Heart of Thorns (Shadow Valley U Book 2)
Heart of Thorns: Chapter 17

There’s always an audience.

Thorne is right. Now that word has spread that we’re dating, I’m catching stares everywhere. It was never like this with Ben. I don’t know if that’s because Ben isn’t as well known as Thorne or if it’s because I’m the complete opposite of who Thorne should be with.

At least according to what Lydia said.

I won’t try and act like I know every last thing there is to know about my fake boyfriend but I think there’s a lot more to him than people realize. He isn’t a surface level kind of guy, and I can’t see him being fulfilled with a rich girl who wears more makeup than a twelve-year-old in Sephora.

Chatter floats down the hallway from the locker room, and my pulse matches the throbbing in my knee. Tonight is my first session with Thorne. I wasn’t expecting there to be people around this late at night, but again, there’s always an audience.

I stop outside of the weight room door, unsure if I should just walk in or if I should wait for him. Standing in a darkened hallway, all alone, puts me on edge, though.

I’ve been a little more skeptical of the football team since having that foreboding feeling the other night. I’ve been watching them more, too.

With and without Thorne near.

“Yo, Thorne!” I jump at the sound of Rhys’s voice echoing throughout the hall. “Your… girlfriend is here.”

Rhys winks on his way past. I flip him off because at least I can be myself with him and not pretend to be infatuated with his best friend.

I rest along the door, eager to get started. Footsteps catch my attention. I turn only to be hit with disappointment.

Not that I’m excited to see Thorne or anything.

But I am most definitely not excited to see my ex walking down the hall with his sights set on me.

“Hey, Bry,” he says, stopping in front of me.

I scowl at the use of my old nickname. No one but my parents call me Bry, which is where he got it from.

“Hello.” My greeting comes out clipped. It’s just as harsh as I wanted.

Ben winces. He seems uncomfortable at best; shuffling on his feet, readjusting his bag over his shoulder, running his hand through his damp hair. “So, how have you been? You didn’t answer me the other night.”

I laugh. It’s sarcastic, and he knows it.

“Are you serious?”

He glances away. “Just because we’re not together anymore doesn’t mean I don’t care about you.”

I push away from the door, ignoring the twinge in my knee. Ben stares at me from his tall frame. I peer into his eyes and feel nothing. Except some animosity, like Thorne had noted the other night.

I guess he’s already able to read me.

“You don’t get to say things like that, Ben. Not when you made it very clear you didn’t care about me when we were together.” I roll my lips. “And please don’t get this conversation confused with thinking I care about you. In case you haven’t heard, I’ve moved on.”

Sort of.

I have gotten over him, but it doesn’t really have much to do with Thorne.

“Hey, baby.”

Both Ben and I turn to see Thorne heading in our direction. I make no effort to step away from my ex, but as soon as he catches his quarterback glaring at him, he quietly growls and steps backward.

“Everything okay?” Thorne steps beside me. His arm slips around my waist, and suddenly, the conversation with Ben is a little less irritating.

Who knew having a fake boyfriend would give me confidence?

The longer the three of us are in the hallway, the tighter the air becomes. A few football players walk past, eyeing us suspiciously. At the last second, I pull my attention from the silent sparring match between my fake boyfriend and ex and catch the back side of the group of guys.

My eyes are drawn to the one farthest away. He’s sporting a black hoodie, and all I can focus on is the hood tugged up over his head.

A darkness works over me, and I lean closer to Thorne.

His fingers dig into my hip, and it isn’t until I feel the faintest touch of his skin against mine that I’m brought back to reality.

“I’ll just catch you later,” Ben says to me while glaring at Thorne.

Thorne replies with a dark chuckle.

He waits until the hallway is empty before turning to glance at me. “You need to tell me why you two broke up, kitten.”

I roll my eyes and shove his hand off my hip.

No one is around, so there’s no need for him to be touching me.

I stalk into the weight room, eager to work my body. It’s a good distraction—just like hockey used to be, and probably like football is for Thorne.

I drop my bag by the nearest wall and immediately go for the stationary bike in the corner.

Thorne walks in a few seconds after me and chuckles when he finds me already heading in that direction.

“You know,” He follows after me. “Just because you walk away doesn’t mean the conversation is over, right?”

I shrug. “It’s over if I want it to be over.”

He laughs, and my breath hitches.

It’s a nice laugh. A genuine one. It’s the type of laugh that has my lips begging to curve.

“I see that I’m dealing with grumpy cat this evening instead of my adorable little kitten.”

I gag, and his smile widens.

My hands fall to the handles of the bike, and I begin working my knee beyond what it’s capable of. I hide my winces from Thorne and bite the inside of my cheek. The taste of metal fills my mouth.

