Home > My Rebound (On My Own #2)(4)

My Rebound (On My Own #2)(4)
Author: Carrie Ann Ryan

I shrugged and looked down at the boxes around me. “There’s just a lot to do. This year, I have to prep for my internship and the program for my thesis. It’s the last semester of our junior year. Things ramp up.”

“You’re right, they do. But you weren’t thinking about any of that just now.”

“What am I supposed to think? I had my entire life planned out in front of me, Pacey. You all made fun of me enough for it that you know that. And now, all of that’s been thrown out the window because Sanders wanted a blowjob from another girl just to see how it felt. He needed to take notes and describe it to himself so he could compare it to us.”

My blood boiled, and Pacey just shook his head and took a step forward. He was in my space then, and I swallowed hard. He tucked a stray strand of hair behind my ear and leaned down, resting his forehead on mine. I froze, wondering what the hell he was doing. We were not this close. I didn’t even think Pacey liked me all that much. I was usually the loud, annoying one who made lists. And now, here he was, touching me.

And I had no idea what the hell he was doing.

“Mackenzie, breathe.”

“It’s tough to do when you’re touching me. Mostly because I’m not a huge fan of people touching me. And you’re really close.” I said the words quickly, and he let out a rough chuckle before stepping back, leaving the scent of sandalwood and something that was all Pacey behind.

What the hell was going on?

“Sanders, or Paul like I like to call him in my head now because that is his name and he doesn’t get to have the suave nickname—”

“He always hated that name as a kid.”

“Well, now he doesn’t get to have a nice name. One he likes. I’ll call him Paul. Just for you. And for me, because he annoyed me.”

“Thank you?” I asked, and Pacey’s lips twitched.

“You’re welcome.” He paused. “Talk to me, Mackenzie. What else is on your mind?”

I looked at him and thought... Why not? Why couldn’t I just tell him what was on my mind, blurt it out, get embarrassed, and never see him again? After all, I wouldn’t be hanging out with the guys as much anymore. Or ever. While their house was larger, a lot nicer, and Elise would likely go over there, I could stay here. Right?

“I have a lot of things in my plan for the year. And part of that was to have sex—at least when I was with Sanders. Because I like sex. I like relationships. And now, I don’t know what not having that means for my future. But I know that to get through my checklist of who I need to be, I need a rebound. I have to get out there and somehow find that next step so people can stop thinking about Sanders when they look at me and give me those pitying looks. Even with classes and school and moving into a new home with roommates who don’t really know me. I need to find a rebound. So, Pacey, what do you think? Do you think you can find one for me?”

I knew the sarcasm dripping from my tone at that point was ridiculous, but he had asked. And my plan was even more ridiculous-sounding when said out loud.

Pacey just blinked, raised a brow, and smiled. “Well, Mackenzie, I thought you’d never ask.”

“What the hell do you mean by that?” I asked, a little afraid I knew precisely what he was thinking.

“You’re looking for a rebound? Well, darling, you’re looking right at him.”

 

 

Chapter 2

 

 

Pacey

 

 

As soon as the words left my lips, some part of me knew they were a mistake. Only when it came to Mackenzie Thomas, I couldn’t regret the offer. The look on her face etched itself into my mind. She hadn’t said no, hadn’t blinked or walked away. She hadn’t screamed or slapped me or called me vicious names. Instead, she had squinted at me, confusion written on her face even as I knew an idea sparked behind those wide and expressive hazel eyes. But before she could say anything, before I could even explain why I had offered myself up as her next bedroom rebound or any other word she preferred to use for the occasion, the door opened behind me. The moment shared between us was broken.

At least in that instance.

Miles came in, a brow raised, and simply shook his head before bringing another box into the fray. Others joined, and we went through the business of helping the girls unpack. I stayed for another hour, though Mackenzie hadn’t been alone with me. I would’ve thought it odd, but she was rarely alone with me. After all, she had been my roommate’s girlfriend, the one we had all assumed he would marry someday. And yet, that hadn’t happened. Paul Sanders had decided to ruin it all by having sex with another girl. Oh, you could call a blowjob by any number of other names, but having someone’s mouth around your dick while your girlfriend was downstairs cleaning up your party mess? I called that sex. Cheating.

Anything that could break someone’s heart like that was beyond a simple shaking of hands. It was sharing bodily fluids in ways I did not want to imagine. But sadly, I knew what Paul’s dick looked like now because he hadn’t bothered to finish tucking himself back into his boxers when Tanner and I walked in behind Mackenzie, trying to help—or at least attempting to see what we could do. Sanders had blustered, and Tanner had taken care of him. On the other hand, I had pushed the man from my mind the moment I saw him cheating.

If I had known what had been going on behind his closed door, I wouldn’t have let Mackenzie walk in there. Some people might think I was the spider on the web, making sure that everybody adhered to my wishes, but that was far from the case. I never wanted Mackenzie to be hurt. And if I’d had any inkling that Sanders had gone beyond mere flirting with other women, I would have told her. At first, I had thought Sanders was acting like a jerk, puffing himself up because he was the big man on campus. I hadn’t known it had gone beyond a casual smile or a joke shared between friends. If I had, I would have done something about it. Not for Sanders, but for Mackenzie. Because she was a good person and didn’t deserve what the wanker had done to her.

I hadn’t seen it and had been too late. But I had been the one to tell her to keep her chin up and pretend that it didn’t hurt.

Only I knew it had to hurt. Things that twisted you up deep inside always did. And Mackenzie seemed the sort to need things in perfect little piles or little boxes that sat on shelves, waiting to be unpacked for the next instance. And her entire shelf had tumbled from the wall.

Would I be her rebound? I didn’t know. Did she even want one? I honestly didn’t think so. But I would throw myself on the proverbial sword to make a girl I respected smile.

Maybe that was callous of me, at least in some people’s eyes, but I didn’t care. Mackenzie needed someone to talk to, that much was clear, and I wouldn’t mind lending an ear. At least until she found the new track she needed to be on. Then, she would walk away, and I would find my next chance to live life. As I had learned early on, life wasn’t worth living if you didn’t take those chances. Or maybe, life was simply far too short—or any other metaphor about life and living you could think of.

I knew I would see Mackenzie soon, and I wouldn’t let her forget the question she had asked and the offer I had made, if only to see her cheeks blush.

“Pacey, are you not paying attention?” my mother inquired. I blinked, pulling myself back into the moment.

Hot Books
» House of Earth and Blood (Crescent City #1)
» A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire
» From Blood and Ash (Blood And Ash #1)
» A Million Kisses in Your Lifetime
» Deviant King (Royal Elite #1)
» Den of Vipers
» House of Sky and Breath (Crescent City #2)
» The Queen of Nothing (The Folk of the Air #
» Sweet Temptation
» The Sweetest Oblivion (Made #1)
» Chasing Cassandra (The Ravenels #6)
» Wreck & Ruin
» Steel Princess (Royal Elite #2)
» Twisted Hate (Twisted #3)
» The Play (Briar U Book 3)