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“Ooh, someone is salty,” I tease. “Sorry, you looked bored. Figured I’d save ya.”
She gives me a look, telling me I’m full of shit. “Mmhmm. Sure I did.”
Slowly, I pull her against me, feeling her hesitate to put her arms around my neck. But eventually, she does, resting her head on my chest.
Unlike the chick I was just dancing with, Haley smells like lemon bread or some shit. I breathe her sweetness in, feeling like I’m at a damn bakery. In some way, I feel this need to protect her, like she’s my little sister. Or maybe that’s what I’m telling myself. Because let’s face it—I’m not looking at her like a sister right now.
“Did I interrupt anything?” I say like I’m oblivious. “Was he getting ready to tell you about how many balls he’s held in his soft man hands?”
“Shut up.” She rolls her eyes but giggles against me. “And how do you know his hands were soft?”
“Strikes me as a dude who has lotion next to his bed.” Dipping my head down, I wiggle my eyebrows. “I mean, notthattype of lotion. Everyone needs a little rub and tug sometimes. I’m talking hand lotion. So, tell me, were his hands soft?”
She bursts out laughing. “Fine. Yes, they were pretty soft.”
“Ha! Knew it!” I cheer. “You need a real man’s hands on your body, sweet thing.”
She’s innocent. I’m not. I should stay as far away from her as I can. And maybe I’ll start.Tomorrow.
“Hunter’s going to be mad if he sees you dancing with me,” she says. “Consider yourself warned.”
“He already left.” I shrug. “Besides, you should know I’ve never been one to read warning signs.”
“Wait, he left?” she says, surprised.
“Don’t worry; he told me and Watson both that we aren’t allowed to take our eyes off of you until you’re home safe.” I shake my head. “Basically threatened to chop our nuts off if we didn’t agree.”
“Sounds about right,” she huffs. “How are you getting home?” Her eyes narrow. “Were you planning on driving, Cade? You seem drunk.”
“I ain’t that drunk,” I say. “And, no, I wasn’t planning on driving.” I shake my head. As much of a dumb fuck as I am, that is one thing I don’t do. Drink and drive. I’ll either walk or get an Uber when I’m fucked up. “Watson’s not drinking. He’s DD tonight.”
She feels so good in my arms, and I’m enjoying this dance far too much.
For so much of my life, I’ve had a thing for mischief. I’ve always liked the feeling of knowing I was doing something bad and dangerous. But she’s the furthest thing from any of those things. She’s a damn angel. However, her brother finding out that I’m almost grazing her ass with my fingertips? Now, that’s bad. And dangerous.
But that’s not what stops me from gliding my hands further down her back to her ass. Or cupping her cheek with my hand and kissing her plump pink lips. What stops me from doing either of those things is the fact that I’m a fucking loser. Scum. Alowlife. And Haley? Well, she’s perfect. Too perfect for me to be dancing with.
The song ends just in time, and I step back, dragging my hand down the back of my head awkwardly. “Thanks for the dance. I, uh … am going to go find Watson if you’re about ready to head out.”
First, she looks stunned. And then hurt. Nodding slowly, she averts her eyes. “Uh … yeah. I just need to go find Remi.”
I’ve never been one to make good decisions. But even I know that looking at Haley Thompson the way I have tonight is a very bad idea. And I’m not going to do it again.
Maybe I’m turning over a new leaf. Because, for once, I’m not giving in to something I want.
4
Haley
So far, freshman year at Brooks is the complete opposite of what I thought it would be. First off, I’m not rooming with my best friend. Second, I’m living with mybrotherand his friends. Which is so not something I foresaw happening. Ever. And third, I have a crush. Like … a fifth-grade,doodleon your journal,butterflies in your stomach,stare too long,try to run into them ina hallway, andsmiling like something is wrong with you when they look your waykind of crush. I’ve always thought Cade was hot, but ever since we danced a few weeks ago, my weirdness has gone to a whole other level.
It doesn’t help that for some fundraiser thing, the hockey players have apparently teamed up with some ballerinas to perform a dance. Cade’s original partner, Lindsey, from what I hear, is in a committed relationship. Which would have been a relief, except she got injured. So, now, Cade is paired with the very beautiful and very single Poppy Huxton. She’s known to be kind of bitchy. And of course, I stalked her on Instagram, andsadly—for me—she’sreallypretty. She must be at least five foot nine. Her legs are long and toned. At five foot two … I have legs that are anything but lengthy. And when I move, I certainly don’t look nearly as graceful as she does. In fact, I’m that girl who trips over her own two feet. Usually at theworsttime.
Like my high school graduation. Now, that was really fun.
So, even though I have no right to be jealous when it comes to what Cade does and who he does it with, I can’t help myself when it comes to him and his dance partner. After all, Cade Huff could charm the skin off a snake. I have no doubt that, soon, they will be, if they aren’t already, hooking up.
I haven’t seen him bring anyone home since I’ve been living here. Then again, it would be hard to know for sure because he’s sort of like a rare unicorn. You never know when you’ll see him. When you do, it’s exciting, but it doesn’t last long before he’s gone again. You sort of wish you had taken a picture to make the moment last longer, but that would be considered odd. So, instead, you take mental photographs of him when he’s shirtless … which makes you an even bigger creeper.
