Chapter 9
MADDIE
Ifrowned at a text from Matt that only depicted the puke emoji and nothing more. That was odd.
We had been texting back and forth for the past couple of weeks. He went out with me last weekend but shot down every single guy I pretended to be interested in. Here was the thing: I was picking douchebags I had no interest in on purpose because I wanted to make him jealous. I hoped Matt would see that he was the man for the job, but so far, he was resisting hard.
I set my phone down and went back to working on the paper I needed to complete for my communications class. This class was easy for me since it was a prerequisite I already did back home, but Franklin didn’t accept my credits, so I was taking it again. I thought it was great to hone my writing skills, but the class was cake compared to my major classes.
My phone vibrated again, but I ignored it as I tried to finish this last thought. It kept buzzing, and when I flipped it over, I saw Matt was trying to video call me.
Panic coursed through me as I looked down at my ratty Franklin U hoodie. It was fine for going to classes, but not great when the guy you were crushing on wanted to video chat. My hair was in a messy bun, and I didn’t have makeup on. I was so not presentable for a video call.
Why was he trying to video chat with me?
I saw another text come through.
MATT: My eyes! I’m pretty sure I walked in on Noah and Dinah!
I laughed out loud, and my worries about my appearance went out the window because I was nosy and immediately called him.
Matt answered the call right away, his handsome face showing up on my phone screen as I placed it on the stand on my desk. He gave me a pained look. He wore a hoodie from the company we did the ad spot for, but he looked comfy, and I liked that casual look in men.
Before he said anything, I started laughing.
“It’s not funny!” he fumed.
“It’s kinda funny.”
He glared at me.
“How did that even happen?” I asked because I wanted to avoid that, too. I loved that Noah was happy with Dinah, but ew, I didn’t want to walk in on that.
“I came home from training with Benny, and all I saw was Dinah’s head pop up from the couch as I walked in. While your brother looked a little too comfortable with his head resting back against the couch.”
A laugh bubbled up inside me.
“Not funny!”
“I wouldn’t want to see it either, but it is their house.”
“Is this why you don’t want to move in with them?”
I shook my head. “I told you, Noah’s way too overprotective. It would be like living in prison. I’m sorry you had to deal with that, but it might not have been what you thought.”
He vigorously shook his head from side to side. “Yeah, no, it was. Noah jumped up at my footsteps, and his face was beet red.”
I couldn’t contain another giggle. Okay, it definitely was what he thought. My brother couldn’t control the way his pale face reddened when he was embarrassed.
“You poor baby,” I cooed, giving him a sympathetic look.
“I need to get out of the house.”
“You wanna come over?”
If I got to hang out with Matt again, one on one, maybe he’d give in. I heavily put on the flirt when we were together, but he resisted. He was still scared of my brother, but what Noah didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him. I knew for a fact Matt didn’t confess what happened the night of my brother’s wedding. Why couldn’t he get behind a sneaky one-night stand? Isn’t that what hockey players like him wanted?
Matt looked uneasy at my suggestion.
“Aren’t we friends?” I asked.
“Yeah.”
“And friends hang out, so come over. We could go to the bar and grab dinner. Or chill and watch a movie.”
“Okay, sure. Let’s do dinner in a couple of hours.”
“Don’t walk in on Noah and D again,” I teased.
He shot me an annoyed look and then hung up.
I jumped up and searched through my closet. I needed something cute to wear, even if this was a casual hang. Something that would make Matt forget I was Noah’s little sister and remind him what he was missing.
Ari walked by my room a couple of minutes later on her way to the bathroom, but then she backtracked and arched an eyebrow at me. She gestured to the clothes strewn across my bed. “What’s going on?”
I put my hands on my head in frustration. “I need something cute to wear to impress Matt.”
“Show a lot of cleavage or wear skin-tight leggings. It’s kryptonite to men.”
I laughed. “Okay, true, but we’re going to Local Hangout for dinner.”
“Like a date?”
I shrugged. “Just as friends.”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “So…is he still trying to be your wingman? Or has he caught on yet?”
