Page 6 of The Draft
“Wow, I’ve only been sitting for two minutes and you’re already pawning me off to other guys. I guess I should have hiked my boobs up a little higher,” I deadpanned, drawing my attention back to Adam to try to calm my anger, or maybe take it out on him. I wasn’t sure.
Don’t get me wrong, Adam was cute and known for respecting women. Not to mention he was one of the best wide receivers in the country but was most certainly not my type. He had that Labrador vibe about him, and as much as I liked a guy to be loyal, I wanted some fire and passion, too.
Adam let out an awkward breath. “I’m sorry. Look, it’s not you. You’re gorgeous.” The tension in my shoulders eased slightly. “It’s just, I guess there’s someone back home.” I sighed, adjusting my bra because the fit was a little off. It was the only strapless one I could find in my closet before coming here, so I had to make do.
“Ain’t it always the case?”
I couldn’t even be upset about the admission because it was the truth with every guy I tried my advances on after Henry. There was always someone else that they were more interested in because they had fewer complications. They were probably prettier too. I’d come to the conclusion that “there’s someone else” was just the nice guy way of telling me they weren’t into me, or they were afraid of my brother. I just hoped one day a guy would think about me as that “someone else.” Preferably Dash, but at this point, I’d make do with what I could.
“What’s her name?”
“Who?”
I flitted my fingers in front of his face. “The girl that’s got you goo googaga over there? I can tell you’re thinking about her.”
“No one. Just a friend from high school.”
“A friend? From high school?” I leaned back and crossed my arms. “Damn, I’m competing with girls who don’t even go here and I can’t win.” I shook my head, only mildly annoyed about that fact. “When am I going to find a guy who views me as a friend but can’t stop thinking about me?” I huffed out a breath, which only made Adam laugh.
“I, uh, think you might already have that.”
I glared at him in confusion. “What are you talking about?”
Adam glanced over my shoulder before bringing his attention back to me. “How well do you know Dash Bridges?”
Well, that piqued my interest. The hairs on the back of my neck rose, and I sat up a little straighter as I leaned in. “Why are you asking?” I whispered more seductively than I intended. I couldn’t help it. Dash brought it out of me without trying. With his dark hair and brooding personality, there was so much I wanted to know about him, but he refused to let me in.
“Because he hasn’t stopped glaring at me since you sat down, and he’s not the kind of guy I want to tick off.”
“Really?” I tried to hide my excitement, but I couldn’t help myself. The sixteen-year-old who still thought Dash only saw her as the gawky kid with braces was leaping inside my stomach with happiness. Could Dash be jealous?!
Adam smirked. “Oh, is there something going on between you two?”
“I wish. I’ve had a crush on the guy for as long as I can remember. He, on the other hand”—I pointed my thumb behind me—“has been single since the end of his senior year in high school and hasn’t looked at me twice.”
Adam smiled and took a sip of his drink. “And you haven’t put yourself out there?”
I shook my head with pinched lips. “Nope. What’s the point? He’s my brother’s teammate and clearly doesn’t see me as anything other than the girl whose boyfriend he beat up.”
Adam’s brow crossed. “Wait, he beat up your boyfriend?”
I waved it off, looking to the side. “Yeah, but it was only becausemyboyfriend was making out withhisgirlfriend. Had nothing to do with me,but there was a moment when the blood from my boyfriend’s face was dripping off his fist, that I could have sworn he broke his nose just for me.”
Adam hummed, taking another moment to look over my shoulder, and then looked back at me with a smile.
“Is he still staring?” I tried to sound cool, but my high-pitched tone was giving me away.
“Yup,” Adam popped out. “What’s stopping you from telling him?”
I shuffled my shoulders and cracked my neck because this wasn’t exactly the conversation I was planning on having tonight. Especially with Adam Hartley of all people, but he seemed genuine enough. Maybe he didn’t want to be here as much as Dash. “I’m saving myself from the resounding rejection I will no doubt face. Not only will he be my brother’s teammate at the Atlanta Anglerfish, but they’re best friends. Always have been. There’s no way I can break up that bromance.”
“You’ll never know if you don’t tell him.”
“Did you not just hear my list of complications?”
He shrugged. “What relationships aren’t complicated? I sure as hell wish I had told the girl I liked in high school just how much she meant to me, but I was too late. Now she’s dating some idiot quarterback at Southern Collegiate and doesn’t give me a second thought, and here we are.”
“Yeah, here we are,” I deadpanned.Adam looked over my shoulder and smirked. “What? You can’t give me that look and not tell me what’s happening.”