Chapter 12

As I packed my laptop and notes away, I let the other students filter out of the lecture hall before I even attempted to make my way down the steps. With every move of my body, I felt an ache that I didn’t think was normal. Sure, I expected a little soreness after my first time, especially with someone of Dash’s size, but this felt different. My core clenched at the mere thought of him, and I couldn’t move without a yearning I’d never felt before.

The only logical conclusion I could think of was that my vagina was pining over Dash. She missed him. How could she not? He was the perfect fit, and I couldn’t blame her. Everything about last night felt right. The connection was more than I could ever ask for, and I knew he felt it too. We were meant to be together, but I wasn’t going to chase him. Not anymore. I’d done enough. It was his turn to make a move.

“Is everything okay, Ms. Bright?” the TA, Kinsey, asked, concerned. It was only then I realized that I’d sat there so long that the next class had already started to filter in.

“Yes, I’m fine,” I hummed, and stood, shuffling through the chairs until I made it to the stairs. “Sorry, I got lost in my own thoughts there.” I smiled, flicking my ponytail to the side as I descended the stairs. Little sharp pains shot up my center, but I hid my wince with a skip.

The pain wasn’t that bad, but it was serving as a constant reminder that I’d slept with Dash, which was making it hard to concentrate on anything but him. I couldn’t figure out if leaving him was the gutsiest or stupidest move I’d made to date. He was right in the palm of my hands, and I snuck out with the sole belief that Dash would chase me. He’d sent me a few angry texts, but he didn’t run to my dorm like I’d expected. I was upset with what seemed to be nonchalance and didn’t know what to do next.

As I passed by a few students talking, a pair of muscular hands wrapped around my waist, and when I looked down, I knew exactly who they belonged to.

Dash.

Don’t pee your pants, Madison.

My heart was beating fast with all the implications, and I wanted to squeal, but I didn’t get the opportunity to because Dash’s paw smothered my mouth.

“Shh. It’s just me,” he whispered as though I didn’t already know. My vagina was doing a happy dance, and my toes would be too if they were on the floor. I was feeling light-headed because the way he huffed as he dragged me away from the crowd was making me more aroused than I should be in the computer science building. My back slacked against his chest because I was happy for him to take me wherever he wanted to go.

Turning, Dash dropped me, so my back was against the wall and slapped his palms against the brick, caging me in. Memories of last night ran through my mind, and I did my best to stave off the excitement. I scanned his body, noting that he didn’t have a bag with him, which meant he didn’t have my clothes. He wasn’t here to give them back, which could only mean one thing: He was here to see me. Maybe he wanted to tell me that one night wasn’t enough. That time was a linear concept, and we should break these archaic rules. I couldn’t wait to hear his excuse .

I waited a good two minutes before clearing my throat and adjusting my sweater in order to hide the smug smile that was threatening to cross my face. He hadn’t spoken. He just stared at me like a long-lost puppy waiting for my reaction. That was when I knew I really did have him by the balls.

“Was dragging me out of my class like a caveman really necessary?” I finally looked up at him, his eyes were dark and brooding. Strands of hair swept across his forehead in perfect spikes. Was that gel in his hair? Surely not. It must be wet from a shower or something.

“Just didn’t want you leaving before we had time to talk about a few things.”

A few things? That was the understatement of the century, but hey, I couldn’t knock him. He scouted me out, and that was impressive in itself since he didn’t know my schedule.

“Oh, yeah? What do we need to talk about, Big Man?” I enunciated in a way that made his eye twitch. Oh, this was getting good. I had him right where I wanted him.

“I came to tell you that, uh.” He was stuttering, looking anywhere but at me. Was he trying to think of an excuse to see me, or was I thinking too much about this?

He dropped his head, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. I had known Dash for nearly ten years now, and I’d never seen him like this with anyone. Taming a smile was the hardest thing I’d ever had to do because, when he looked back up at me, I could see it. The same want in his eyes that I had for him, but I wasn’t done making him work for it.

I wanted him feral. I wanted him so desperate for me that he couldn’t keep his hands off my body.

I raised my brow and said, in the most serious tone I could muster, “Oh, wait. Let me guess. Did you find my panties?” I scrunched my nose and bit my bottom lip. “They weren’t still wet, were they?”

A growl emanated from his chest, and even though we weren’t touching at any point, I could feel it through my body, all the way down to my toes. Turned out, I absolutely loved teasing Dash, and I could do it all I wanted now. We’d taken our relationship to a different level. One where we didn’t have to skirt around awkward subjects. He’d been inside me. How much more intimate could you get than that ?

