Page 7 of The Draft

“Nothing, except Dash is still staring. Well, no. That’s putting it politely. He’s glaring in a way that doesn’t look normal.”

“Do you mean that snarly, scowly thing? Where his lip turns up on one side? That’s his usual face.”

“Nah. It’s not that one. It’s almost like he’s trying to hold back a fart and a burp at the same time.”

“Well, that’s a new expression. But wait, does that mean he’s not looking at Sienna?”

“Is that the girl he’s sitting with?” I nodded. “She’s talking and making notes, but he doesn’t look engaged at all. In fact, he’s way more interested in watching me watch him.”

Why did that little fact make my heart skip a beat?

Adam looked between me and Dash and then sat up. He gave me a gawky smile, and to anyone that couldn’t hear our conversation, it looked like we were having a serious heart-to-heart. Maybe we were.

“Wanna try something out?”

Adam’s eyebrows wiggled, and there was a second where I thought maybe, just maybe, he was asking if I wanted to try something out…sexually, because at this point, hell yes. I’d be up for anything. It had been so long since I’d kissed a guy because much like high school, no one at Covey U wanted to take a chance with me. Hell, after the Henry debacle, it felt like someone had put a giant red cross on my forehead, and I was the only one who couldn’t see it. Although, if I thought about it, someone did do that—Dash. Which would explain why it didn’t matter how flirty I got with guys, no one wanted to come near me. So if Adam wanted to take a chance and try something for fun, why not?

“What were you thinking?” I asked, leaning in a little closer and trying to subtly pout my cherry-glossed lips, hoping it made them look enticing.

“Do you trust me?”

“I’ve only just met you.”

“Yeah, but don’t worry, I’m a good guy.”

“Said all the bad boys in the world.”

He rolled his eyes. “I just want to try something out. These events bore the crap out of me, but Dash is making it mildly entertaining.” Adam leaned back and tapped his friend on the shoulder. “Hey, D.”

“What?” Devin grumbled back. Surprisingly, the voice sounded familiar. Angry and gruff, he really did remind me of Dash. The only thing that was different was Devin’s Southern accent.

“You busy?”

The girl sitting opposite Devin was less than interested. She was staring at her phone, completely ignoring him. I could only assume it was because Devin had already told her she didn’t have a chance. Poor girl. Like I said, he seemed broody and angry with the world. Just my type. I just wished my brother’s grumpy best friend didn’t make everyone else look like mere mortals.

“Nope. Gina’s just waiting for Aiden to be free.” He dipped his headover in the direction of the dark-haired guy with the piercing blue eyes. I’d heard a lot about Aiden Matthews since I joined Covey U this year, and let’s just say, if rumors were true, it wasn’t just his eyes that were piercing.

Much like the other guys on the football team, he lacked focus on the girl in front of him, and when I followed his gaze, it was because he was looking at…Scotty’s table?

Scotty was grinning at a brunette, and there was a blonde sitting close by, scowling, but that was about it. There was nothing nefarious going on, so why was he so interested in them?

Devin’s chair screeched across the floor as he pushed it back and dragged it to our table.

“Oh, is this allowed?” I looked to see if someone was about to yell at us for sitting too close together, but no one was watching.

“I don’t think anyone cares,” Adam replied, and he poked Devin with his elbow. “Hey, D. What would be your thoughts on if a teammate tried to date your sister?”

Devin’s chin dipped. That grumpy look on his face turned to a dark, brooding anger. Okay, I couldn’t deny it, it was sexy. “Are you trying to tell me you want to hit on Chloe? Because—”

Adam raised his hands and let out a long, hesitant breath. “No. No. Nothing like that.” He then pointed at me. “We’re just talking about Madison here.”

Devin turned and looked at me for the first time, and I wanted to say he perked up a little, but that wasn’t hard considering the baseline was so low. “Oh, yeah?”

“MadisonBright.” Adam emphasized my last name, and I rolled my eyes.

“Oh. I’m assuming there’s some relation to Cade Bright, then?”

“Yup, I’m his sister.”