Page 10 of Pucking High School

“And you’re just going to let her walk around like that?” I glanced at her bare stomach, ignoring the tingling feeling in my fingers because I wanted to touch her so badly. “You know, I read shirts like that are bad for the kidneys?” And my health if we wanted to get specific, because I was worried I might have a heart attack just looking at her.

“Kidneys?” Cade glared at me with narrowed eyes. “You let me worry about my sister’s kidneys. I'm sure they're fine, and I'm not allowed to comment on her style, anyway. My mom says I have no right. She thinks it’s a phase and the more we comment on it, the more she'll do it.”

“So, she's changed her style?”

“And her personality, apparently. She's been flirting with every guy that looks at her for the last two weeks.”

Flirting?

With other guys.

It looked like I might have to set a few people straight before I leave.

“Is that another thing your mom told you, you had to ignore?”

Kyle, some junior, pretended to bump into Madison, and when she looked over her shoulder, he gave her an apologetic smile. I could almost hear his smarmy opening line from here. Did he seriously think he had a shot with her? Seriously. Kyle was like a second-rate kicker on the football team. No onepaid him any attention, and here he was, thinking he was good enough for Madison.

“So, you’re just going to let Kyle shoot his shot, then?”

“I mean, I’ve got a theory that if I show I care too much, she might try to date a teammate again just to provoke me.”

My brows furrowed because that logic didn’t make any sense.

“You don’t have siblings. Trust me, it’s a thing. Always trying to find new and creative ways to annoy the other one. But, anyway, if I can keep her thinking we’re on the same side, then she’ll be honest with me. That way, I know exactly which idiot thinks he's good enough for her, and I can speak to them before things get serious.”

He gave me a pointed glare, and I had to admit, I was surprised. Cade was playing the long game, something I never expected him to do. How he could stand there and watch Kyle taking in his sister like a piece of meat, I’d never know. Especially since I was ready to push everyone out of the way and give Kyle a little makeover for it.

Madison laughed at him and touched his arm.

I winced and looked up to the ceiling. “You know what? I’m going to get some air,” I said, turning and without another word, I walked out of the party with the sole intention of never walking back in. I didn’t need to see that shit.

“Dash! Wait.” When I heard her voice, I stopped moving. She had the ability to do that. “How the heck do you walk so fast?” She huffed out under her breath and nearly bumped into me as I turned around.

Her hands were on my chest and her eyes widened in surprise as though she wasn’t just calling me. “Dash,” she said with this wistful edge to it. A small smile tugged at the corners of her lips as she pushed a piece of her hair behind her ear and took me in. I couldn’t help myself. I took her in too. With the purple and whiteoutfit on, she looked like she was ready to support my new team, the Covey Crushers. Dammit. Why did she have to look so hot?

She was my teammate’s sister. Only, he wasn’t just a teammate. He was like a brother to me, and checking out his little sister should have been wrong, but that fact was apparently not getting through my thick skull.

I raised my hands, nearly touching her to help her gain her composure, but stopped myself, figuring her hands on my chest were enough to balance her. “Madison. What are you doing here?” I twisted my lips, stopping myself from asking why she’d left Kyle behind.

“I'm here for a good time.” Her voice had this light, sweet quality to it, and I had to admit, it was nice to see her so relaxed and happy considering the last time I saw her, she looked as though her world was crumbling down.

I clenched my fists, fighting the urge to haul her over my shoulder and bring her back to my car just so I could drive her home because it wasn’t my place. It also wouldn’t make any sense. Hiding her away from the world wasn’t fair when she was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen, but that was exactly what I wanted to do.

Biting her bottom lip, she leaned in and poked my chest. “Plus, I kind of wanted to come because I was hoping a certain person would be here.”

“Who?” I was already scanning the area for Kyle.

“You,” She said so sweetly, that it took me a few seconds to register it. I looked down at her big blue eyes and damn, was that all she had to do to make my heart stop?

Shit.

I was so gone for this girl. We'd hardly spoken in the four years I'd known her, and yet, I was willing to beat up any guy who looked at her the wrong way. “I, uh,” She let out a hesitantchuckle, looking to the ceiling before she mumbled. “Oh, man. This is so embarrassing.”

“Spit it out, Madison.”

She dragged her eyes to look at me and I could see a sense of mischief twinkling behind them.

“Everything was such a rush after the Henry debacle.” Her voice was shaky but that was the only hint that she might be nervous about speaking to me. “What with you getting suspended and me having to avoid crying in the hallway for an hour like some bad break up song.”

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