“You make it awfully difficult to concentrate,” he griped. Oh, how much I loved that sexy, snarly growl of his.

“And you make my legs sore. We’ve all got our strengths and weaknesses, I suppose.”

That one got him. His arm flexed above me, and I couldn’t deny just being around Dash made me feel a little horny. His smell. His unabashed masculinity. His smile. Everything about him made me want to rip his shirt off and let him take me any way he wanted.

Maybe this was just something that happened after you had sex with someone. Maybe you couldn’t just hang out with them anymore. I wouldn’t know, and I didn’t exactly have anyone to ask.

“Why did you leave?”

“Leave? When?”

“Don’t act dumb, Madison. You left my bed without a note or anything.” He dropped one of his hands, and just as he was about to push it through his hair, he grumbled something, but the only word I could make out was “gel.” So he did style it.

“I was only acting on our agreement. One night.”

His eye twitched again, and it was obvious he was holding something back. Maybe he was just as annoyed about the whole agreement as I was.

“Yes, but you left in the middle of it.”

“Did I? Because I distinctly remember you passed out next to me before I snuck out. What did you want me to do? Play with myself while I waited for you to wake up? Because, frankly, I was too sore for that.”

He crushed his eyes shut and grumbled again, but I was still no closer to understanding why he was here, which led me to my own conclusion that it was because, as much as he didn’t want to admit it to himself, he needed to see me.

“Madison. Why do you make it so hard?”

“What do I make hard, Big Man?” My gaze drifted down to his crotch, surprised that he was wearing jeans. He was more of a sweats kind of guy. In fact, the only time I’d ever seen him in jeans before was when he was…I took a sharp breath because jeans and hair gel. The only other time I’d seen him like that was at The Draft when he was trying to make a good impression .

Was he trying to make a good impression with me right now?

He pushed his hips back when he noticed my glare but didn’t step away. He couldn’t. I couldn’t either. It almost felt like there was some force pulling us together whenever we were in close proximity.

“Do you ever not joke, Madison?”

I shrugged. “Having sex doesn’t change who I am.”

He looked over his shoulder just to make sure no one was listening. They weren’t. I’d already checked. He turned back, dropping his shoulders on a sigh, before looking at me with pain in his eyes.

“You know, I came here to tell you something, but the minute I saw you, I completely forgot what it was.” It was the most honest thing Dash had ever said to me, and for a guy who was usually discontented, he looked pretty distressed today. His eyes were skating over every point of my face, like he was trying to memorize it. Maybe he was. Maybe his intention was to come here and tell me we had to pretend last night never happened.

I couldn’t deny that line of thinking was disappointing, but he hadn’t said it yet, so I wasn’t going to act differently until he asked me to. Instead, I pushed my chest out and smiled. “I’ve been forgetting a lot too recently. Little hard to concentrate when all I can think about is how good it felt to have you inside me.”

“Madison.” Dash’s voice boomed so loudly that I heard it echo across the hall. He stepped back, knowing he’d drawn attention and bumped into his friend.

“Hey, guys.” Alex, Dash’s teammate and all-around bro, stood beside us with a big-ass grin on his face, completely oblivious to the fact that he was interrupting.

“Alex,” Dash grumbled in his usual tenor, trying to act nonchalant as if he wasn’t just caught encasing his best friend’s little sister in a dark, quiet corner. I couldn’t help but also notice the little adjustment Dash made to his pants. I’d affected him. Good. It was about time he started to feel the same yearning I had.

“What are you guys doing here? Alone?”

Huh. I underestimated Alex. I didn’t think he’d have the balls or suspicion to ask that, but he had both, apparently. His eyes shifted between Dash and me, waiting for one of us to answer .

Dash’s face went pale, and I knew what he was thinking. Alex wouldn’t be able to keep anything a secret. He was too nice, and nice guys couldn’t lie. That was a fact. Dash cleared his throat, ready to respond, but I took matters into my own hands.

“Alex,” I cooed in my usual flirty drawl, opening my arms wide and engulfing him in a hug. One that I admitted lasted way longer than it should have. What better way to throw him off than to be extra flirty today? He would just think I was messing around. “It’s so good to see you,” I said, finally pulling out of the hug, and then I did something even I didn’t expect. I threaded my hands through his dirty blond hair and messed it up like I was talking to a kid. “How you been, old sport?”

