Page 48 of The Love You Win

I can feel Griffin studying me, but I don’t look his way. Instead, I continue to torture myself and watch those gorgeous women throw themselves at Maddox. “Look at his hands. See how he keeps clenching his fists?” My attention drops to find Maddox doing just that. He balls his hands into fists, clenches, then releases them, only to repeat the process. “He’s trying not to say something rude because Coach would have his ass if he wasn’t nice and attentive to everyone wanting a bit of attention from him. Trust me, he’s miserable.”

Just then, Maddox meets my gaze. Brown eyes search my face, and his brow furrows at whatever he finds. His previous smile slips quickly into a scowl and he shuffles his weight from one foot to the other.

“He just noticed the frown marks between your eyebrows and now he wants to ditch the jersey-chasers and storm over here to make sure I didn’t say something stupid to upset you.” Griffin laughs gleefully.

We both watch as the blonde woman places her hand on Maddox again. This time, she lightly drags it down his bicep, before letting it rest on his forearm. My frown deepens, and this time Maddox does brush her hand away. “Here he comes in three. Two. One.”

And sure enough, by the time Griffin hits one, Maddox excuses himself from the crowd of fawning women and crosses the room with a purposeful stride.

“What’s wrong? Did Griffin call you a TILF?”

There’s a beat of silence as my brain processes that. Then Griffin and I double over with laughter. “TILF? What the hell, Griffin?”

The man shrugs between bouts of laughter. “I meant it from Maddox’s perspective.” As Maddox’s face grows dark with irritation, Griffin only laughs harder. It’s infectious.

“What are you two cackling about?” Maddox turns to me. “And why did you look upset?” He reaches up and smooths the skin between my eyebrows with his thumb, even though I’m too busy laughing to still have frown lines. Maddox’s fan club watches our exchange with less-than-lovely glowers, but he’s too focused on me to notice. The tightening in my chest loosens.

“I’m fine,” I say between gasping breaths. “Griffin didn’t say anything to upset me.”

“Then why were you frowning?”

I can’t tell him the truth. It would be too pathetic. The problem is, I can’t seem to think of anything else to say. Which means I’m standing there, mouth open, utterly silent.

“You know how sometimes we’re on the road and it’s late at night and we’re all a little drunk so we turn on those tele-novellas?” Griffin shoots me a wink, silently telling me to go along with whatever he’s about to say. “Well, I was doing that. I just made the blonde over there say something ridiculous and Isla was frowning because she was trying to get in character as you.”

There’s no hiding the super graceful snort I let out. “Uh, yep. Just getting in the right headspace to come up with lines for a big grumpy hockey player.”

Maddox arches one eyebrow at us both and crosses his arms over his chest. “Is that so?”

“Yep,” Griffin says. His smile is utter mischief. It has Maddox rubbing his temples.

“I’m going to regret introducing the two of you, aren’t I?” He doesn’t mean it, though. His fond expression makes that clear.

I turn to Maddox. “Is it true Griffin puked all over Logan at the top of a giant Ferris wheel?”

Maddox groans. “Yeah, I’m definitely going to regret it.”

twenty-one

ISLA

In no time at all, a handful of admirers surround Jess and Nev. I try to hide my smirk as I hang back. I’d rather grab a snack from a passing server and do some people-watching than wade into the thick of it with my friends. I don’t want to spoil it for them. They’re in their element.

Neither of my best friends spent their college years in a serious relationship like I did, so they’re far more confident and comfortable making small talk and flirting with random men. I’d throw them off their game because they’d feel like they had to talk me up to some guy, and they’d lose the chance to make a connection of their own.

My eyes wander to where Maddox talks to a few men in suits. They’re representatives of a company he’s trying to nail down for a sponsorship deal. He excused himself with a torn expression about fifteen minutes ago. Even though the conversation sounds important, his gaze still flicks back to me every minute or two.

And that’s the other reason I have no desire to flirt with the guys around my friends. I’m too caught up in the flutter of nerves Maddox causes in my belly. Between the flirty texts and the way he’s treated me so far tonight, I’m seriously rethinking my no-dating stance. He’s already proven he’s not like Alex, hasn’t he?

Alex never glanced over to check on me when he was deep in a conversation that could further his career. And we’d been engaged. Maddox and I aren’t even dating and I instinctively know that if I need him, he’d ditch the sponsorship conversation and make sure I was okay. Not that I’d do that.

My mind whirrs as I overanalyze everything. I’m lost in my head. Which is why I don’t hear my name being spoken at first.

“Isla? Hey, I thought that was you. What are you doing here?”

It takes a moment for his voice to register as familiar, but when it does, I’m plunged back into my past with bruising force. I know the owner of that voice all too well. At one point, I’d considered him a close friend. A brother, almost. I slowly turn, bracing myself. What is he doing here? “Jackson, oh my god, hi.”

Alex’s best friend gives me that signature lopsided smile I once found endearing. Now all I feel is a curdling sense of dread. If Jackson is here, does that mean Alex is, too? Oh, god. No. No, no, no, no, no. Alex is the very last person I want to see. I’ll either end up crying or punching him in the dick—probably punching—and neither is socially acceptable in this setting.

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