Page 8 of Hate the Game
I saw red for a few moments. I had to take a few deep breaths and remember who I was pretending to be. “Whatever. You think I care about that? You’re rescuing me from staying on campus for a second longer. I’m not used to staying in so much.”
“Whyareyou staying in so much then? There’s shit happening on campus constantly.”
“I’ve been doing stuff most nights. Mike, David, and Shawn have been keeping me busy. Same with the rest of the team. I’ve been bowling, to the movies, to a few different concerts, and I even went with Nick to a party in the hills. I guess I’m just not doing the things I really want to do.” I looked at him then and bit my lip. “You know?”
He was stopped at another light and when he looked at me I could’ve sworn he looked pissed for a second before he straightened his face. “Wow. Did you see everyone before you got to me?”
Fully in character again, I leaned over and gently slapped his arm. “What are you trying to say? You sound like you think I took all of those guys to bed. If I was sleeping my way through the team do you really think I would’ve gone after you so late in the game?”
He made a left turn into the parking lot of a small Mexican restaurant and hesitated before turning the truck off. “So you haven’t slept with anyone from the team? There are rumors…”
I rolled my eyes. “There are always rumors. Hardly any of them are ever true. Just because I flirt a little and have big tits people assume things. Maybe I’m a virgin and have never even seen a dick.”
His eyebrows rose.
I went up on my knees and moved closer to him. “Or maybe I’m a slut who loves to taste every flavor of the rainbow.”
Cole’s throat bobbed up and down as I ran my hand over his shoulder and up into the back of his hair. When I gripped hard and yanked it back, he swore and gripped my thigh so tight that I figured it’d bruise.
“Or maybe I’m neither but something in the middle. Maybe I’m closer to a virgin than a whore but maybe I really, reallyenjoy sampling the same flavor over and over.” I moved my mouth over his throat, never actually touching but letting my breath wash over his skin. “And over. Maybe I love trying the same flavor in different places, different positions, in different ways.”
His hand moved higher up my inner thigh. “Fuck, Sav.”
I moved back to my side of the truck and opened the door. I was halfway out before Cole realized what was happening. “Coming, silly? I’m starving and I need to put something in my mouth right now.”
I closed the door and took a deep breath. I was playing a dangerous game. One that I wasn’t unaffected by. My panties were damp from that little game and I knew my nipples were hard. There was nothing I could do to hide them so I just pushed my shoulders back and met Cole at the front of the truck.
He still looked a little shell-shocked as he reached for my hand and held it. Pulling me inside, he didn’t say another word until we were sitting at the table and a waiter had already taken our drink orders. His eyes dropped to my chest before coming back to mine. “You… Fuck.”
I giggled, a real one, and leaned closer to him so I could speak low and still be heard over the music playing in the background. “You’re drooling, Cole.”
He stared down at the cleavage showing as I bent forward and my dress gaped. “I swear to god I’m moving to Texas after graduation.”
I laughed easily and leaned back. “How do you know I’m not one of a kind, even in Texas?”
“Then tell me where you’ll be after graduation and I’ll say that.” He smirked, back to himself, and pulled out his phone. He held it up and nodded to me. “Smile.”
Instead I gave him my best come hither look. “Is that for the notebook you keep under your bed full of the pictures and namesof all the women you’ve slept with? Because I don’t think you get to tape my picture into that book quite yet.”
He shook his head at me. “As much as I like knowing you consider this a possibility, I don’t have one of those books. I needed a picture to send to my family in case I don’t come home tonight. They’ll know to look for you.”
My mouth fell open and when he laughed I couldn’t hold in a big, carefree laugh. I covered my mouth and leaned over in my seat in an attempt to hide from the stares we were getting.
“If I’d known you’d be so much fun I wouldn’t have been avoiding you for weeks.”
“I knew you were avoiding me!” I paused what I was saying as the waiter dropped off our drinks and took our orders. As soon as he was gone I wagged my finger at Cole. “That was rude. So it’s your fault that I had to hang out with all of your teammates and get them drunk enough to tell me all about The Apex Three.”
He leaned forward, matching my pose. “What’d they say?”
I batted my eyelashes at him and smiled coyly. “Oh, Cole. I don’t reveal my sources or the secrets they tell me. At least not until I publish the article.”
“Tell me something, Sav.” Cole dropped his gaze to my mouth and held it there. “Why do you sound so normal sometimes and other times you sound like you’re playing Malibu Barbie?”
I swallowed hard as I realized I hadn’t been staying in character. I’d slipped into my own personality so easily while still flirting and teasing Cole. I leaned back as a healthy dose of shame hit me. I was saved from having to answer by the waiter coming back with chips and salsa.
Once he was gone I busied myself with eating a few chips. I’d messed up and let me guard down when I should’ve been paying extra attention with Cole. He was sneaky and if I wasn’t careful I’d let him under my skin instead of the other way around.
“Fine. Don’t answer me. I’ll figure it out.” Cole leaned across the table and dragged his thumb over my bottom lip. “You had a crumb…”
