“I mean, it didn’t hurt,” she teases.
I grin, already leaning in, ready to kiss her for every girl who’s ever talked shit about her to see, but then she drops her eyes and says quietly, “I think I made some friends today.”
I pause, hand still holding onto her hip, my smile widening.
“Oh, yeah?” I ask, my voice low.
She nods, glancing up at me from under her lashes. “Jenni and Chris. I met them in class. They were actually… really nice. One of them even stepped in when a girl made a rude comment.”
“Fuck,” I mutter, pulling her in even closer, pressing my forehead to hers. “You have no idea how happy I am to hear that.”
“I, uh, even went to lunch with them,” she adds coyly, as though that isn’t the fucking cherry on top. “It was really nice to be around people who didn’t know anything about me. Jenni’s apsych major and Chris is on the hockey team. He said I should come to a game sometime.”
“Well, I like the sound of Jenni,” I say slowly. “Chris… not so much.”
She rolls her eyes and groans. “Why not?”
“Because you’re mine,” I say, tugging her closer and kissing her cheek. She slaps my chest lightly, and for a second I think she’s going to tease me for being possessive.
That’s not what it is, though.
I’m just a guy who knows he hit the damn jackpot, and I’m not losing the only thing that makes any of this worth it.
I move to kiss her on the lips, but as I do, my phone buzzes.
Then again. And again.
There’s a rapid succession of notifications, vibrating against my thigh like an angry hornet.
I ignore it, placing my lips on hers, but she’s already pushing me away and glancing at my pocket.
“Someone’s trying to reach you.”
I exhale and reach for my phone to silence it, but Honey’s gaze drops to the screen before I can flip it over. I try to move it out of sight, but she grabs my wrist, reading the stream of messages as they appear.
@ZachAttack69:That throw today? Unreal. I knew you were good with your hands, but that was something special. ??
@QBThirstTrap:You left me on read again, Zaddy. Don’t make me beg. ?? ??
@EvansEndZone:Those pants don’t hideanything.Pretty sure you know that, don’t you, babe?
@SaintMichaelsSidePiece:Still thinking about you pinning me after the game. You promised I’d get my turn.
@HydrateMeZach:Put me on your recovery schedule, QB. I’ll be dripping before you even break a sweat. ????
“Who are all these people?” I can hear the doubt in her voice, and I hate that this has ruined the mood between us. When I don’t answer right away, she looks up at me with her honey-colored eyes, almost pleading for me to say something.
“It’s just messages from my social media accounts.”
“B-but I thought you didn’t manage your social media anymore?”
“I don’t. The marketing intern does, but I keep the logins since I like to know what’s being posted under my name.”
“Are all the messages like that?”
“Yeah,” I admit, keeping my tone light. “I’m not allowed to block them. The bad publicity that comes with it could affect my NIL deal.”
“And you don't respond to them?” she asks, arching a brow.