are you all packed for the trip tomorrow?”

We were leaving on our annual ski trip to Snowshoe Mountain tomorrow. This was Paul’s first time, but Kyler and I had been going up to his mom’s ski house since we were kids. This was Andrea’s and Tanner’s second year, and some of Kyler’s other friends would be there, too. We usually had a big group going.

“I was packed last weekend.” I giggled. “I’m anal like that.”

His easy grin spread. “I still need to pack. By the way, thanks for inviting me. I’ve never been up to Snowshoe.”

Surprising since he’d grown up in the neighboring town, and I figured everyone who lived in Maryland had been to Snowshoe at some point. “No problem. You said you liked skiing and stuff, so it made sense. Kyler will be out on the slopes all day and night, so you’ll definitely have someone to ski with.”

Paul’s blue eyes drifted toward the table they sat at. “I don’t know about that.”

I frowned and totally refused to see what was happening at the table of sin and sex. They were probably making babies. “What do you mean?”

“I don’t get the impression that Kyler’s a big fan of mine.” His gaze settled on me once more and he shrugged. “Anyway, you’re heading back home after you leave Snowshoe?”

I nodded. “Yep, doing Christmas with the family and staying there until spring semester starts back up. You?”

“I’ll be in Bethesda part of the time and then Winchester with my mom.” He scratched at the label on his bottle, his brows knit. “Parents divorced a few years back, so I go between houses.”

I hadn’t known that. “Sorry to hear that.”

A small smile appeared. “It’s no big deal. I still get to do the whole two Christmases thing, so I’m not complaining.”

Taking another quick sip, I placed my glass down. “Double the presents.”

“Double the fun.” His gaze fell to his beer. Half the label was gone. “Look. I thought we could do—”

Strong arms wrapped around my waist from behind. I was pulled off the stool, and my surprised shriek was cut off when my back hit an immoveable wall of muscle. I was enveloped in a bear hug that smelled of the outdoors and light cologne.

Only one person in this world gave me hugs like this or felt that hard…that good.

Kyler’s deep voice rumbled through my body. “When did you get here?”

My feet still weren’t touching the floor. “A little bit ago,” I gasped out, gripping his forearms through his sweater.

“What the hell? Have you been hiding from me?”

Paul leaned back against the bar and grinned, but it was strained. Not that I could blame him. Kyler always kind of burst in and took over every situation. “I haven’t been hiding,” I told him, flushing when my eyes met Paul’s. “And can you put me down?”

“What if I don’t?” he teased. “You’re so little I could put you in my pocket.”

“What?” I laughed. “Put me down, you idiot. I was having a conversation.”

“Sorry, Paul, I’m stealing her.” Kyler wasn’t sorry at all. He backed away, giving me no choice, because there was no way I was breaking his hold. He turned, dropping into a chair nowhere near the table he’d been at and pulling me into his lap so I was sitting sideways. He looped his arms around my waist. “I’m not happy with you, Syd.”

I arched a brow as my heart rate picked up. He was the only person who called me Syd—well, the only person I let call me that without kicking them in the shin. “Really? Over what?”

“You’re talking to that douche.”

“What douche?”

He leaned in, resting his forehead against mine, and my breath stalled in my chest. Why must he always get so damn close? And he really, truly, always did. “Paul.”

“What about him?” I put my hands on his shoulders to push back, but his arms tightened, holding me in place. “Are you drunk?”

“Am I drunk? Aw, now you’ve gone and hurt my feelings, Syd.”

I smirked. “You don’t have any feelings.”

“Now, now. That wasn’t very nice.” His impossibly long lashes lowered, shielding his eyes as he lifted his head, rubbing his cheek along mine. My fingers dug into his shoulders as desire twisted tight in my center. “I have all these feelings, Syd.”

It took me a moment to respond. “You’re so full of it.”

He rubbed his cheek against me like a cat seeking a belly rub, and I fought the urge to purr. “I’m full of something.”

