Page 55 of Love to Hate You

The girl—I can’t remember what the hell her name is—chooses that moment to reach up and whisper in my ear all the inventive ways she can suck a dick.

Any other night, the last one would have caught my interest, but not tonight. Not with Daisy here, milling around and more than likely getting her ass in trouble. A hot girl on her own and a bunch of horny drunk dudes looking to celebrate a W are never a good combination.

The more I think about it, the antsier I get to unwrap this chick from around me and find Daisy. Then I’m going to hustle her out of here even if I have to throw her over my shoulder again to do it. The memory of what my hand felt like when it connected with her ass spears through me like a lightning bolt.

I’m not going to lie, smacking that firm bottom made me pop some major wood.

Yeah, I need to steer clear of Daisy’s ass from now on.

I glance at the girl molded against me. “I don’t think it’s going to happen tonight.”

She’s oblivious to the fact that I’ve lost interest. Even those creative incentives aren’t enough to reel me back in.

She thrusts out her lower lip in a pout and gives me puppy dog eyes, purring in a sexy voice, “Are you sure? I wanted to help you celebrate tonight.”

“And I appreciate that,” I say with more patience than I currently feel. “But not tonight. There’s some stuff I need to take care of.”

“Maybe later?” She twirls a few strands of hair around her finger. “I can wait around if you want.”

Sheesh. This girl is relentless. For all she knows, I’m off to fuck a different chick. But you know what? I don’t think she cares. Just like I racked up a W this afternoon on the field, she’s looking to rack up a W between the sheets.

I shake my head. “Sorry, not tonight.”

Or any other night.

Honestly, there wasn’t much interest from the get-go when she glommed on to me. I was looking for someone—anyone—to take my mind off Daisy.

Her face falls at the dismissal.

I jerk my head at the mountain of muscle next to me. “You know Owen Banks, right? Number thirty-three?”

The way her eyes light up with interest leaves a bad taste in my mouth. It shouldn’t surprise me that she was using me the same way I was using her. And it sure as hell shouldn’t piss me off, either. When did screwing a random chick at a party or taking them back to my place for a couple of hours of mindless fun stop being enough? It used to take the edge off. But that’s no longer the case.

Daisy has burrowed her way into my head, and there doesn’t seem to be a damn thing I can do about it. The more I try to dislodge her, the more tangled up in her I get.

The female who had been plastered against me gives the defensive lineman a coy look from beneath her lashes along with a little wave. “Hi, Owen.” She nips her plump bottom lip and flutters her lashes. “You were great today.”

I’m tempted to roll my eyes. He’s doing me a favor by taking this chick off my hands.

Owen grins. He doesn’t care if she’s feeding him a line. He’s used to this bullshit. He knows the score and is willing to play the game. More power to him. Once upon a time, that used to be me. I’m not sure what happened to change it.

Or maybe I do, but I’m nowhere near ready to acknowledge it.

Already, the girl I’d been considering a hookup with is sinking her purple talons into Owen’s chest. I’m almost impressed by how quickly this girl works. I’d say goodbye, but I doubt either of them would give a damn. Which is fine by me. I’ll take this as my cue to exit stage left.

As I move through the thick crowd, people pat me on the shoulder, call out a greeting, or tell me what a good game I had. A few beckon me over to join their groups, but I wave and keep moving. There’s only one thing on my mind, and that’s Daisy.

I search the first floor of the house. The longer she remains elusive, the more agitated I get. I talk with a few people, asking questions, and they tell me they saw her in this room or that one. A guy shrugs and suggests she might be upstairs.

She better fucking not be.

The idea that she might be getting jiggy with some random dude is enough to make me blow a gasket.

I’m on the verge of storming the staircase when I catch sight of her. Air rushes from my lungs as I swing in her direction. The relief flooding through me doesn’t last long because a guy is standing way too damn close to her. He strokes a lock of her hair in his fingers.

I know who this guy is. He’s a douchey frat boy.

Please. Get the fuck out of here.

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