Page 65 of Play Your Part

“She’s never talked to you about coming back?” Deandra appeared at my side, breaking my concentration and making me realize how long I’d stared after Kennedy. “To work for the Wolves,” she added.

“No, she’s… not very open.”

“She hasn’t been the same since her mom died. But she kept that secret about Ward before then. Maybe I never knew her as well as I thought I did. I wouldn’t have been able to keep a secret like that. But that’s Kennedy—she’ll hurt herself before anyone else. She gave up school to help her parents, and she loved school. She had big plans. She’s wasting her talent. You’ll see at the fundraiser.”

“You’re good at convincing her to do what you want,” I observed.

“Pot meet kettle.” Deandra narrowed her eyes at me.

I schooled my features to blandness, not wanting to give anything away.

“Anyway, dating you, planning a party, I think she’ll survive.”

Maybe she would, but I worried I wouldn’t.

27

KENNEDY

ThenightoftheWolves fundraiser, a classic, out-of-nowhere southern storm moved in. Alexei rang the doorbell, holding an umbrella with the Wolves insignia, but it did barely anything against the rain coming down in buckets. I waved him in before heading to the kitchen with my phone to my ear as Deandra recounted the alternative setup for the night. Swimming would be out, but she moved the photo booth to the foyer, the third food station into an unused hallway, and cleared the furniture out of our main room to create a bigger space for a dance floor. I would have been there to help with the last-minute scramble if I didn’t need to arrive at the party with Alexei.

After hanging up, I turned to find Alexei leaning in the doorway, watching me, wearing the same heated gaze as the night we ended up in the hot tub together. “You look beautiful.”

Out of habit, I glanced at my body, covered tonight in a little black dress paired with black strappy sandals, a silver necklace with an emerald heart charm, and hoop earrings. I tucked my loose, straight blue-black hair behind my ears, giving myself a moment to recover from the compliment and escape his look—like he wanted to skip the party altogether and keep me to himself.

“Thank you. I, um, like your suit.”

He gripped each opening of his navy-blue-plaid jacket and flicked it out. The flaps fell against the black polo shirt underneath. A perfect mix of formal and casual, like me. “I can’t let you steal all the attention.”

I rolled my eyes. “Oh please. When I’m next to you, I might as well not exist.”

Alexei strolled over to me, offering his arm. I snatched my wristlet off the counter as I hooked my arm in his.

“When you’re next to me, you’re the only person who does exist.”

I nudged him in the side, opting to joke to avoid acknowledging exactly how those words affected me. “Save it for the party, hotshot.”

He looked down, his infuriatingly handsome smirk in place. “Don’t worry about my game, Cole.”

Unbidden, his words from the other night popped into my head.I’ve wanted to touch you like that for weeks.

Oh, he had lines for days, and every single one of them worked their magic on me.

I insisted on driving my truck since Alexei’s flashy sports car wouldn’t do well in this storm. Even with the windshield wipers on full tilt, I could barely see. After reaching the highway, I kept my speed slow and my hazards on, knowing I would never live it down in Palmer City if I injured their newly anointed star winger. As we reached the exit for my dad’s house, the music stopped abruptly and my Bluetooth announced Justin Ward was calling. I ignored the call, willing the music to distract from it. And maybe it would have if Justin hadn’t called again.

“Why is he calling you, Kennedy?” Alexei asked as I declined the call. The music blared back into the car until Alexei turned it down.

“I don’t know,” I said, keeping my eyes on the dimly lit road.

“You don’t know,” he repeated, a hint of skepticism in his voice. I could feel his gaze on me.

“No,” I snapped, my hands tightening on the wheel. “Did you want me to answer so the three of us could work out the root of our problems in the middle of a rainstorm on the way to my dad’s house?”

“Shit, I’m sorry, Kennedy. The game’s in two days… I’m in my head.”

He took a deep breath. I said nothing. The game had hung over us for the last week. Everything played out as predicted. Justin ran his mouth online, presumably after seeing recent photos Alexei and I posted together. The media asked Justin and Alexei about their rivalry at their press conferences, and each of them hyped up the game, as if they were two fighters about to step into the octagon.

When I didn’t respond, Alexei said, “You’re not… back in touch with him?”

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