Page 16 of Nodus Tollens
“Decker? That you?” He shouted, causing everyone in his little circle to turn and focus on me. On the ice, I grew accustomed to everyone’s constant scrutiny. The screaming fans and the banging on the glass never deterred me or affected my game. Blocking them out was no issue, but outside the game, in the real world, it was a different story. I couldn’t hide behind the gear that clearly divided the real me from Hayes Decker, a famed center for Sutton University. I once felt invincible, like no one could penetrate me, but off the ice, I felt anything but. Now, I just felt like a phony.
Sighing, I felt my throat tighten with unease. Then suddenly, it was as if they were all hit with the realization that they were in the presence of a Viper. Their curious gazes turned animated with surprise. Even a couple of girls I spotted in the group grinned mischievously, like I had fallen unexpectedly from the sky and landed at their feet. Sure, they were the type of girls I used to spend my nights with, and by the way they were ogling me, I knew it wouldn’t be hard to get either of them in my bed. Or both. I was far from interested, though. I felt nothing. Not even a tingle or an inkling of desire course through me. Instead, I made my disinterest known and glanced back over to Jesse.
“Yeah.” I nodded and awkwardly waved a hand in his direction. Tucking them back into my pockets, I panicked slightly at the silence that filled the air. “How’s it going? I haven’t seen you in a while.” I added while slowly making my way around the group. My feet numbed with each unwanted step I made toward him. I hadn’t counted on being noticed, but I had no choice other than to entertain the overly-loud football player.
“Oh, you know. Just enjoying life.” He smirked, throwing a large arm around the girl next to him while pulling her tightly to his side. His goofy smile couldn’t have been brighter as he lovingly peered down into the eyes of a tiny redhead that looked less than thrilled to be there. Her freckled face scrunched up in agitation as she used her palms to push Jesse off her. To my surprise, she had a little strength to her and was able to escape the clutches of the big lineman. “Aw, come on now, baby. Don’t be like that. I wanna introduce you to my boy here.” He chuckled, reaching for her again, but she ruthlessly smacked his attempt.
“I’m not your baby, and I know who he is.” She growled and focused her heated stare onto mine. “We have chem class together.”
My eyes narrowed, and without coming off as rude and staring longer than necessary, I tried to place the small redhead. I was terrible with faces, and surely, I’d remember hers. She had soft features, dainty and beautiful, but her curly red hair contradicted every one of her features. Funny enough, she was exactly the type of girl I could never see Jesse with. He loved his blondes, and he loved them even more submissive. This girl was the exact opposite of what he was used to and, in my opinion, exactly what he needed.
“Let’s save some of that feistiness for later tonight, Red.” He poked the tip of her nose, causing her to sneer as thoughts of committing murder flooded her gaze. Quickly turning away from him, she stomped over to another girl across from them and threw herself into their conversation.
“She’s the best, ain’t she?” His eyes sparkled in adoration as he followed her movements. As if she could feel his eyes on her, she turned her head angrily and gave him the finger with a smug smile. A deep groan fell past his lips, and right then, I knew the fucker was whipped.
“Playin’ hard to get, I see.” I chuckled.
“Nah, I got her right where I want her.” He focused back on me with a grin.
He definitely had her attention, but the good kind? Not so much. But oddly enough, from the few minutes of watching them interact, I got strong denial vibes from her. Maybe I was rusty, or I was losing it, but the energy between the two came off strong as fuck. And by strong as fuck, I meant the sexual tension between them was explosive.
Shaking my head, I couldn’t help but laugh. Jesse Martin wasn’t a one-girl type of guy, and somehow this girl had completely rewired his head and made the man a simp. “Well, I’m happy for you.” I offered my congrats, though it came out jokingly.
“So, what are you doing out here, Decker? Shouldn’t you be up there?” He nodded his head towards the stage.
“Just wanted to call it an early night.” I shrugged, feeling once again uncomfortable about having to explain myself. Expressionless, he briefly watched me as if searching for something before nodding.
“I’m about ready to make it an early night, too.” He huffed while checking on his little redhead with a look that could only be perceived as yearning. A long, drawn-out sigh escaped him before he turned his attention back to me. “Where’s Mal?” He questioned, knowing we had been basically inseparable since we started at Sutton University.
“He’s up on stage somewhere. Told him to stay.”
“Huh.” He glanced over to the stage. “Think he can handle it up there without you?”
The question aggravated the hell out of me. It wasn’t like Mal was inept or couldn’t handle himself. It was mostly due to the fact that he would silently brood behind me, making him appear guarded and completely detached from the world. Without me there to distract others, he was left exposed, and apparently, to people like Jesse, that meant he was helpless. Which was anything but true. Mal wouldn’t just survive without me. He’d fucking thrive.
“He can handle himself.” I kept my words simple and firm. Fortunately, Jesse seemed to notice the rigidness in my tone and dropped the topic. His mouth opened as if to say something, but his girl brushed past him without so much as a warning, and he quickly snatched her arm to stop her.
“Woah, woah, woah. Where do you think you’re going?” He pulled her in close but not without a fight. The girl had some serious spunk.
“I swear to god, Jesse, if you don’t stop with your caveman shit, I’m going to lose it.” Unrelenting, she tried to pull her arm from Jesse’s grip. His only response was to let his head fall back on a deep laugh. She was anything but amused by his reaction. Her scowl only deepened as he pulled her small body even closer to his. She pushed and twisted her body until she finally took the initiative to clamp her mouth down onto his thick bicep and bite.
“Fuck, Red!” Jesse snapped, and he instantly released his hold on her. A wounded frown spread across his face as he rubbed at the spot she bit.
Her face red, and no hint of remorse in her scowl, she pointed a finger directly in his face. “That’s what you get for manhandling me, Martin. I told you I hated that shit, and yet you continue to do it.”
Scoffing, he threw his hands up in defeat. “Baby, you were about to walk away without telling me. What the hell else was I supposed to do?”
Watching in amusement, I seemed to be the only one watching their heated exchange. Part of me wanted to walk away, but the other part was curious to see what would happen next.
“First off, I don’t need to tell you anything. I’m not your concern, nor will I ever be, big guy. Just because I let you have a taste of my pussy doesn’t mean you suddenly own it.” She placed her palms defiantly onto her hips, and glared into the eyes of the man who was currently bristling in anger.
An unanticipated scratch in my throat caused a short, violent cough to escape me. Using my hand, I quickly tried to cover it, but was met with a bitter stare from Jesse. I held my hand up but couldn’t help but grin.
The balls on this girl.
Damn.
Taking his fingers, Jesse lightly gripped her chin. At first, she fought his advances. His eyes were intense and unwavering on hers as if he was speaking to her through his gaze. Reluctantly, her eyes connected with his, and slowly, he lowered his mouth until he spoke quietly into her ear. Whatever he said caused her to stiffen. By her softening features, it wasn’t in fear but perhaps want. With each whispered word, her whole body slowly began to relax. Her shoulders dropped, and even her flushed face softened to its original pale shade.
