Se connecterPartager
CHAPTER 10 ~ KYLE'S POV
Date de publication:
2026-03-15 02:30:08Finn obeyed instantly by burying his face in my shoulder to hide from the world, and it looked incredibly intimate because to anyone watching, he appeared shy while I acted as his safe harbor.
Vanessa pushed off the wall and started walking toward us with Travis trailing behind her looking completely bored.
"Showtime," I whispered before stopping in my tracks and planting my feet firmly. Pulling Finn ar
Dernier chapitre
PLAYING PRETEND 63 - FINN'S POV
My worn sneakers crunched against the loose gravel while I paced a tight and frantic circle near the overflowing dumpsters.The cold evening wind bit through the thin fabric of my blue hospital scrubs but I was way too terrified to care about the dropping temperature.The heavy bass of a rock song thumped loudly through the brick walls of the Rusty Anchor and rattled the empty beer bottles scattered across the dirt.I kept my eyes locked on the dark entrance of the narrow alleyway and prayed that Kyle would walk back out of the shadows in one piece.A tall figure finally emerged from the gloom and the harsh neon light from the tavern illuminated his torn denim jacket.Kyle walked toward me with a heavy and uneven limp while his head hung low in defeat.He did not say a single reassuring word as he closed the distance between us and the silence made my stomach twist into a painful knot.I immediately noticed the fresh blood dripping down his fingers and ruining the clean white bandages
PLAYING PRETEND 62 - KYLE'S POV
I ripped my hands away from the soft fabric of Finn's hoodie and spun around to face the far end of the narrow street.Neon purple spots danced wildly across my vision but I could still see the dark silhouette lowering a massive camera lens.The unknown person did not say a single word as they turned on their heel and started sprinting toward the main road."Hey!" I roared so loud that the raw sound actually scraped the back of my throat."Fucking stop right there!"All the heavy exhaustion draining my muscles vanished instantly and a massive surge of pure adrenaline dumped straight into my bloodstream.I launched myself forward and my heavy boots pounded against the gritty gravel.I heard Finn shout my name behind me but I ignored him because I refused to let this person escape with that digital photograph.I knew exactly what that image looked like and I knew exactly how dangerous it was for both of our futures.It was undeniable proof that our fake dating contract was a lie and it
PLAYING PRETEND 61 - FINN'S POV
"He got in my personal space and he refused to back off when I told him to leave me alone," Kyle defended his violent actions without showing an ounce of regret."You cannot just resort to bar brawls every time someone insults you because you will end up in the county jail," I argued while gently rubbing the uninjured side of his hand."Mac said he liked my swing and he offered me a cash job on the spot," Kyle pointed out the unexpected silver lining of his aggressive behavior."You are not seriously going to work as a bouncer at the Rusty Anchor," I groaned while tilting my head back to look up at the dark sky."This place is famous for late-night stabbings and illegal gambling rings in the basement.""I need a job that pays under the table so my father cannot track my income or freeze my wages," he reasoned while keeping his voice calm and practical."I will just work the early weekend shifts and Mac promised to let me use the employee entrance so I can avoid the worst crowds."I le
PLAYING PRETEND 60 - FINN'S POV
His bruised hands twisted into the soft cotton of my faded hoodie and he yanked me forward so fast that my worn sneakers dragged across the uneven gravel.Our bodies collided in the middle of the grimy alleyway and his mouth crashed down over mine with a raw desperation that knocked the breath right out of my lungs.The sudden impact forced me to take a clumsy step backward until my spine hit the cold and dented metal of a nearby trash dumpster.Kyle did not give me a single second to recover my balance before he pressed his heavy weight against my chest and deepened the sudden kiss.It was a messy and uncoordinated collision of teeth and bruised lips but it felt incredibly right after the hellish day we just survived.I tasted the sharp copper tang of fresh blood from his split lip mixed with the bitter and heavy flavor of cheap dive bar beer.My initial shock evaporated into the cold afternoon wind and a fierce heat ignited deep inside my stomach.I stopped worrying about his wealth
PLAYING PRETEND 59 - KYLE'S POV
"Do not talk to me about that stupid piece of paper," Finn interrupted and he shoved his hands into the front pocket of his hoodie."You stopped treating this like a business deal the night you showed up at my dorm room soaking wet and crying about your father.""And you gave up your only bed for me because you are too nice for your own good," I replied while staring at a smudge of dirt on his cheek."I gave you my bed because I care about you," Finn yelled back and the raw honesty in his voice made my chest ache."I sat on the floor and watched you sleep this morning and I realized I had absolutely nothing to offer you," I confessed while the bitter truth scraped against my throat."My father was right about me all along because I am useless without the Bennett family resources to solve my problems."Finn let out a frustrated growl and he closed the remaining distance between us until our shoes were almost touching in the gravel."Your father is a miserable old man who uses his check
PLAYING PRETEND 58 - KYLE'S POV
I wanted to reach out and pull him up from the dirt but I forced my bruised hands to stay firmly inside my frayed jacket pockets."It is for your own good, Finn," I told him while my throat tightened and my voice broke on his name."No it isn't," Finn argued immediately and he scrambled to his feet so he could look me directly in the eyes."You are just panicking because everything went wrong today and you think you have to fix it all by yourself.""Look at us right now," I countered while gesturing toward the grime covering the brick walls of the dive bar behind me."I am bleeding in an alley behind a shady tavern and you are sitting here in your hospital scrubs with a suspended clinical license.""I literally just showed you the flash drive that will clear my name tomorrow morning," he reminded me while pointing a stern finger at my chest."That does not change the fact that my toxic history dragged you into this massive mess in the first place," I argued back while a deep sense of
PLAYING PRETEND CHAPTER 4 ~ KYLE'S POV
Two hundred and twenty-five pounds. That was the number. It was heavy enough to hurt, but light enough that I could make it look easy. And that was the whole point, wasn't it? Making the impossible look effortless.I lowered the bar to my chest, feeling the familiar burn tear through my pecs, contr
PLAYING PRETEND CHAPTER 3 ~ FINN'S POV
By the time I made it back to campus later that evening, my mother’s voice was still ringing in my ears like tinnitus. “Your type is fictional.” It was unfair, mostly because it was true.I parked my beat-up sedan in the student lot, grabbed my duffel bag, and trudged toward the dorms. The campus w
PLAYING PRETEND CHAPTER 2 ~ FINN'S POV
"I am proud of you," she said, her voice softening just a fraction, though the intensity in her eyes didn't waver. "You know that, right? When you came out to us, I was so happy. I bought that flag for the porch. I went to the parade with you. I am the proudest mother of a gay son in this entire ne
PLAYING PRETEND CHAPTER 1 ~ FINN'S POV
The Sunday roast chicken was dry, but I knew better than to say anything about it. My mother had spent three hours in the kitchen, rattling pans and humming along to an obscure 80s pop playlist, and if I criticized the food, I would never hear the end of it. I sawed through a piece of breast meat w
Vous vous intéresseriez aussi à
Break Me Apart (MxM)
Dark Ocean29.2K VuesHis Straight Pet
Lydia27.0K VuesKnot My Alpha
J. Tarr39.3K VuesMr. President Has A Baby Bump
Amaka 43.0K VuesVengeance & Velvet
F.F70 VuesFrom Playboy to Plaything: Owned by the Mafia Don
Best54 VuesCaptain's Ice Slave
Ari Vida167 VuesOur Submissive Sin
Kap-Se393 Vues
