My stomach drops. This isn’t a question he should be asking me.
“I wouldn’t know, sir,” I reply.
“You’re a good kid, Logan. I know you aren’t all girl crazy like the rest of the guys. I need to ask you for a personal favor,” he says and shit. Shit. Shit. This is terrible. I wait and listen.
I nod feeling like I may have swallowed my tongue.
“Keep an eye on my daughter. If anyone gets out of hand in any way, let me know, okay?” he asks and he waits. He’s looking for confirmation.
Shit, Coach, I’ve already been inside her and I can’t get her out of my head. I give myself a mental shake.
Coach waits for an answer. “Um. . . I guess I can do that.”
“You two have become friends, right?” he says, and he watches me. I don’t know if it’s the guilt painted on my face he’s reading or if this is not a big deal.
“I guess. We meet for coffee in a platonic way,” I state.
“Good, she needs friends like you. You’re a good kid.” He gives my shoulder a squeeze. “Glad we had this talk,” he says and then he waits. He wants me to leave, and I feel frozen.
“Yeah, thanks, sir,” I say because my body is in lockdown. I’m not even sure what just happened. Did Coach just ask me to spy on Lili for him? This is insane.
I can feel the pulse of the music inside my body as I stand off to the side in the club. It may be because I’m tipsy since we had pre-club drinks back at the house and a couple more shots upon arrival. The girls came to our house and had shots with us there. I’m obviously not a big drinker but I did have a blast with Lili that night at the club in Hawaii, so maybe I can have fun tonight too.
Luna takes me by the hand, and I dance with her and Olivia. They both obviously know we are just friends, and they keep their distance in a platonic way. I turn to see Lili is dancing with Levi. She really knows how to move. She’s wearing a tight black body-con dress that hits mid-thigh and she rolls her hips, and my jaw clenches. Why is she dancing with Levi like that? Does she want him? I don’t have any claim on her. We agreed to be just friends but then Leo moves in, and they all dance together. Why does she have to be such a good dancer? Watching her body move to the beat of the music reminds me of our night together in Hawaii. We didn’t have sex that night, but we made out and her body was pressed to mine, and as I remember her breasts pressed against me, I start to feel heated.
Cait and Noah come up to dance with us and Noah follows my gaze until it lands on Lili. He turns back at me with a questioning look and his brow cocked.
I pull my gaze away and some girl comes up to me. She starts putting her hands all over me. I take a step back and she turns and starts grinding her ass into me. She’s for sure a student at Westfall because I’m pretty sure I’ve seen her before.
I try to turn away. I look to Olivia for help, and she shrugs so I turn to Luna, who laughs. I’m not getting any help at all, so I turn away from the dance floor. I have to piss like a racehorse, so I make a straight line for the men’s room. When I get there, Levi is just leaving the restroom.
“Fun night,” he says as I wash my hands.
“Yeah.” I nod, smiling because I’m feeling good. He leaves and I dry my hands.
Lili is walking out of the ladies’ room and she comes to a halt.
“We have to stop meeting outside the restroom,” I joke.
“Right,” she laughs.
“Having fun?” I ask.
“It’s a good time. This is a cool place,” she says.
“I’ve never been here before, but yeah,” I agree.
“The guys say they come all the time.” She grins.
“I never really joined them on their nights out,” I admit.
I shrug but I also look into her eyes and I lick my lips, and she isn’t moving. Her smile is wiped from her face and is replaced with something else, a flash of something I can’t read, and then I take a step toward her because there’s this gravitational pull I can’t explain.
“You look beautiful tonight.”
“Thank you,” she says a little breathless.
I take another slow step, closing the distance between us. “Is there something going on between you and Levi?”
Her inhale is small but sharp. “No, why. . .” Her eyes lock on mine.
I take another quick step, closing the space between us. “Somewhere in the back of my mind I know I need to keep my mouth shut, but watching you dance with him. Watching the way you move that fine ass of yours made me jealous,” I admit. Her breath hitches and I feel it with her close proximity.
“Logan,” she whispers, dark eyes boring into me with liquid heat in her orbs.
“Do you want him?” I ask and my jaw is so taut it may snap. She has this ability to make me forget who I am.
She shakes her head and swallows.
I lift a hand up to her cheek and slowly caress it with the back of my hand. “I want to kiss you so bad,” I declare, and before I can take another breath, her lips crash into mine forceful and hungry as her hands wrap around my neck. We kiss like we’ve both been starved. I pull her into me and wrap my arms around her as her hands wander all over my back, my shoulders. She moans into my mouth, and I groan low and guttural in response.
“Logan!” Noah’s shrill voice pulls me from my Lili-induced haze, and Lili pulls away from me with blunt force.
I feel stunned as she watches me with wide dark eyes and then she bolts.
“Shit.” I run my hands through my hair.
“What was that?” Noah asks, watching me with concern.
“Unresolved feelings?” I splutter.
“Dude, you need to be careful. What if it was Levi or Leo standing here instead of me?” he asks.
“I’d be screwed,” I say. I pinch my eyes shut. What the hell was that? She kissed me back. She kissed me back like she was just as hungry and turned on as I was.
“I’ve gotta piss,” Noah says. He’s slightly swaying, and he shakes his head.
“Thanks, bro, you just saved my ass,” I call after him. He heads into the men’s room.
I walk back out to the club, but I don’t see any sign of Lili. Shit, where is she? Everyone seems to be partnered up dancing. I text Noah I’m heading home.
Then I text Lili.
Me: Where r u? I need to know you’re safe.
I call myself an Uber.
A couple minutes later she replies.
Lili: Took an Uber back to my dorm.
Me: We need to talk.
I wait in the cool night air, which manages to sober me up a bit.
The heat I felt back there with her in my arms almost incinerated me. I wasn’t thinking. I was acting on impulse. Something I can’t afford to do, and yet, I want that girl like I need air.
Lili: We can’t do this, Logan. We both drank too much. We can only be friends.
I know she’s right. Coach asked me to watch over her and then I go and maul her. Any team that will want me next year will contact Coach first and talk to him. I can’t piss him off or cross him or I’ll be screwed.
Me: Okay.
I don’t have a choice. I’ve worked too hard to give it all up now.
TWENTY-SIX