Page 75 of Tempting the Player
I nod my head, or I think I do, as I let out a breath. I lace my fingers through his. “Close. I want you close.”
* * *
It takes a little while, and a couple drinks, before I start to relax. Hendrick doesn’t leave my side, and it isn’t weird having him hang out in our little group. He’s been talking with Jordan, Gavin, and Felix about various sports topics for the last thirty minutes. If I didn’t know him better, I’d think he’s completely unaware of me, but any time I move an inch, he tracks the movement. His attention is addictive and has my body buzzing as much from that as the alcohol.
Daisy, Vi, Dahlia, and I are sitting in a circle of chairs playing Fuck the Dealer. They seemed to sense that I needed them tonight and haven’t left my side either.
I love them for that, and I also hate it. A few months ago, I would have been in the center of the dance floor without a care in the world.
“Another game?” Daisy asks as she shuffles the cards.
“Sure,” Vi says, sounding only half-interested. Dahlia nods.
If I don’t do something, we’re going to be wallflowers all night long. We could have done that at home. “I’m bored of cards, and I know you guys are too. Let’s dance or play flip cup or something.”
They all look at me with surprise and hesitation in their expressions.
“Are you sure?” The fact that Vi even has to ask is just further proof of how much I’ve hidden away lately.
“I am positive.”
“O-kay.” Daisy stands with a huge smile on her face, and Dahlia and Vi do the same. It takes me a second more to push away the last of my nerves.
When I stand, Hendrick glances my way.
“Dance?” I mouth.
He says something to the guys and then they’re all coming our way. He doesn’t say a word when I glue myself to his side and walk through the party to the edge of the dance floor. The football house doesn’t have a huge backyard so there isn’t that big of a dance area, but we form our own little group and my friends start to dance around me.
My heart is hammering in my chest. Music has always been a lifeline. Acting was a means to an end, but it didn’t consume me in the same way. So, I take a second to breathe it in and I let the music slowly ease my anxiety.
Dahlia raises her voice as she asks Felix, “Can we get a song change?”
“Of course, Hot Stuff. What’d you have in mind?”
She flashes a wicked grin my way and then stands on her tiptoes to whisper in his ear.
He nods and hurries to the guy playing the music from his laptop at a little table with giant speakers on either side.
Not long after, my favorite Taylor Swift song starts. My chest fills with happiness and my eyes get a little misty as all three of my friends stand in front of me and belt out the first verse of Blank Space.
I don’t know why I love this song so much. Actually, that’s a lie. I love it because it’s so much fun to sing. I do not have a long list of ex-lovers, but T. Swift makes me feel like I can be anyone I want to be for a few minutes.
I join in, finally leaving Hendrick and making a little circle with the girls. I sing like I haven’t in weeks, maybe months. I close my eyes and tilt my head back. I know my friends are screaming the lyrics right back at me, but I can’t hear anything above the happy thump of my heart.
When I open my eyes and look around, I can’t see anything except the guys crowded around us, watching with smiles. I can’t see Hendrick, but I feel him behind me. He’s not quite touching me but hovering so close I can feel the heat radiating off him. I lean back so my back hits his chest and turn my head to meet his gaze.
Something dangerous swirls in those hazel eyes, but I’m not scared.
“Thank you,” I say, breathless from singing and from him.
He leans closer so I can hear him. His lips ghost across my cheek. “You’re welcome.”
It takes a lot of willpower to pull away from him, but Daisy takes my hand and pulls me back into a tight circle with just us girls.
For several songs, we’re in a world all our own as we sing and dance our hearts out. My face is hot, and my throat is scratchy when Daisy and Vi say they need a break to get something to drink.
Hendrick is hanging back with Felix. Dahlia grins at me. “I think my boyfriend has a dude crush on Hendrick.”
