Page 49 of Pinch

She grabs my hands in both of hers. “Hayden Lucille Bradford. You are gorgeous and kind and smart and the bestperson I know. That guy was never good enough for you, and he always had some dumb opinion on everything.”

“He was a knob.” I exhale a bitter laugh, thinking of what Gavin said about his pompous ass.

“Rob the knob. Is he the reason you stopped dating?”

I shrug. “Numbers, data, wind currents, these are all things I can understand, things I can control. Men are… unknown variables.”

She gives me a tight hug. “You don’t have to convince me men are rats, but not all of them, right? Mav’s doing pretty well, and Gav…”

“Maybe.”

“At least he’s no love bomber.” She exhales a sigh, walking ahead of me into the house.

I don’t argue with her. I think about college and everything that happened. I think about what Maverick said and how Gavin has acted since he’s been here.

I built my hypothesis on the evidence I had at hand. But new evidence keeps emerging, and I’m not so sure things were the way I thought they were in college.

14

Gavin

Ihate opening my eyes to an empty bed. Especially after a blazing hot night with a woman I’ve been low-key trying not to obsess over for almost a decade.

Turning onto my side, I buried my head in her pillow, inhaling the lingering scent of fresh jasmine as the memories flooded my mind.

I worshipped her body like I’d wanted to do since she flashed me in the hall my first morning here. She’s perfect in every way, from her beautiful mind to her beautiful breasts to her sweet pussy to her red-painted toenails.

My mouth covered every inch of her body, and I was looking forward to doing it again. Instead, she was gone, leaving only her scent and my conflicted emotions.

I tried hating her.

She took one look at me in college and decided my cheating ex was more trustworthy than I was. When did I forget how she stood by Karen?

The minute her trembling fingers touched my barechest, and she looked at me with those blue eyes so full of wonder and lust. I had to have her, grudges be damned.

To be fair, we didn’t really know each other in college. She was Karen’s roommate. Of course, she believed her friend over me.

What’s worse is I gave Karen the tools she needed to kill my reputation. If I hadn’t gone on an anger-fueled rampage and slept with those Tri-Delts, I might’ve been able to fight back.

But we hadn’t announced our breakup. No one knew except me she was sucking off any guy who wasn’t my friend. Shit, some of them were my friends—or they were supposed to be. That cut the deepest.

Then I discovered she went after Dex. He’s like a brother to me. He’s my dad’s partner’s son, and we basically grew up together. My mom Elaine and his mom Melissa were best friends before they even met our dads.

Of course, he felt like shit telling me, but I wish he’d said something sooner.

Which brings me here, to the most incredible night of my life with Haddy, and she sneaked out of the bed before I even woke up. Then she turned her back on us in the car, and wouldn’t even look at me.

She still believes the story.

She still doesn’t trust me.

She’s still holding onto misplaced loyalty.

It’s been a minute since I’ve slept with anyone, and what we shared was beyond anything I’ve ever experienced. I want to talk to her. I need to talk to her and find out where we stand.

A whistle blows, and an arc of ice shavings fans in front of me, snapping me out of my rumination.

“Hey.” It’s Mav, and he’s in my face. “What’s up with you? I’m reading your mind, and it’s not in the game.”