23

Piper

Don't Wait Up

The words practically threw themselves out of me, a Molotov cocktail that couldn't be held any longer, and as soon as I said them, the same kind of rush took hold of me. Because that's what it was. A rush to see Adam's eyes darken, with a twitch to his impeccable jawline.

" Xavier invited you to a party? "

The dangerous way his tone dipped sent my pulse racing. But if he thought that was a Molotov cocktail, I was about to unleash a firestorm.

"Xavier's brother is a hockey player," I said, pretending to be watching the sad excuse for a dance floor. "He's in town for the weekend, and Xavier said we'd brighten up the party."

I snuck a look at the two gorgeous girls Adam brought. They weren't here for the conference. No way. I would've seen them at lunch and gawked a little.

Tightening my stance, I fixed my posture. "So you can have a lovely night with your two new friends—"

"You're not going to that party," Adam said, leaving no room for argument, like he decided where I wanted to spend my evening. "Hockey players are dipshits. They give each other concussions for fun." He leaned in closer. "You can't seriously be thinking—"

"Don't wait up." I smiled at him.

When I first walked into the dance and saw an entire formal that probably took fifty dollars and some rubber bands to put together, it bummed me out. And I'd still been anxious. Because I wanted to talk to Adam. I'd been planning on that, really, I had. Until I saw who Adam walked up with. Then I started planning how exactly I could make him freak out the most.

It was the most immature thing to do. I didn't even recognize myself. But knowing that didn't change anything. I couldn't stop.

Adam's voice was flat. "You're not going to the party."

"You don't tell me what to do."

"That's not a request." His eyes locked on me, daring me to look away. "You're not going to a hockey player party. End of discussion."

I sidestepped him and made a slow, leisurely walk towards the DJ table, with a guy who looked around ninety years old, and as far away from the two ladies at the punch bowl as I could get.

"Watch me."

"Piper, I'm serious." Adam cut in front of me with those long legs of his and stopped me in my tracks. "Hockey players aren't just stupid - they do stupid shit and everyone gets involved in it. You see what Zariah has to go through, rounding them up like dogs. And Elijah? Her brother? He's fucking weird about the waitress at Gianna's ."

"Sloane?" The pretty redhead made the best caramel nonfat lattes on campus. But I also knew Elijah Contractor. Ruthless. Arguably one of the best players on the hockey team, even if he was a sophomore. I sort of knew about the thing between him and Sloane from Zariah. I bit my lip. "I think it's kind of sweet."

"It's weird as shit. He stalks her." Adam shook his head. "You're not going to that party."

The two girls came up behind him now, a little cautious. We must've been louder than I thought, which was a pretty ordinary occurrence with the two of us. But when Adam tried to introduce them, his words faded away. I blinked at the girl with dyed locs. I knew her.

"Nevaeh?" I stared.

The girl raised a perfectly arched eyebrow. "Um…?"

"Piper Fontaine." I touched my chest.

No way Nevaeh Lewis is in front of me.

The girl next to her jerked up like someone shocked her with jumper cables and her mouth fell open looking at me— wait . I knew her too. Oh my god—Amanda. The sweetest volunteer at the Clean The River project who went through a bad breakup with her ex-girlfriend. I consoled her by the campfire and we made s'mores together.

Nevaeh's mouth fell open as she gave me a double look. " Piper? Oh my god, I didn't even recognize you—that dress—"

" Adam ." Amanda turned bright pink. "Uh—the plan's been shot."

"Plan?" I repeated.

Oh my god .

All those nasty emotions inside of me whisked themselves away. I couldn't believe it. I honestly couldn't believe Adam had done something so ridiculous. I burst into laughter, and then Nevaeh laughed too. Amanda was absolutely speechless but Adam glanced back and forth between us, steps behind all of us girls.

"I'm sorry." I wove my hand in the air, my sides in stitches. "You thought I wouldn't know Chidozie Fox's girlfriend? And Amanda—aren't you—?"

Amanda paled. "A lesbian. Yeah."

Nevaeh couldn't stop laughing, but she had a mortified smile too. If she was embarrassed, that had nothing on Adam. The linebacker didn't move an inch. And I was still laughing . Because it was hilarious!

The girls took their exit as quickly as they could, and I whirled back to Adam, barely able to believe it.

