Page 4 of Dare You to Love Me
With gritted teeth, I reluctantly trail after my date until I reach my bestie. He’s already being bombarded with a flurry of questions.
Even after I arrive, Nick doesn’t bother to acknowledge my presence.
Or apologize for pushing me out of the way.
What a jerk.
Riggs’ steady gaze stays locked on mine as Nick continues to fangirl. Just in case you’re wondering, second-hand embarrassment is a real thing. At this very moment, I’m being eaten alive by it. I can already tell by Riggs’ smirk that I won’t be hearing the end of this for a while.
When Nick launches into a game from a couple weeks ago where Riggs scored two goals in quick succession, I mutter, “I’m going to grab a drink.” I need to get away from this guy before I totally lose it. With any luck, he’ll be gone when I return.
Although, that’s probably wishful thinking on my part. From the looks of him, he’s in heaven. He might never leave the house.
In a shocking twist I didn’t see coming, Nick finally glances my way. “That would be great. Could you grab one for me, too?”
My death stare has absolutely no effect on him.
With that, he dismisses me before pelting Riggs with more questions about the hockey team.
“Sure, no problem,” I mutter, swinging away and heading for the kitchen where a makeshift bar is set up.
On the way, I pass by Juliette and pull her in for a quick hug. She’s technically my niece, but we’re more like cousins or even sisters since we’re the same age and grew up together. Ryder, her boyfriend, has a brawny arm slung around her shoulders. Now that they’re officially an item, he never lets her stray too far.
Carina, Juliette’s roommate, is also here with her boyfriend, Ford. They’re a newly minted couple who have been together for a handful of weeks. Others might be surprised that the ex-stepsiblings are now dating but not me. I had the sneaking suspicion by the way he’d tease her mercilessly that his feelings for her ran deep.
When Ford leans in to nip at her bottom lip, Carina nearly melts into a puddle of goo.
And who can blame her?
Ford Hamilton is hot with mahogany-colored hair, golden, honey-colored eyes, and muscles for miles.
As good looking as Ford is, he doesn’t hold a candle to Riggs, who also has rich brown hair, although his is a little shaggier. He should have had a trim a couple weeks ago, but I like the length. His face is made up of sharp angles that hint at the Russian heritage on his mother’s side. His body is just as chiseled from working out and skating six days a week.
Over the last decade, I’ve seen him grow from gangly boy into droolworthy man. As much as I don’t want to notice, it would be impossible not to. And I’m certainly not the only one. I’m more than aware of how the girls on this campus clamor for his attention.
I certainly can’t blame them for wanting to get closer to the hunky defenseman.
Even when it feels like I’m being eaten up with jealousy.
As soon as that sly thought pops into my brain, I shove it away before greeting a couple of the guys from the team. Wolf Westerville, Madden Caruso, Hayes Van Doren, and Bridger Sanderson. Bridger’s got a black Western Wildcats hockey ballcap pulled low over his eyes. For the past month or so, unsavory texts have been popping up on the university message system that gets blasted out to both staff and students. Ever since then, he’s been trying to keep a low profile.
Maverick, Juliette’s brother, and my nephew, pulls me in for a hug. We’ve always been close too. He’s more like a brother than anything else. Just like Ryder, he’ll end up playing for the NHL after college. Especially with his father, Brody, carefully guiding his career.
After grabbing two bottles of beer from the fridge, I make my way back to the living room. It’s tempting to ditch Nick, but how can I leave Riggs with that stage-five clinger?
My shoulders droop, because the answer is that I can’t.
Just as I pass a short hallway that leads to the first-floor bathroom, strong fingers wrap around my bicep and tug me into the darkness. My heart jolts at the unexpected contact as I’m hauled against a broad chest. In the shadowiness of the hall, I find myself staring up into Rigg’s chocolate-colored depths. They’re so dark in their intensity.
His gaze burns into mine as air gets clogged in my lungs.
This kind of unwanted reaction has been happening with more frequency.
Even worse than that—I have no idea how to make it stop.
I open my mouth to say something—anything—but not a single sound escapes.
“I couldn’t take the questions anymore, so I ditched the guy.”