hitting Emmy pretty hard, so I add, “That and all the bitches.”
“Oh my God,” she half-laughs. “Walker, you are something else.”
“I guess that’s why I’m always on. On the field, off the field. I’m always going hard, as hard as I can. I have to be the best for her! And all the partying…I guess it keeps my mind off things.”
A warm breeze tosses Emmy’s hair, and she doesn’t bother brushing it out of her face. I’ve never taken a girl here before. And after all that’s happened between us, I don’t know why I’m admitting this to her. But there’s something about her. Do I like this chick? And the way she’s looking at me…does she feel the same way?
6
Emmy
W alker Johnson is not the man I thought he was. Beneath all the partying, all the ego, testosterone and bravado, there’s actually a man there. A man with a heart. All those antics…the reputation. There was no indication that there was any more to him than girls and thirty racks.
He’s an asshole!...Right?
I must be on a reality show right now or something. This can’t possibly be real. But who would make up a story like that and spend an hour driving out into the middle of nowhere? The look on his face says he’s serious, and seeing him standing here against this landscape, his story starts to make sense.
Hearing all this has somehow started to wash away the reputation that follows him everywhere. I used to see him as a spoiled brat, floating through life on his looks and talent, not caring about anyone or anything. But now I see that’s not true.
“I—I’m sorry, Walker.” It’s all I can say. “I didn’t know.”
“No one does,” he says, stepping towards me. “It’s not something I tell just anyone.”
He’s right in front of me, and even though the heat out here is sweltering, it’s nothing compared to what I feel rise up inside me as I look up into his piercing brown eyes. I’m blushing!
And Walker can definitely see it, but he doesn’t react. He just keeps staring at me. My heart pounds in my chest like an overactive drummer, and I feel myself starting to sweat. I want to reach out and touch him. I want to feel his skin, his muscles, his body underneath my fingers. But I can’t. I’m overheating, but I’m frozen in place.
Slowly, Walker reaches out towards me. My breath catches in my chest. I try to swallow, but my throat is dry. His hand grows closer and closer. My heart beats fast and faster, then ever so gently, he brushes a strand of hair from my face.
“You’re sweating,” he whispers.
“It’s—it’s hot,” I stammer, my mouth on autopilot. I’m entranced by him. I feel so small beneath him, waiting, just waiting for what’s going to happen next.
I see a moment of hesitation in him, but just a moment. Then he leans in to kiss me.
Just before his lips reach mine, I turn away. No! I can’t!
Walker pulls back.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper, unable to look at him. “I—I have a boyfriend.”
Silence. Only the sound of the wind. Every second that goes by is an eternity. I want to look up at him, but I can’t. What is he thinking? He knows I have a boyfriend!
But he doesn’t care, and that turns me on. We can’t do this, and it makes me want it so much more. I’ve wanted him since the moment I met him. But I’m not a cheater. I could never do that to Ronald. That is a line I will never cross. My mom cheated on my father when I was in high school. He forgave her, but their relationship never recovered. She broke his heart.
“I get it,” Walker finally says. “Come on. Let’s go back.”
His shadow passes across my face, and I hear his footsteps crunch along the dirt as he walks back to the car. The hinges squeak as he pulls the door open, and I snap out of my stupor. Moving back to the truck, I take another look back at Walker’s childhood home, trying to picture what growing up here was like for him.
I snap myself out of my stupor and head back to the car, hopping in
“Oh my God,” she half-laughs. “Walker, you are something else.”
“I guess that’s why I’m always on. On the field, off the field. I’m always going hard, as hard as I can. I have to be the best for her! And all the partying…I guess it keeps my mind off things.”
A warm breeze tosses Emmy’s hair, and she doesn’t bother brushing it out of her face. I’ve never taken a girl here before. And after all that’s happened between us, I don’t know why I’m admitting this to her. But there’s something about her. Do I like this chick? And the way she’s looking at me…does she feel the same way?
6
Emmy
W alker Johnson is not the man I thought he was. Beneath all the partying, all the ego, testosterone and bravado, there’s actually a man there. A man with a heart. All those antics…the reputation. There was no indication that there was any more to him than girls and thirty racks.
He’s an asshole!...Right?
I must be on a reality show right now or something. This can’t possibly be real. But who would make up a story like that and spend an hour driving out into the middle of nowhere? The look on his face says he’s serious, and seeing him standing here against this landscape, his story starts to make sense.
Hearing all this has somehow started to wash away the reputation that follows him everywhere. I used to see him as a spoiled brat, floating through life on his looks and talent, not caring about anyone or anything. But now I see that’s not true.
“I—I’m sorry, Walker.” It’s all I can say. “I didn’t know.”
“No one does,” he says, stepping towards me. “It’s not something I tell just anyone.”
He’s right in front of me, and even though the heat out here is sweltering, it’s nothing compared to what I feel rise up inside me as I look up into his piercing brown eyes. I’m blushing!
And Walker can definitely see it, but he doesn’t react. He just keeps staring at me. My heart pounds in my chest like an overactive drummer, and I feel myself starting to sweat. I want to reach out and touch him. I want to feel his skin, his muscles, his body underneath my fingers. But I can’t. I’m overheating, but I’m frozen in place.
Slowly, Walker reaches out towards me. My breath catches in my chest. I try to swallow, but my throat is dry. His hand grows closer and closer. My heart beats fast and faster, then ever so gently, he brushes a strand of hair from my face.
“You’re sweating,” he whispers.
“It’s—it’s hot,” I stammer, my mouth on autopilot. I’m entranced by him. I feel so small beneath him, waiting, just waiting for what’s going to happen next.
I see a moment of hesitation in him, but just a moment. Then he leans in to kiss me.
Just before his lips reach mine, I turn away. No! I can’t!
Walker pulls back.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper, unable to look at him. “I—I have a boyfriend.”
Silence. Only the sound of the wind. Every second that goes by is an eternity. I want to look up at him, but I can’t. What is he thinking? He knows I have a boyfriend!
But he doesn’t care, and that turns me on. We can’t do this, and it makes me want it so much more. I’ve wanted him since the moment I met him. But I’m not a cheater. I could never do that to Ronald. That is a line I will never cross. My mom cheated on my father when I was in high school. He forgave her, but their relationship never recovered. She broke his heart.
“I get it,” Walker finally says. “Come on. Let’s go back.”
His shadow passes across my face, and I hear his footsteps crunch along the dirt as he walks back to the car. The hinges squeak as he pulls the door open, and I snap out of my stupor. Moving back to the truck, I take another look back at Walker’s childhood home, trying to picture what growing up here was like for him.
I snap myself out of my stupor and head back to the car, hopping in
Similar Books