I jabbed at his chest. " You did that on purpose."

He scoffed. "Did what on purpose?"

"That's Chidozie's girlfriend! Everybody knows that!" I crossed my arms over my chest in gleeful disbelief. "The fact that you even thought—I was Thomas Sullender's girlfriend . I had to handle all of the socials. I know everyone in the circles. She's happily dating Chidozie so why did you invite her? And Amanda? Seriously? What are you doing? Are you trying to make me jealous? "

"Jealous?" Adam tried to laugh. "That's hilarious."

"Not as hilarious as dragging those poor girls here. What did you promise them?"

"You were trying to make me jealous with that whole hockey player party bullshit. In Oklahoma. In fucking Oklahoma! How do you even find hockey players in Oklahoma?"

I shook my head, amazed at how much he thought the world revolved around him. "You're ridiculous."

"You can't lie to me, Piper." He caught my eye again, daring me to argue. "You were trying to make me jealous. Admit it."

Me trying to make Adam Russell jealous?

The idea was so ludicrous, I didn't even have a response. I stormed off towards the dance floor, back to Zariah and June, back to people who made sense . And even if I never wanted to go to that hockey player party, so what? So what?

Why can't I spin Adam in circles too?

Maybe…I was trying to make him jealous .

I refused to believe that. The thought of me trying to make him —the guy who was responsible for my only relationship ending— jealous ? Him? The college boy that every mother warns their daughters about? The Marrs Manwhore? Adam was deeper than ridiculous. He was delusional.

You can't lie to me, Piper…

The further I pushed from him, the faster I could feel a full blush coming on. He called those two girls together for what exactly? Was Adam really trying to make me jealous too?

What did that mean?

"Hey," a guy's voice stopped me, and I came to a sudden halt. He was cute. Not Adam-cute but that had to be a good thing. Normal-cute. Just an inch above me with a nice smile and a button-down. He grinned. "I know this whole thing is…you know, but do you want to dance?"

I had to resist the urge to scan the dance floor, to see just how close Adam was so he could overhear.

"No, she can't," a cold voice replied, right behind me.

I glanced back and gaped at Adam.

The guy paused. "Holy shit. Adam Russell?"

"She can't dance with you. Piper's an expecting mother," Adam explained, his voice low. "The sudden motion might hurt our baby."

Our what?!

I tried everything to tell the cute guy that Adam was kidding, or hit in the head by too many football players, but he frowned at both of us and walked quickly away. I couldn't believe it. I actually couldn't believe it. And Adam had a stupid, smug smile on his face and gave me an easygoing shrug, like he hadn't just lied to a random man and told him I was pregnant?

Furious, I crossed my arms over my chest. "You walk around like you have the biggest dick on campus."

"You want me to prove it?" he taunted. "Open your mouth."

For too long, I gazed up at him, and Adam kept his eyes on me. Heat pooled between my legs.

Oh my god.

Getting flustered at something Adam said was a mistake. Because he knew it. Like how a shark smells blood in the water. A smirk crossed his face, self-satisfied and arrogant.

I wanted to wipe that smirk right off his stupid face.

Words wouldn't cut it. Nothing I could say would topple him. I could've told him we needed to communicate like adults, and maybe that would have changed the night, but I didn't want to be the bigger person. I wanted to get even. I wanted to put the linebacker in his place like nobody else dared to.

My eyes flickered across the room, landing on the double doors leading to the porch outside. "Let's talk."

"Fine."

I motioned him to follow me. It was quiet between us, which didn't mean anything. I couldn't take away the buzz vibrating over my skin. How he affected me. How he knew he affected me.

"We're going to spend the whole semester together," Adam muttered. I unlocked one of the doors and pushed it open, gesturing for him to step outside. "There's this crazy sexual attraction between us, ice princess. And if we can't learn to handle it, it's going to fuck all this up."

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. "Uh-huh."

"Piper?"

I glanced up to see him leaning against the door frame, gazing down at me with those dark eyes again. He tilted his head back, watching me. A slow smile crossed his lips. "I can do this if you can."

I resisted the urge to smile. And when he stepped to the porch, I closed the door after him.

With a huge grin, I flipped the lock, locking the Marrs Manwhore outside.