Promised (The Promised Series)

nothing like Linc’s grin that turns my knees to mush. Shay isn’t a bad guy. At one time, I would’ve considered him a friend, but I’ve never been drawn to him the way I am to Linc. I just wish he would change his mind and leave me be.
    “Once a week.” I barter.
    “Three.” He counters.
    “Two.”
    “Two days, but I get to pick you up at school every day and I get to have dinner with your family once a week. Separate from the date nights. And that is my final offer.”
    “You’re not picking me up from school. Dani does it on the days I volunteer, and my brothers do it the other days.” I explain, silently sending up a prayer that satisfies him. The last thing I want to do is throw him in the face of Linc. And having him hanging around waiting on me will be just that, a big slap to Linc’s face.
    “Dani can still pick you up on the days you volunteer, but Adam and I will be picking you up on the other days.” He states this so surely that I can tell he already made the arrangements.
    “How did you know I’d agree to this?”
    “I know how much school means to you.” He shrugs his shoulders as if it’s no big deal that he’s using my dream against me.
    “I hate you.” I tell him honestly.
    “I have all of our lives to change your mind.” He drops my hand so he can put his arm around my shoulders. “Now, we better join the party before they accuse us of doing something that’ll soil your reputation.”
    Arrogant jerk! As if I’d ever willingly let him soil anything on me.

Chapter 13 – Linc
    ~A Wyn Thing~
    “Are you still hung up on Arwyn Scott?” Nate asks, standing with his arm propped on the top of his locker door.
    It’s the first day back to school since winter break and I’m around the hallway hoping to catch Wyn before she goes to her first class. It’s been a few days since our night at the cabin and we’ve kept in touch through text, but it’s not the same and I want to see her smiling face. To do that, I need to get rid of Nate because I know she won’t stop when him and his harem of cheerleaders are around.
    “Get lost, Nate. I’ll talk to you later.” I’m too anxious to be subtle.
    “I’ll take that as a big, fat yes.” He says, closing his locker and shouldering his book bag.
    “Seriously, head out.”
    “I’ll go, but you’re giving me the dirty details later. That girl is smokin’. ” He lets out a whistle as he starts to walk away.
    I grab him by the collar of his shirt, shove him against the locker and growl. “You’ll show her respect or your face will get a close up of my fist.”
    “Damn, you’ve got it bad.” He shrugs my hands off and says. “Let go. I won’t disrespect your girl.”
    “Don’t be telling the whole school either. If it gets back to her family, there’ll be all kinds of trouble.”
    “No worries, cousin. I won’t tell a soul.” He promises, walking backwards toward his class. He throws up deuces and then spins around and disappears into his class.
    “Are you waiting on me?” She asks from behind me.
    I spin around to face her and I’m rewarded with her shinning smile. “If I say I am, do I get a kiss?”
    She leans into me, placing her hand on my chest and presses her lips to mine. Pulling back, she says. “You got the kiss, either way.”
    “I was waiting on you.”
    “I figured.” She grins.
    I look her up and down, taking in the brown riding boots, dark denim skinny jeans that cling to her perfect legs, long white button down shirt rolled up at the sleeves, her curly hair falling loose across her shoulders and of course, her clover necklace at her throat. Taking her hand I begin. “You look so…”
    I stop when I feel something hard and cold on her finger. Turning it over, I sigh. “So it did happen.”
    Pulling her hand back and looking down at the ring instead of me, she says. “Yeah.”
    “When?” I demand, rubbing my hands over my buzzed head.
    “My eighteenth birthday. The same day as graduation.” She whispers.
    I turn to my locker and pound it with my fists, over and over. “Fuck!”
    “Linc.” She whimpers, which causes me to pause my assault on the metal.
    I pull her to my chest where her head fits perfectly into the crook of my neck. One of my hands grips her shirt at the small of her back and the other has hold of her neck. I growl. “You’re mine, Wyn. They aren’t fucking taking you away from me.”
    “I don’t want to, but…” She cries against me.
    “Just let me