Chapter 1

When they finished their intense session, Kelsey Harbour realized with horror that Jason hadn't used protection.

"Holy shit," she gasped. "When did you take it off? The nurse's office is closed, and if—if I get pregnant, what happens then?"

Jason just tightened his grip on her hips and smirked. "What's the big deal? If you get knocked up, we'll figure it out."

Kelsey froze as Jason's fingers traced lazy circles across her bare stomach.

"But babe," he whispered, his voice husky with desire, "your little dancer's body is so fucking tight." His hand slid lower.

"One round with me and you're already looking different. Think this tiny frame could even handle carrying my kid?"

Kelsey's face burned crimson at his crude comment, and she turned away, unable to meet his gaze.

Jason let out a low laugh.

"Told you before, I get hard just watching you blush like that—especially when I'm the one making you do it." He pressed his body against hers, lips brushing her ear. "I'm nowhere near done with you yet. Come here... let me feel that perfect body again..."

By dawn, they'd fucked four times. Kelsey barely made it back to her dorm before morning check.

She had just collapsed onto her bed when her phone lit up—Jason's name on the screen.

"Hello?" she answered, but all she heard was muffled background noise.

Jason had pocket-dialed her and had no idea they were connected. She was about to hang up when she heard his teammates' voices through the speaker:

"Dude, there's like zero time left before Juilliard announces their Early Admission pick," said a voice she recognized as Tyler, Jason's defense partner. "Are you actually gonna knock up the ballet princess before then or what?"

Kelsey's blood ran cold.

"Relax," Jason drawled. "I've still got time."

Crude laughter erupted from his friends.

"Man, Stan is such a fucking Romeo!" That was definitely Bryce, the team captain. "Hannah dumped his ass and he's still playing white knight for her. So worried about Harbour stealing her Juilliard spot that he's sacrificing his dick for the cause!"

Jason's voice hardened. "Hannah didn't dump me. She just said she needed to focus on her audition prep before Juilliard makes a decision."

His teammates snickered loudly.

"Right, right," Tyler mocked. "You're Jason fucking Stan! Hannah might be Miss Perfect Pirouette, but she's never getting over your slapshot!"

"For real though," added Derek, his roommate. "Even Kelsey 'Never-Been-Kissed' Harbour is getting dicked down by you every night. Ballet girls are flexible as fuck, am I right?"

"But no cap, Stan," Bryce cut in, "Harbour's actually pretty hot in that innocent-but-would-fuck-your-brains-out kind of way. Might even be hotter than Hannah with those legs. After all this time tapping that, you sure you haven't caught feelings?"

Tyler made a disgusted noise.

"The fuck are you smoking? Everyone knows Stan only has eyes for Hannah's ass. The only reason he's banging Harbour is for Hannah's benefit!"

"Facts!" Derek added. "Hannah's obsessed with getting that Early Admission to Juilliard, but Culver only gets one nomination slot. Stan's making sure Harbour—Little Miss Perfect Pointe Shoes—doesn't take that spot!"

"So if Stan can get her pregnant before nominations close," Bryce continued, "she can't do her fancy twirls for the Juilliard scouts, and Hannah gets the nomination locked! That's the move, right Stan?"

After a moment of silence, Jason's cold voice confirmed: "Exactly."

On the other end of the line, Kelsey's face went completely white.

She had always been the dedicated one, spending every spare moment in the dance studio since she was five. Until her junior year at Culver, she'd never even had a boyfriend.

Then, last year, Jason Stan—sophomore hockey star—crashed into her life like a hurricane.

The cocky athlete had spelled out her name with hockey pucks on the frozen lake. When Coach Bennett came to bust him, he'd skated away, shouting toward the girls' dormitory:

"Kelsey Harbour! You're gonna be my girlfriend! Jason Stan, varsity hockey—don't forget it, ballet girl!"

Though Kelsey had attracted plenty of admirers at Culver Academy, no one had ever pursued her with such brazen confidence.

Before she knew it, she was falling for him. After months of his relentless pursuit, Kelsey finally agreed to be his girlfriend.

Six months into their relationship, after Jason's persistent charm and promises, she gave him everything.

She still remembered their first time—how skillfully he'd made her body respond, sliding his hand beneath her uniform skirt. She had trembled nervously while he nipped at her earlobe.

"You're so fucking hot when you're shy, Kels."

"So fucking innocent... promise you'll only ever be this wet for me?"

