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“Thanks.” Paxton grinned at me. Then his expression softened. “By the way… you can always just say no to any of that stuff in their games,” he said, nodding toward the bonfire, which was just visible from the panoramic kitchen window. “Don’t feel like you have to take part just because they pressure you.”
“Thanks,” I replied. “But it’s okay. I’ve been having fun. I really wasn’t expecting everyone to be so cool.”
Paxton’s brows dipped in a frown. “Why not?”
“Tate got in my head earlier. He said the senior guys are mostly dicks.”
“A couple of them can be assholes sometimes. Like Troy and Aaron,” Paxton said with a shrug. “But the others are decent. And even if they tried some shit, Dane would knock some sense into them. He’s a good guy.”
“What about you?” I asked, tilting my head slightly to the side. “Are you a good guy?”
He swiped a lock of hair away from his face and gave me a smile that could only be described as wolfish. “Guess you’ll have to wait and see.”
I laughed and shook my head. “I already know you’re a good guy. If you were a douche, you would’ve asked me to show you my boobs during that game. You wouldn’t have encouraged me to leave with Michaela instead.”
“That’s true.”
He moved closer to me, until we were mere inches apart. So close I could feel the heat radiating off his skin, which in turn unleashed a swarm of butterflies low in my belly. “I don’t think we managed to save the jersey,” he murmured, lifting his wet, partially-charred sleeve.
Oh god. He was going to kiss me. But my breath was awful—a mix of alcohol, hot dogs, and onions from earlier. I couldn’t let our first kiss happen now. It wouldn’t be perfect. Not like I’d planned for so long.
“I, um… I need the bathroom,” I said, voice coming out in a pitiful squeak.
Paxton nodded and stepped back. “Sure.” He frowned down at his burned sleeve. “I might get changed while you’re in there. So don’t worry if I’m not here when you get back. I’ll just be upstairs.”
“Okay.” I forced a smile and hurried down the hall to the nearest bathroom. I splashed a bit of cool water on my face in an attempt to get rid of the raging redness in my cheeks, and then I rearranged my hair and swirled some spearmint Listerine in my mouth.
When I returned to the kitchen, Paxton was still there, filling a glass of water at the sink. “Here,” he said, turning to present it to me. “You’ve been drinking a lot, so you need to stay hydrated.”
“Thanks.” I gave him a shy smile and accepted the glass.
He dipped his chin toward the French doors on the other side of the massive open-plan area. “Do you want to sit on the deck for a while?”
“Yes.” I blurted the word out so fast that I barely even gave him a chance to properly finish his question.
He grinned and led me outside. We perched on the side of the deck, our feet dangling over the dark water. Thousands of stars glittered brilliantly overhead.
“Are you cold?” Paxton asked, glancing over at me.
“A bit.”
He scooted a few inches closer and slid an arm around me. “Better?”
“Yes.” My heart was pounding so hard I could feel it in the tips of my fingers and toes. I hoped he couldn’t hear it.
“So, uh… where are you from originally?” he asked, glancing at me again. It occurred to me that he might be just as nervous as me. Otherwise he’d probably go straight in for a kiss, rather than asking me questions about my origins.
“Virginia. Alexandria, specifically,” I said. “But I live in DC now. When I’m not at school, anyway.”
“No shit. I’m from Virginia too.”
My brows shot up. “Really? Where?”
“Stanardsville.”
I frowned. “Um…”
Paxton laughed. “Don’t worry. No one’s ever heard of it,” he said. “It’s pretty small. Near the Blue Ridge Mountains.”
