Hugh circled her waist and pulled her in for a kiss. “Let’s go upstairs, so I can return the favor.”

She sighed into his embrace, wanting so desperately to let this be everything she was pretending it was. She wanted to be the girl in her boyfriend’s arms, happy to go upstairs to let him ravage her all night. But she wasn’t that girl.

“I’ve had an incredible night,” she told him honestly. It was true. Even with the unexpected blow job, the night had been all but perfect.

“Good. Let’s end it the right way,” he suggested.

“I…can’t stay the night.”

“You don’t have to.”

She narrowed her eyes. “I’m not one of those girls.”

“I don’t know what those girls are, but I’m asking to spend more time with you. Is that really so bad?”

“Of course not. That’s not what I meant.”

“Then, stay,” he persisted. His hands trailed to her neck where he slowly unbuttoned the top buttons of her dress. “I’ll make it worth it.”

Bryna nipped at his bottom lip and forced down the urge to agree with him. “Then, it’ll be worth it another time, too.”

His hand stilled at her neck, and he sighed. “You’re one hard woman to pin down.”

She smirked. “I think, in time, you’ll come to find that is not true.”

He laughed, and that easy smile, the one that had won her over the first time they met, came back on his face. She loved that smile.

“Maybe, in time, I will.”

Hugh walked her back downstairs and then drove her across town to her condo. He gave her a passionate kiss good-bye that was so hot that she felt woozy while exiting the car. But by the time she got back into her empty condo, the feeling had worn off, and she was left empty all over again.

A part of her wanted to phone Andrew for a quick booty call, but she resisted the temptation. She would have sex with Hugh soon enough. When the time was right, she would move forward. At least, that was what she told herself as she brushed her teeth before falling into bed.

BRYNA STOOD OUTSIDE in her cheer uniform, holding her pom-poms. The weather was nice for the first weekend in November, but as the sun was setting, all the girls wore their black-gold-and-silver cheer jackets over their uniforms to ward off the chill before the annual homecoming parade.

Bryna was on her phone, lounging against the bed of a pickup truck. Andrew was texting her from his hotel room out of town with the rest of the football team, saying how boring it was and describing all the things he would rather be doing to her instead. It was a nice distraction even if he was getting really clingy.

Hugh had also been texting her semi-regularly since they had left the gala. He wasn’t sure when he was going to be back in town again. She hadn’t decided if this was a good thing yet. She wasn’t anxious to find another excuse not to fuck Hugh, if she could even hold out any longer.

She wanted to fuck him. He was hot and wealthy and charming—everything she was looking for. He was Hugh Westercamp. He could have anyone he wanted, and he wanted her. That was what mattered.

“Bryna, come take a picture with me!” Stacia called. Three little girls were staring up at Stacia star struck.

“No, thanks. I’ll wait right here.”

Stacia pouted her bottom lip. “You can’t be on that thing all night.”

“I’ll put it away when the parade starts.”

“One picture? Please!”

As if on cue, Bryna’s phone rang. “Sorry. I have to take this.”

“Fine,” Stacia spat.

Bryna glanced down at her phone in her hand and saw her father’s name lighting up the screen. Her stomach dropped before she even answered the phone. “Hey, Daddy.”

“Hey, sweetheart! How are you doing?”

“I’m great. We’re about to start the homecoming parade. When should I expect you to be in town? Late tonight or really early tomorrow? You know what it’s like,” she said, babbling on. “We have to be at the stadium, dressed and ready early in the morning, so tonight would be better. Are you going to stay at the condo? Or did you get a hotel room? There’s plenty of room at the condo, of course. I had the maid make up the guest room for you. On Sunday, I thought we could do brunch before you leave town. I’m dying to take you to this new place on campus. Also, Coach Galloway wanted me to remind you—”

“Bryna,” he said softly.

“No,” she stated firmly. “No. You’re not doing this to me again! You promised me homecoming.”

“I know, honey. But Celia has been sick lately, and she needs me here.”

Bryna frowned. She despised Celia, her evil witch of a stepmother, for ruining her parents’ marriage and then moving her Valley trash into her father’s house—not to mention, for bringing her horrible stepbrother, Pace, into her life.

“So, you’re choosing her over keeping your promise to your only daughter?”

Fire filled her veins. She couldn’t believe this was happening again. He used to come to everything for her when she was younger, but ever since he’d married Celia and with his overindulgence in work, he hadn’t come to anything. He had missed Christmas last year along with countless other important events for her over the years, but it had never been for something as ridiculous as this. And she had thought—after he had made it home for her charity function last year, even if it had been a fucking disaster with Jude there, as well as spending time together in Paris over the summer as promised—things would turn around. But no. She could never count on him for anything.

“Now, Bryna, that’s enough! You’re going to be there for three more years. I’ll come next time.”

“Sure you will.” She ground her teeth together. “Why can’t someone else take care of Celia? What is even wrong with her?”

He hesitated. “We’re not sure yet. I didn’t want to scare you, but she has to get some tests taken.”

“What kind of tests?”

“We want to make sure everything is okay. Try not to worry about it.”

“Okay,” she said flippantly. “So, you’re still not going to come then? Not at all?”

“I can’t, Bryna, but I’m sending Pace in my place. He has some exciting news for you.”

“Don’t bother,” Bryna growled. “I hate Pace, and you know it.”

Her father sighed heavily on the phone. “He is coming up there for recruitment anyway. He doesn’t even have to stay with you, if you don’t want him to, but try to show him around.”

“He can’t go here, Daddy! You have to convince him to go somewhere else,” she said, nearly hysterical.

“He’s my son now, Bryna. He’ll be a Gambler if I can help it. It’s where he wants to go, just like you, and you’re not going to stop him. Do you understand me?”

“He’s your son?” She nearly gagged. “I can’t even right now. That’s seriously disturbing.”

“Bryna—”

“You know what? Forget it. I’m sorry I’m just realizing that your new family is so much more important than your old family.”

“Honey, you’re overreacting. There would be serious implications for me if I left right now. I hate disappointing you, but you will always be my baby girl,” her father said.

“Okay.” She clearly wasn’t getting into his head. The whole thing infuriated her. “Well, the parade is starting. So…bye.”

“Bye, sweetheart.”

She hung up the phone, even more pissed off than when she had been talking to her dad. How dare he! With everything going on in her life, she had really been looking forward to spending some quality time with him, but no, he couldn’t even manage that.

“Hey! Who was that?” Stacia asked, bounding over to Bryna.

“No one. Doesn’t matter. Are you ready to go?” Bryna threw her phone into her pocket, stripped out of her jacket, tossed it on the back of the truck, and retrieved her poms.