Kelsey had believed she'd found something real, so giving him her virginity seemed worth it.

Now she realized it had all been a cruel game.

Jason was only using her for the sake of his ex-girlfriend Hannah Russell—another ballet dancer whose technique had always been just slightly less precise than Kelsey's.

All for a nomination to Juilliard.

How fucking pathetic.

Her virginity. Her reputation. Her heart.

All worth less than a spot in a dance program?

Kelsey slid to the floor and began to sob, her tears falling unchecked.

She didn't sleep at all that night.

Thinking back to their intense encounters, Kelsey took a Lyft off campus at 3 AM to find a 24-hour pharmacy. She bought emergency contraception and took it immediately, then waited outside the convenience store until sunrise before finally calling her mother.

"Mom, I've been thinking... I want to accept that offer from the Royal Ballet School in London."

Jason had miscalculated from the very beginning.

Kelsey had never actually planned to compete for the Juilliard Early Admission spot.

With her exceptional technique and the performance videos she'd submitted last fall, she'd already received acceptance letters from several prestigious international dance academies.

She had always intended to study abroad, but after meeting Jason, she'd wavered, considering staying stateside to continue their relationship.

But now...

Her mother sounded surprised on the other end of the line, but quickly accepted Kelsey's decision.

"Alright, honey. Those international programs start earlier than American schools, and you've already completed all your credits at Culver anyway. Why don't you head over early to adjust? You could leave next week. What do you think, sweetheart?"

Kelsey lowered her head.

"Yes," she whispered. "The sooner the better."

Chapter 2

After ending the call, Kelsey headed back to campus.

Her first class that morning was an advanced sports medicine elective she shared with Jason. Kelsey had already completed all her required dance curriculum, but she'd picked up a few extra courses—partly to enhance her future career options, and partly to spend time with Jason.

Now she couldn't stand the thought of seeing him, but her perfectionist instincts wouldn't let her skip class.

Kelsey was still the first to arrive. Shortly after sitting down, a wave of dizziness hit her. Last time she'd taken emergency contraception after Jason went without protection, she'd run a fever for three days straight.

She was resting her head on her arms when someone suddenly grabbed her elbow. Before she could react, she was pulled behind the classroom curtains.

Startled, she looked up to find Jason. Without a word, he forced his lips onto hers, his hand immediately sliding under her skirt.

When his fingers made contact, he paused, then broke into a smirk.

"You didn't shower?" His voice was low and cocky. "What, couldn't bear to wash me away?"

Kelsey's face burned with humiliation and anger.

"Get off me! I—I have a fever!"

Jason hesitated, pressing a hand to her forehead—she was definitely burning up.

But he didn't stop. "Kels," he whispered, his voice dropping to a husky growl. "I hear when someone has a fever, they're extra hot inside. I've never tried that before..."

Kelsey froze, taking a second to register his meaning. Her face flushed an even deeper red as she started to push him away, but suddenly the sounds of students entering the classroom filtered through the curtain.

"Holy shit, are those feet under the curtain? What the fuck?"

Jason finally stopped.

"Such a buzzkill," he muttered with exaggerated disappointment before pulling back the curtain and stepping out.

As soon as he appeared, the guys in class started whistling.

"Who's getting busy before first period? Of course it's Stan and Harbour!"

"Stan, that was like two minutes tops. Not your best performance, bro!"

Jason grinned and tossed his textbook at them.

"Fuck off. That was just the appetizer—you assholes interrupted before the main course."

The boys erupted in laughter.

"Appetizer. Got it."

"Is it just me, or has Harbour's rack gotten bigger since she started hooking up with Stan?"

"That's the magic of good handling! Our boy Stan knows exactly what to do with those hands—hockey skills for the win!"

By the time Kelsey had straightened her clothes and stepped out from behind the curtain, she heard all their crude jokes.

Her face went pale.

Jason didn't even try to stop them, just sat down and focused on his phone.

Between the guys' obvious leering and the girls' whispered judgments, Kelsey felt tears welling up.

Five days.

She kept telling herself.

Just five more days, Kelsey, and this nightmare will be over.

When the bell rang, Kelsey immediately tried to leave.

But Tyler announced they were heading to an off-campus party at his lake house, and Jason grabbed her hand, giving her no choice but to come along.

When they walked through the door, the first person Kelsey saw was Hannah Russell.

Unlike Kelsey's minimal makeup and practical style, Hannah was the type who always looked camera-ready. Even in a crowded room, all eyes naturally gravitated to her.

