Page 24 of Off The Rush
“We met in class,” I admit, my gaze flicking back to where JD had disappeared moments ago. “We’ve gotten to know each other a bit.”
“Ah, I see.” Alec’s eyes narrow slightly, but he doesn’t say anything more. There’s an understanding in his eyes that puzzles me, and I can’t help but wonder what he’s thinking. There’s a long pause before he leans closer so only I can hear him and continues, “He doesn’t know we are only fake dating and I would like to leave it that way.”
I nod. “Understood.”
Looks like things with JD are over.
“Come on, let’s finish this game,” Alec says, his voice light and upbeat as he attempts to draw me back into the present moment. He tosses a ping pong ball in the air and catches it effortlessly.
“Right. The game.” I try to focus on the task at hand, but my mind keeps drifting to JD – his warm smile, the way his eyes lit up when he saw me, the sudden disappointment etched across his face when he learned I was supposedly dating Alec.
“Your turn,” Alec prompts, handing me a ball.
“Okay, here it goes.” I take a deep breath and throw the ball, but my aim is off, and it clatters harmlessly against the table. I sigh, frustrated with myself for letting my thoughts of JD distract me.
“Hey, don’t worry about it,” Alec reassures me, his arm brushing against mine. “We’re still winning, and we’re here to have fun, remember?”
“Right,” I agree, nodding resolutely. “Fun.” But as I watch Alec line up his next shot, the laughter and chatter of the party swirling around us, I can’t help but feel off.
The loud music vibrates against my chest as I try to focus on the beer pong game. Suddenly, a tall, slender woman with long blonde hair approaches Alec and me. She wraps her arm around Alec’s bicep, a predatory glint in her eyes.
What now?
“Hey, babe,” she purrs, clearly trying to stake some sort of claim on him.
Alec wastes no time shaking off her grip. “Don’t try that with me. This is Emma, my girlfriend,” he commands coldly, his jaw tight with irritation. I can’t help but admire how he handles the situation, even though we’re not actually dating.
“Sorry about that,” Alec says, turning back to me. Then, without warning, he leans in slowly until our lips meet.
He pulls me into a heated kiss and guides me to match his movements. My heart races as our lips work together. I want to press against him and feel every ridge of his body against me but he pulls back faster than I would like.
I’m so lost in the kiss that I don’t realize the intent behind it.
When I pull back I see the girl standing there staring and I realize Alec kissed me for a purpose.
“Fine,” she huffs, shooting daggers at me with her icy blue eyes before stalking away.
“Who was that?” I ask, trying to recover from the surprise of our first kiss.
“My evil ex-girlfriend,” Alec replies, rolling his eyes. “She is the one who shared the private photos of me with Coach, which is why I needed to fake date you to show him I’m settling down. She’s been bothering me ever since we broke up.
“Wow. How long did you two date?”
“Two weeks,” he scoffs, shaking his head. “But she acts like we were madly in love for years or something. I can’t stand her. I was running from her when I interrupted your audition.”
“Really?” I can’t help but feel sympathy for him, even though he ruined my audition. I start to see Alec in a new light. “Well, I guess that makes me feel a little better about the whole audition thing.”
“Good,” he says, offering me a small smile. “Now, let’s get back to kicking some beer pong ass, huh?”
“Sounds like a plan,” I agree, my mind still reeling from our unexpected kiss and the revelation about Alec’s ex.
Alec lines up his shot.
“Last cup!” I shout triumphantly as Alec sinks the final shot, securing our victory in beer pong. We exchange high fives, and I can’t help but notice how my heart rate accelerates at his touch, still feeling the lingering warmth of our earlier kiss.
“Nice job, partner,” Alec grins, handing me another drink. “You’re a natural.”
“Thanks,” I reply, taking a sip and scanning the room for Tessa. I spot her across the way, flirting with Reed. Her eyes light up, and she throws her head back in laughter, clearly enjoying herself. I decide to let her have her fun and not disturb her.
