The lack of bra made my boobs itchy. But it was nothing a shot of Fireball couldn’t lessen.
Sutton dressed me, and if my father saw my outfit, he’d have a heart attack.
I looked hot, even with my leather jacket on, and by the slacked jaws of some of the guys in the room, they thought so too.
Some of the rumors at Rosewood suggested that I had self-image issues because of how slender I became right before my last competition, but that wasn’t technically the reason I had developed an eating disorder. It had nothing to do with how I looked and all to do with how I performed.
Still, it was nerve-racking to walk into a party dressed like this.
I lengthened my spine like I was full of confidence and followed Sutton through the maze of people. Aasher’s insult was the real reason I had come tonight, but without his eyes on me, glaring with annoyance, I wasn’t as eager to gain the stares of all his teammates.
“Get your game face on,” Sutton mused from beside me.
She was the perfect wing-woman for this sort of thing. After I told her about the bet, she went into girl-power mode.
Sully walked toward us and grinned. “Wow.” He completely ignored Sutton.
Red flag number one.
Sutton held my arm up and spun me around by my hand. “She looks hot, huh?”
“She sure does.” Sully’s voice had a little rasp to it, and I eyed him with wariness.
“Hands off, though,” Sutton barked, edging in front of me.
I was surprised at her need to protect me since this wasn’t really part of the plan we had concocted, but I couldn’t blame her. She didn’t know the old Riley. The one who would spend her entire day at the ice rink, working her body tirelessly, refusing to eat so she could be lighter on the ice while she strove to fulfill some crazy prophecy of perfection and then head to campus parties with her touchy boyfriend who didn’t understand privacy.
I didn’t need protection from any of these guys.
But of course, she didn’t know that.
“Oh, come on.” Ford slid up beside us and blocked Sully. “She can dance with me, though. Right?”
“I thought there was a hands-off rule when it came to the coach’s daughter,” I joked, snatching his drink and hurling it back in one gulp.
Sully hummed as he moved over to catch my eye. He peered at me from the top of his cup as he poured the rest of whatever alcohol inside his mouth.
“Easy, Duster,” Ford warned, stealing the empty cup from my hand.
One eyebrow rose as he wrapped his palm around my waist. “Don’t let your daddy know you’re at a college party, slugging back beer like some wild party girl.”
I let Ford lead me to the dance floor, relishing the burning alcohol in my belly. I could feel everyone watching me, and I wondered if Aasher was somewhere in the crowd since he was half the reason I’d decided to come tonight.
“It’s a good thing I have Aasher here to babysit me, huh? He’s gotta make sure I don’t let you boys touch me too much and ruin the team.”
Ford dipped me so far back that I almost touched the floor. “You are being awfully naughty, Riley.” Air whizzed past my face when he pulled me back up. “What provoked this behavior?”
“You know as well as I do.”
Ford laughed.
“You’re driving him wild. It better not affect his time on the ice.”
I searched for him, hoping to make my point very clear that his insults weren’t going to stop me from doing what I wanted. I once let a guy take something from me. I wasn’t going to let Aasher take something too, even if it was as trivial as showing up at the same party and shoving a bet down his teammates’ throats.
“And what is he going to do? Put me over his shoulder and take me home like the good little boy that he is?”
“Damn.” Ford’s smile was full of mirth. “You’re feisty tonight.”
“Only when it comes to a certain meaty hockey player watching my every move so he can make sure I never get laid by a hockey player.”
Ford threw his head back and laughed, but his playfulness turned serious real quick. “He’s just worried.”
The song changed tempo. Ford moved my hands to his shoulders, and we swayed like we were in middle school. “He thinks I’m some sort of temptress who is going to seduce the team and ruin your chances at a championship.” I laughed because the idea was so idiotic. Plus, I knew it was more about the bet than anything. He could pretend he wanted to protect me, but really, he just didn’t want me to let them reach the objective and mess everything up.
Ford darted his eyes away. “Partly.”
Partly?
“I’m sure the other part is that he wants to impress my dad by keeping watch over me. I’m not stupid, even though you all think I am.”
