She smiled and pulled me down for a quick kiss. “I love you too.”
While she was in class, I hung around in her shared dorm room. Lennon—Dallas’s roommate—allowed me to be in here as long as I didn’t go near her side of the room or touch her things. Which wasn’t an issue. I lay on the little bed, which had seen more action than mine, and pulled out my phone. Dallas and I spent most of our time in her room since Lennon went out a lot and I didn’t like the way that my roommate, Oliver, looked at Dallas.
It was part of the reason that I couldn’t wait to surprise Dallas this afternoon. My girl was only on her second year in and she was already doing the most incredible things. She’d starred in three music videos as a backup dancer. She’d done a few live concerts for various artists around California. She was getting her name out there, going to school, and working in a sporting-goods store part time. She made me so proud.
We’d been talking about moving in together more and more since we’d spent so much of the summer apart because of our schedules. I had gone home and she was back and forth between Colorado and California. I missed her. We figured that it was time.
When Dallas came back, she rushed in and dropped her things. It was my surprise, but somehow she managed to be the one forcing me out of the room when I tried to get her into bed. I couldn’t help it. She made my dick twitch. We went downstairs and stood beside the motorcycle with our helmets. She rode hers all the time but she still loved being my passenger.
“You should let me drive,” she said, lifting her visor after she had pulled her helmet on.
“This bike is too big for you,” I said, amused as her dark-brown gaze narrowed. “You’re scary enough on your own bike.”
“Bullshit. I’m an excellent driver.”
It was true. She’d picked it up damn quick. I swung a leg over the seat and gestured for her to get on behind me. I loved the feeling of her body behind mine. How she’d slip her hands under my leathers and run her fingers along my lower torso. She flicked her visor down and zipped up her jacket. She hated wearing her leathers when it was hot, but like hell would I let her risk her safety. She wrapped around me, just as she’d wrapped herself around my entire life, and squeezed.
“You’re the one who has a higher crash count than me,” she added, shouting over the rumbling engine. “You might recall how we met. Crashed into my damn car.”
“Yeah, but that was on purpose,” I shouted over my shoulder. “It doesn’t count.”
“What?”
I laughed, flicked my visor down, and tore off down the street before she could continue interrogating me. Fifteen minutes later we arrived at an apartment complex in Panorama City. Dallas climbed off the bike and pulled her helmet off. Her hair stood up and I reached out to smooth it down while she stared at me.
“You crashed into my car on purpose?”
I took my helmet off and we both started pulling our leathers off. “Yeah, I had to get your attention somehow.”
She tipped her head back and stared at the clouds as she exhaled a loud breath. “I shouldn’t even be surprised. That is such a Drayton thing to do. Far be it for you to talk to me like a normal person.”
“You made me nervous.”
Her lips pursed with amusement. “I love you.”
Hearing that still made my heart beat faster. “I love you too.”
She let out a breath and finally took a look at the building. It was white and red brick. Square edges and white steel railing on the patios. Tall trees were spread out around the front parking lot. She looked at me, confused.
“What are we doing here?”
“Looking at an apartment. Perhaps one that we can share.”
Her mouth fell open.
“There’s one available and it’s in our price range. I want to take care of it, but I know you. You’ll want to chip in with costs—”
“You’re damn right.”
“Fine.” I smiled and tucked her under my arm after I’d stashed our leathers in the seat compartment. We wandered toward the building entrance. The round concrete arch read Sunset Terrace. “We can sign the lease today if you like it.”
“I love it.”
“You haven’t seen it.”
“You have, though. Right?”
“Yeah.”
“I trust you.” She stopped and peered up at me, squinting at the sun pouring down on us. “You have good taste and we’ll be living together. That’s the main thing.”
“Fifteen minutes to CalArts. Twenty to UCLA.”
“You’ve got it all figured out.”
She giggled as I grabbed her waist and drew her in. “So, you’re in?”
“Always.” She cupped my jaw and her thumb made circles on my skin. “As long as you’re there.”
