Page 44 of Out of the Shadows
We won the game, and the crowd went crazy. The team strutted past us, the guys who had been with us at the diner — except for Nico — nodded at me, and Colt stopped in front of me.
“Great game! You were amazing.” I gushed.
The corners of his mouth twitched briefly. “Thanks.”
Then he clamped an arm around my waist and planted a fiery kiss on my lips.
“Gotta go. See you later,” he grunted before disappearing down the tunnel.
I touched my lips, slightly dazed. Hope flared in my chest, bright and vibrant. Maybe I would see him at the party after all? Filled with a new sense of excitement, I headed back to our room to get ready for the party.
Ella curled and braided sections of my hair while I slapped on my usual makeup. I had picked out an outfit beforehand, but with the thought in the back of my mind that Colt might make an appearance, I went with another option.
Hello, mini skirt that fits like a second skin and lacy top that accentuates my boobs. Hopefully, I’ll be able to introduce you to someone very special tonight.
Eighteen
Colt
My legs were heavy as lead, and my shoulders and chest were already sore as hell, yet my mind just wouldn’t shut up.
As always after a game, I sat in an ice bath and went through my whole cool-down routine. Now I was lying on my bed in a compression shirt, some random show playing in the background, with a huge cup of water next to me on the nightstand.
Everything the same as always, but instead of passing out, I was wide awake and an annoying little voice in my head wouldn’t stop demanding that I text Hailey.
She might come over if you picked up your phone.
She could be right here next to you if you’d just pick up your phone.
If you would just move your goddamn hand to pick up your fucking phone.
Sighing, I closed my eyes and ran my hand through my stilldamp hair. I could use a trip to the barber.
Still torn, the decision was taken out of my hands. My phone vibrated, and I scrambled to grab it. No one ever texted me at this hour.Please let it be Hailey.
I collapsed as if the air had been let out of me when I saw it was a notification for Hailey’s stories.
Still, I tapped it eagerly, then froze.
Hailey was clutching a red Solo cup, which she was bumping against another held by a different female hand. The relief that coursed through was worrisome — there was no way I’d get out of this with my heart intact.
Scrubbing a hand down my face, I returned to the issue at hand. Hailey was at a party. Hailey was at her first college party, and I was in my fucking bed.
As if on cue, a message popped up.
Jax Handerson: Dude, you coming out tonight? Your girl’s here.
Why hadn’t she told me she was going out tonight? I ran my fingers through my hair again, frustrated and conflicted. Two sides were at war within me.
One side insisted that Hailey would’ve told me if she wanted me there and that I should stick to my guns and avoid parties. After all, I never went to any — not here, not in high school,not ever.
On the other hand, the thought of Hailey all dressed up at a party surrounded by countless guys who weren’t me, drove me insane.
I pounded my fist against my forehead, my eyes squeezed shut. Sleep was no longer an option, I was wired.
Wasn’t this what she had wanted me to do — keep the randos away from her? The whole reason she’d suggested this charade in the first place?
At this very moment, Hailey was mine, mine alone, and since I had every intention of keeping it that way, my mind was made up.
