Page 108 of The Hookup Type

“This is Jenna and Kim.” Annie pointed to her friends, and they repeated her gesture.

Jenna shot me a shy smile. If I were in my normal headspace, I would’ve made it incredibly clear to Jenna that she could sleep with me tonight if she wanted to. She had a pretty face and a cute figure, and she was someone I could hook up with and know I wouldn’t have to see again. I was right on the cusp of saying something to her even though I was surrounded by past experiences and a girl I struggled to ignore.

“Fuck, I should’ve asked you guys for refills.” Jared sighed. He rose out of the hot tub and launched himself over the side. “Fuck, it’s cold!” he yelled and ran over to the coolers.

“Not so fast!” Heather tried to yell before he came splashing down into his seat. A wave of water flew over the side, and everyone laughed.

“How many did you grab?” Maci asked, and her mouth dropped when she realized he had no bottles left.

Jared shrugged and widened his eyes. “I had to accommodate my guests.” He cocked his head to the left, and Maci bit her lip. She quickly caught onto the fact that Jared was trying to get laid tonight by one of the girls sitting next to him, and she was no cockblocker.

“I get it,” Maci said through her teeth and grinned at the newcomers.

Katie laughed at her friendly gesture and sank into Connor’s chest. Jared had grown on both of them in such a short time, and it was kind of fun to watch them cheer him on. I knew Jared ate up every bit of attention that they showed him.

“I’m not getting out.” Connor laughed when Katie glanced up at him with puppy dog eyes. “It’s freezing, and I’m not empty yet.”

“But I am.” Maci pouted and shook her empty bottle for emphasis.

“You better make it quick.” Katie chuckled and teased Maci by taking another sip of her drink. “Maybe you won’t freeze your tits off.”

That comment got a few laughs from Jared’s new friends and even Reagan.

I shook my head and looked past Maci’s smirk to watch Bryson work his magic on one of the girls he walked in with.

“Jax,” Maci sang sweetly and looked at me. I drew my focus back to her to let her know I was listening. She shook her empty bottle and nodded toward my drink. “Are you getting up soon?”

Everyone around us laughed at the shared thought of no one wanting to get out of the water. She smiled at me and waited for my answer.

“She said your name kind of sweet there,Jax,” Jared teased, prompting more laughs from our side of the tub.

I knew I would probably regret my comment when I looked back on this moment. I took a deep breath and stared back at Maci. Her smile shifted when she read my reaction, and I knew the guy I had tried so hard to hide from her had won. It hurt a little to see her wear an expression I had caused so many girls I didn’t give a shit about to wear, but it had become so second nature to me that I couldn’t hold back.

I set my beer bottle on the side of the tub. “Believe me. She’s said my name sweeter than that.”

I lifted myself out of the hot tub and grabbed my hoodie and towel, completely ignoring the icy air as it hit my bare chest. The few people sitting by me in the hot tub were silent, but I didn’t stay to see their reactions. It wasn’t hard to put what I just said together, especially when you took my reputation and how Maci and I acted around each other.

I headed back through Heather’s condo and made a beeline across the parking lot. I didn’t want to see the look on Maci’s face. I didn’t care what anyone else thought. My heart beat rapidly in my chest, and I slammed the front door of the condo shut behind me.

The asshole part of me was out, and once he left there was no reeling him back in. Maci wasn’t going to be an exception for what happened next. There was no way around it. I was done.

Chapter58

Maci

March 2016

I slammedthe door behind me as soon as I entered the condo. “What thefuckwas that about, Jaxon!”

He shrugged. “Nothing I said was a lie.”

“But did you have to say it like that in front ofeveryone?” I exclaimed. I almost didn’t recognize who I was talking to.

“You mean Bryson,” he stated, locking eyes with me for the first time since I entered the room.

I searched for any emotion that might be hiding behind his gaze, but I came up empty.

“Where do you think he went after the bar tonight, Maci?”

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