“No.”

I snap my attention to him. He’s standing with his arms crossed, mere feet from me.

“What?” I act innocent.

He shakes his head and sighs exasperatedly. “Have you even stretched?”

My shoulders slump. Of course I haven’t.

“Up,” he demands.

The defiant streak that runs wildly inside me wants to refuse. Except Thorne doesn’t give me a chance to. He unplugs the bike and holds the cord hostage as he stares at me in an authoritative way.

It’s sort of… hot. A tendril of his dark, messy hair falls over his forehead, and he quickly tips his sharp jaw, flinging it out of his face. “If you want to get back to one hundred percent, you’re going to listen to me.”

Heat falls to the pit of my belly with his command.

He didn’t ask, and I have a feeling he won’t put up with my refusal. This is what I signed up for, right? I just didn’t expect him to be so… bossy about it.

I concede and slowly swing my legs to the side of the machine, all while keeping a hold of his stern gaze. It isn’t until I’m standing right in front of him that I bend down and touch my toes. If I wanted to be a brat, I’d turn around and put my ass on full display. Maybe it’d set him back a couple of notches.

After a few more stretches, I start back toward the bike, but Thorne clears his throat, stopping me in place.

I spin slowly. His eyebrow hitches, and he moves his finger, wagging it toward him.

“Come here.”

My hands fall to my hips. “Why?”

He smirks. “Because you’re not done stretching, kitten.”

I narrow my gaze and slowly force myself over to him. “If you keep calling me that, I may start meowing.”

His hot chuckle distracts me long enough for him to place his hand behind my thigh. His other hand falls to my hip, and before I know it, my bad leg is hanging over his shoulder.

I grunt. “Ow.”

The stretch in my thigh is deliciously painful. I gasp when he pushes more while still keeping me steady with his other hand.

“I changed my mind,” I say through clenched teeth. “I’m not going to start meowing. I’m going to start clawing.”

He presses harder, and I glare at him.

“Watch it, kitten. I may like that.”

The tug in my stomach shouldn’t catch me by surprise, but it does. I don’t know if it’s from our close proximity, or how I feel safe with his hand wrapped around my waist, or because I haven’t been touched since before the accident, but I am learning that I am very sensitive when it comes to him.

“Can you let me go now?” I ask through a wince.

Thorne clicks his tongue. “I’ll let go as soon as you tell me why you and Patterson broke up.”

My spine straightens. “No.”

He scoffs. “Suit yourself.”

Suddenly, Thorne is staring at my mouth while slowly dragging his hand from the back of my thigh to my calf. Goosebumps trail behind his touch, and even through my leggings, I feel the warmth he leaves behind.

Is he doing this on purpose?

With his other hand splayed on my lower back, he brings me closer to him, stretching my leg even more.

“I’m stretched,” I argue.

“I know,” he replies. “But you still haven’t told me about you and Patterson.”

Anger sweeps throughout me, and by the amusement on Thorne’s face, he’s enjoying it.

“Ah, look at that furrowed brow.” He shakes his head. “Someone is prickly at the thought of her ex.”

“Of course I am!” I snap.

His eyebrows rise.

I almost lose my train of thought when Thorne massages my calf. His fingers knead the muscle slowly and tediously. It feels good, even with the stretching in my thigh.

“Tell me and I’ll let your leg go.”

I sigh loudly. My balance is starting to waver, and I’m not sure which of us is more stubborn. In an attempt not to fall, I end up placing my hands on Thorne’s shoulders. My fingers dig into his firm muscles, and the longer he massages my leg with his body heat surrounding me, the more I want to give in to him.

“Come on, kitten,” he whispers. “Just tell me.”

I want to bare my teeth at him.

Or scrape my nails into his shoulders to claw him like I’d threatened.

But instead, I do the complete opposite.

Our eyes lock, and the words slip from my lips in a weak whisper. “He cheated on me a couple of weeks after the fire.”

Thorne’s fingers stop moving. His jaw flexes.

I glance away because I don’t want to see the pity on his face after I tell him the rest. “I overheard him telling his friends that he didn’t want to wait until I wasn’t charred anymore to fuck someone. So I had Lydia take me to one of the parties I knew he was at and I found him with another girl.”

The faintest growl rumbles out of Thorne’s chest. His brow is curved with anger. A heavy, hot breath escapes him as he places my leg on the floor. He keeps his other hand pressed against my lower back and gazes into my eyes. I brace myself for the apology on Ben’s behalf or some sort of sympathetic quote, but to my surprise he flicks his chin at the bike.

“Three minutes.”

We break apart, and cool air comes rushing in between us. I quickly make my way over to the machine, because the farther apart I am from him at the moment, the better.