Page 23 of Players Love Hard
“Okay.” He sighs. “I expect nothing from you. I don’t want to ruin what we have.”
I glance over at him and smile. “Me either. I like you, Jamie. I always thought of you as a friend.”
He cocks his head in my direction, one eyebrow raised. “And now?”
“Definitely more than a friend. There’s no going back now.”
Jamie winks.
We walk the rest of the way to Penn Hall in silence, dodging students crowding the walkways as we pass.
“Am I going to see you this weekend?” I ask when we stop in front of my building.
He looks confused at first until it dawns on him. “The dance thing. Yeah, I’ll be there. Is it okay if I bring some of my teammates? I invited a few of them already.”
“Invite whoever you want. We need as many votes as we can get to win.”
Jamie hooks his arm around my back and gives me a one-arm hug, kissing my forehead. “I have a lot going on today and tomorrow with school and hockey, but I wouldn’t miss the opportunity to watch you dance.” A smirk turns up the right side of his mouth. “Especially after getting a preview of your moves last night.”
“Typical man,” I quip. “Always thinking with the wrong head.”
He snickers, releasing me from his grasp. “I had fun last night. We should do it again.”
“Yeah, we should.”
“I’ll text you later. Okay?”
I nod. “More than okay.”
Jamie’s smile mirrors mine, and as I watch him walk away, my heart slams into my chest. So many feelings hit me at once. Going from friends to lovers almost overnight is kind of overwhelming. And the problem with having sex with your friend? You have a lot more to lose if it doesn’t work out.
Chapter Nine
Shannon
I meet Jamie in the parking lot at The Sixth Floor. He’s out front with Preston, Tucker, Drake, and Trent waiting for Bex Bryant and Taylor Bradshaw. I’ve heard of the girls in passing but have yet to meet them. Bex lost a bet to Preston earlier. Her dare was to dance in the competition.
A few of my sorority sisters ate some bad Chinese food and have been in the bathroom all day, so Bex and Taylor are doing us a huge favor. Abby was having a stroke earlier over our sisters missing the contest. She had everyone in our chapter house panicked. When I told Jamie through text, he offered me a solution.
“Shannon.” Jamie taps me on the shoulder to catch my attention and then points at two unusually tall girls who are approaching us. One with long blonde hair stands next to Preston, the other of equal height with brown hair at her side. “This is Bex.” Jamie points to the blonde. “And her friend, Taylor. They’re the girls I told you about.”
“Oh, hey.” I close the distance between us, greeting them with a friendly smile. “You two are such lifesavers.”
“I don’t know how to dance,” Bex admits.
“Yes, you do.” Taylor smacks her arm. “Bex is being modest.”
“Okay, fine.” Bex holds up her hands. “But if we lose, don’t blame me.”
Taylor moves forward, close to invading my personal space. “So, what do you need us to do?”
“It’s nothing special. Just have fun. We have a few moves we’re planning to do. But we don’t have to do anything choreographed. Move your hips to the beat and do whatever feels natural to you.”
“Are we ready to go inside?” Jamie asks me.
I nod. “Yeah, all set.”
The Sixth Floor, a two-story club on the Philadelphia waterfront, is the hottest spot in town. Colored lights shoot through the white cloud of smoke filling the club. The air is thick, so heavy and dense that it’s hard to breathe.
