Titus: Book Two of the Cantrell Brothers Series

Chapter Four

“What's wrong?” he finally thought to ask, helping her sit down.

Just as soon as her skinny rear end hit the padding of the chair, she immediately shot back up again, hands gesturing wildly as she explained, “Hunter frickin' James! Oh my God! I can't even- he's just....he can't be serious for one frickin' second, and I'm over here feeling like crap, ya know? Just feelin' so, so terrible, and he's laughing with his friends about my little time of the month!”

She poked him in the bare chest with a mint green painted nail, venting, “Do you have any idea how much my stomach hurts right now? No, you don't! And you know why you and him don't have any idea? 'Cause you're not a girl, and I am!”

Removing that finger from his chest, he tried not to laugh and said, “You want food...because of your period.”

“Finally!” Anna threw her hands up in praise. "Somebody understands!"

“More importantly, you're not in school 'cause you want food.”

“Uh,” she stuttered for a few seconds, “well, yes. I feel sick.”

Clapping his hands together, Titus searched through their old cupboards until he had a thorough layout of ingredients for almost any food item imaginable. He watched as she crossed skinny arms over her small chest, chuckling lightly at the furrow of concentration on her face.

“What's your poison?”

He didn't hear what she said next, too stunned at what had just come out of his mouth. He had asked Claire the exact same question right before they had fucked in the backseat of his Ford. He asked all of his girls that. Either 'pick your poison' or 'what's your poison?' before spreading their legs and sinking into oblivion.

“Fine,” Anna snapped, laughing as she flicked him on the shoulder. “I'll make 'em myself!”

“Please,” he said, regaining his assured composure. “What would you like? Cupcakes? I heard girls like chocolate.”

She arched a brow, smiling that evil smirk that meant she was up to no good. "Well, from what I've heard, you and your girlfriends don't exactly waste any time talking.”

“You're too young to even know about that stuff.” Glowering, he suddenly felt a surge of anger come from out of nowhere, “At least, Hunter better not be talkin' 'bout none of that stuff. He isn't, is he?”

“No.” Anna blushed a beet red, fiddling around with her hands. “I like cupcakes by the way – specifically, red velvet cupcakes with little pictures on them.”

And just like that, all conversation and mention of sex ended, leaving them in their constant gossip session while they poured and mixed red batter.

His eyes followed the trail of light blue frosting that had accidentally scraped across his hand as he had become absorbed in the memory. He remembered all of it perfectly, just like he did all of their moments together. She had been seventeen on that day, himself a solid twenty-two in which he had been in his prime – both in and out of bed.

College scouts had been chomping at the bit for him to join their teams. He had been Napolm's varsity tight end since he had been a freshmen and still claimed the title as the All-Around Best Tight End. Having been the largest on the team, he had had an easy time of making receiving mismatches with the defensive secondary.

Those had been the days. Everybody had flocked to him, the praise and girls endless. A reputation had quickly formed, defining him and making him the top dog at Napolm Public. It had been the perfect four years of his entire life, for Hunter hadn't even been in the picture at any time and Anna had just been that girl a few miles down the road.