Playing for Keeps (The Game #2)(8)
Author: Emma Hart

Braden grins and jabs Aston in the arm. “Get your slimy mitts away from her, dude. I told you in Vegas, she’s got more f**king class than your usual lot.”

“I know that,” Aston replies, moving his gaze across my face.

I tear my eyes away, trying not to laugh at the irony of Braden’s statement. I might have more class than his usual weekenders, but that doesn’t mean I’m not one of them. I just won’t go and beg for more.

“Coffee?” Maddie mouths across the room, catching my eye. I nod – I want to know how the weekend went for them. Braden’s mom can be a little … eccentric sometimes.

“I take it he doesn’t know?” Aston nudges my foot with his.

I jolt, glancing back to him as Braden sits next to Maddie. “Um, no. Aside from the fact that’s the first time I’ve seen him, I can’t just drop it into a conversation, can I? That would be fun.”

“I guess not.” He rubs his thumb over his mouth. “Besides–”

“Let me guess,” I deadpan. “Your face is too good to be messed up by the fist that would inevitably meet it?”

He pauses for a second and smirks. “I wasn’t gonna say that, but I’m glad you think so.”

“You know, Aston, Braden isn’t the only one capable of messing up your pretty face.”

“I like a girl feisty.”

“And you also like to discard them after a quick and meaningless f**k, never mind a mere kiss against a wall, so it doesn’t really matter, does it?” I raise an eyebrow, feeling the pang of my own harsh words.

He stops, and I turn away. My own words have stung me more than I thought they could. No matter how many times I tell myself I don’t care, I do. I care more than I want to. No one wants to be tossed aside like a ragdoll by the person they want to care.

“I never said you were a mere kiss, Megs, neither would be a quick and meaningless f**k. Don’t put words in my f**king mouth,” he whispers as the lesson starts. He leans forward, still twirling his pen between his fingers. “I’m many things and not all of them are good, but I’m not a liar. I’d be lying if I said that kiss was nothing.”

A lump rises in my throat, full of hope and wanting … And reality. It’s full of emotions that have no place in this conversation. I swallow the words forming in my mouth, the ones full of truth that have no place in a time of doubt, and I swallow the question I don’t want to hear the answer to.

All I want to do right now is ignore him and focus on class, but it’s nearly impossible. I can feel every inch of him beside me, I can see each movement of his body and I can sense every flicker of his eyes to me.

Aston stretches his leg out under the table and knocks his foot into mine. I tuck my feet under my chair and sweep my hair to one side so it falls into a curtain between us. I need something to block us – I’m too aware of him and the way he makes me feel.

A tug on my hair pulls me from my forced state of concentration, and my neck almost snaps with the force of my head turning.

“What?” I hiss.

“Are you avoiding me?”

“I’m sitting right next to you. How the hell can I be avoiding you?”

“Well would you be sitting here if you didn’t have to?”

“No. But the same applies to every time I have to sit next to you, so today isn’t anything special.”

He sits back, his face deathly serious. “You think I’m a total jackass.”

“Do you want a gold star? I thought it was obvious.” The lessons ends, and I shove all my things in my bag. I stand and hoist it over my shoulder when he grabs my arm.

“Just remember, Megan,” he whispers from behind me, “who came to who on Saturday night. And I bet you’d do it again in a heartbeat.”

Fuck. Smartass little dick.

I watch him go and I hate that he’s right. He might have put his cards on the table, but I’m the one that collected them and shuffled them. That stupid, stupid kiss was my own doing, and we both know it.

We both know I can pretend to hate him. We also both know it’s a big bag of bullshit.

“Ready to go?” Maddie holds the door open, and I glare at Aston’s retreating back.

“As long as we don’t run into anymore ass**les while we’re there, then let’s go,” I mumble.

“What did he do?” she asks with a hint of laughter.

“He’s just being Aston.” I shrug. “You know – his usual Gods-gift-to-women self.”

“Mmph. Was he like that all weekend?”

“I have no idea. I barely saw him,” I lie and inwardly flinch. Damn. I hate lying, yet here I am.

“Probably just as well,” she muses, smoothing her hair back from her face. “Braden nearly combusted this weekend with the thought he’d left you here in Berkeley around his, and I quote, ‘will f**k anything with a pulse’ friend.”

I force a laugh. “You’d think Braden has no faith in my ability to stay away from someone like that.”

And rightly so.

Maddie shrugs. “You know what he’s like. Of course his mom heard his frequent use of vulgar words and handed him his ass on a silver platter.”

I laugh loudly and this time it’s real. “Oh, man. I wish I could have seen that!”

“It was hilarious.” She giggles. “She kept asking me if he’s that vile at college.”

“What did you say?” I peruse the board in Starbucks. “Caramel macchiato, please.”

“I said no and discreetly nodded a yes.” She grins and orders her usual.

“Damn. You know him almost as well as me.”

“I’d take a chance and say I have you beat on that.”

“And you can stay that way in that department,” I mutter, grabbing my coffee.

“Honestly though, I thought he was gonna kill his mom the amount of times she embarrassed him.” She giggles and we sink into armchairs. “I’ve never seen a guy before.”

I smile, the caramel scent drifting up from my cup. “Braden is a serious blusher. You’d never believe it, but if you get it right you’ll have him blushing like a high school freshman who just found out her skirt has been tucked into her panties all day.”

Maddie snorts. “So I found out. It’s cute. And, Megs … Did he really shave her cat?”

I choke on my mouthful of coffee and nod, hitting my chest. “I wanted a poodle, but my parents refused. Braden thought he’d be my savor and he shaved the cat. It looked nothing like a poodle, and we both ended up getting grounded for two weeks.”