His hands tightened on my waist right as Sully’s voice hit the back of my head. “My turn.”
“No.” Ford’s refusal was quick. “Go get your own Duster.”
I stomped on Ford’s foot. “Quit calling me that.”
“Ouch!” He grabbed his foot. “Watch it, babe. I play hockey for a living.”
Sully took the opportunity and slipped in front of me. A drink was placed in my hand, and his calloused fingers went to the small of my back, brushing the sliver of bare skin. “Share, Ford.”
I made eye contact with Ford before I winked. “Yeah, share.”
Sully called over his shoulder. “Ry and I go way back. She’s safe with me.”
Unless Sully considered a brief glance and a simple hello here and there going way back, he was talking out of his ass just to ease the tension.
Ford shook his head. He clearly didn’t approve, but it didn’t bother me as much as it did when Aasher disapproved of something. Probably because Aasher was a dick about it. I wondered if Ford knew about the bet, but I didn’t linger on that thought too much. In the end, it didn’t matter who knew—because I did.
Sully and I danced two songs before I needed a break. He was touchy, but I let him toe the line because that was what I came here to do. I caught the eye of Sutton from across the party, halfway through the second song, and she smiled before flinging back a shot. I knew it was my cue to take off my leather jacket, and when I did, I watched Sully gulp. His lustful gaze dipped down my sweaty neck, and he pulled me in closer.
“Need a drink?” His voice was lazy, and the slow brushing of his fingers along my spine was pushing the limits.
“Please.” I smiled.
I waited until he walked away to scan the crowd for another hockey player to mess with. They were all staring at me, so I had my pick of the litter, but when I snagged a pair of green eyes, my body trembled.
Aasher was glaring at me from across the party with a drink in his hand and a perfect scowl on his face. He always wore a scowl when it came to me, like it was a pillar of his haughty, disapproving personality.
He shook his head slowly, the strands of his thick dark hair hardly moving. He mouthed the word, ‘Stop,’, which pulled a smile right to my lips.
Absolutely not.
I laughed out loud and ping-ponged my eyes to one of the rookie players. I knew he was a rookie because I didn’t know his name, but I recognized his face from tonight’s game. He got ice time, and that was kind of a big deal when you were a rookie.
He caught my eye, and it took less than two seconds for him to prowl over to me. He wore a hot smirk and was definitely attractive, but his arrogance was a little too potent. “Hey.” His smirk only grew hotter.
“Let’s dance. Or are you too afraid of the repercussions?” I teased.
“Repercussions?” he repeated, glancing around the party. Aasher was perched behind him, so he didn’t notice the death glare he was sending our way. “I’ll deal with them if it means I can dance with you.”
As soon as we started to dance, I began rocking my hips slower. His hands cupped my waist as he pressed my ass to his front, and when his breathing sped up, I knew I was playing my cards right. These hockey boys were going to trip over me, and then I was going to clam up the moment they wanted something more. Serves them right.
A deep whisper came from behind, and I peeked over my shoulder. Ford was dancing with a pretty girl. “Tsk, tsk, Riley. You’re being naughty.”
“Who? Me?” I asked innocently.
Ford grinned, and I mimicked it.
“I’m just having a little fun.” I paused. “In fact, I bet I can have more fun than you guys can tonight.”
Ford’s smile fell, but the girl he was dancing with pulled him away and told him to let me have my fun. I turned up the heat a little, swaying my hips even slower and rubbing against the hard bulge my partner in crime was sporting.
“Move.”
Suddenly, I was jolted away from the rookie, and Sully was back, placing a drink in my hand.
“Oh, come on,” the rookie whined. “That’s not fair.”
Sully’s chest puffed. “Seniority. What I say goes.”
I didn’t remind Sully that he was just as much a rookie on Bexley U’s hockey team as the underclassman was, but I wanted to.
I quickly snuck a glance at Aasher, and he was laser-focused on the rookie. He snapped his arm out so quickly I jumped. The rookie stopped walking, and whatever Aasher said to him had him nodding his head and sulking away.
I can’t even dance with them?
I rolled my eyes, and Sully’s face came back into view. “Did you hear me?”
