Free Shredded by Tracy Wolff

waist, she looks completely freaked out. Worse, she looks empty. I’ve had enough experience with the feeling to recognize it in her.
    But before I can do anything more than say her name again and climb to my feet, the others are on us.
    “You okay?” Luc asks her as he wraps a comforting arm around her waist. “That was one hell of a fall.”
    “I’m fine,” she says, and though she’s still stiff, I notice that she doesn’t jerk out of his hold. Instead, she stands there, her body sagging a little against his, looking completely comfortable. Way more comfortable than she looked when we were together.
    It pisses me off. Then I get pissed off about being pissed off. Luc is my best friend, and Ophelia’s just some girl, some bet. And yet I can’t stand the way he’s touching her, can’t stand the way he ducks his head and murmurs something only the two of them can hear. Even if it’s nothing, even if he’s just checking on her, I still don’t like it.
    I jump to my feet, shove my hands in my pockets. Focus on the fact that this latest fall has aggravated all the aches and pains I got from my earlier swan dive in the half-pipe. My leg has started aching again and the bruises over my ribs throb in time to my heartbeat.
    The hospital offered me a script for painkillers, but I didn’t take it. I know the nurse thought I was crazy—or a recovering junkie—but the truth is, the pain is part of the reason I do the things I do. It grounds me in a way nothing else can.
    “Are you all right, Z?” Cam lays a gentle hand on my arm. “You didn’t hit your head again?”
    “I’m all good,” I tell her, shrugging off her touch. It feels like she’s offering so much more than friendship with that hold, and it’s not something I want any part of. With anybody, really, but certainly not with her.
    “So, what’s next?” I ask. “One of those parties or—”
    “I’m going home,” Ophelia says.
    I glance at my watch. “But it isn’t even ten o’clock yet!”
    She shrugs. “I’ve got work in the morning.”
    “So do we, but you don’t see any of us punking out early!”
    “Guess I’m just not as cool as you, Z. But then, who is, right?”
    Ash makes a big point of coughing to cover a laugh, so I shove him and then flip him off. Whose side is he supposed to be on anyway?
    “If you really want to leave, I’ll walk you to your car.” It’s dark in the park, but I can still see her eyes. They’re wide and a little startled, and I decide not to push her anymore.
    “Oh, that’s not necessary,” Ophelia answers. “It’s just a couple of blocks that way,right?” She gestures toward the park’s entrance.
    “Actually, the clinic’s parking lot is that way.” I point in the exact opposite direction. “About three blocks.”
    “Right. Cool.” She tosses her hair, tries to act like she’s not flustered at all. But I can tell she’s spooked. Right now, tough-as-nails Ophelia is anything but. “Thanks for letting me hang with you guys tonight. It was fun.”
    She gives a little wave, starts to walk toward the other side of the park. I fall into step beside her, while Cam, Ash, and Luc bring up the rear. Now that they know we’re okay, they’re back to boasting about how they kicked our asses in the snowball fight.
    We would have been home free if Ophelia hadn’t slipped, but I don’t bother to correct them. I’m too busy trying to ignore the way she smells—all sweet and warm, like peaches in the summertime. It’s a good smell, one that’s doing nothing to help my dick deflate even though it’s obvious I’m not going to be getting any action with her tonight.
    “You don’t have to walk with me,” she tells me, sounding irritated. “I can find my way back to the clinic, you know.”
    “No doubt. But it’s dark, and while most of the tourists are tucked up in their beds at the resorts, you don’t know who’s out wandering the streets. It’s safer if we go with you.”
    “I don’t