Free Pretending Hearts by Heather Topham Wood Page A

about his feelings and you’ve made me feel so much better.”
    “Feel free to return the favor. You know like passing on my number to one of your brother’s single teammates? I’ve had sex with a minor league baseball player before, but getting a piece of ass from the NFL is on my bucket list.”
    “I’ll do my best,” I replied giddily. My mood was lifted hundredfold by Georgie’s pronouncement. Mistakenly, I had let Autumn get into my head and mix up my feelings about Wyatt. All of us had our secrets and sins and I wouldn’t let a few rumors about Wyatt get in the way of my potential happiness.

 
Chapter Eight
     
    “Come on, Del. You’re not really mad, are you?” Wyatt asked as he followed me out into his living room.
    “Don’t call me Del,” I said archly as I grabbed my purse. As I stormed to the front door, I realized how I had to stop getting stranded at his condo without an escape route.
    Wyatt placed his hand against the door to prevent me from leaving. He gave me a puppy dog look. “You’re overreacting.”
    “Overreacting? You started taking shots of vodka while I was in the middle of going down on you!” I screamed at him. My body shook with anger as I swung to face him.
    “I’m sorry. It’s not like I wasn’t enjoying your mouth on me,” he said in a contrite tone.
    “You make me feel cheap, Wyatt, and I’m over it,” I said harshly.
    “I’m not trying to make you feel that way on purpose. I’m new to this whole relationship thing,” he said softly. He swayed in place, likely feeling the effects of the vodka, and used his hold on the door to steady himself.
    Relationship ? I almost laughed in his face. Two weeks of sleeping together and I was beginning to wonder if Wyatt was capable of having a normal relationship. I probably would’ve ended things already if he didn’t keep finding ways to pull me back in. He was careless with my feelings, but when I threatened to leave, the sweeter side of Wyatt I had fallen for would come out and he would us his body and words against me. Catch and release seemed like Wyatt’s specialty.
    “Will you stay for a bit? We’ll talk,” he suggested. He was bleary-eyed and red-faced. He was in no condition to drive me home, so I’d have to either let him sleep it off first, or find another way home. Not being allowed a car on campus was becoming a huge pain in the ass.
    “Fine,” I finally said. Despite his inebriated state, he still managed to give me a charming smile. If relationships were always this much work, I’d been smart to avoid them for as long as I had. On some days, I felt the strongest connection to Wyatt and imagined one day falling in love with him. On other days, I barely even liked him as a person.
    Georgie had been Wyatt’s biggest advocate. She claimed he was a reformed bad boy and only needed time to get accustomed to having a girlfriend. He was wealthy and gorgeous and never had to answer to anyone before for his selfish behavior. I hadn’t confessed to Georgie how Wyatt’s egotism followed us into the bedroom.
    Wyatt was a disappointment in bed. The first couple of times we slept together, I chalked the boredom up to an anomaly. We were starting out and finding our rhythm. When sex didn’t improve, I wondered if I was to blame. I wasn’t a virgin, but I’d been only with high school guys who botched their attempts to get me off. Maybe I needed to allow the older and more experienced Wyatt to take the lead.
    But the sex hadn’t gotten better. Wyatt wanted sex hard and fast and hadn’t picked up on my cues on what I liked and what I didn’t like. I never got women who faked an orgasm. How did pretending to get off in bed benefit either person? I didn’t want to hurt Wyatt’s feelings, but I also felt like he should be making sure I was satisfied too.
    I set my purse down and plopped down on his couch. Wyatt opened up his mouth to start a conversation, but I reached for the remote and turned on the TV. I set