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can’t do this with you again.” I rest my hand on her knee, trying to calm her. “Can we rewind for a second? Where is this coming from?” “This is a bad idea. You, me…Us.”
“Look me in the eye and tell me you don’t feel anything for me.”
“I can’t lie, Nash. You know I do. But I’m not even allowed to be involved with you.”
“Ward gave us the same spiel,”
her. “Doesn’t mean anything. They just want to make sure we don’t act like idiots and cause problems at school.”
“It’s still a rule.”
“With all due respect, Vi, fuck that. Are you going to let some arbitrary rule dictate how you live your life?”
“It’s not arbitrary, it’s meant to keep things professional.”
“It’s not the same for me and you.”
“You’d get a slap on the wrist; a talking-to at most. I could be disciplined, lose my internship credit, or worse.”
“Shit,” I mutter, scrubbing my jaw. “I’m sorry. I had no idea they took it that seriously for the interns.” “Of course, you didn’t. You’re a hockey god. You could burn down the dining hall in broad daylight and the school would pretend it was an accident.”
“There’s nothing you can do? You can’t ask to have me moved to someone else? Or I could, if you think that would play out better for you. I don’t care if I catch some shit on my end as long as you’re okay.”
“It’s a bad look, at best. I’ll seem unprofessional for getting involved with one of the athletes. Or for wanting to, depending on what I tell them.” “You’re telling me you can’t get involved with me because of this rule, even though there’s a simple solution staring you in the face? This feels like an excuse.”
“Look…” Violet trails off, looking behind me, and I know something bad is coming. “I can’t upend my reputation for nothing.”
“Nothing? Damn, tell me how you really feel.” “Can you really blame me?”
“After everything that’s happened, getting involved with you again is a gamble. The semester is only two more months. I just need some space until it ends.”
“I’m sure this rule doesn’t apply to Preston, does it?”
“Nash. That’s not it. Preston and I are just friends.”
“What kind of friend is he when he clearly has ulterior motives? Nothing you can say will change the fact that he wants to fuck you.”
“Kind of like you?”
“Difference is,” I say slowly, “I’m not going to pretend to be okay with being friends. Unlike Preston, I care about you too much to lie about what I want.” “What is it that you want from me, Nash? Sex?”
“Forget it, Vi. It’s fine. You want space? You got it.” I turn and walk away before saying something I’ll regret.
rejection is her pity. “Let’s not get into this again, okay?” I hold up my hand to cut her off. “I got the message the first time.” She opens her mouth to respond and then closes it again, her lips pressing into a thin line. Silence floods the hall, neither of us speaking. Thoughts and emotions war in my brain, a brutal battle with no clear winner. There are so many things I’d like to say; things I wish I could say, but I don’t know if she wants to hear. Finally, she nods. “Okay.”
should go,” I tell Violet. Stepping past her, I continue to my room. She watches me retreat, and I can’t shake the feeling I’m fucking everything up with her for a second time.
Just before the door shuts, a large hand reaches out and trips the sensor, forcing it to slide back open. My inhale catches when Nash appears in the doorway, his dark hair wet and muscled torso bare, a black t-shirt and white hotel towel slung over one shoulder. A fire ignites in his dark green eyes when they lock onto me, and he storms inside, smashing the close button on his way by.
He continues forward, forcing me to shuffle back to keep a buffer between us. I bump into the handrail along the wall, and he takes another step, eliminating the cushion of space. Behind him, the door slides shut again at a glacial pace. My heart hammers, striking my ribcage so hard with every beat that I’m certain he can hear.
“There could be cameras in here,” I remind him breathlessly, skin heating beneath his claiming grip. I wish being in his arms didn’t feel so good. He gives me a dark grin. “Do you think I give a fuck what the front desk sees?”
“What if someone we know is waiting at the top?” “Everyone’s still at the pool.”
“Fine.” He prods his cheek with his tongue as he considers me. “But we need to talk, and I’m not taking no for an answer.”
Nash brushes past me in a wave of chlorine, much like I imagine I also smell. His broad upper half is still bare, taut muscles on full display, V-cuts leading to his deep blue board shorts. I linger in the
“Other than the fact that you won’t even look at me?”
“Are you serious?” He takes a wide step back, incredulity stretching across his face. “I’m trying to stay away from you like you asked.” “That’s not—” “That’s exactly what you said.”
“What’s the real problem?”
“Violet.” An edge creeps into his voice.
“You were flirting…”
“You know, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you get jealous before. It’s hot, for the record.” “I’m not jealous.”
“You’re a bad liar, Vi. Always have been.”
“We can set aside the fact that I had to put up with Preston drooling all over you in this bikini. I wasn’t interested in that girl. I was playing wingman for Connor so he could hit on her friend.”
“Then why did you leave?”
“Because you looked upset, and I was worried about you.”
“After the way we left things between us last time we talked, I thought you might be moving on.”
“I said I was giving you space. Not that I was giving up.” “I don’t like space,” I whisper. “I fucking hate it.” His large hand slips around the small of my back, and he ducks his head, lowering his mouth until it’s hovering above my own. My pulse careens as our breaths mingle, anticipation surging to a new high. Instead of his lips finding mine like I expect, he hangs back. The kiss I’m waiting for never comes.
“You come to me, Vi.”
rock onto my toes and place my hands on his broad shoulders, pressing my lips to his. Nash draws in a jagged breath, wrapping his arms around my body as his tongue slides against mine. Beneath the desire, there’s an undercurrent of relief. We’re finally giving in to what we both want. Cupping my ass, he lifts me up against the wall with a thump. My arms circle his neck, legs wrapping around his waist. He kisses me until I lose my breath, my bearings, and my awareness of anything other than the two of us. “Fuck, I want you.”
second as barely tethered power courses beneath the surface of his skin. “Need you.” My head falls back against the wall, and my eyes drift shut. “I need you, too.” Need isn’t a strong enough word to describe it.
Nothing compares to the way he looks at me. It’s raw and feral, passionate and filthy. Nash angles his head, and his gaze coasts down my body, lingering on every dip and curve. A blaze ignites in his dark eyes. “Four bows.” “Four what?”
“That’s the only thing standing between me and your naked body. Two bows on the top, two on the bottom.”
Sliding across my shoulder blade, his rough fingertips land on the tie at my back, gently snapping it against my skin. His rough palm surfs down the side of my ribcage, sending a thrill through my entire body. A single finger slides between my bare left hip and the bow, dipping beneath the waistband of my bikini. Goosebumps erupt on my skin as he leisurely drags his fingertip along my lower stomach, all the way to the bow at my right hip.
“What’s our word, Vi?”
“Vanilla.” “Good girl.” He releases my face, stroking my damp hair. “And if your mouth is full?”
