AllFreeNovel
Share Us
For now, I would be on my best behavior, giving her time to come around to the idea of being friends again while I figured out who this boyfriend was.
THIRTY-THREE
ADDISON
Chance was officially avoiding me, and I was officially annoyed.
We hadn't spoken since the night outside the club when I was cuffed to Maddox. He'd managed to dodge all my calls every day since, and we traveled four hours on the same bus, but his eyes never met mine. Irritation radiated through me. He was acting like a child.
Scanning my hotel key card across the black key reader, I pushed open the door and stepped in, pulling my luggage behind me.
"Wow," I muttered, glancing around the massive luxury hotel room. It was twice the size of the last one, with a full kitchen, dining room, and living area. I strolled down the short, narrow hallway, opening a door on the left to a large master bedroom with an attached master bathroom equipped with a full-size walk-in shower and jetted tub. "Hell yeah!" I could definitely spend the next two nights in this.
Stepping out of the room, I noticed a closed door at the end of the hall, but before I had the chance to explore it. Chance pushed through the door. A smile spread across my face. He'd arranged for us to have connecting rooms. But my smile immediately faded when Maddox stepped in behind him, squashing all dreams.
"You guys will have to share a living space," Chance stated mostly to Maddox. "But you'll have your own room and bathroom." I clenched my jaw. Chance pretending he didn't even see me was beyond aggravating. "That should make your tutoring sessions easy." What he really meant was that it would be easier for me to babysit his star baller.
"Hey, buddy." Maddox smirked. My gaze flashed between the two as I crossed my arms over my chest. I had a feeling this was his doing.
"I'll let you two get settled," Chance said before disappearing.
"Here's my schedule, tutor girl," Maddox smirked, but I wasn't in the mood for him.
"I'll be right back," I muttered, not bothering to take the schedule.
"If you're going to complain about the living arrangements," Maddox called out as I walked away. "It's too late." I rolled my eyes.
The truth was that having Maddox close made life a little easier for me. I could keep an eye on him and ensure he wasn't getting in trouble. I just had to remind myself that I hated him even if I was pretending to be his friend to do what I had to.
I stormed after Chance, hoping to catch him before he caught the elevator. I rounded the corner, and there he was, all six feet of him, facing the elevator.
"I didn't do anything wrong, Chance," I snapped. He twisted to see me. "Maddox is stubborn, and I'm trying to do what you asked."
"Addison," he spun around, "I'm not mad at you. I don't have time for clingy right now. It's football season, and my head is in the game. I need this win, and right now, I need you to do your job."
"I am." I wasn't sure if I felt relieved or sad. This wasn't our first football season together, but it was the first time he'd acted like this.
"Great," he snapped, backing into the elevator, eyes locked on mine. "Maddox has two midterms he has to pass next week." The elevator door started to close. "Make sure he passes them."
Blowing out a breath, I stood staring at the closed doors, confused, hurt, and somewhat relieved.
By the time I made it back to the room, Maddox had made himself comfortable shirtless and kicked back on the sofa. My gaze trailed down his perfectly sculpted torso, now covered in black ink. When his gaze flashed up, meeting mine, and his lips curled into the same smile I loved when we were teens, I realized I needed space and lots of it.
"I'm going to unpack," I muttered. I couldn't deal with him right now. I couldn't deal with any of them right now. I just wanted to hide in my room for the rest of the night, but I knew to keep my job and prevent those pictures from going viral, I had to work with Maddox tonight.
THIRTY-FOUR
ADDISON
It was after dark when I finally emerged from my room feeling rejuvenated from a bubble bath, and ready to tackle the thorn in my side, also known as Maddox.
When I rounded the doorway, I gasped. Maddox stood in the entranceway with a plastic bag, dressed in black slacks and a white button-up that was open at the collar. I quickly grabbed my chest, trying to play it off as if he scared me, but really, his presence consumed all the oxygen in the room. The boy Maddox had been was hot, but the man he'd become was breathtaking. The kind of breathtaking that sent fire straight through you and down to your core.
"Sorry," he apologized, flashing that perfect all-white smile, and I was thankful he'd fallen for it.
"Why are you all dressed up?" I muttered, quickly pulling myself back to reality and adverting my gaze to anything other than him.
"I just got back from dinner," he answered.
