Page 22 of Game On
“Already forgotten,” he replies dismissively, brushing past me and turning back towards the table.
“You’re ignoring me,” I call out.
He turns back. “You’re perceptive.”
“But we had sex,” I remind him.
“Right, I was there,” he deadpans, his expression unchanging. It’s as if we’re merely discussing the weather rather than a night that’s been looping in my mind like a catchy song—one I can’t turn off no matter how hard I try.
For all intents and purposes, I’ve tried. Tried to ignore it, to scrub it completely from my brain, to move on and focus on what I came here for. I haven’t so much as mentioned it to my friends back home, and I’m almost certain I’ve told Molly everything that’s ever happened to me for the last ten years; from the disastrous attempt at baking my first cake (which ended up resembling a charcoal briquette) to the time I made the god-awful decision to try out a fringe two days before a school disco.
I told her so much about Jamie, too. How we whispered “I love you” for the first time at this little place in the Lakes, just us and the crackling fire in the hearth. How I trusted him, gave him everything, including that night we first slept together.Everything.
But this? The one night I shared with a handsome stranger I met in a bar? It’s like some scandalous affair. Our little secret. Not because I’m ashamed of it or particularly want to hide it, but it just feels … personal. Something meant only for me. And him, I guess.
I narrow my eyes, taking in the way his muscles strain against his shirt, the sharp angles of his jawline, and the intensity in his eyes. It’s hard to ignore the physical attraction, the memory of how he made me feel that night. His touch, his kiss, the way he moved.
I force myself to focus, to remember why I’m here. I’m newly single, surrounded by exciting, gorgeous American men. This is a simple physical reaction, right? Chemistry at its base level. Nothing more.
I purse my lips, smiling despite the frustration. “That’s your thing, then? Sleeping with a woman and then pretending she doesn’t exist?”
He sighs, long and heavy, setting the pitchers down on the bar and rubbing his hands together as if to brace himself. “No, not exactly.”
“So why are you doing it now? It’s … awkward for me.”
“Honestly, I thought it would be better this way,” he says, Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallows. “Just to sweep the whole thing under the rug.”
“Well, I think it’s a bit juvenile.”
He gives a humorless snort. “So, not only am I toosluttyfor you, I’m also immature?”
I wrinkle my nose. “No, but you’re infuriating.”
One shoulder lifts in a careless shrug. “I won’t ignore you anymore if that’s what you’d like.”
“Great.” I tip my chin, accepting his begrudging offer. “It is.”
“Okay. Glad we had this talk,” he says, picking up the pitchers again, his nonchalance grating on my nerves. “While we finish our meal, should I bring up the way you looked spread out on my bed? You know, with your—”
“That is not what I meant, and you know it,” I cut him off, my cheeks flaming hot.
“I’m just teasing you, Davies.”
I blow out a heated breath, my frustration slowly melting away. “Sorry, I just—you got me all worked up there. I don’t want to start things off on the wrong foot. Withanyone. Especially because we’re going to be seeing a lot of one another this term.”
A corner of his mouth twitches. “Are we?”
“I can only presume.” I swipe my hands down the front of my jeans. “Look, we don’t need to be friends. But just … try to be normal around me, alright?”
“Best behavior from now on.”
I scrunch my nose. “Don’t pull a muscle on my account.”
He kisses his teeth, tips both pitchers in a mocking sort of toast. “Wouldn’t dream of it, darlin’.”
By the time we make it back to our table, I’m feeling strangely better, tension unfurling inside my chest. I sit back down, sliding into the conversation with the rest of the group as smoothly as I can, and feigning interest in Marcus’s account of his latest workout regimen.
Despite the sarcasm from both sides, my conversation with Hudson was reassuring in a way. I wanted to speak to him, to set the record straight, and I did. I’ve resolved to be more straightforward this year. To be a good communicator when it comes to my relationships, or the lack thereof.
