“I’ll go if Felicity goes.”
My head snapped over to Mya and she lifted a brow, some indecipherable expression on her face.
“What do you say, Fee, baby? Party at mine tomorrow?”
A few weeks back, my immediate answer would have been yes. It was on my list, a rite of passage for kids of Rixon High. But that was before sex with Jason; before the heated looks and stolen kisses. Before Asher’s puppy-dog eyes followed me everywhere.
God, everything seemed so complicated now.
“Will there be dancing?”
“There is always dancing.” His brows waggled suggestively.
“I’m not talking about that kind of dancing, Asher.” I’d heard the stories.
“There can be any kind of dancing you want.”
He was flirting. Nothing he hadn’t done a hundred times before, but every time he did it, I felt more and more confused.
“Fine, we can go.” My eyes slid to Mya who gave me a curt nod. She was hard to read. But I didn’t miss the way her eyes lingered in Asher’s direction.
She liked him.
He liked me. At least, I think he did.
And I liked Jason.
If this didn’t have disaster written all over it, I don’t know what did.
“Yo, QB,” Asher beckoned Jase over. He strolled toward us, his eyes cool. “We heading to Bell’s later?”
“Not tonight, my dad wants to... celebrate. But I’ll be at yours tomorrow.” His gaze found mine, narrowing. I could feel it running over my skin, burning. He looked wired. The adrenaline of the game, no doubt.
“You good, Jase? You look a little—”
Jason broke our connection to glare at Asher. “I’m good,” he growled. “Coach wants us on the buses stat.”
“Guess this is goodbye, ladies. Until tomorrow?”
Jason paused, glancing back at us. “You invited them?”
“Well, yeah, I didn’t—”
“Whatever.” He stomped off, and I let out a shaky breath.
“What crawled up his ass?” Asher asked Cam.
“I think it’s just the pressure of everything.”
Or the fact he was a moody asshole.
Coach Hasson and his assistants began rounding up the team to get on the buses, while a few fans lingered to wave them off. We hung back too because we were those girls now.
Strangely, I didn’t mind.
“Do you think we should have told them?” I asked Hailee as she made moon eyes at Cam.
“And worry them for nothing? No.” She folded her arms around her waist and I saw the flicker of doubt in her eyes. Hailee didn’t like keeping secrets, least of all from Cameron. But we’d decided not to tell them about Thatcher being here to avoid any more trouble.
“Come on, we should go,” Hailee started toward my car but paused when Thatcher appeared. He leaned casually against the hood, throwing a wolfish grin in our direction. I glanced back, hoping the team buses were still there, but they were already disappearing down the road.
Crap.
“Hmm, Hailee, what do we do?”
“Just play it cool,” she said. “He won’t do anything. He just wants to use us to get to the guys.”
Which is exactly what I was worried about.
“He really doesn’t know when to quit it, does he?” Mya asked as we inched closer.
“Ladies,” he drawled just as his friend and another guy stepped out of the shadows.
There were still a few people in the parking lot, but they were all heading back to their cars, paying the three of us no attention.
“Should we shout for—”
“No,” Hailee said, rolling her shoulders back. She was used to Jason’s games; his cruel pranks. But this felt different. It was different. Hailee was no one to Thatcher, but she was someone to Jason and Cameron, and he knew it.
“What do you want, Lewis?” she said as we reached them.
“I want a lot of things.” He let his eyes run down the length of her body.
“Yeah, well, so do I, but we can’t always get what we want. You should probably leave.”
“Or what?” He pushed off the hood. “I saw the buses leave. Your brother and boyfriend are on their way back to Rixon and you’re here, all alone.”
“She’s not alone.” Mya stepped forward.
“Yeah, she has us,” I added, digging my hand in my pocket, my fingers grazing the corner of my cell.
“Ooh, I’m scared.” The three of them burst into laughter. Until Gallen’s eyes homed in on me... and my hand.
“What you got there, cutie?” He approached me and I backed away, my heart galloping in my chest.
“N- nothing,” I cried, staggering back until my back hit the side of a truck. But Gallen didn’t stop. He kept coming until he’d caged me in, his hands pressed flat either side of my head.
“You aren’t trying to call for reinforcements, are you?”
“Fuck you,” I seethed, my defenses working overtime.
His eyes flared, “Oh baby, I’d love nothing more than to fuck you.” He trailed a finger down my neck and between the valley of my breasts. My chest heaved with a shaky breath as I turned my head away from him. But he grabbed my face roughly, pulling me back to him.
“Just one taste,” he groaned, grinding his hips into me, as his tongue snaked out across my lips.
“What the hell is wrong with you?”
He grunted with pain, the unwelcome pressure of his body against mine disappearing as he stumbled away. “What the fuck?”
Mya advanced on him, her fist clenched.
“Fuck’s sake,” Thatcher grumbled. “If you want something done...” he trailed off, leaving Hailee to come up to me. “You,” He jabbed his finger at Mya, “Keep your fists to yourself.” He gave the other guy a nod and he grabbed Mya’s hands pulling them behind her back.
“You can’t do this,” she thrashed against his body. But her fight only made the guy smirk.
“Now where were we?” Thatcher’s eyes darkened. “What I’m trying to figure out is are you Bennet’s girl or Ford’s?”
“W- what? I’m not...”
Thatcher lowered his face to mine; so close I could feel his warm breath dancing over my skin. My stomach churned.
“Bennet wants you. I’ve seen it. The way he watches you, touches you. And Ford doesn’t like it. I saw him tense just now.”
He’d been watching us? Waiting for them to leave?
Oh God.
“I’m no one. I’m Hailee’s friend, that’s all.”
“So you haven’t given it up to Bennet or Ford? Maybe both of them?” His brow rose. “Maybe under this little miss innocent act you have going, you’re nothing more than a dirty little slut.”
I pressed my lips together, trying to swallow some of the fear and panic rushing through me. Not to mention the truth.
Thatcher narrowed his eyes, assessing me. “You’re lying,” he said. “You’re someone all right and my money is on—”
“Shit, Cap,” Gallen said, not so cocksure now. “Security. We need to go...”
“Yeah, okay.” Thatcher stepped back, running a hand down his face, his eyes still fixed on me. “Until next time.” He grinned.