Total pages in book: 49
Estimated words: 46198 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 231(@200wpm)___ 185(@250wpm)___ 154(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 46198 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 231(@200wpm)___ 185(@250wpm)___ 154(@300wpm)
I strip the gloves from my hands and drop them onto the ice. “That’s because my good luck charm sent me positive vibes.”
She wiggles her eyebrows. “Watching you does dirty things to me.”
I smirk. “Wait until later. I plan to fulfill every fantasy you’ve ever had.”
“Trent,” my brother groans from behind me. “Let’s go.”
“You should go,” Jemma suggests. “We can talk about dirty things later.”
This girl kills me.”
Jemma sits beside me on my bed, her eyes wide as she stares at The Queen’s latest slam post about our team.
Dethroned: December Edition
Ahh, Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year. And yet, at Strickland University, it’s the most scandalous. While everyone is out shopping for the holidays, the spoiled brats of Strick U are up to their usual debauchery.
* * *
From the looks of the dick pics Drake Donovan has been sharing with a certain someone, he has plenty of lovin’ for his mystery woman to unwrap. But who’s the lucky girl? Or should we say girls, you nasty dick-pic-sending-creep?
* * *
XO,
The Queen
Relieved, I blow out a deep breath. Tucker has been the focus of The Queen’s antics in the past. This month, she ripped Drake a new one. Every month, I cringe when I get a Dethroned app notification that The Queen has posted more gossip about one of us on her blog.
I drop my phone onto the bed and groan. “When is this going to end? I’m so sick of her bullshit.”
Jemma closes out of the Dethroned app, and her eyes meet mine. “Why is she obsessed with your team?
I roll my shoulders. “Your guess is as good as mine. She’s been stalking us since the start of the season.”
“She hasn’t targeted any other sports team. It doesn’t make sense.”
“She’s a past hookup. Why else would she go to these lengths to humiliate us?”
“Isn’t Jamie a hacker?”
“Not exactly,” I confess. “Killian’s better at it. But don’t let him hear that. Jamie has a reputation to uphold.”
Killian Kade lives in the room next to the one I share with Trent. He’s a local boy who does illegal things to pay his tuition. Most of us know the truth, even though Killian thinks Jamie is the only one who knows his secret. Not like any of us care. If we want to find The Queen, we need Jamie and Killian to take her down.
Jemma chuckles. “Are Jamie and Killian close to finding her?”
I shake my head. “She’s better than them. Every time they get close, The Queen finds a way to knock them off her trail.”
“Speaking of Christmas,” she says. “What are you doing for the break?”
“The usual. We eat Christmas dinner at Preston’s parents’ house and take bets on the NBA games. Nothing special. What are you doing?”
“My dad invites everyone to the farm for dinner and a massive New Year’s Eve party.”
I cup the side of her face in my hand and smile. “Any chance I can see you over the break? Two weeks is a long time to go without seeing you.”
“Do you want to come to the party? Driving to Lancaster from New Jersey is a bit of a hike, but…”
“I’d love to come.”
“You’d have to meet my parents and three older brothers.”
I flash a grin. “Parents love me.”
“My brothers are kinda crazy.”
“I can handle them.”
“Okay,” she coos. “But you’ve been warned.”
I hook my arm around her and kiss her cheek. “I can’t wait to meet them.”
“Corey will be there,” she admits. “I haven’t told him about you yet.”
“I thought you were done with him.”
“I am. But he works for my dad and has never missed a holiday party at my house.” Her eyebrows rise. “Are you cool with meeting him?”
I bob my head. “I can deal with meeting an ex.”
She sighs, her eyes downcast. “I don’t know how he’ll react to you. We were together for a long time.”
“If you don’t want me to come…”
She brushes her fingers down my arm. “No, I want to see you. I want everyone to meet you. I feel like shit about Corey… and how we left things.”
Hugging her against my chest, I dip my head down to speak against the shell of her ear. “You’re with me now. He’ll get over it eventually.”
She tilts her head to the side. “I didn’t think I could care about anyone this quickly after a breakup.”
“I’ve never felt like this before,” I confess. “You set my world on fire, Jem.”
She slips her fingers through my hair, pulling my mouth to hers. And then she kisses me.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Jemma
My dad gives the Christmas toast with my mom at his side, dressed in a silver gown fit for a ball. Everyone raises a glass of champagne, and my stomach churns from the scent. Since the start of the winter break, I’ve had bouts of sickness that come over me in waves.