Pulse: Sport Romance (The Boys of Winter Book 6) by Violet Vaughn Read Free Book Online Page A

depends.” He waggles his eyebrows at me. “Would you want to join me for that nap?”
    I wink as I back my way into the kitchen to check on dinner. “I could be convinced.”
    I’m not sure what happened to the tension between us that existed before he left for Vail, but I’m not going to question it.
    After dinner and our version of a nap, we head over to Dannika and Christian’s house. They live in a new development, and the house is big and extravagant. Not only did Dannika inherit family money, but she used to be a famous model. Nick and I pull into the driveway to find that Casey and Jason have already arrived. Lori and Kaleb were both working and couldn’t make it. The cosmetics in the duffel bag clatter as Nick pulls it out of the backseat and hoists it onto his shoulder.
    I say, “We can leave that in the car until later. I don’t want to upstage you.”
    Nick raises his eyebrows at me as if I’m being stupid. I say, “Oh, right. You prefer it that way.”
    “And I think you’re afraid of what people are going to think.”
    “I am.”
    “These are your friends. They love you and aren’t going to care.” He waves his free arm at the house before us. “Besides.”
    I smile, because Dannika and Christian’s house is quite impressive. “You’re right.”
    When we get inside, Nick thumps the bag on the counter as we’re greeted with congratulations from everyone. Once our coats are off, Christian hands Nick a beer and me a glass of wine. I take a sip, and tart flavor fills my mouth as he asks, “What’s in the bag?”
    Nick turns to me, and I take a deep breath. “Freebies for the girls.”
    Dannika reaches for the zipper, and Casey moves next to her to peer inside. “Whoa,” says Dannika. “This is the motherlode of Bellae.”
    Casey pulls out a tube of mascara. “This stuff is really expensive. There must be hundreds of dollars in this bag.”
    Dannika says, “This is awesome. Bellae’s my favorite brand.”
    The guys have no interest in cosmetics and wander into the living room. Nick slaps Jason on the shoulder. “You only have a few single days left, my man.”
    I turn my attention away from them to say to Dannika, “Well good, because there’s lots more where that came from, and if you put your post office boxes in my contacts, I’ll get you on the new products list.”
    Casey asks, “Whoa, how did you find such a sweet deal?”
    “Well.” I shrug. “It’s my family company.”
    Dannika’s eyes get wide, and I say, “Yeah.” My stomach churns, and I mask the urge to vomit. “And unfortunately, I have to move back to take over on April eighteenth.”
    “But that’s your birthday,” says Casey.
    Christian has caught wind of what we’re saying and asks, “Inheritance?”
    I nod. Casey grabs my hands and whispers, “No. You’re leaving?”
    Nick comes to my side and puts an arm around my shoulder. “She is. And I couldn’t be more proud of her. She’ll take Bellae to new places. Just you watch and see.”
    I slip my arm around his waist and squeeze him for his bravery. Jason says, “If you approach it like you do teaching, we’ll see great things.”
    “Thanks.”
    Christian says, “The long distance thing can be tough, but I’m sure you’ll find a way to work it out.”
    I want to tell him what’s really going to happen, but Nick speaks up instead. “Actually, once she goes, we’re going to call it quits. Neither one of us will have free time to travel, and it’s better this way.”
    His voice is so confident that my stomach flips with nausea. He’s really accepted our fate. He’s come to terms with our situation and is making the best of our last few days together. The way I should.
    “Yeah, so. Dannika.” I walk over to the bag, and plastic is slick on my fingers as I rummage through. I swallow the lump in my throat to keep from crying. “Help me find things that would be good for Lori.”
    She takes over sorting through the containers and giving