Kelsey felt Jason tense beside her.

Derek muttered under his breath, "Who the fuck invited Hannah?"

"Whatever, we're already here. Let's just have fun," Tyler replied.

The group settled in, and Tyler suggested playing Truth or Dare. The empty bottle spun first to Jason.

Everyone hooted and hollered.

"Stan! When and where was the last time you hooked up with someone?" Derek called out.

Jason flicked his lighter casually, smirking. "Yesterday. The boathouse by the lake."

The room erupted with cheers and howls.

"That's our boy! Absolute savage!" Bryce shouted.

"Seriously?" Tyler chimed in. "Harbour looks so innocent—never wears makeup, always in those boring leggings—but she's actually down to get dirty in the boathouse?"

Crude laughter filled the room. Kelsey's hands clenched into fists. When she looked up, she caught Jason stealing a glance at Hannah.

On the second round, the bottle landed on Hannah.

The room quieted slightly until Bryce, already drunk, slurred loudly.

"So Hannah, you were Stan's girlfriend before Harbour. Did he ever take you to his special boathouse too?"

Chapter 3

Hannah's face instantly went pale. Before she could answer—

CRASH!

Jason leapt to his feet and flipped the coffee table.

Beer bottles shattered across the floor. Everyone froze, eyes wide as they took in Jason's thunderous expression.

"You ask a girl a question like that, and you think that's fucking okay?" he snarled.

Bryce sobered up instantly, his face ashen as he stared down at the floor.

Hannah stood up, her voice trembling. "I'm not feeling well. I should go."

She turned and hurried out the door.

Jason kicked a broken bottle across the room and muttered coldly, "I need a smoke." Then he stormed out after her.

As soon as he left, everyone erupted.

"What the hell? Stan was just joking around about his own hookups. Why did he lose his shit over that question?" Derek asked.

"Are you actually that dense?" Tyler lowered his voice. "It's one thing to joke about himself, but some people are off-limits, you get it?"

Tyler and the others had just finished explaining when they noticed Kelsey sitting there, her face drained of all color. No one said another word.

Kelsey stood and walked out.

When she reached the front of the house, she saw Jason and Hannah arguing by Hannah's car.

Hannah threw a paper bag on the ground between them. "No thanks. I don't accept gifts from guys who already have girlfriends."

"Come on—" Jason's voice was frustrated but pleading. "Your roommate told me you've been fighting a cold. I know you're busy with audition prep, but you can't ignore your health. What if it gets worse?"

Hannah pressed her lips together in silence.

Jason picked up the bag and pushed it into her hands.

"Please. Just take care of yourself, okay?"

Standing off to the side, Kelsey finally couldn't bear to watch anymore. She turned away.

So this was what different treatment looked like.

Hannah gets a slight cold, and he rushes to bring her medicine.

When Kelsey mentioned having a fever, all he could think about was how "hot" her body would feel during sex.

Someone makes one crude comment about Hannah, and he flips a table in rage.

Yet Kelsey was fair game for disgusting jokes in front of everyone.

Love versus using someone. The difference was devastating.

Tears welled up again as her phone rang. She answered mechanically and heard her mother's excited voice.

"Sweetheart! I booked our flights. We'll leave together next week."

"Oh, and I just remembered—didn't you mention you were dating someone? You said you wanted to introduce him to us. With you studying abroad, what will happen with your boyfriend?"

Kelsey looked back to see Hannah driving away, with Jason standing there watching her car until it disappeared down the road.

She turned away, her voice barely audible. "It doesn't matter. We broke up."

Jason.

I won't love you anymore.

Not even a little bit.

...

The next day.

Kelsey went to the clinic for a physical exam. Medical care abroad could be complicated, and she wanted to make sure everything was okay before leaving.

As she walked out with her test results, she nearly collided with Hannah and Jason in the waiting room.

"Kelsey?" Jason looked startled.

Hannah spoke first, her voice cool. "Jason, I told you that you didn't need to come with me. I can check in myself."

She walked toward the reception desk, leaving them alone. That's when Jason noticed the papers in Kelsey's hand.

His brow furrowed.

"Why are you at the clinic? You're not..." Jason's expression suddenly changed. "You're not pregnant, are you?"

Kelsey hesitated, then realized the clinic's general exam area was right next to the OB-GYN department.

That's why he'd jumped to that conclusion.

She started to deny it, but then a thought crossed her mind, and she changed course.

"What if I am?" she asked.