by Jacob Chance
Okay, I’m ready to go now.
Shaw’s firm hand on my back is the only thing that stops me from turning and walking out the door. “Come on. Give it a chance. You need to get ready for the college lifestyle,” he yells over the music. “Let’s find a drink for you.”
I shake my head. “I don’t want a drink.”
He lowers his mouth to my ear. “I meant a soda, Maddie.”
“Oh.”
He grins. “When have I ever handed you a beer or any other alcoholic beverage?”
“You haven’t. I don’t know what I was thinking.”
“It’s overwhelming being here. I get it.” He grabs my arm, leading me through the crowd until we find the kitchen. He hands me a soda and takes one for himself, surprising me. “I can’t be drinking if I’m your ride home.”
“I thought I was taking an Uber?”
“Maddie, I told your parents I’d bring you home and that’s what I plan to do.”
I smile. “ Thanks. I wasn’t looking forward to taking an Uber. There’s something creepy about riding with someone I don’t know, especially late at night.”
“Well, you don’t need to worry about it because it’s not happening.”
“Who invited you?” Angel, one of the cheerleaders sneers at me.
“Knock it off, Angel. I invited her, not that it’s any of your business,” Shaw replies with a scowl twisting his handsome visage.
I stare down at the floor in humiliation and wish I could melt into the wood. And this is a perfect example of why I hate these parties.
“What do you want to do now?” he questions once Angel walks away.
Wait. He’s asking me what I want to do, like we really are here together? I mean I know technically we are, but we’re not here together.
“Honestly, I think I’m going to find a spot to read.” He shakes his head. “I’m not?” I question.
“No way. I bet we can find something fun to do in this huge place.” He catches hold of my hand, and my knees weaken from the skin to skin contact. His palm is warm against mine. Leading me from one endless room to another, we finally end up on the back patio where it’s not much quieter than it was inside. There’s a crazy amount of splashing and shrieking coming from the pool.
Still holding my hand, Shaw leads me to the side of the patio and we head past the pool area. Following a lit pathway, the shrieking and splashing fades away and we come to a badminton net nestled behind a row of flowering bushes. “Oh, hell yeah.” Shaw laughs. “Have you ever played before?”
“Some.”
“Are you up for a match now?”
I press my lips together and shrug. “Sure. It beats being in the house.” There are spotlights strategically placed to light the area enough to play at any time of night. Kicking my sandals off, the thick, short grass is soft as a shaggy rug under my feet as I walk over to pick up the rackets from the ground and hand one to Shaw.
“Where’s the birdie?” I ask.
“The what?”
“The birdie. You know the plastic thing we hit.”
He barks out a laugh. “It’s called a shuttlecock.”
“Are you joking?”
“I’m completely serious. Look.” He pulls out his phone and googles to prove it for me.
I scrunch my nose up. “Wow. I had no idea. Why has my family always called it a birdie?”
“Maybe because it’s easier to say? Or because it flies through the air?”
“I don’t know if I can say shuttlecock with a straight face.” I giggle.
Shaw echoes my laugh with one of his own. “We can keep up your family tradition and call it a birdie. Or we can call it a shuttle, like a lot of people do.”
“I vote for birdie. It sounds more fun.”
“Works for me. Do you want to serve first, since you haven’t played as much as me?”
“Sure.” I bite back a grin and line up across the net from him. I hold the birdie and make contact with the center of my racket. It flies like a tiny missile over to Shaw’s side, and he swings, missing it completely. Shaw turns his back to pick the birdie up and I do a quick celebratory dance before he can notice.
He moves toward me, handing it off, since it’s still my serve. “That was some beginner’s luck.”
“Yeah, how about that?” I do my best to look surprised, but I have a feeling it won’t take Shaw long to figure out I may have downplayed my badminton experience. I serve again, and just like the last time, it flies past him.
He sweeps the curling hair from his forehead and cocks a brow as he comes my way. He hands me the birdie. “I think I’m being played.”
“Why would you think such a thing? Would I do that to you?” I place a hand on my chest and innocently flutter my eyelashes.
“Absolutely.”
I can’t hold in my laughter, and Shaw grins as he watches me. “I might be a little better at this game than I let on.” I hold my thumb and index finger close together.
“Maybe we should have a friendly wager on the outcome then.”
“What kind of wager?”
“Whoever wins gets to pick what they want. If I win, I get to hang out with you alone sometime when your brother’s at summer camp.”
He wants to hang out with me alone? Oh my God. This is amazing.
No. This is bad.
This is very, very bad.
He’s my brother’s best friend. This has trouble written in shouty caps all over it.
Chapter Two
Shaw
Maddie’s expression is adorable. Her eyes might be wider than I’ve ever seen them. Is she really that surprised I’d want to hang out with her? Doesn’t she know the lengths guys will go for a chance to know her better?
“We’re friends, aren’t we?” I ask, even though nothing about this deal is about being platonic friends.
“Yeah, I guess we are. But how would that even happen? Marshall will never allow it.”
