Page 39 of Play Maker

I stared at him. “You know about that?”

Ethan nodded. “Just that they dated, and it was bad. Preston treated him like crap, hurt him badly. Made him question himself.”

“Preston’s my best friend,” I admitted.

My only friend. No way was I going to admit that.

Ethan choked on his drink and coughed.

“How did I not know that?”

“Do you know everything that goes on with this team?”

“Pretty much.” He smirked as he leaned in. “Look, I don’t know you that well, or Preston at all, but I can say for sure that Jace is a good guy. He might act cocky and yeah, he can be a smart-ass, but which of us aren’t? I know for sure that he’s been through some tough shit. He worked hard to get here. And he’s nice to everyone, always friendly. If a teammate needs cheering up, or just someone to talk to, he’s there. I haven’t heard, or seen, a bad thing about him. Not from anyone.”

That didn't make me feel any better. The longer I was here at Sutton, the more people that I talked to that knew Jace, the more I questioned Preston. I knew for sure that something had to give. One way or the other, I was going to get the truth. Even if I didn't like it. Then again, Preston was a great actor. If he’d been feeding me lines all this time, then I really was a complete fool.

“Enough about Jace,” I replied, ignoring Ethan’s intent gaze. “I need to forget about him, hockey, and school. I need a distraction.”

“Well, let’s take care of that.”

Ethan waved at two of the Kappa Delta girls, the ones he’d introduced earlier as Rina and Waverley, to come join us. Ethan talked me up, flirting like mad, while I grunted a few responses and tried to make conversation. I forced myself into social mode, and made eye contact with Waverley, a cute brunette (thanks Finn) who leaned into me and started asking me the usual get-to-know-you questions.

A few minutes later, Ethan stood up and offered his hand to Rina, and they took off upstairs.

I turned to Waverley, tentatively sliding my arm around the back of the sofa, and she curled tightly into me, warm, and smelling like roses and vanilla. She gave me a flirty grin and licked her pink lips. I should’ve been turned the fuck on, ecstatic that this beautiful woman seemingly wanted my attention.My cock, however, wasn’t impressed with this turn of events. Nothing stirred below the belt, and it made me even more frustrated. Still, Waverley looked at me expectantly, so I leaned in to give her a kiss. I’m sure once I had a taste of her, my libido would kick-start.

I was just about to take her lips when I heard a door slam and Jace’s name called out.

My head snapped back like I’d been sucker punched.

“Are you alright?” Waverley asked, confusion in her eyes.

“Uh, yeah,” I whispered and bit my lower lip. “Just, uh, the noise surprised me. You want to get out of here and go someplace quieter?”

“How about you come home with me?” she asked, a rosy flush staining her cheeks.

I should have said ‘yes’. I should have said ‘hell yes’ and ‘let's leave, now’. Instead, I sat there like an idiot, frozen to the couch. Why didn't I just get up, take her hand, and go? What was wrong with me?

When I didn’t respond, Waverley pulled back, her smile gone.

“Or, maybe we can have another drink first,” she offered, and stood up. “I’ll be right back.”

Judging by the annoyed look on her face, she was not, in fact, coming back.

CHAPTER 14

JACE

Ethan insisted that Dane and I drop by his place tonight.

Apparently, what started out as a few of the guys having takeout turned into a full-blown party. I didn't want to see Axel after that scene in the locker room, but I also knew that if I didn't show up, he'd win. And that wasn’t happening. I wasn’t going to stop seeing my friends or having fun just because Axel couldn’t face me or the truth.

He's not the only one who can’t face the truth.

I winced as I thought about my reaction to Axel in the shower. It took all the willpower I had not to stare at him every time we were in the same vicinity. And not in an ‘I despise you’ kind of way. More like, ‘why the fuck are you such a gorgeous asshole’? When he dropped his shampoo, I turned around and looked at him.Reallylooked at him. Like I never did with other teammates. And the sight of his sculpted, wet body had me biting back a groan. He had a biteable ass, thick, hard thighs, and a wide barrelled chest covered in dark blond hair. I made the mistake of letting my eyes roam longer, over those bulging biceps, and veiny forearms, and finally, his uncut dick. All kinds of wicked fantasies played out in my head. I knew how he smelled but now my curiosity about what he tasted likecouldn’t be stopped. Thank fuck the water raining down over me concealed the drool coming out of my mouth.

It was madness. Thinking about Axel like that was pure stupidity on my part.

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