Page 7 of Dangerous Play

“Nois just another way of sayingconvince me.” Kaia sat beside me, already dressed in her cycling shorts, sports bra and running shoes.

I scoffed. “No, trust me. Max isn’t interested.”

“We just have to get him interested.” My roommate wiggled her brows suggestively, making me chuckle. “I heard the Hillview guys run a rout in the morning too… maybe we could bump into them this morning.”

I blinked at her.

“Did you really think I was flirting for nothing yesterday?” She snickered. “No, girl, I got your back. Now, get dressed, and wear cute outfits because phase 2 is about to go down.”

Kaia danced across my messy room, her short blonde hair flying around her face as she walked out, leaving the door open. Music was already blasting through our little apartment and I didn’t understand how she had so much energy after throwing back all those shots.

“Ivy! If you don’t want to sit across Ander on Christmas Eve and be miserable, you better start getting ready!” she shouted as I was about to doze off.

But the mental image she put into my mind did the trick. I moved to my dresser and stared at the drawer of workout clothes. My eyes settled on a matching sage green set with booty short and sports bra. Max liked my eyes, but I had to remind him they were attached to a body that would haunt him in his dreams until he gave in.

The weather was insanely humid and hot despite the early hour, and sweat was trailing down my body by the time we made it to the beachfront. Soon, I caught sight of Max.

He was slipping out of his T-shirt, the muscles on his back and arm flexing from the movement, and he discarded it on the bench. His friends were already shirtless and all I could see was endless sea of rock-hard abs and chest. I appreciated their carefully crafted lean muscles, contrary to the bulky build of football players.

“Kaia!” one of the guys shouted, waving at us.

“Seriously, K? Derek? You couldn’t find anyone else?” I muttered only for her ears, making her laugh.

“We are only friends.”

“Is code for hooking up. It’s easier if you call it Netflix and chill.” I rolled my eyes as we jogged toward the guys.

Max’s dark eyes were on me as he stretched his arms over his head. The muscles on his stomach tightened, turning into visible squares. My mouth watered.

My eyes trailed over his chest, taking in his body before moving to his face and discovering an unimpressed scowl as we approached them. He plucked his sunglasses from the top of his messy chestnut hair and hid his eyes behind them.

“Morning, guys,” I greeted them with a sweet grin, trying not to take Max’s shielding as an offense. “Ready to sweat out last night?”

Kaia gave Dex a quick hug and he lifted her off her feet. I should have picked the biggest playboy, but who would have guessed Maximilian Aarons was going to have an epiphany of not dating exactly when I needed him? Clearly not me.

“Guys, this is Kaia,” he introduced her to everyone. “And her roommate…”

“Ivy,” I offered, and Max’s grimace deepened.

Dex glanced at his captain, as the third guy, Maddox, muttered a greeting that sounded more like a sigh.

“Hi,” Max said, through his clenched jaw, his eyes on Derek. “Can we go now?”

“Yes, captain.” His friend mocked him, resulting in Max glancing at his watch before without another word uttered to any of us, he jogged off.

Maddox followed him, while Dex shrugged, making Kaia giggle.

Frustrated with Max’s behavior and with the little exchange between my roommate and yet another Hillview player, I took off after the guys.

The pavement under my feet was soft, as with every step I took, my thick running shoes absorbed some of the impact. My thighs burned as the wind blew in my face, moving the loose strands of hair out of my face and cooling me down before my face reddened.

Max and Maddox picked a cruel rhythm as they conversed, based on the way how Max leaned his head toward his friend.

“Are you compensating for last night’s poison?” he teased Maddox with an easy grin.

Such a different expression than when he was engaging with me. Or at least the way he had become after I told him about my plan.

“Yeah.” Maddox’s deep voice travelled with the wind. “Contrary to you, I didn’t bail on the night just because I’m a pussy.”

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