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And the guys go ballistic, hassling the shit out of Asher while he digs a twenty from his back pocket and throws it across the table.
Mikayla wiggles her hips in a happy dance before flopping into my lap. I catch her easily, kissing her cheek, then catching Dad’s eye across the table. He grins at me, his gaze telling me I’ve found a keeper, before he takes a swig of his beer and leans back with this satisfied look on his face.
My chest expands as I glance down at Mikayla, who is now making a big show of plucking Asher’s twenty off the table and folding it in half. The guys are still whooping and laughing along with her, and my dad is probably right.
I have found a keeper.
And that scares the living shit out of me.
CHAPTER31
MIKAYLA
Twenty bucks means nothing compared to the pure triumph I’m feeling right now. I swear, I thought I was gonna lose that pizza twice. For one, I hate the crust. It’s usually tough and a little crunchy—gimme soft, cheese-covered dough any day. Second, I have never finished a slice that big in four bites before, but no way in hell was I gonna let Asher get the better of me.
Pocketing the bill with a victorious smirk, I wiggle my eyebrows at Asher, who tries to be allgiving me the evils,but he can’t do it. He ends up laughing and shaking his head before sharing a look with Ethan that I don’t understand.
I glance over my shoulder when I feel Ethan tense beneath me, but he just puts on a smile and rubs my back before pulling me against him and kissing my cheek again.
Turning my face, I steal a quick taste of his lips, which in retrospect was probably a bad idea, because now my entire body wants him, and it’s not like I can give in to my animal instincts when his dad is sitting right across the table from me.
He seems like a cool guy. Reminds me a little of my dad, actually, which burns in ways I don’t want to analyze. I shove the thought aside and focus on the noises around me. The stories from the ice, the reliving of the game and how in sync everyone felt. I listen to Mr. Galloway’s feedback, impressed by his observations and the way he’s so encouraging of every player. They seem to really love and admire him.
Ethan’s a lucky guy.
I want in on this thing.
This entire thing.
I want to hang out here all the time. I want to be friends with these lovable, funny, loud hockey players. I want to listen to Ethan’s dad tell me stories about when Ethan was a kid.
And the thought that I still haven’t figured a way out of this initiation yet kills me.
Don’t think about it. Be in the now. Enjoy your night.
Glancing over my shoulder again, I drink in Ethan’s gorgeous face. The way he throws his head back with laughter, his hand resting on my hip while he talks to Casey. It all feels so easy and natural, sitting on his knee this way, pretending like I’m his girl.
I want to stay.
The thought of going back to the sorority house is like a bucket of ice on my head, so when there’s a lull and the guys break away to different parts of the living area, I lean back against Ethan and guide his ear down to my lips.
“I’m having so much fun.”
I feel his cheek rise with a grin. “Me too.”
“I want to stay. Can I spend the night here?”
“Uh…” He tenses beneath me again, and that instant reaction is enough to kill my happy buzz in a heartbeat. I jump off his knee before he can stop me, creating a little distance between us with a few quick steps around the table.
He reaches out to grab my wrist, but I pull my hand back, forcing a smile in case anyone’s watching.
Thankfully, they all seem distracted by an NHL game on the TV, and I can work through this humiliation without an attentive audience.
I can’t believe I read it wrong.
He doesn’t want me. I can tell by that awkward look on his face, that tight, almost cringing smile… that deep regret in his hazel eyes. He’s about to say something hideous like “I’m sorry if I led you on, but… we’re not a thing.”
You’re not worth sticking around for. You’re not worth fighting for.
