Page 138 of The Surprise Play

It was squishy, and I barely slept. He lightly snored behind me while I lay awake, staring across my darkened room and lightly pinching myself to remind me that yes, this is all real.

I finally drifted off at some point in the early hours of the morning, and I’m feeling a little worse for wear as I get ready for the day.

And I realize why when I go to the bathroom and see that I have my period. Rubbing my aching head, I stare at my stained underwear before talking myself off the toilet and into action mode.

I rinse my soiled clothes while I’m taking a shower,then pop a few pain meds to get me through the day. I’ve learned to preempt these things, and it definitely eases the discomfort.

My knee is still a little tender, so I choose my softest dress and make sure I’m aiming for maximum comfort before heading out the door for my morning walk and coffee.

Wily left for his gym workout about an hour ago, and I’m not sure when I’ll see him today… until I find him waiting for me outside Java Jeans.

“Hey, beautiful.” He greets me with a grin, and my heart turns to putty.

How can it not?

He’s smiling at me like I’m the best part of his day, and I still can’t quite believe that he’s my boyfriend.

Lining up beside him, we order our coffees to go and amble around the campus, sipping and laughing as he tells me about his intense workout and how the Scouting Combine is only two weeks away.

I can tell he’s nervous-excited about it as he tries to lighten his anticipation with jokes about football.

Seeing right through them all, I give him a tender smile and tell him, “You’re gonna be great. You can do anything, Wily.”

“Thanks, baby,” he murmurs, smiling down at me and leaning in for a kiss.

I’m a microsecond away from reaching up and kissing him back when I spot something out of the corner of my eye that makes me flinch and step away from him.

He frowns at me, then gives me a dry look, shaking his head. “Still not into the PDA, huh?”

I give him a tight smile and bob my head, because that’s a great excuse. Yep. Let’s go with that.

My heart kicks out of place, then starts thundering when I notice the cause of my angst walking toward us.

Shit, shit, shit!

“Man, I hope you get over that soon, Satchy babe, because I really want to kiss you right now in front of anyone who might be watching.” He winks down at me. “You’re my girl, and?—”

“Hey, Wily.” Jade’s got her sweet voice on, and my skin immediately starts to itch and burn the second she’s within range.

She smells like vanilla and lilacs, her intense perfume assaulting my senses as she steps between me and my boyfriend.

It’s like I’m not even here the way she creates a quick barrier between us and smiles up at him.

I stare at the side of her face, wishing I could glare at her, tell her to fuck off and leave us the hell alone!

But my insides are frozen solid, and I can’t utter a word, because I know she’s livid with me. She’s hiding it like the queen actress that she is, but I am going to pay big for going against her wishes and hanging out with Wily anyway.

Oh shit, did she see him leaning down to kiss me?

My insides flood with hot terror as I imagine what she’d say if she knew we’d slept together.

“How are you?” Jade runs her hand down Wily’s arm.

He darts his gaze to me, then gives her his friendly smile. It’s not his flirty one, just his standard friendly one that he uses with strangers. “I’m great.”

“I haven’t seen you around as much.” She pouts. “I’ve been looking out for you, though.”

Tipping her head, she runs her fingers through her hair and goes into full flirt mode.