Page 139 of The Hardest Fall

“I’m going to hate myself for even asking this, but what’s your number?”

I opened my eyes halfway, my brows drawing together in confusion.

“What? What number?”

“How many guys have you slept with?”

“Dylan…” I groaned. “I don’t think that’s—”

“Tell me.”

I sighed. “Three.”

“Three,” he repeated, his body tense around me.

“It’s not that many, and I definitely don’t want to hear yo—”

His body tensed further behind me. “Not that many?” he asked incredulously. His fingers pulsed around my wrist. “That’s three too many.” I felt him rest his forehead against the back of my head. “I wish I could’ve been your first. I know I probably sound like a caveman saying that, but even picturing you near another man makes the blood boil in my veins. I can’t stand to picture you in someone else’s bed, lying just like this.” He pulled me closer. “Just me from now on—I’ll be the only one touching you, kissing you, holding you, fucking you.”

“You won’t hear any complaints from me on that,” I returned after a few seconds passed and his body gradually thawed.

That night, I got the best sleep after weeks of being miserable, and I was pretty sure Dylan did too.

Chapter Thirty

Dylan

A few months later…

It was the big day—draft day. I’d woken up before the sunrise in the hotel room we were staying at in Arlington, Texas, where the draft would be held. My dad, my mom, Amelia, Mason, my agent—everyone was there to support me. Well, all but one. The one person that was missing had just landed fifteen minutes ago, and I was getting restless and impatient waiting for her at the airport.

When she still hadn’t come out, I headed for a shop to grab a bottle of water. I wasn’t sure if my excitement was because I was about to see Zoe or because of the big day—probably a mixture of both—and even though it sounded ridiculous to miss her so much since it’d only been a handful days since I’d left her back in Los Angeles in the shitty little apartment we shared with another student, I’d already accepted that everything was different with her.

I’d never been a jealous person in my life, not to the extent that I was with Zoe, and while sometimes the intensity of my feelings for her scared the shit out of me, I wouldn’t have had it any other way. If it meant I’d feel like a Neanderthal trying to keep her away from every person who had a dick between their legs, I’d make my peace with it. As far as I knew, she had no complaints either, which might have had something to do with the fact that I kissed her senseless every time she was about to complain, but we’ll never know for sure.

As I waited in line to pay for my water, someone poked me in the shoulder. I turned around and there she was, smiling, glowing, bouncing on her feet, hands covering her mouth.

My lips stretched into a big grin.

“Where did you come from?”

Instead of answering, she squealed and wrapped her arms around me. Chuckling, I returned her hug and held her tighter. After a long moment, she looked up at me and smiled.

“I missed you.”

“Yeah?”

“You have no idea.”

Seeing how happy she was, I felt a little more centered. “Where have you been? I was going crazy without you,” I admitted into her ear then kissed her until I had to stop and pay when it was my turn in line.

Grabbing her carry-on, I linked our hands together, and we walked out of the airport, talking the entire way. As we waited for our Uber to come, she leaned back against me and I wrapped my arms just under her breasts, resting my chin on the top of her head.

“I think I’m starting to freak out, and look”—she raised her palms—“my hands are sweating.”

“Why are you freaking out again?”

“I’m about to meet your parents, Dylan, and your brother, and your sister. What if they don’t like me? What if they don’t like what I’m wearing? What if they think I have no right to be here? I want to be there with you, but if it’s going to be awkward for them, maybe I should wait back at the hotel with your brother and sister? But I don’t want to do that either…”

I gave her a squeeze and sighed. “Zoe, you’re not going to leave my side for a minute, and my parents will love you—they already do from everything I’ve told them about you. Amelia is even more shy than you are, so she’ll probably be quiet, but she’s sweet. You’ll love her.”

She grumbled a little under her breath but didn’t protest after that.

Only because I thought I should distract her, I pushed my hips forward so she could feel how hard I was for her then pressed a lingering kiss right under her ear.