Total pages in book: 123
Estimated words: 120176 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 601(@200wpm)___ 481(@250wpm)___ 401(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 120176 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 601(@200wpm)___ 481(@250wpm)___ 401(@300wpm)
“She’ll come if her friends come.”
Maybe. Probably not.
Wes’s eyes narrowed. “Atwater, be straight. What are you doing?”
AJ studied us for a beat before his shoulders deflated. “Okay. I’m into one of Taz’s friends, and she’s too scared to come to our house unless there’s other people. I was thinking a small—” He emphasized the word because we all knew Labrowski would not be down for a big event, not until after our season was done. “—thing where she’d feel more comfortable. Ryerson’s cool, but sometimes his girlfriend doesn’t always come. She’s always talking about Daniels, so I was thinking we could invite Daniels and her usual crowd. Taz would show up, and then my girl would definitely come.”
I had no clue which point to handle first.
“One, your logic is asinine. It’s a party, most girls aren’t scared to come to the hockey house.”
“This girl is.”
I ignored him. “Secondly, just ask Race’s girlfriend to come. She’ll come. She has in the past.”
“You think?”
“Third, Mara’s usual crowd is Gaynor and Miller. If Miller comes, he might bring some of his brothers and that shit’s no longer a small thing anymore.”
Atwater stared at me, considering. He switched to Barclay, who held his hands up. “I’m not a part of this. This whole thing has come out of your ass, but I agree with everything Cruz said. Also, you need Labrowski and Keys to okay this or our asses are in a sling.”
“That girl’s been hanging around the house more. The one whose brother died, that was Adam’s best friend. I think Labrowski wants her to meet more girls. Make friends.”
And Atwater just figured out how to get Labrowski to agree with the party.
If Labrowski said yes, then Keys was more likely to sign on. I shared a look with Wes. We both knew that we were going to be having a party Saturday night.
I sighed. “I’ll mention it to Mara.”
“Yes!”
“But you and I are doing some one-on-one in practice to pay for it.”
He groaned, then coughed. “I mean, bring it on.”
Since realizing Mara was in my same anthropology class, I’d stayed away. It was part of the thing with us, but today I dropped down in the seat on her other side, letting my hand graze her arm. Mara’s head had been folded over her book, but she snapped up, her eyes wide as she glanced at her arm. We had a few minutes before Miller would grab the seat on her other side.
“What are you doing?”
I tried to gauge her attitude. She hadn’t hissed that question at me, though I was breaking our rules. But she’d been extra hot last night. Fuck. We both were. I was starting not to like the no-texting rule between us. Which was an admission of surprise to myself because I liked what we had during the first semester. First semester and the first week, but things started to slide. We were trying to right the course again, but I don’t know.
A part of me was enjoying that I had an excuse to sit here.
That I could shift to the side, could run a finger down her leg, loving how it’d make her eyes glaze over, the same look I was rewarded when I was in her honey spot.
That I had an excuse to break our agreement, or bend it.
Bend her…
“Cruz.”
Right. “We’re doing a party Saturday night. The guys want you to come.”
She didn’t show any reaction. That wasn’t altogether surprising because since her breakdown that night, it’s like she caught herself and was making up for her slip of control. She’d been locked down, and the only time she let herself go was in bed with me. Like she gave herself permission, not that I was complaining. My dick was already hard, all the different positions we’d not tried yet playing out in my head.
But last night, man. How I stood, how she turned around, how she backed up—okay. My dick was rock hard. Christ.
“Why?”
I glanced back, seeing Wes staring at us. He raised an eyebrow, indicating the empty chair beside him. I gave him a slight nod, and right then, Bianca tried to drop into my usual seat. He stopped her, nodding my way.
She looked our way, but I focused back on Mara. “Because, I don’t know. AJ wants you there and you know how he is when he gets something in his head. Just show up, or he’ll pester you all week until you say you’ll come.”
“Are you serious? But, we have—”
Miller was coming, along with two of his frat brothers.
“It was either me asking or him harassing you all week.” I stood up, grabbing my bag, and because I was itching to touch her, my leg brushed against her as I went by. I ignored her small gasp. “Just come, okay?”
Miller’s eyebrows pulled together, a small frown on his face as I passed him. “Styles.”