Total pages in book: 137
Estimated words: 131271 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 656(@200wpm)___ 525(@250wpm)___ 438(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 131271 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 656(@200wpm)___ 525(@250wpm)___ 438(@300wpm)
“You salty as fuck, Jay,” Malik says.
“Hey, Jacob.” Imani grins at him in a totally relaxed way. She knows him from hanging out at her brother’s place, and Malik has marked him as off-limits, so there’s no flirtation between them. Her preference is always for tall, dark, and handsome anyway, so Jacob wouldn’t have a chance.
“Hey, yourself.”
I don’t turn because I don’t want Malik to introduce me. This is my worst fucking nightmare.
“I’m going to the ladies’ room,” I blurt out and dash between Imani and Malik, catching her curious expression as I pass. I’m halfway to the restroom when a hand grips my wrist.
“Hold up,” Imani says. “What’s got your panties in a knot?”
“Panties in a twist,” I correct.
“You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
“I’m fine. Just worried that Aunt Flo might be on her way,” I lie.
“Oh, shit.”
I shoulder my way through the doors, hoping that the bathroom will be cooler than the bar, but I find the opposite to be true. In the stall, I inhale deeply and hold it, pressing my back against the wall. I don’t even need to pee, but I go through the motions, delaying having to face Imani when I’m deceiving her. Maybe I should just tell her the truth, but then I’d have to admit why I don’t want the Drayton triplets to know who I am, and recounting their embarrassing criticism would hurt as much now as it did back then.
She’s waiting for me by the sink. “You okay?”
“Yeah.” I wash my hands under cold water. “False alarm.”
Her assessing brown eyes study me. “You sure that’s all it is?”
“I’m sure.” I meet her gaze with my own, keeping my expression mild, even though my heart is beating double-time.
“I think your ass in that dress did warm, fuzzy things to Jacob Drayton.”
“The alcohol has gone to your head,” I scoff. “No way am I his type. I’ve seen the girls he takes home.”
“A man can eat burgers every day. Doesn’t mean he doesn’t recognize steak when he sees it.” She grins broadly, flashing her perfect teeth.
“Are you seriously comparing me to steak?”
“I’m just saying that he was looking at your ass like it was the Stanley friggin’ Cup.”
“You’re crazy.” I dry my hands on a paper towel and focus on my reflection. This dress really does cling in all the right places, giving me better proportions, and the twist at the front glosses over my belly and enhances my breasts. I should get it in another color.
“I tell you what. I’m gonna hang with Malik, and you go to the bar for a few minutes. Let’s see who’s right.”
“You want to dangle me out there like bait?”
“I want you to understand that Jacob Drayton, that fine, fine man, is going to come for you.”
“Maybe I don’t want him to. The guy’s a serious man whore. Like, serious. If anyone on this campus can be accused of having community dick, it’s him.”
“Athletes need an outlet. They’re buzzing with testosterone. Malik’s the same. As long as they aren’t breaking hearts or spreading diseases, and everyone’s having fun, what’s the problem?”
We used to be stepsiblings.
He used to be a little shit and has grown into a massive asshole.
I’m a virgin, and that’s not what a man like Jacob Drayton would be into.
“I guess there isn’t one,” I lie, sweat beginning to curl the hair around my face. If there was a way of leaving this bar without ruining Imani’s night and having to lie to my best friend even more, I would, but I can’t. Thankfully, I know what she’s saying is a load of bullshit. Jacob Drayton is as likely to want to get between my legs as he is to want to hang up his skates.
“You need to have some fun. Let him worship at your altar. If the rumors are true, he knows how to use that huge stick he’s got between his legs just as well as the one he smacks the puck with.”
For an unknown reason, my mind conjures an image of a naked Jacob, using his giant dick to hit pucks into the net. I don’t share the unpleasant and strangely arousing fantasy. Some things need to stay trapped inside my very warped mind. “Gross.”
We both burst into laughter as the restroom fills with a stream of drunk girls giggling about how hot the hockey team is.
“Jacob’s mine tonight. You wait and see,” a petite blonde says to her brunette friend.
“I’ll take Shawn. He has the prettiest smile.”
“Who’s taking Hayes?”
The group looks around, but no one volunteers. “He never goes home with anyone,” the brunette says with a shrug. “No point in wasting good flirting.”
I brush past them, not waiting to hear more, angry for no good reason. They’re just women talking the same way that men have for eternity. But I don’t like the way they objectify Jacob and his brothers, and I wonder why Hayes is known for being more discerning when it comes to his hookups.