29. Evan
CHAPTER 29
Evan
L ater that afternoon, Trent and I jumped rope to warm up before hitting the punching bags. A familiar twinkle is in his eyes as he looks at me, a smirk pulling up his lips.
I arch a brow as I keep jumping rope. “How did it go with Sophia?”
He chuckles.“She was fucking terrified. She told me someone keeps sending her creepy pictures and texts, but she has no idea who they are. I pretended to be shocked, then outraged, demanding to see them.” He stops jumping, wiping the sweat from his brow. “I should’ve won an award for the surprise and concern I displayed when she showed them to me. I promised to keep her safe and told her she’s welcome to come to my apartment any time.”
I stop jumping rope, wiping the sweat from my brow with the back of my hand. “I’m damn proud of you. You’re devious.” I give him a high five. “You gonna use the burner phone and text her while you’re with her?”
He nods. “It’s a surefire way to ensure she’ll stay with me tonight. I will tell her to knock on my bedroom door if she needs anything. Then her stalker will text her, saying he’s inside her dorm room and demanding to know where she is.”
“Oh shit. That should do it.”
Trent grabs his towel and wipes his face. “What about you? How did your meeting with Lexi go?”
My thoughts instantly picture her spread on my desk, my face buried between her thighs.
“That good, huh?” Trent shakes his head, a shit eating grin curling his lips. “You’ve got it bad for her.” He grabs his water bottle and tips it back, downing half.
I glare at him, a prickle of unease rolling through me. Don’t let him fuck with your head. You’re in control.
“I don’t have it bad for her.” I move to the bench and grab the tape, wrapping it around my hand.
“Ah, I’m getting to you, aren’t I?” He raises his brows, assessing me intently. “You’re doubting yourself. Wondering if you’re catching feelings and she’s not. Worried she’s playing you.”
I consciously force my limbs to relax, stripping my sweaty tee overhead. I’m profusely perspiring as my thoughts careen out of control. What if she’s deceiving me?
The irony of the master of deceit being deceived… Well, it’s just too much for me to process.
“I’m not worried.” I head to the ring to get ready to spar with him. When I meet his gaze, I smile arrogantly. “I must be a badass at faking emotions if I have you fooled. I’m not worried she’s playing me.”
“Uh huh. Whatever helps you sleep at night.”
“Quit worrying about me and worry about Owen. Did you get the jackass to agree to a paid fight yet?”
Trent’s muscles grow taut. “Little bitch is scared. Keeps running from me while fighting a bunch of chumps he knows he can easily beat.”
A wicked grin curls my lips. “He’ll fold once Sophia is staying with you.”
Trent’s grin is salacious and full of confidence. “After he hears her screaming my name while I fuck her into oblivion, he’ll wanna fight me.”
We slap our gloves together in the ring. “That’s what I’m talking about.”
Trent levels me with a look, his smile fading. “Being her professor is risky. You need to be careful. If Lexi squeals and the university launches an investigation?—”
“She won’t. One, she likes the things I do to her too much. And two, I’m holding my dad’s wallet over her head. She knows he’ll revoke funding, and she’ll be kicked off campus.” I grab my mouthguard. “Since her mom sold her childhood home, she’d have no one else to go but to live with my father and her mother. She likes that idea as much as the thought of walking over hot coals.”
He lets out a whistle as he grabs his mouthguard. “You have her over a barrel.”
I wink. “I know.”
Trent bounces on his feet, warming up before we spare. “She has a mask kink, huh?”
A glimmer of satisfaction rolls through me. “Big time. All that time I spent studying her on socials and checking out her Netflix and Amazon movie collections paid off.”
“I bet she’d love that corn maze in Monroe.”
“Bet she would. She’d love Ghostface chasing her through the stalks. She enjoys him pursuing her in the woods.”
Plans circle inside my head . I should take her there. We’d have a helluva time.
“The lengths you go to, Evan.” Trent smiles before he puts his mouthpiece in.
“I’m nothing if not thorough.” I slip my mouthpiece in, and we begin dancing around one another inside the ring. “Time to put up or shut up, Walsh.”
“Careful what you wish for, Whitmore.” He swings, but I jerk my head away before he connects. It throws him off balance slightly, and I capitalize, my fist connecting with his cheek.
“Come on, Trent. You need to fight better than this if you’re gonna kick Owen’s ass.”
Rage contorts Trent’s face. “It’s on, muthafucker.”