Page 27 of Stay
He gapes at me for a solid minute. I’m seconds away from waving a hand in front of his face when he drops to his knees.
His gaze holds mine as he says solemnly, “It would truly be an honor if you would consider stalking me.”
The edges of my lips tremble. If I’m not careful, this guy will be my complete undoing. At the moment, I just want him off his knees. His antics are drawing too much attention from his teammates. Even Brooklyn is staring at us with interest. And that, I don’t need.
“Get up and I’ll give it some thought.”
Cole pops easily to his feet before grabbing my hand. Part of me wants to yank it away, but a bigger part wants to leave it safely secured within his larger one.
“You know hockey.” There’s a fair amount of surprise riddled throughout his voice.
“Die-hard fan.”
It’s nottechnicallya lie.
Although it isn’t precisely the truth either. It does, however, seem like the easiest way to explain my knowledge without…well, actually explaining it.
“Let me get this straight, you know about muscle cars, hockey, and are pretty smart because you took college level calculus in high school.”
I blink. “Is there a question wrapped up somewhere in there?”
He smiles. “I guess not. You’re smart, beautiful, and know about cars and hockey. If I’m lucky, you’ll start stalking me.”
Breaking eye contact, I shake my head. “I’m not those things.” Sooner or later, he’ll realize the mistake he’s made, and thendisappointment will set in. My happiness dims as those thoughts take root inside me.
His fingers slip under my chin before lifting it until I have no other choice but to meet his eyes. His gaze locks on mine, holding it captive. My heart picks up speed, making me wish I could be the girl he thinks I am.
“Yeah, you are. And I get the feeling I’ve only just begun to scratch beneath the surface.”
Those quietly spoken words have me jerking out of the trance that had fallen over me. The last thing I need is for Cole to scratch beneath the surface. I don’t want him delving any deeper into who I am or getting to know the real me.
Half the time, I don’t even want to know the real me.
Not anymore.
I glance away before tugging my hand free and scrambling back in retreat. He silently studies me like I’m a puzzle that needs solving.
I don’t like it.
And I certainly don’t like the way it makes me feel.
I need to go. I can’t do this.
My gaze darts to Brooklyn. She’ll be fine on her own. Hell, her legs are still wrapped around…damn, I can’t remember what his name is. Whoever he is, he’ll take good care of her. He’ll make sure she gets back to the dorms. Or, at the very least, he’ll make sure she goes home with him.
“You ready to go, Cass?” Brooklyn—who is finally standing on her own two feet— gives me a curious stare as she loops her arm through number fifty-five’s. “I’m going to catch a ride with Austin.” Her gaze shifts speculatively to Cole before she smirks. “Do you want to ride with us or do you want?—”
I shake my head. At this point, all I want is to head back to the safety of the dorms. Back to where my heart doesn’t feel like it’s going to jackhammer right out of my chest.
Cole waves them off as everyone splinters apart, leaving the arena. “Don’t worry about Cassidy, I’ll make sure she gets there.”
Nerves spark along my skin as I spin toward him. “But I don’twant to go to the bar,” I whisper. Thick tendrils of anxiety are already wrapping themselves around me. “I’m going to head home.” I need to get out of here before I lose my shit and embarrass myself.
“Okay,” he says easily, “I’ll take you home.” He doesn’t attempt to talk me out of my decision, and for some reason, that only makes matters worse. I don’t want Cole to give me a ride home. I don’t want to spend any more time with him.
I’m starting to like him.
Too much.