I shrug. “Your brother will be at camp soon. We can get together then.” When I saw her at the graduation, I was overcome by how mature she appeared. She’s grown into a beautiful young woman, and all I’ve been able to think about since then is how much I want the opportunity to hang out with her without Marshall breathing down my neck. And the risk of angering Marshall might just be one I’m willing to take.
“Okay.” She nods, a small smile playing on her lips. “And if I win, you have to spend time with me doing an activity of my choice. Deal?” she questions.
“Deal.” I hold out my hand and we shake on it, both of us grinning at each other, as if we’re sharing some great secret. Which I guess we kind of are. We definitely won’t be revealing our plans to Marshall.
We resume our game, and I finally win a point. But as we play, Maddie continues to be solid, dominating when I slip up, and the more I try, the worse I do. At the end, I throw my racket down in feigned anger and watch her jump up and down in celebration. I scoop her up in my hold, and she drops her racket on the grass before throwing her arms over her head jubilantly shouting, “yes.” I spin her around in circles until I realize her chest is level with my face and the thought of pressing a kiss in the dark V between her tits is much too tempting. What the fuck?
Abruptly I stop, and Maddie stares curiously at me. Releasing my hold, her body teasingly slides down mine until she’s on her feet once more. Her hands land on my shoulders and mine settle on her waist. There’s not a spare inch between us, and awareness of her soft curves hums through me. Our breathing syncs as neither of us dares to move.
What is going on here? In my arms, right now, she’s no longer little Maddie Winters—although, she’s not so little anymore, especially in all the right areas. Gripping her waist tighter, I fight off the temptation to explore her alluring curves.
Eyes roaming over every stunning inch of her face, I take in her dark blonde brows, stark against the porcelain color of her skin and pale pink hair. Her berry-stained, bow-shaped lips beg for me to sink my
teeth into them, and then lick the sting away with my tongue. Fuck.
Stepping back, I wipe my palms on my pants, as if I can rub away the memory of how her narrow waist fit perfectly in my hands.
Discreetly as possible, I inhale a calming breath. “What do you say we go see if we can scrounge up some food?” I try to smooth over the chemistry-charged moment and take my mind off just how attractive I’m suddenly finding Maddie.
I’m floored by what’s going on. It’s like a switch has flipped and she’s become this unwanted temptation.
Does she want this too?
Does she feel this too?
I want to spend more time alone with her, but being around other people is the best choice I can make right now.
“Sounds good to me. I didn’t get to eat dinner, thanks to Marshall,” she grumbles, stepping over to slip her sandals back on.
“Come to think of it, I didn’t either. Maybe we should just call it a night and go grab pizza instead.” This is a colossally bad idea, but I want her to say yes anyway.
“Pizza sounds good right about now.”
I rub my chin with the back of my hand. Shit. Of course she agreed. Oh well. There’s nothing I can do about it now but go with the flow. And we will be in public, so there’s safety in knowing that.
“Okay, let’s go find Marshall and tell him I’m taking you home. We can grab food on the way.”
She nods, and we head back toward the house, retracing our steps along the lit pathway and continuing around the pool area. There are even more people swimming and a couple of guys call out her name asking her to join them. I find myself slipping my hand in hers, hoping they get the hint that she’s with me.
Once we’re back in the house, I let go of her, knowing we need to find Marshall. Maddie looks down at our now unlinked hands, and then back up with what seems like a sliver of hurt.
“I’ll just text him from the truck.”
“What are you going to college for?” Maddie asks as she nibbles on a slice of pizza. I’m grateful the earlier tension seems to have dissipated.
“I’m majoring in architecture.”
“Like your dad?”
“Yep. I’m hoping to follow in his footsteps. So, I heard you’re coming to Boston University.”
“Of course I am. Just like my Dad and Marshall. It was always my first choice.”
“What were your other options?”
“University of New Hampshire, Northeastern, Bentley, and a couple others.”
“Those are all solid choices. You obviously want to stay in New England then?” I pop another fry in my mouth.
“Yeah, definitely, but I was always one hundred percent sold on B.U., and with my grades, I was able to get some academic scholarships. The financial package they offered me is pretty awesome. You must be having a blast playing hockey for them.”
“I am. I don’t know if you’re aware of this, but I’d always wanted to be a Terrier.”
“I think I remember you saying that at some point.”
“College hockey is a lot different than high school hockey was. I’m on a team with some really talented players. I’m just trying to hold my own.”
“Yeah, but you’re an awesome goalie.”
“That’s nice of you to say.”
“They’re lucky to have you.”
“I hope you’re right.”
“I’m not just saying that. I know for sure. I saw most of your high school games.”
“I like to think my playing has improved since then.”
She nods. “Don’t be so modest. You know it has. Every game at B.U. that I’ve gone to you’ve slayed.
“Thank you. I appreciate your support.” If she only realized how her being there makes me feel more confident. And even though I always try my best, I somehow manage to find that little bit extra to give when I know her eyes are on me. I pretend she’s there for me and not because her brother’s on the team.
