Jersey Girl (Sticks & Hearts #1) by Rhonda James Page A

not. I'm the one who wanted to call it off, and I can assure you I'm over him. But it's still a big change. We'd been dating for a couple of years before I left."
    "Wow, that's a long time. I've never had a relationship last that long. If you don't mind my asking, why did you end it?"
    "It was time. He was moving back to Minnesota for school, and I wanted a fresh start. Catching him with his dick in someone else's mouth may have been another determining factor." I whistle under my breath and she tilts her head. "What was that for?"
    "Nothing." She gives me a look that clearly says she isn't buying it. "It's just that guys are assholes, Cassie. Most of the time, we're only looking for a hook-up, or we're wondering if we'll ever find someone. But then there are times we have everything we've ever wanted right in front of us and we don't even realize how great we've got it. Bottom line, the guy sounds like a giant douchebag. You don't spend that kind of time with a girl only to whip your cock out for the next one willing to suck it."
    I glance up to find her looking at me funny, like she's trying to determine where that rant came from. Honestly, I'm asking myself the exact same thing.
    "Sorry, I'm not entirely sure why I just said all that. My point is, I think you made the right decision," I let out a long breath and wait for her to say something. Anything.
    "I think you're absolutely right. It was the right decision, and I feel good about it. But even if it felt right, it wasn't necessarily easy. I'd grown comfortable with what we had."
    "How so?"
    She shrugs her shoulder and picks nervously at her napkin. "I don't know. He wasn't the only boy I'd ever kissed, but I've certainly kissed him the most. And I've known him since we were in grade school. Scotty knows him also; they used to skate together. And then there's the whole 'I lost my virginity to him' argument. I mean, at the time I took that shit very seriously. We'd dated for almost a year before I gave myself to him, and when we finally slept together, I foolishly believed I was his first. I later learned that wasn't the case."
    "That must have been hard to accept. How'd you find out?" I don't know why I'm asking, but here she is, pouring out her heart in the middle of a diner, and suddenly I find myself caught up in what she's saying. I think briefly about the girl I lost my virginity to. Where is she today? Is she happy? Does she ever wonder about me? Probably not, because honestly, this is the first time in six years she's crossed my mind. Then I find myself wondering what it would have been like to share my first time with a girl like Cassie, and I know right away it wouldn't take six years for me to wonder about her.
    "He admitted it after I caught Charlotte sucking him like a lollipop. Oh god," she slaps both of her hands on the table and rolls her eyes skyward. "I don't even know why I'm telling you all of this. It's just that I don't really have any friends to speak of. I mean, I love my roommate, and we talk, but she doesn't want to listen to me whining about shit like this. Hell, I'm sure you don't want to listen to it either. I'm so sorry." A look of panic crosses over her face and I reach out to her again, feeling the same spark as before.
    "No, don't be sorry." I shrug, showing her my best smile. "I honestly don't mind. I often find I need someone to talk to, other than the guys, you know. There're just some things they wouldn't understand."
    She cocks her head again and offers me a small smile. "Like what?"
    "I don't know. Personal things. Family things. Most of the time, all we talk about is hockey, video games, how much so and so drank, and who banged whom. You know, guy talk."
    "Yeah. I know all about guy talk, being a girl and all." Her lip quirks up, teasing me with the faintest glimpse of her pink tongue. Our eyes meet, and for the briefest of moments, I see a flicker of sadness cross over her face. "You want to know something?"
    Just as I'm about to