The End
Acknowledgments
My dream to become a published author came true and there are so many people to thank. First and foremost, Wattpad. I stumbled upon this app one day, and it was love at first sight—a community for reading, writing, and interacting with authors and readers. It was heaven and it was where my passion for writing was reignited. Marley Meets Josh and Never Met a Girl Like Her, my first and second stories, introduced me to so many loyal readers who are still with me to this very day. Their comments and feedback and encouragement were the motivation that I couldn’t have lived without. By the time I started The QB Bad Boy and Me, I had a collective of one hundred thousand reads and two thousand followers. Not bad. However, The QB changed all of that, and suddenly I was looking at millions of reads and tens of thousands of followers. My readers are the best bunch of people I’ve ever encountered. Their positive comments, messages, and support has never failed to amaze me. I’m here today because of this app, the community, and the best people that I know.
I want to thank God. All things are possible through him. My Nana and Grandad. Wow. I’ll never forget how often I would go and visit after I’d dropped the kids off at school. My nana and I would sit in her kitchen all day, talking about writing. She was an author for Mills & Boon in the seventies and we could spend hours talking about the differences between writing now and writing then. My grandparents were so encouraging, always asking how my books were coming along and how many reads I’d reached and what my next project was. Their faith in my abilities was more heartwarming than I can ever accurately describe. I love you guys. Thank you for believing in me.
My mum and sister. They’ve been reading from the beginning. They offer their feedback. They tell other people about my stories. And they bounce ideas around with me. If I was suffering from writer’s block or a chapter or an idea, Mum would be right there, giving me ideas that ultimately helped progress the story. I love sitting with them and hearing them discuss a storyline—what they loved about it and what they found funny. Sometimes my sister would catch up on a chapter while I was sitting with her, and when she’d laugh out loud or express frustration or love for a character, it would warm my heart. I knew that I was doing something right if I could get my sister hooked on my books, considering she was never a reader. Love you guys.
Ashley. This girl has played a huge role in my Wattpad journey. I started reading her books on Wattpad, and we became fast friends with so many common interests. When I posted my very first story she created the cover and the rest is history. She’s made all of my covers, my aesthetics, and any graphics that I’ve requested from her. She’s always available to bounce ideas off. We brainstorm about each other’s books. We rant over writer’s block. We talk every single day and she’s one of my very best friends. One day I’ll make it to Canada and we’ll get to meet! I’m looking forward to it.
Jess. Twenty years of friendship takes this girl from best friend to sister status. I would be lost without her. She’s my soulmate. She’s been reading my books from the get-go. She’s believed in me. She’s cheered me on and given me her wholehearted support. She and I are two halves of a whole. Love you forever and ever.
Isaac. My hus
band. If it wasn’t for his hard work none of this would be possible. He allowed me to remain at home and dedicate my time toward writing. I promised him that I could succeed, that I could make a career out of it with a little bit of time. And he believed in me. It paid off. I love you.
I want to thank Deanna and Alysha for changing my life when they called me with this opportunity. These women have been so wonderful to work with, so encouraging and supportive. It amazes me that they can work with so many different authors and have a personal relationship with each one. They are responsive and never delay to answer my many, many questions. I’ve felt so blessed to have been able to work with such wonderful ladies. I want to thank Adam Wilson for his help in the beginning of the editing process. I would never have known where to start if it weren’t for his wonderful edit letter and notes.
And of course, thank you to the readers. Thank you to Alyssia and Sharlene and Hayley, three of my earliest readers. Thank you to Lina. Thank you to Isabelle Ronin for advice that I didn’t even realize I needed! Thank you to the ones that I wish I could name individually with personal messages, but that would require a separate book, there are so many of you! Where I am couldn’t have been achieved without your votes, comments, and reads. The Instagram conversations and the laughs. It made all of the difference. It made The QB Bad Boy and Me the most-read Wattpad book in 2018. It put me on the map, and it made my dream come true. Thank you. I can’t say it enough.
THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING
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Published in Great Britain by Penguin Books in association with Wattpad Books, a division of Wattpad Corp., 2019
Text copyright © Tayler Marley, 2019
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The QB Bad Boy and Me Page 34
