Page 8 of Win My Heart

“You left it in Link’s room?” he questions, still behind me.

“Uh, yeah. We were playing around…” I see the speaker and sigh, happy that he didn’t hide it. Link’s a trickster. Then I remember that I didn’t finish what I was saying. “We wanted to see how the speaker held up to his new streaming equipment.” I nearly walk right into him again, in the middle of Link’s bedroom, with him still in his towel.

He’s wearing a look I can’t quite figure out. One hand holds the towel closed, and the other rests on his hip. “And how does Ruby feel about you playing around with Link in his bedroom?”

My eyes widen and then narrow. How dare he. “I’d say she felt just fine with it, as she was playing with us.” I glare at him. Like I’d mess around with any of the guys, let alone one who had a girlfriend! I push past him. I don’t have time for this strange, brutish game he’s playing.

“Excuse me,” I say so I don’t accidentally touch him. He hangs his head as he steps away. I move past him, and again, he follows me down the hall.

“That was uncalled for,” he tells my retreating back. “I’m sorry.”

Maybe I’m just in a mood, so I reply with a clipped “Yup.”

He mutters something under his breath. I’m not sure how far he follows me into the living room, because I don’t look back as I say, “See ya” and swoosh out the door just as quickly as I arrived.

I don’t think he’ll follow wearing nothing but a towel, but I book it to the stairs again to get the hell out of dodge. In a near run, I race back down to my apartment, only slowing as I get to my own front door.

Holy smokes, Batman. Wade in a towel. In my presence. Wet and wrapped in a towel, and my body was all smooshed up against his for a couple of seconds. Breathing hard, I place my hand over my heart. And H-E-double-hockey-sticks, he saw me after a workout.

I try to calm my beating heart and get my breathing under control. I close my eyes for a moment before opening my door.

As soon as my lids clamp shut, all I can see are hard, wet Wade abs.

Growling, I rip my eyes open, and as if I can escape the sexy scene, I violently push into the apartment.

“She’s back!” the girls cheer.

I lean my back against the door and attempt a shaky smile. My girls don’t miss a single thing, and their faces fall, looking concerned.

In one long-winded sentence, I say, “Wade-Roberts-is-upstairs-naked-and-very-wet-and-I-touched-him-and-told-him-I-was-wet.” I take in a gulp of air after that word vomit.

Three pairs of wide, alarmed eyes stare back at me.

And then laughter erupts from every single one of them.

My face crinkles at their reaction, but I don’t move away from the door. The back of my head thumps against it as I search their faces.

“I knew it!” Gia shouts, pointing at me.

Ruby just smirks and shakes her head. “I’ve always known.”

Morgan just smiles at me.

“I don’t understand,” I mutter.

“You have a massive crush on Wade,” Gia says. “And you’ve never admitted it.”

I sigh, pushing off the door. “I think I mentioned it to Ruby once.”

“True story,” she replies. I walk around my tiny dining room table and flop myself onto the overstuffed chair in the living room. My apartment is an open space, the dining room, kitchen, and living room all visible and pretty much the same big room. Two bedrooms and a bathroom are found down the hall.

The girls were sitting around the table, but only Morgan follows me.

“Okay, so while I think we’re all finally on the same page, let’s recap for the benefit of all involved.” She sits on the couch, curling her legs under her.

“You ran into Wade up in Link and Simon’s place? He was naked and that”—she fights back giggles—“made you wet? Am I understanding all of this?”

I rip the pillow out from behind my back, cover my face, and groan loudly.

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