I could almost feel Dash’s annoyance. Okay, I might have gone a little too far in the opposite direction, but I was here now, so I needed to keep going with it. Alex pushed my hand out of his hair lightly and chuckled, but there was uneasiness in his laughter. Not surprised. I’d be freaked out by my behavior too. We weren’t that close.

“It’s good to see you too, Baby B, but, uh, didn’t we just see each other the other day? You’re acting like you haven’t seen me in years.”

“Yeah, but you were on the ice, so it doesn’t count. I didn’t get to talk to you at the party, either.” I pouted my bottom lip out, swaying my shoulders. “What are you doing in my neck of the woods? Shouldn’t you be in the English department?”

With his mouth parted, his thick brow was still furrowed, but he seemed to relax when I smiled at him.

Swallowing, he said, “Yeah, I’m here because I just had a tutoring session.” His cheeks blushed, and I wasn’t sure why.

“A tutoring session? With a girl?”

“Yup,” he popped out, and I threw a look at Dash from over his shoulder. It was the first time I’d looked at him since I went on the overdramatic attack, and it was obvious he was pissed. At least to me. I bet few people knew the differences in his facial expressions since they only ranged from a snarly scowl to a hooded glare.

“Isn’t that sweet, Big Man?” I asked as I scrunched my nose, trying to look cute.

His only addition to the conversation was a grunt .

“It’s not like that. I don’t have a crush on my tutor,” Alex replied flatly.

“Hear that, Big Man? I might still have a chance,” I joked, elbowing Dash, but judging by his clenched fists, I was still skating on thin ice.

“So you didn’t answer my question? What are you guys doing here, hiding in a dark corner, having secret conversations?”

Well, darn it. I really thought the overacting would have made him forget. I had to think fast.

I pointed my thumb back at Dash. “Dash just met me after class.”

“He did?” Alex tilted his head and smiled, and he looked at Dash knowingly. What he knew, I didn’t know, but whatever it was, Dash hadn’t denied it. In fact, he almost seemed paralyzed in thought. “What kind of business have you got with your best friend’s little sister, D?”

The smirk. The raised eyebrows. Yup, he was putting two and two together to make four, but I needed him to believe it was six.

“It’s because we’ve been planning a party for Cade’s birthday,” I said quickly, trying to get him off the trail, but seriously, what the hell was I talking about? A birthday party? For my brother. It was ridiculous, but Alex’s face lit up with curiosity, so I went with it. “Because you know, in the summer, Dash and Cade are probably going to sign their contracts with Atlanta, and I won’t see them much, so I wanted to throw Cade the most epic birthday party he’s ever been to.” I opened my palm and pointed at Dash casually. “Can’t throw Cade the perfect birthday party without his best friend involved, obviously.”

Alex was nodding, and strangely, I thought he might believe me. Crap. Maybe this worked. Maybe I wasn’t as bad a liar as I thought.

“But, and it’s a really big but… You can’t tell Cade because it’s a surprise.”

Alex raised his hand, doing some kind of salute. “Scout’s honor.”

I chuckled because, of course, Alex was a Boy Scout. With light stubble and perfectly cut hair, he was immaculate.

“Explains the secrecy. Don’t want any of the guys telling Cade.”

“Exactly,” I replied brightly. I loved it when people inadvertently helped with my lies. “We don’t want any of the guys accidentally ruining the surprise. You know, because Scotty can’t keep a secret to save his life. But we can trust you, can’t we, Alex?” I rolled the “x” in his name so much that it sounded like I said sex. Another grumble from Dash. I guessed he didn’t like me flirting anymore. Interesting. Because this wasn’t different from how I was before.

“Well, I’m sure he’ll love whatever you have planned. You two know him better than anyone.” Yeah, we did, but Dash knew me a hell of a lot better now. Was I getting territorial against my brother? I guessed so. I flittered my gaze to Dash, giving him a quick wink.

“Dash and I were just about to go to Covey’s Cantina for lunch. Did you want to come? Maybe help us out with the party planning?”

Dash frowned, but I had to do it. If I wanted to keep us a secret, and I desperately wanted to do that right now because I didn’t want any outside forces changing Dash’s mind, then we needed to act like we normally would.

“Sure, why not?” Alex said with a shrug. “I need to up my carbs before the game tonight, anyway.”

“Sounds great,” Dash said through gritted teeth, and I knew it most certainly wasn’t great. At all. But what was he going to do now? He wasn’t going to leave me with Alex. There were too many things he wanted to talk to me about. So, he was just going to have to deal with it. If the burritos didn’t convince Dash he couldn’t live without me, then maybe teasing him with a game of footsie under the table would.