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His lips tightened into a thin line. “Well, you know how Dane is friends with most of the hockey team?” he said. He paused and rubbed his chin. “He tells me the sort of stuff those guys say about girls.”
My heart began to thud painfully. “Did Paxton say something about me?”
“No, he didn’t mention Paxton specifically. But I still don’t trust him. Or any of the other senior guys, for that matter.”
“Why?”
He sighed and rubbed the side of his neck. “Dane said those guys usually expect to get laid. Especially the hockey gods. And if they don’t get what they want, they can switch personalities and turn into total dicks.”
“Oh.”
He lifted a palm. “Not trying to slut-shame you or anything, if you do decide to sleep with Paxton,” he said. “I’m just looking out for you, that’s all. I’d hate to see you get hurt.”
“Thanks.” I forced a smile, feeling awkward as hell. “You’re a good friend.”
He opened his mouth like he was about to say something else, but Michaela interrupted with a shout. “Guys, hurry up!”
An hour later, we slowly pulled down the long driveway leading to the Cavanagh’s vacation home. The winding dirt road was lined with towering trees that almost blocked out the sun, and at the end, the crystal-clear waters of the lake were just visible, along with the private dock that extended out from the right side of the house.
I’d visited the place many times before, and I always loved the remoteness of the property. It was a serene retreat from the hustle and bustle of DC—my home city—and the busy halls of Forrester Academy.
As Tate parked the car, I glanced over at the wooden steps leading up to the three-story cedar and stone house. Paxton was standing there with Dane, shielding his eyes from the late afternoon sun as they chatted. My stomach did a little flip.
I still couldn’t believe the hottest guy in school had chosen me. I wasn’t unpopular, but I definitely wasn’t the coolest girl around either, whereas Paxton, with his perfect face and floppy jock hair, was handsome and cool enough to get any girl he wanted.
I sucked down a deep breath and opened my door. Paxton spotted me, hurried over, and reached in to grab my bag. “I’ve got it,” he said, flashing a smile at me.
I almost melted on the spot. “Thanks,” I squeaked, face flushing hot as his ocean-blue eyes lingered on me.
We headed inside, where the rest of the group was gathered. Most of them were in the main living area, lounging around on the leather sofas, and a couple were mixing drinks in the kitchen.
“Food’s here!” Tate called out, holding up the grocery bags.
“Thank god.” One of the senior girls rushed over to us. I’d seen and heard of her before—Callie Ruiz. She was the epitome of cool. Half the girls in my year copied every single makeup look and hairstyle she did. “I’m soooo hungry. Got any candy?”
I gave her a faint smile, heart thudding with anxiety. “Yeah. We got tons of stuff.”
Paxton seemed to sense my unease about hanging out with the senior crowd. He put a hand on my shoulder and spoke up as Callie grabbed a Mars bar from the nearest paper bag. “Cal, this is Sienna. You’re going to be really glad you met her.”
Callie raised a brow. “How come?”
“She loves The Crucible. Didn’t you say you needed help with a paper on that?”
“Oh my god, yes.” Callie groaned. “I hate it!”
“Well, like I said, Sienna loves it. Why don’t you two talk about it while I help with the burgers?” Paxton said, rubbing my shoulder.
I stared at him with wide eyes. I couldn’t believe he’d actually recalled the offhand comment I made about that book two weeks ago. It was such a minor thing that I’d completely forgotten I even said it until he reminded me. But not only did he remember the morsel of information, he also used it to put me at ease around his friends.
Tate had to be wrong about him. The other hockey stars on campus might very well be assholes, but there was no way a guy would be this sweet to me if all he wanted was sex.
“Girl, you’re literally a lifesaver,” Callie said, peeling open the candy bar. “Thank god Pax met you.”
I returned her smile and followed her over to her spot on the sofa. Tate went off with some of the guys to help cook the burgers and hot dogs, and Michaela set herself up on the opposite sofa with some of the other girls to discuss which movie they wanted to put on later.
The afternoon drifted by in a haze of chatter, drinking, and eating. As the sun set and the temperature dropped, Dane lit a fire in the hearth across the other side of the living room, and someone else started playing a movie on the massive flatscreen TV that hung on the opposite wall.
“Guys, fuck this movie. It sucks.” Justin Lamar crushed a beer can in one hand and tossed it on the floor. “Let’s go build a fire outside.”
