Page 21 of Face Me Off

“Impossibly charming, you mean,” I quip, smirking. “Come on, what do you say? Give it a shot?”

I hold my breath, waiting for her response. Come on, Maddy. Say yes. I need this more than you know.

“But why me? Can’t you get help at the tutoring center?”

“You know how that goes. Waiting for your turn takes forever, and I don’t have time, not with hockey and my other studies. Besides, nobody else gets me like you.” It may have been a while since we hung out, but this infuriating girl always understood what I needed, even if it was as simple as a good laugh or shoulder to lean on.

Maddy chews her bottom lip again, her eyes darting around the bustling hallway. “I don’t know, Ryan. It’s not that simple. What if someone sees us together? The team, the coaches … hell, the whole campus would have a field day with that gossip. And if it ever leaked out…”

A pang in my chest tightens. She’s not wrong. Our littleencounterat Becky’s party is still fresh in our minds. I run my fingers through my hair to buy time to think.

“Look,” Maddy continues while fidgeting with the strap of her backpack. “That night was … it was fun, okay? But we can’t just pretend it didn’t happen. What if studying together just makes things weird?”

I lean in closer and lower my voice. “Maddy, I get it. I do. But we’re both adults here. We can handle this like pros, right? Besides,” I add with a wink, “a little tension never hurt anyone’s study game.”

She lets out a nervous laugh and shakes her head. “God, you’re infuriating. But…” she pauses, those green eyes muddled with conflict.

A surge of hope races through my veins, but we’re not quite there yet. Maddy still holds back, but as her body language screams caution, a flicker of curiosity coats her face. I need to sweeten the pot. It’s a long shot, but I do have something to teach her. However, I’m not sure how well it will be received.

“You know, we could remedy a certain situation,” I say when she goes silent.

“What do you mean?”

“We make a trade. You teach me physics, and I enlighten you to the art of giving head.”

“Jesus,” she swears.

“Think about it. This could be a win-win for both. I don’t know about you, but I could use a relief.”

“Okay, first of all, if I say yes, it’s only for the studying part, not the other.”

“You really need to reconsider this friends-with-benefits opportunity.”

“There is no FWB opportunity. If anything, it’d be more like frenemies-with-benefits.”

“Angry sex is still good sex.”

“You’re impossible. There will be no sex.”

“I mean, it’s your loss.” I point toward my junk.

“When people talk about their big sizes, they usually can’t back it up.”

I just look at her.

She huffs. “Fine! You do. But if we do this—which I haven’t agreed on yet—but if we do, then it stays between us. If our parents…”

“They’re not going to find out.” I study her for a moment. “What’s really scaring you?”

A beat of silence passes before she sighs. “I don’t want to give my dad any more ammunition against yours. Regardless of everything that happened, I still care about your father.”

Talk about a punch to the gut. The smart thing to do is walk away before Madison gets under my skin, but I need her. I need us to work.

“Fine. We won’t tell anyone. But Maddy, I never want to keep you a dirty little secret.”

“Then it’s a good thing this isn’t real.”

Touché.

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