“You do this often?” I ask.
“I wish. My mom always hosted, and I had fun helping with the snacks. It’s in my nature, I guess.”
When she slides the pizza bites into the oven, I slide around the counter to meet her. The oven door closes, and I almost scare her.
I don’t touch her, but my presence forces her to the corner. She grips the counter, nervous as she looks up at me.
“I don’t bite,” I whisper.
She presses her lips together, raising her eyebrows. “That’s not what I saw last night.”
I smirk because she’s right. I do bite. But not her. I lean down so only she can hear me. “Why am I your boyfriend when you could’ve asked Nixon to do it?”
She snickers. “Crew? He’s like my brother.”
“Well,” I step back. “Your brother wants to fuck you.”
Her posture slouches as she rolls her eyes. “That’s disgusting. Don’t ever say that again.”
I grind my teeth, wondering how the fuck I lost her right there when all I’m doing is trying to help. “You could’ve asked him to do it.”
She walks away from me, searching in the cupboard. “No,” she says, pulling out a few serving sized bowls. “He’s no Greyson Cress.”
I lean my ass into the corner she was just leaning against and watch her. I can’t figure her out. “And what’s so special about me?” I question, needing to get to the bottom of this. I push off the counter to help her. I take a bag of chips and pour it into a bowl. I grab another bag and pour the contents out. She only answers with a raised eyebrow, like she doesn’t have any words to explain why.
“Meet in your room in twenty?” I ask.
She shakes her head. “No way, I can’t miss the game.”
“You watch hockey?” I laugh, amused.
She stops in her tracks. “You don’t know anything about me, do you?” She puts her hands on her hips and cocks her head at me. When she throws a chip in her mouth, I hear the crunch and watch her eat. She grabs another one, so I gently grab her elbow and eat it from her fingers. Her brows furrow.
“I could give you a tip or two on the ice,” she offers as I chew the chip.
“Really?” I grab a chip and feed her. She laughs, hitting my hand away. “And what would that be?” I throw the chip in my mouth.
“You need to be more patient.”
I bite a chip and throw it back in the bowl. I reach for her because I want to tickle her. But Crew comes around the corner as soon as I step towards her. She giggles, running away. He glances at her and then at me. By the looks on his face, he doesn’t approve.
“They’re almost done,” Madison says, not noticing his aloofness as she points at the oven.
He grabs a few bowls and says, “You’re about to miss the start.”
She grabs two bowls, looking over at me. “I’ll be right back.”
I guess I’m staying for the pizza bites in the oven. She walks over to the living room. Her ass sways when she walks, and her long blonde hair is resting on her back. I wonder what the fuck Matt is thinking right now. He’s got me and Crew to worry about. Good for that fucker. I need to get Madison alone in her bedroom at some point to really get him going. Maybe after first period.
Madison walks back into the kitchen and checks the oven.
I grab her shoulders from behind. “I need to talk to you in private. Which door is your bedroom? I’ll meet you there after first period.”
“Up the stairs, first door on the right.”
I pat her shoulders, relieved there wasn’t any resistance from her. She’s in an awfully good mood, and I hate knowing it’s because of Nixon.
I sit on the couch, off in my own corner while the guys snack on the chips and pizza bites. The game starts, and Madison comes running into the room. She glances at the couch, looking for a seat. She chooses Crew, but I don’t care. Sydney is on the other side of her.