Chapter 15

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

MADISON

What the hell was I thinking about having Amanda meet me at the Captain’s Cup? Talk about a colossal mistake.

I hastily shove my books into my backpack, trying to simmer down. This is my fault. I invited Amanda here when I should’ve had the balls to confess what Ryan and I did in the confines of our apartment.

I just wanted to come clean. Not telling her is eating me alive, and since my parents canceled their visit, I’ve run out of excuses. She isn’t like my other friends. She can keep a secret.

But on the way to the café, I made the mistake of scrolling through the campus’ version of social media and stumbled upon a viral post: Blake Morton is no longer single. Holy shit, I did not see that coming, fake or not.

Instead of confessing, I geared our conversation toward Blake and her becoming official. I made our short visit about her instead of me, but I don’t understand why she insists on helping him. Amanda has always gone out of her way to help someone in need. It’s just who she is and one reason why I love her. But Blake Morton is rich, arrogant, and one hell of a hockey player. He’ll land on top. He always does.

“Was it as bad as it seems?” Ryan asks, referring to the puck bunnies’ comments toward Amanda.

“Worse.” My gaze meets his. “The things they said…” The things they implied. My hands clench around my backpack straps. I can’t bring myself to repeat them. “Thanks for showing up when you did.”

“Of course.” Silence stretches between us. It’s just the two of us since the campus’ hottest new couple just left.

The hockey groupies still sit there stunned, sipping their damn lattes as if they hadn’t been the ones to speak those vile words.

My fists clench tighter. Amanda didn’t deserve to be treated like that. She did nothing wrong. Thank God Ryan responded to my text and showed up with Blake when they did.

“I’m surprised you didn’t say something to them.”

“Trust me, I wanted to. Amanda begged me not to.”

He nods. “I can see that.”

One of the girls glances at Ryan and me. Or mainly Ryan. She eyes him up and down with appreciation. Her expression quickly turns sour as she takes in me beside him.

My blood boils.

How dare they think they have a claim to the entire roster. How dare they think they’re better. And to boldly embarrass another person as they did to Amanda? Ugh. There’s no way I’m letting these girls off so quickly.

My jaw tightens as I step to the mean girl’s table.

“You can say whatever the hell you want about me, but if I ever hear you talk about my friend that way ever again, I’ll?—”

“What are you going to do?” This comes from Juliette, the leader of the pack. She’s been fixated on Blake for years. Thank God he had enough brains to stay away.

“Buy a fucking clue. Blake doesn’t want you, and he never will.” Spittle flies from my mouth, my teeth bared. I’m a sight, I’m sure, but right now, all I care about is Amanda.

“Maddy, come on. Let’s go.” Ryan grabs my upper arm but doesn’t pull.

I hear his words, but I can only see Amanda’s crushed face. The way she caved into herself from each slice of the cutting words.

I step into Juliette’s face. “Leave Amanda alone, or else I’ll Taekwondo your ass. I’ve been itching to use my skills.”

“Okay.” Ryan tugs my arm and leads me away.

Juliette’s eyes widen, but I’m not done. “Try me! I’m a black belt,” I yell as he drags me out the door.

“Easy, Tiger.” He lets go of me once we’re outside.

I stand there practically shaking, breaths short and fast, heart racing. I need something to calm me down.

“You’re a black belt?” Surprise laces his tone, and I lose it. Like hard cackling, tears streaming down my face, belly laughing. He looks at me like I’ve lost my mind, but I can’t stop. The absurdity of it all. The puck bunnies, Amanda and Blake, my failed confession. Everything is too much, and I can’t keep it in.

“No. Not even close.” I wipe my eyes with the back of my hand. “My defense instructor told me if I ever got attacked, my best bet was to carry mace and hit the emergency button on the phone.”

Ryan’s eyes grow large. “Seriously? That won’t do.”

“Relax. I can defend myself but won’t earn any colored belts soon.”

“You could’ve fooled Juliette.” His face morphs into a grin.

“Did you see the look on her face? God, that was priceless.”

“Okay, Crouching Tiger. Do you feel better?”

“Yes. I do.” The laughter dies, and Ryan steps toward me. He looks at his shoes and then back to me. The small space between ignites with unspoken words.

We haven’t talked about our “extracurricular activities.” In fact, we haven’t talked about anything other than our studies. I’ve darted out in the last few class sessions before he could stop me.

“Well, I better go.” I point behind me for no reason. Where I’m headed is straight ahead of me. But I’m committed now and step backward. Looks like I’ll be taking the long way home.

“Maddy, wait,” Ryan says. He grabs my hand, and his touch sends shockwaves through my body. I look down at our interlocked fingers and then back to him. His eyes are serious, the light gray in them sharp and assessing.

“I think we need to talk.”

“Ryan.” The word comes out in a hushed whisper. “We shouldn’t be seen together. We…”

“Should what?” His voice is quiet but carries a subtle edge that wraps around my soul. He takes a step closer, hand gripping tighter.

“We shouldn’t be seen together. You know this.”

“Fuck that. You know what we have is more. Those ‘lessons,’ as we call them, are fucking hot. We deserve to see where this goes.”

“But what about the lawsuit? Shouldn’t we wait until that’s settled?”

“I’m tired of tiptoeing around our fathers. We’re not the Hatfields and McCoys. This is us, not them. I don’t see where hanging together interferes with that.”

“But our parents?—”

“Are big boys and can take of themselves. They’re not our worry.” His face softens. “Look, I only have to worry about not making waves until after the Gala. All bets are off once the team secures the donation from some big wig donor. I don’t see why that would interfere with what we have here.”

The Gala isn’t for a couple of months. It’s a charity event for the hockey team. I’ve always wondered how it would be. “The Gala, huh?”

“Yes.” He erases the distance between us. “We could go together.” His voice is barely a whisper, laden with something that feels like hope.

“Together?” I breathe out as a sense of weightlessness worms its way through my chest. Is that hope that maybe this could work?

His thumb traces circles on the back of my hand, and I have to fight to keep my composure. “Yes, together. As in, you would be my date. Our parents won’t find out, so I don’t see why we couldn’t go.”

“What are you saying, Ryan?”

He looks at me, his eyes so intense it feels like he’s seeing straight into my soul. “You know there’s more between us than study lessons.”

My breath hitches as he leans in closer, our faces inches apart. I can feel his warm breath against my skin, and I’m suddenly hyperaware of every inch of him touching me.

“Besides,” he murmurs, “I think it’s about time we stop lying to ourselves.”

A shiver runs down my spine at his words. “Ryan, I…”

He presses a finger to my lips, silencing me. His gaze drops to my mouth. “God, I want to kiss you right now.”

My breath hitches. I want that, too. More than Ryan will ever know.

“We just have a few more weeks to wait,” I say.

“Fine, we’ll play it safe for a while longer. But no one, even this Dr. Steinberg, can keep me from you.”

I feel my face pale. “Who did you say the donor was?”

“Dr. Alexander Steinberg.” His face scrunches. “Why? Does he sound familiar to you, too?”

“Yes. He’s good friends with my father.”