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I returned my attention to Bailey, who was batting her lashes, waiting for me to speak. She was fucking gorgeous—in the way
that told me she’d still be gorgeous the morning after. Not that it mattered; I didn’t do sleepovers.
Pulling open the top drawer, I grabbed a well-worn red Falcons tee and handed it to her. Sure, I had other shirts. But giving her this felt like a taste of retribution against that dick Morrison.
I grabbed a well-worn red Falcons tee and handed it to her. Sure, I had other shirts. But giving her this felt like a taste of retribution against that dick Morrison. “Here,” I said. “You can change in the bathroom. Washcloths are under the sink if you need one. And mouthwash.”
Sadly, I was still in the same place: Chase Carter’s bedroom. No, not his bedroom. His sex dungeon.
Plus, there was the whole part where sober Bailey hated me.
Chase hopped back onto the ice for another shift. Our gazes collided, and an electric jolt ran through my body. Goose bumps popped up on my arms beneath my black puffy down parka. He flashed me a drop-dead gorgeous cocky smile and winked before skating off to the other end. Jillian poked me in the ribs. “Um, did Carter just wink at you?”
He was magnetic. Hypnotic. Utterly addictive to look at.
“Rescuing you, apparently.” “I don’t need to be rescued.” He chuckled, low and deep. “You sure about that?”
Just my luck: one of the hottest chicks I’d ever met hated my guts. Or was she hot because she hated me? Maybe it was a bit of both.
Sober Bailey had made it abundantly clear on Sunday morning that she was not, in fact, a one-night stand type of person. I had no delusions about that changing soon. Though obviously, I wouldn’t turn her down if it did.
“Well, it’s half-true,” I said, picking up my burger. “I was teasing you in a playful way. Obviously, I was hitting on you too.”
There was no point in denying that part. Hostility aside, she was freaking gorgeous. My attraction to her grew every time we hung out. What muddied the waters was whether she was attracted to me now, in the absence of tequila.
I just wished I didn’t enjoy it so much. Liking the dynamic we had going on was problematic. But I put the fun in dysfunctional, so I guess that wasn’t a huge surprise.
My head was spinning, my hands were shaking, and I was questioning everything I thought I knew. I had dinner with Chase Carter. And I kind of liked it.
Instead, I opened each
message without looking at its contents, then left them all on read to let everyone know I was still alive. Not that it was my safety they were worried about. It was loyalty.
The look on Morrison’s face tonight? Awesome. Getting to spend time with James? Even better. Kissing her? Fuck me, I’m in over my head.
I still wasn’t sure what had possessed me to bring her here, somewhere I had never brought anyone else—or even mentioned it to.
Bailey was smart, hot, and funny; she could have had her pick of almost anyone. I couldn’t reconcile why she’d give that douchebag the time of day, let alone date him for an extended length of time. Was this what jealousy felt like? I didn’t like it. At all.
Though I was in the midst of a serious drought at the moment—not necessarily by design, but because every text that popped up on my phone offering a hookup was from someone other than Bailey.
COULD I have completed that essay a little faster? Probably. Was I motivated to speed up the process when James was in my bedroom, looking adorable as fuck on my bed? Not really.
Besides, let’s be real—not even I believed my intentions with Bailey were platonic. But was that what Bailey wanted?
August me would have considered this winning the hookup lottery, would have
been all over it, would have been booking a ride home with both of them already. October me would rather go home and watch SportsCenter. Or text James. Was this seriously happening?
To Chase’s credit, he completely ignored his phone most of the time. When we were together, he was mentally present, and his attention was fixed solely on me. It was more than I could say about most people I knew, friends or otherwise.
And cue backlash in three … two … I waited for him to argue with me like Luke—and most guys—did. To tell me all the reasons my opinion was wrong or stupid. Derek was the only one who could engage in remotely civil debate with me about sports. Even then, he tried to pull the hockey player card when he was losing.
“You know what?” He shrugged. “I’ll bite.” My heart exploded. “Wait, really?” Surely, I’d misheard. “James, you just dropped more knowledge than half the guys on the team could. It makes total sense.”
This may have been the moment I fell for him, but I’d never admit that out loud.
He was all sharp edges and swagger from a distance. But closer up, there was softness and vulnerability too. The man, the myth, and the legend, yet—human.
I was fairly certain that if I stayed, it wouldn’t be as a friend, despite his assurance. Did I want that? I sure did. But I was also a little scared. Okay, a lot scared.
“You can if you want to. But I’m fine,” I said, flattening my palms against his black T-shirt. His heart pounded against my hands, strong and steady. “Really.” Besides, if happiness was the best revenge, then I was 100 percent winning right now.
“Actually, I’m getting tired.” I stifled a yawn, wondering if Chase would come to bed when I did, or if he would stay up with his friends like Luke always had.
Chase shot me a glance. “Want to call it a night?”
“Yeah,” he said. “I’m good too. Let’s go.” At that, tiny fireworks erupted low in my belly. We were going to bed—together.
After tonight’s kiss, everything felt different. We’d moved out of the friendship gray zone tonight. Our mutual attraction was out in the open, and the chemistry between us had proved to be explosive.
“Why were you so upset about that text Luke sent to everyone?”
“Was it because you thought it might be true?” Her forehead crinkled. “Did you think I would do something like that?”
“No, not at all.” I fumbled inwardly, trying to find a non-pathetic way to phrase it. “I know you can handle yourself, but it triggered something protective in me. You’re one of my favorite people.”
“Who are your other favorite people?”
“It’s mostly you, I guess. Not a big fan of humankind in general.”
“One more question.” Bailey looked away. She sucked in a breath and paused, the moment heavy, and then the words came out in a rush of air as she glanced back up at me. “Have you been with anyone since we started hanging out?”
“No,” I said. “It’s okay. But the answer is no, I haven’t.”
“Look,” I said, touching her cheek. “In the interest of total transparency, I haven’t been with anyone whatsoever since you and I started talking.”
“I don’t want anyone else, James.” “You don’t?” “Not even a little,” I said, kissing the top of her head. “Think you’ll be able to sleep now?” “Yeah,” she said. “Think so.”
Chase tugged my hand, pulling me to sit beside him. He rubbed my skin with his thumb, making slow, smooth strokes. “You’re not defective.”
“I’m an asshole. I didn’t mean to upset you. I’ve been thinking about how to talk to you about this for a while now because I didn’t want to fuck it up.”
“You’re not broken,” he said softly. “Lots of girls can’t come from penetration alone. It’s pretty common. Normal.”
“You’re not a means to an end, James.”
“Plus, the idea of getting you off is so fucking hot,” he murmured.