I haven’t been able to stop thinking about how beautiful she is. And being here with her is just confirmation that I know, just like I knew when I left last September, that whatever this thing I have for Maddie is, it feels like much more than infatuation.
It’s a less than ideal situation to be crushing on my best friend’s little sister. It goes against the bro-code, and I never go against the bro-code. It’s an unspoken rule that Marshall and I haven’t had to discuss. He’s made comments over the years about no one being good enough for his sister, and I know that includes me. He’d flip out if he found out I was thinking of her as anything more than a friend.
“Is something on your mind?” Maddie questions, drawing me from my confused thoughts.
“No. Not at all. I’m getting ahead of myself thinking about all the things I have to do for my family this summer before heading back to B.U.. It’s kind of daunting how long that list is.” It’s not the truth, but it’s not a complete lie either. I have too much to do before the end of August rolls around, and I’m sure I’ll be procrastinating for as long as possible.
“I bet. I can’t wait to start college.”
“Why are you in such a rush? You have the whole summer ahead of you.”
“I don’t know. I’ve always dreamed of going, like it’s some magical time in one’s life.”
He smiles. “I don’t know that I’d call it magical, but it beats high school.”
“Ugh, nothing could be worse than high school.”
I rub my chin and think about all the great times I had. “I had a lot of fun during those four years.”
“Well, you were popular.”
My face twists into an expression of distaste. “I hate the word popular. What does that even mean?”
“It means everyone automatically loves you, and you don’t even have to put any effort in.”
“That’s not a nice thing to say. I’m not some asshole who ignored everyone or shit on people for no reason. I’ve always been friendly to everyone at school. Including people who aren’t part of my close circle of friends or ones who didn’t even deserve any kindness from me.” I try to stay calm, but I’m worried that I made her feel that way. Wasn’t I a good friend to her as well as her brother?
“I’m not saying you weren’t.”
“I’m not sure what you’re saying. But whatever it is, it doesn’t sound like a compliment.” I stare knowingly at her.
She swallows down a bite of pizza and takes a sip of soda, clearing her throat, as if the pizza dough is stuck. Or maybe that’s her foot. “Forget I mentioned anything. I didn’t mean to offend you, and if I did, I'm sorry. I shouldn’t let my personal feelings about high school taint our conversation.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
“Really. I’m truly sorry. I know I’m overly sensitive about that stuff because I’m Marshall’s sister. Do you know how many times people have openly displayed shock that he and I are related? And they show such derision when they find out it’s true. The sneers and disdainful looks down their noses that I get are the best.” She snorts, indicating they’re actually the worst.
I don’t understand why she gets this reaction. I know she’s quiet and bookish, but she’s intelligent and pretty too.
“I guess I can understand why you’d be looking forward to college then. But maybe this year will be better with you on your own. You can spread your wings a little, and there will be so many new people for you to meet. You’ll barely see your brother, at least not unless you want to. And no one has to know that you’re related, so there won’t be anyone for you to compare yourself to.”
“You make it sound easy.” Her fingers play with the straw in her drink. “If I tell you something, do you promise not to share it with anyone else?”
“Of course.”
“I almost took a spot at U.N.H. because I’m scared about being in Marshall’s shadow again.”
“I’m glad you didn’t. You shouldn’t base your choices off your brother or anyone else.”
“Yeah, ultim
ately that’s what helped me make my decision. I’ve always wanted to attend B.U., and now I am. I just love the campus and everything about that area. And my best friend and I are going to be roommates.” Her eyes shine with excitement. “Plus, I won’t be stuck in school all day like I am now. Being able to go grab a coffee or head back to my dorm between classes will be so amazing.”
“I like that about college too. It’s hard to be staying in one place for hours on end without a change of scenery. I always felt cooped up in high school. I know I enjoy the freedom that college brings.”
We eat the rest of our meal in comfortable silence. I place money down on the table and push her hand away when she tries to contribute. “I got this.”
“Thank you. I’ll pay when we go out and do something that I like, since I won.” She flashes a quick grin and taps her lips. “Hmm, I’ll have to think of something that you’ve never done.”
Kissing you?
The uninvited thought pops into my mind, and I almost groan out loud in frustration. No matter how much I wish it could be, kissing is definitely something that won’t be happening with Maddie, and I shouldn’t even be associating her with it in any way.
The night air is muggy when we step outside. Opening the passenger door, I help her climb up and close her inside.
“Get it together Masters,” I coach myself as I walk around the back of the truck. When I slide onto the driver’s seat, I’m feeling a little better. That is until her subtle spicy vanilla perfume wafts over to me, teasing my nose.
I start the truck and shift into drive with renewed determination to get her home as soon as possible.
We’re both silent during the ride. I’m lost in my own panicked thoughts about my changing feelings for Maddie. I can’t believe I’m willing to play with fire for her. That’s how much I’m attracted to her.
Glancing at her out of my periphery, I notice she’s looking out the passenger window. What’s she thinking?
Is she feeling as conflicted as I am? I wish I knew.