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My nails dug into my palm, and I tried to yank my arm out of his grasp, to no avail, as the crowd thinned out. He was leading me away from the party, off to the side of the house. “Let go of my arm!”
He dragged me around until my back was up against a brick wall. “I will let go when I’m good and goddamn ready.”
“You’re embarrassing me.”
“I’m not the one acting like a fucking attention seeker.”
“Me?” My eyes widened in shock. The nerve. I shoved at his chest, but he didn’t budge, leaving me wedged between a brick wall and a human wall.
He released my arm and planted both hands at the side of my head. His chest brushed mine. “What did you hope to gain with your little display?”
Steam formed in front of my eyes. This man was exasperating. “I wasn’t trying to prove anything. I’m here to have fun with my friends and enjoy all the perks of Hillside.”
He bent his head, and his eyes scanned over me. I could feel my nipples tighten under my dress as his heat radiated onto me like a furnace, despite the stifling heat outside. A bead of sweat curled from my neck, down my collarbone, and between the valley of my breasts. His gaze followed the movement intensely, as if he debated delving into my dress to see where the bead ended up, which had rolled down my stomach to the hem of my thong.
He pressed into me closer. “Don’t enjoy the perks too much.”
“I will do whatever I want.” My rebuttal sounded shaky at best.
I heard a soft rumble come from the back of his throat as his face inched in closer, and our mouths were almost touching. “I would advise against it.”
I could feel his minty breath against mine and how his bottom lip jutted out slightly—tempting and sinful, he was. I had the impractical urge to stand up on my toes and take it between my teeth. Bothered by my thoughts, I quickly dismissed it. “Don’t worry. It’s not your problem, now, is it?”
He leaned in close to my cheek, so close his skin brushed against mine. “Don’t question me. I don’t have time to play immature games with you.” With that, he pushed away from me and sauntered off without a backward glance.
Dmitri
Two days passed. Two days since the Pike party, where I’d nearly lost my composure. At a stupid fraternity party, no less. I mentally berated myself again for the impulsiveness. I was too old for this shit. It was my last year of college, and I had bigger and better things to focus on. Not losing my shit whenever I saw someone near Sorina. She should’ve never transferred here.
She was like an annoying mosquito bite you tried not to scratch because once you did, you couldn’t get rid of the itch. You’d scratch it until you bled.Fuck, I didn’t sign up for this. Now, it appeared she was everywhere. On campus, on the practice field beside ours, at parties, and on my mind far too often. In my defense, she was only in my thoughts because I wondered why the hell she was here, and I unwantedly still had some kind of responsibility for her when she was around. That’s all it was.
“Another season of greatness.” Nick dropped down beside me on the football field. “Do you ever regret not declaring for the draft last season?”
“No.” I thought back to when Roman convinced us all to forego the NFL draft last January, when we could’ve already been set in the pros. Granted, we all had another season of college football eligibility, and some people would say staying another year in college could be a risk if one of us suffered a bad injury or if we all just tanked this season. Our stock could trend down when we enter the draft next spring. Yet, we all agreed to stay. Surprisingly, it wasn’t that heart-wrenching of a decision for us, except for maybe Axel, who called us all idiots for staying. But yeah, anyway, I guess we were all on board with spending more time together as teammates, friends, and now we were as close as family. At least most of the time.
Nick nudged me on the elbow before he reached for his toes. “You gonna tell me why you look pissed off?” We were stretching before practice began.
“If I were upset, you’d know it.”
Nick chuckled, and the top of his head shook as he bent over, grabbing his cleat. “If you say so. Remember, shoving your feelings deep inside without an outlet is unhealthy.”
I frowned at him, and he looked like he was fighting to keep a straight face. Asshole. “Said the guy who would’ve killed a former teammate if I hadn’t stopped him? You do understand the irony in your statement, right?”
Nick’s teasing demeanor dropped like a handkerchief. “Fuck you, man. You know that asshole deserved it. He tried to destroy Kenzie’s life.”
When thinking clearly, I knew Nick was right. Justin, Kenzie’s ex-boyfriend, was a piece of shit. But golden boy should thank me for saving his ass from killing the idiot. Nick wasn’t always one to express himself in a healthy way, but his problems seemed to be in the past. Yet in the present, he needed to stay out of my business. “I know,” I admitted. I wasn’t ready to lie down on a couch and share my fucking feelings. That was not how I rolled. I never shared anything too personal, even with my best friends.
“Is Saint Nick trying to give you counsel?” Roman passed by, tossing a football in his hand.
“No.”
Roman shrugged and looked across the field. Drawing back, he hurled the football to Axel, who held up his hands as he caught it with ease. He took some stutter steps, as if he were juking a defender, and sprinted ten yards. Then, he pulled up and waved at someone walking over to the practice field on the other side of our field. When I saw who it was, my already shitty mood tanked as fast as the stock market on Black Monday. Sorina strutted across the grass while her glossy black ponytail bounced with each step she took. She was in a skimpy black sports bra and mini shorts, just like the other cheerleaders in her group. Except on her, it looked damn scandalous. She waved at Axel, and her teeth gleamed under the sun as she beamed at him.I swear to god, if that fucker tried anything with her…
“Maybe you can counsel him on how not to kill Axel.” Roman’s expression was shuttered as he slapped Nick on the pads, holding out a hand to pull him up from the ground.
Nick flexed his ankles. “Nah. They’re good. Right, D?” By the tone of Nick’s voice, I could only take it as tongue-in-cheek. I ignored both of them as they walked off toward the sideline, where the team was gathering and getting ready for scrimmages.
I slowly stood and jogged over to them as Coach blew his whistle, calling out for the starting offense and defense to take the field. We lined up and ran the first play, which was a long pass down the field to me that sailed right through my hands. I cursed under my breath, ticked I missed the easy ball. I yanked off my chinstrap, about to make my way back to the huddle, but I peered over at the cheer team. Sorina swung her arms back and forth before dropping to the ground, spreading her legs wide. Then, a guy strolled up to her and kneeled down between her thighs, gripping one of her legs behind the knee to rest on his shoulder, and he laid over her, bending her leg back past her head. He pulsed against her and held the position.