“Piss and vinegar?” I suggested as I desperately tried to ignore the way my pulse pounded in all the right places.”

He chuckled deep in his throat as he leaned back against the seat he’d taken hostage. “Back to the serious nature of our conversation.”

“Which is: why are you playing Santa right now?”

Kyler’s lashes lifted and his eyes drilled into mine. “Hmm, now that sounds interesting. Have you been naughty or nice this year, Syd?”

I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. My cheeks burned as his gaze turned knowing.

“I know what you’ve been.” He kissed my forehead. “You’ve been nice.”

My shoulders slumped. I didn’t want to be nice. I wanted to be naughty like Blondie. When she’d been in his lap minutes before, I doubted Kyler had been teasing her. Maybe I should scoop some ice up and see what he did, except that would require me doing so out of a random glass, and that was just gross, especially after all that herpes talk.

I needed to change the subject. “Is it still okay for me to leave my car at your place tomorrow, and you take me home when we leave Snowshoe?”

“Of course. Why wouldn’t it be?”

I gave a lopsided shrug. “Just checking.”

And just like that, Kyler was all serious, proving he wasn’t drunk at all. “You don’t ever have to double-check on something like that, Syd. You need a ride at two in the morning, you call me first.”

I ducked my chin. “I know.”

“Though I’d be curious to what you were doing at that time in the morning,” he added, like the probability of me being out that late was unthinkable. “Anyway, if you knew that, then you wouldn’t have to double-check on something like that. I got you.”

Tucking my hair back, I nodded. “Thank you.”

“You don’t need to thank me.” He paused and his arms tightened. “He’s a douche.”

“Huh?” I blinked.

Kyler was staring over my shoulder, eyes narrowed. “Paul. He’s fucking eyeballing us right now. I don’t like the way he looks at you.”

I almost turned around. “He’s not eyeballing us, you ass. He and I were having a conversation before you came along, so he’s probably waiting for me to come back. And he’s not a douche.”

“But I don’t want you to go back.”

I sighed. Was it any wonder why I hadn’t been out on a date in forever, when Kyler was my friend? Well, there were other reasons, but still. Kyler acted like a dad and older brother rolled into one. “You’re being ridiculous.”

He shot me a look that said he knew better. “I don’t like him. I can list all the ways that I don’t.”

“I’ll pass.”

“You’re missing a stimulating list of reasons why.” My eyes rolled. “Well, I don’t like Blondie. I have a thrilling list, too.”

One eyebrow arched. “Blondie? Oh. My new friend?”

“Friend?” I laughed. “I don’t think ‘friend’ is the right term for her.”

He sighed as he leaned forward, propping his chin on my shoulder. “You’re right. That is the wrong term.”

“Okay. You must be drunk if you’re admitting that I’m right.”

“You’re such a smart-ass tonight.” He slid his hand up my back, and I shivered. “Cold?”

Since there was no way in holy hell I was admitting the truth, I lied. “A little.”

“Hmm…you know what?”

The little pressure he was placing on my upper back forced me forward. I placed my cheek on his shoulder and closed my eyes. For a moment, it was easy to pretend that we weren’t in a bar that was playing crappy music, and even better, that we were together.

Together in the way I wanted to be with him.

“What?” I asked, snuggling closer, soaking up the moment.

“That chick isn’t my friend.” His breath was warm against my ear, and I loved the feel of that. “You’ve been my closest friend since I can remember. It’s an insult to you to even call her that.”

I didn’t say anything. Neither did Kyler after that. And we sat there for a little while. Part of me wanted to stand up on a chair and shout to the entire bar that Kyler thought more of me than Blondie. But the other part wanted to go home and throw myself in a corner, because it wouldn’t change how tonight would end. I’d go back to my dorm alone and he’d take Blondie back to his apartment.

It was the same thing every weekend, and God knows how many times during the week.

No one could replace me in his life. I knew that. I was the friend who knew everything about him and whom he trusted above everyone else.

I was Kyler’s best friend.

And because of that, he would never love me the way I loved him.