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If there was a surefire way to set me off, this was it. “I’m fucking not. You asked and I answered. I don’t care if you’re incapable of toning any of this down.” But I had a reason to care because the plan depended on it. After all, I stood to lose the most. Beckett was well connected. He could transfer elsewhere in a blink. Perhaps he wouldn’t get to captain a team, but he would definitely get himself to co-captain one. And when he did that, it would be a matter of time before he pushed the captain out.
And me? This was my only shot at professional hockey.
Was I really going to risk it because I disliked his dimples and his self-satisfied smirks?
“You’re so full of shit, Jones,” Beckett said. He didn’t move, but it felt like he was a couple inches closer. It was like he grew bigger and occupied more space. “Just because you got that measly scholarship, it doesn’t make you better. Just because you get high grades, you’re not smarter.”
“There’s nothing fucking measly about it,” I squeezed through clenching jaws. “And I never claimed I was better. The truth is simple. Odds were stacked against me from the start. And if you can’t admit that much, you might as well fuck off to whoever you’re planning on fucking tonight.”
Fuck.
Beckett sucked his teeth, amusement spreading over his face. “Ooh, look at that. Caden Jones is jealous.”
“I’m not,” I barked. Where the hell had all my composure gone? I sorta needed it right about now. I was blurting things out before thinking and every word that came out of my mouth was another weapon in Beckett Partridge’s arsenal.
He bared his teeth in a wicked grin that punched dimples into his cheeks, blue eyes sparkling as he stared at me. He looked like he couldn’t decide what to do with me. Kiss or kill.
The feeling was mutual, but I would rather die than reveal such a weakness.
“It looks like we’re at a dead end,” Beckett said, more amused than disappointed. He moved a little to the right and I turned on my heels after him. Like two cats looking for a fight, we circled around. “The way I see it, we can bring each other down. And believe me, nothing would give me more pleasure than to wipe away the smug smile off your face.”
“If anyone’s smug smile is up for wiping,” I said and gave him a pointed look.
His eyes narrowed, but the smile I mentioned only broadened. “My point exactly,” he said, eyebrows wiggling for a brief moment. “Or, we can set our differences aside and work together. We have the same goal, after all.”
“What if I want to see you fail so badly that I’ll sacrifice myself for it?” I asked hypothetically.
Beckett snorted. “You’re not that self-destructive, sweetheart.”
The last word set the fuse on fire. Oh, but it was a short fuse, too. My hand found his chest before I knew what I was doing and I tried pushing him back. But Beckett wrapped his fingers around my wrist and yanked my arm, my open palm pressing hard against his chest, feeling his heart beat quickly.
“I’ll make you my final offer,” he said, eyes sparking with something darker. I hadn’t seen this look before. His voice dropped lower and his breathing seemed more shallow. “Since you’re a stubborn ass, Caden, I’ll ask you nicely to pretend all’s well around the coach and the rest of the team.” His grip on my wrist tightened. “I get to be the captain. I get the first shot at the NHL when the time is right. And you…you get to keep your scholarship.”
I opened my mouth to protest. It didn’t seem fair.
But Beckett flashed a grin and pulled my hand a little to the side until I was touching the side of his ribcage, my heart pounding in my throat, echoing in my head. “And whatever else your heart desires.”
Heat rose along my neck and made my head swim. I opened my mouth to tell him it was out of the question. I meant to say I would rather drop out this instant. But I couldn’t.
His lips were on mine before I could blink. It was a hungry, greedy kiss; its intensity was almost painful. Beckett held the back of my head as he parted his teeth enough to suck my lower lip between his. He bit, but only a little.
My heart tripped once. Twice. My fingers curled and dug into his ribcage. I tasted the sweetness on his lips and nearly whimpered when the tip of his tongue entered my mouth. Fuck, it felt good. How long had it been since someone kissed me? Especially someone with so much cocky dominance that I felt like I could give in, be taken for a ride, and forget about everything else for one blissful instant.
Beckett kissed me deeply and thoroughly for what felt like an eternity. And though mere seconds had passed, I found myself in need of making an urgent decision. Should I kiss him back? What path would that take us on? If I encouraged him now, or even allowed a little more ground…ah, but it felt so good.
His head bobbed from one side to the other as he explored my mouth with his tongue. He was so fucking good at this that my admiration bordered on hatred. Or the other way around. I wasn’t so sure.
The only thing I could be sure of was that if I let him go where he wanted, I would be in for a treat. Beckett was the campus playboy without a rival. I didn’t need to wonder what it would be like because it would be fucking perfect.
Except he couldn’t fucking trust me to pull off a maneuver on ice without his blessing, which fucking got us here in the first place.
I inhaled sharply and moved my hand off his ribcage and to his solar plexus, pushing him roughly away. “No,” I said.
He raised both hands to the level of his shoulders, palms facing me, and took two solid steps back. “Your loss,” he said, moving his left hand to fix his ruffled locks.
“You should go.” I turned away, my face heated and my cock throbbing hard. The last thing I needed was for Beckett to see how easily he could devastate me.
“Uh-huh.” His footsteps were slow, his breaths steady and deep.
