Page 53 of Habits

Another bell rings, and with resignation, Andrew lets me slide down his body.

“Tonight, come to the party.” He takes a step back, his hand outstretched, still holding on to mine. Another step back and our fingers barely touch. “Come and I’ll give you what you need.”

With those words, he takes one final step back, breaking our contact. We stare at each other for a heartbeat longer.

Just a second longer.

Then I turn around and run out of the classroom, not once looking back. If I do, I’ll accept everything he offers. If I do, I’ll give in to my weakness. I’m so good at forming bad habits, and Andrew Hill? He’ll be the worst habit of them all.

Andrew

Me: 1 hour. My room.

I type out the message and hit send. Locking the screen, I lift my gaze.My eyes scan over the packed living room until they settle on her. Completely on the other side, hiding in the corner with Brook and Amelia is Jeanette. Both she and Brook have been standing against the wall, but Lia pulled them closer to the crowd and made them dance.

A smirk forms on my lips as I observe her. Taking a pull from the bottle in my hand, I let my eyes roam over her body. Her hair is still a disheveled mess of loose curls that bounce as she moves her body to the beat of the music. It’s sensual and sexy as hell. All I can think about is going to her, pressing my hand into her stomach and pulling her back close to my front as I bury my head into the hollow of her neck.

She changed since the game and is now wearing dark tights with a gray sweater dress and ankle boots. A dress with a high neckline and some kind of sleeves that go from being ultra-tight on her upper arm to being loose around her wrists.

Quiet, almost unnoticeably sexiness, that’s what she is.

She doesn’t try too hard, and she knows who she is. She isn’t preoccupied with fashion or her looks. She almost downplays it, just to stay as invisible as possible. Like that’s gonna happen.

“Do you have a death wish, dude?” Derek slides into the recliner next to mine, shaking his head in disappointment.

“I’m not there, am I?” I shrug my shoulders nonchalantly, disrupting the girl next to me.

I don’t know her, haven’t invited her, but I didn’t exactly tell her to screw off when she came and nuzzled her way next to me. Her hands wrap around me, fingers tracing patterns on my chest as she nibbles at my neck, whispering God knows what into my ear.

I look down at her, suddenly irritated by her presence. She looks up at me through her thick fake eyelashes, as she licks her bright pink lips seductively. “Maybe we should …”

Disentangling myself from her, I shoot her a hard stare. “Get lost. Now.”

“But …” She bats her eyelashes, completely confused, but I tune her out, turning toward Derek.

“Do you have to be such an ass?”

“Don’t get all judgy on me now, King. Just a few short months back, you were the same heartless douchebag as me.”

“All I’m saying is, you probably shouldn’t be sitting here with some random co-ed hanging all over you while at the same time eye-fucking one of your teammates’ sisters.” For the last part he leans forward, whispering quietly so nobody can hear him. “I mean really, and then you wonder why he thinks you’re not good enough for her.”

His words sting for some reason, but I wash it away with a gulp from my nearly empty bottle.

“I want to fuck her, not date her. Regardless if other girls are part of the equation, I doubt he’ll like the idea.” I roll my eyes at him, leaning back in my seat. My tired muscles sigh in relief.

Tonight was a tough game. We managed to pull a win, but barely. Everything was off today. Derek being sidelined for two games was hard enough on the team, but add to the mix the strained relationship between Max and me … well, let’s just say that the team could feel it, and it affected the whole game.

Like he can read my mind, Derek murmurs against the water bottle in his hand, “Well, you’ll have to figure it out and soon, because it’s not just affecting the two of you.”

My eyes go back to Jeanette, only she’s not there. Taking a swipe of the space, I see a glimpse of gray darting out of the living room.

Showtime.

“All in due time,” I murmur, jumping to my feet. “All in due time.”

Derek looks at me, then back at the corner where the girls were. “Andrew …” he drawls in warning, but I wave him off.

“I’m going to take a piss, Mom. May I?” I taunt him, daring him to say something out loud.

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