Page 61 of College Hockey Bully

A dull ache settles between my thighs and I shift my thoughts from the filthy direction they were going. Aiden said this was a real date where we should learn more about each other. I shouldn’t be thinking about sleeping with him.

But, dear Lord, I am.

He reaches for the wine glass and I imagine those fingers working the dress straps down my arms, pushing it down my body, over my hips. I step out of it. He drops to his knees and grip the waist of my panties with his teeth—

“Scarlett.”

“Mhm?”

“I asked about your plans after college,” Aiden says, his eyes narrowing at me. “You okay? Your entire face has gone red.”

“Um, yeah.” I fan myself. “I think I might’ve had too much to drink.”

He glances at my half-filled glass, his brows lifting at me. “You barely took a sip.”

“Yeah, well, that usually happens to someone who can’t hold their liquor,” I reply.

A smirk teases the corners of his lips, which quickly fades as his gaze shifts to something behind me. “Fuck me,” he mutters, dropping back in the seat.

“What?” I glance behind me. All I see is a striking middle-aged couple being led to their table. I turn back to Aiden and he’s gesturing to our server.

“Check please.”

“Is everything okay?”

He nods stiffly. “Yeah, I’m just ready to go.”

It’s only a little past ten. I didn’t anticipate heading home so early. Still, I nod with acceptance. As Aiden urgently taps his credit card, I can’t help wondering why he’s in such a hurry. The answer comes as he quickly leads me out of the restaurant. This is why he brought me all the way up here. He doesn’t want to be seen with me.

My heart pounds furiously in my chest. This happens every single time: I let my guard down, then it goes right back up when Aiden does something questionable. Why am I getting to know this guy when I can’t trust him?

“This is scary,” he suddenly whispers.

Reigning in my anger, I glance over at him. “What’s scary?”

“You. Us. Something totally unexpected is happening between us and it’s scary as fuck.” He looks over at me, then back at the road. “I need you to be patient with me, Scarlett.”

I take a deep breath, turning my attention outside.

“Look at me.”

“You should be paying attention to the road,” I point out.

His focus goes back to the windshield. “I am paying attention. Just look at me.”

I twist on my seat. “Fine, I’m looking.”

“No matter what happens, please trust that I’ll never hurt you,” he says.

“Sounds very cryptic.”

The car slows to stop in the middle of the road. Thankfully, there are no other vehicles coming behind us. Aiden turns the overhead light on, captures my chin between his fingers, and stares right into my eyes. “I know it’s asking for a lot, but just trust me. Please.”

Though the sincerity dwells deep in his eyes, I can’t resist asking, “Should I trust that our quick exit had nothing to do with you being ashamed to be seen with me?”

“Not even a little,” he replies without hesitation. “I swear, Scarlett.”

I stare at Aiden. He stares back, unflinching. Intently. Flutters of relief ease the weight on my chest and I smile softly as we start moving again. “Thank you for being honest with me.”

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