Page 50 of The Draft

“Don’t act dumb, Madison. You left my bed without a note or anything.” He dropped one of his hands, and just as he was about to push it through his hair, he grumbled something, but the only word I could make out was “gel.” So hedidstyle it.

“I was only acting on our agreement. One night.”

His eye twitched again, and it was obvious he was holding something back. Maybe he was just as annoyed about the whole agreement as I was.

“Yes, but you left in the middle of it.”

“Did I? Because I distinctly remember you passed out next to me before I snuck out. What did you want me to do? Play with myself while I waited for you to wake up? Because, frankly, I was too sore for that.”

He crushed his eyes shut and grumbled again, but I was still no closer to understanding why he was here, which led me to my own conclusion that it was because, as much as he didn’t want to admit it to himself, he needed to see me.

“Madison. Why do you make it so hard?”

“What do I make hard, Big Man?” My gaze drifted down to his crotch, surprised that he was wearing jeans. He was more of a sweats kind of guy. In fact, the only time I’d ever seen him in jeans before was when he was…I took a sharp breath because jeans and hair gel. The only other time I’d seen him like that was at The Draft when he was trying to make a good impression.

Was he trying to make a good impression with me right now?

He pushed his hips back when he noticed my glare but didn’t step away. He couldn’t. I couldn’t either. It almost felt like there was some force pulling us together whenever we were in close proximity.

“Do you ever not joke, Madison?”

I shrugged. “Having sex doesn’t change who I am.”

He looked over his shoulder just to make sure no one was listening. They weren’t. I’d already checked. He turned back, dropping his shoulders on a sigh, before looking at me with pain in his eyes.

“You know, I came here to tell you something, but the minute I saw you, I completely forgot what it was.” It was the most honest thing Dash had ever said to me, and for a guy who was usually discontented, he looked pretty distressed today. His eyes were skating over every point of my face, like he was trying to memorize it. Maybe he was. Maybe his intention was to come here and tell me we had to pretend last night never happened.

I couldn’t deny that line of thinking was disappointing, but he hadn’t said it yet, so I wasn’t going to act differently until he asked me to. Instead, I pushed my chest out and smiled. “I’ve been forgetting a lot too recently. Little hard to concentrate when all I can think about is how good it felt to have you inside me.”

“Madison.” Dash’s voice boomed so loudly that I heard it echo across the hall. He stepped back, knowing he’d drawn attention and bumped into his friend.

“Hey, guys.” Alex, Dash’s teammate and all-around bro, stood beside us with a big-ass grin on his face, completely oblivious to the fact that he was interrupting.

“Alex,” Dash grumbled in his usual tenor, trying to act nonchalant as if he wasn’t just caught encasing his best friend’s little sister in a dark, quiet corner. I couldn’t help but also notice the little adjustment Dash made to his pants. I’d affected him. Good. It was about time he started to feel the same yearning I had.

“What are you guys doing here? Alone?”

Huh. I underestimated Alex. I didn’t think he’d have the balls or suspicion to ask that, but he had both, apparently. His eyes shifted between Dash and me, waiting for one of us to answer.

Dash’s face went pale, and I knew what he was thinking. Alex wouldn’t be able to keep anything a secret. He was too nice, and nice guys couldn’t lie. That was a fact. Dash cleared his throat, ready to respond, but I took matters into my own hands.

“Alex,” I cooed in my usual flirty drawl, opening my arms wide and engulfing him in a hug. One that I admitted lasted way longer than it should have. What better way to throw him off than to be extra flirty today? He would just think I was messing around. “It’s so good to see you,” I said, finally pulling out of the hug, and then I did something even I didn’t expect. I threaded my hands through his dirty blond hair and messed it up like I was talking to a kid. “How you been, old sport?”

I could almost feel Dash’s annoyance. Okay, I might have gone a little too far in the opposite direction, but I was here now, so I needed to keep going with it. Alex pushed my hand out of his hair lightly and chuckled, but there was uneasiness in his laughter. Not surprised. I’d be freaked out by my behavior too. We weren’t that close.

“It’s good to see you too, Baby B, but, uh, didn’t we just see each other the other day? You’re acting like you haven’t seen me in years.”

“Yeah, but you were on the ice, so it doesn’t count. I didn’t get to talk to you at the party, either.” I pouted my bottom lip out, swaying my shoulders. “What are you doing in my neck of the woods? Shouldn’t you be in the English department?”

With his mouth parted, his thick brow was still furrowed, but he seemed to relax when I smiled at him.

Swallowing, he said, “Yeah, I’m here because I just had a tutoring session.” His cheeks blushed, and I wasn’t sure why.

“A tutoring session? With a girl?”

“Yup,” he popped out, and I threw a look at Dash from over his shoulder. It was the first time I’d looked at him since I went on the overdramatic attack, and it was obvious he was pissed. At least to me. I bet few people knew the differences in his facial expressions since they only ranged from a snarly scowl to a hooded glare.

“Isn’t that sweet, Big Man?” I asked as I scrunched my nose, trying to look cute.