“Huh?” I asked, feeling a sudden rush of warmth. The alcohol was catching up to me. “No, sorry. I…sorry. Let’s take a break from dancing.”
Sully led me by the hand to the opposite side of where Aasher was, and I knew he did that on purpose. “I was just telling you how good you look tonight.”
I smiled and gripped the drink he’d given me without taking a sip. “Just tonight?”
He was quick to answer. “No, not just tonight.”
Sully dropped his gaze to my mouth so I quickly changed the direction of the conversation. “You played well earlier.”
“You watched? I didn’t see you in the stands.”
“Were you looking for me?” So you could fulfill the bet?
It was frustrating that I didn’t know who was participating and who wasn’t. It made my plan a little harder to achieve.
“If I was looking for you, I shouldn’t say it out loud or else it’ll get back to your dad, and I’m not necessarily in the clear with him just yet.” He grabbed my hand and pulled me into a room that had a table in the middle with cups lining the edges. People were aggressively drinking and flipping them.
Flip cup.
I was the title holder at Rosewood, and I was pretty sure Sully knew that, even if he was finger-deep in a puck bunny most of the time.
“Wanna play, champ?” He gently elbowed me.
I laughed when everyone stopped playing and waited for my answer. There were multiple people lingering around—mostly guys, and they weren’t all hockey players. I nibbled on the inside of my cheek, teetering between continuing to play my little game that no one was even aware of or to head home before I truly did cause trouble.
“No, she doesn’t.” Aasher’s gruff voice came from behind, and just like that, my decision was made for me.
I turned around and looked him square in the eye, hating that although I wanted to punch him, I found him insanely attractive. His green eyes were bright with anger. The color was even more vibrant because his black hoodie made them pop. His square jaw flickered at the sides as he ran his gaze down my outfit.
I forced myself to stay still.
Aasher looking at me was ten times hotter than when anyone else did.
“Dude, chill,” Sully said.
He looked at Aasher, and even though the room grew quiet, I heard the hidden words being spewed between them.
Sully stepped closer to me. “This isn’t one of our stupid competitions. Riley is off-limits to the both of us.”
Aasher moved closer. “Exactly. You’re messing with something you shouldn’t be.”
“Am I a something?” I asked, becoming more irritated the longer they talked about me like I wasn’t standing right there.
Aasher snapped a glare over to me. “Dressed like that? Yeah, you are.”
Asshole.
“She isn’t off-limits to me. Especially dressed like that.” A guy came and stood beside me. He was so tall I had to crane my neck to see his grin.
I stepped closer to him, and I thought Aasher was going to burst a blood vessel.
Sully’s lips pursed as he pouted.
I slugged back the rest of my drink, holding back a choking cough, because apparently all the liquor had fallen to the bottom of the cup. I shoved it into Aasher’s chest with as much force as I could. His hand covered mine, and the plastic cup crinkled. “It’s been a long night,” he sighed. “I’m not in the mood for this.”
“No one is asking you to stay,” I reminded him, peering up at his tightly drawn face and swollen lips, no doubt from some poor puck bunny. “What do you think is going to happen if I play a simple game of flip cup?”
“You know what I think is going to happen.” The air crackled with us going toe to toe. “Let’s go.”
“What was that?” I shouted. “You want me to leave with you, Aasher?” I grew louder with each word and batted my eyes at him. “Are we heading back to your place or mine?”
Aasher’s gaze dropped to my lips, then to my chest, and then down my legs. His nostrils flared. The cup I smashed into his chest dropped to the floor, and he tightly gripped my hand. “We need to talk.”
Next thing I knew, I was being pulled through the party like a child. He shoved me through an open door, and I jumped when it slammed behind him. The light flipped on above our heads, and I realized we were in the pantry.
“What the hell are you doing, Duster?”
He was seething.
I ripped my wrist out of his grasp and backed up all the way to the shelf that was lined to the ceiling with protein bars. “I’m having fun,” I snapped. “Why is that a problem for you?”
“Having fun? You’re rubbing your tight ass all over Jones and Sullivan like you’re asking to get fucked. Do I need to remind you that if you sleep with any of them, they are literally just doing it to win a fucking bet? If your dad finds out—”
“I’m not going to sleep with any of them.” I rolled my eyes, interrupting Aasher’s hissy fit. “I’m just trying to get back at them.”
“You’re just fucking with their heads.” Aasher erased the space between us. “And mine. So stop it.”
“You asked for it, and so did they. Stop treating me like I’m a child who needs a babysitter and let me put them in their place.” I shrugged. “And then maybe I won’t tell my dad how his team is a bunch of disgusting pigs.”
Aasher grabbed the shelf right beside my head, and my heart raced. He mumbled something under his breath, and although I was a little tipsy, I heard him plain as day.
“So, it really is true.”
For the first time, Aasher wasn’t glaring at me. The divot between his eyebrows had disappeared. My heart raced faster, but my anger shifted to someone else.
“My dad seriously asked you to keep me from being with the hockey players?”
Aasher probably thinks I’m a slut. It’s no wonder he was so worried. I assumed my dad had told the hockey players that I was off-limits and gave them a little warning, but he truly asked Aasher to keep me away from them? It all made sense now.
“Is that what this is about? Keeping your word?” My jaw slacked. I didn’t want to be angry at my dad, because I knew he was trying to protect me. Some guy hurt his daughter, and it caused a snowball effect, but his lack of trust was demoralizing.
“He asked me to keep an eye out for you.” Aasher’s tone was soft as he tried skirting around the truth. It amped up my anger. “He specifically told the team that you were off-limits.”
“And he told you to intervene anytime I got close to someone?”
“Just knock it off and stop tempting them.” The shelf creaked beneath his grip.
“Or what?” I spat.
I was beyond frustrated. My dad. Aasher. The bet. The quickly approaching date for tryouts. My stupid panic attacks anytime I got close to the ice. Damn it.
“Riley.”
I jutted my braless chest out and brushed against him. His head twitched.
“Are you going to bend me over and spank me, Aasher?” I laughed when his eyes widened. “Are you going to run off and tell my dad about the bet? I thought you were afraid that it would ruin the team? Isn’t that what you’re so concerned about? Your precious players getting kicked off the team and the Frozen Four slipping through your fingers?”
I was poking the bear, but it made me feel better, so whatever.
His smirk dug into me as sharp as the shelf behind my back. “Nah. I’ll just tell your dad that you’ve been trying to get the team to fuck you. I can assure you that every single hockey player will back me on that, because if they don’t, they’re going down too.” Aasher’s other hand came up to meet the shelf, and suddenly, I was trapped.
He wouldn’t.
I stared up at him, and his perfect lips twitched. “Don’t underestimate me.”
“Fine.” I sighed heavily. “I’ll stay away from the team.”
The look of surprise on his face almost made me laugh. Don’t underestimate him? He shouldn’t underestimate me.
His hands left the shelf, and he took a step back, freeing me. A shaky breath fell from my lips, and I hadn’t realized how tense I was with him so close.
“Good, now let me take you home.” I waited until he was almost to the door to take the reins back, because I wasn’t leaving this party until we were even.
“No.”
He spun around and scoffed. His brown hair flopped on his head, and his slacked jaw tightened again. “What?”
“I came here to have a good time, and I’m assuming my dad didn’t tell the football team that I was off-limits, right?”
I’ll admit, it wasn’t as good as my original plan, but it would still drive the team crazy and knock them down a notch. They could all look, but no one was scoring points with me tonight.
I waited to see what Aasher would say, but instead of hearing anything, I felt a shift in the air. The room grew smaller, and it was hard to breathe. Aasher crept over to me slowly, and his features were drawn tight with impatience. His hands were right back to the shelf beside my head, and I was too shocked by the look in his eyes to slip out from underneath him. “Is that what you want, Duster? To have fun with some guy?”
Not really.
“Maybe.” I shrugged.
His neck moved with a slow swallow. I gulped when his tongue darted out of his mouth to moisten his lips.
The words were effortless. “Fine. Tell me what you want, and I’ll give it to you.”