I groaned. “No. He’s too scared of my brother.”
“Explain it to me again.”
I pulled out a pair of my nicest jeans and a black tank top. I paired that with a long-sleeved white and blue plaid shirt. It would look comfy left open, like I hadn’t thought too hard about what to wear.
Ari nodded when I held it up for her opinion.
“I want it to be him,” I explained.
“But why? If you want to get laid, there are thousands of guys on campus who would do it and never call you again. That’s what you want, right?”
That was what I wanted, but truth be told, I’d rather it be someone I trusted. I didn’t trust any of the guys I’d met so far. They all screamed douchebags. Plus, Matt and I already had great chemistry, and I knew he’d be gentle. Also, he’d make me come. That was the most important part. Someone who would make my first time having sex not as awful as everyone said it would be.
“Matt and I already hooked up, so I know he’ll make it good. I already know he can satisfy me.”
“Ooh. Okay. I guess I get that.”
“We have great sexual chemistry. We already did oral, so why is he being so weird about it?”
She pinned me with a look. “He’s probably worried about it being awkward between you afterward.”
“But it won’t!” I protested.
Ari shook out her colorful mane. “I guess it depends. It wasn’t awkward after Ty and I hooked up. I’m actually surprised he knew where to find my…” Her face reddened. “Never mind, that’s too much info. We agreed it was a one-night stand, and I told him to take a hike the next day.”
“Really?” I asked. That surprised me about Ari because she seemed like the kind of girl who looked for forever. “You didn’t give him a shot?”
“Do you remember meeting Ty? He’s not a serious guy. Plus, I met someone else.”
“Ooh, tell me! Is it someone I know?”
She bit her lip. “Maybe…I don’t want to jinx it yet. I’ll tell you later. The outfit’s fine. Why don’t you tell Matt how you feel? Because, to be honest, that boy looks at you like he wants you too, but he’s trying to control himself.”
I squinted at her. “He does?”
She nodded. “Yeah, girl! He’s trying to hold back. It’s so obvious to everyone else. It’s probably why the other guys backed off because it looks like you’re together.”
“Then maybe my plan’s working. I want to make him jealous so he’ll see he’s the guy for the job and no one else.”
She stared me down like she could see through my motives. “Are you sure you want sex and nothing more?”
“Yes. I just want to sleep with him,” I lied.
She shrugged and walked off toward the bathroom. I wasn’t sure she believed me either.
I put away my discarded clothes. The outfit I picked was perfect because it didn’t scream date and make him run away. It looked casual, like I didn’t put that much effort into it.
The thing was, I really liked Matt, and if he wasn’t so scared of my brother, maybe I’d want something real with him. It was true I was crushing hard on him, but university was all about exploring your sexuality, and I was fine with doing that. I just needed to convince the man in question.
I took a shower and painstakingly did my hair and makeup, making sure it was perfect. I had awesome beachy waves, and my lip gloss looked painted on. I knew we weren’t going anywhere fancy, but I wanted to show Matt what he was missing.
I was putting the finishing touches on my mascara when my phone buzzed.
MATT: Come downstairs when you’re ready.
I rolled my eyes. I texted him after I got out of the shower to meet me at the bar.
ME: I told you we could meet at the bar!
MATT: No way in hell I’m letting you walk by yourself, sweet pea.
I rolled my eyes again, but a smile played on my lips. While it infuriated me, it was also sweet that he wanted to make sure I was safe. Another reason I wanted him to take my virginity and no one else. Matt was so kind, and he’d be gentle through it all. If I slept with any of those hockey boys, I had doubts about that.
“Have fun tonight,” Ari called after me.
“I hope so,” I said with a wink as I walked out of our suite.
I went down the elevator and found Matt waiting for me outside my dorm. His gorgeous dark hair was styled tousled like always, and he wore a red-plaid button-down and jeans. I was glad he went casual, too.
I skipped over to him and slung my arm through his.
“Don’t even say it,” he warned.
I grinned as we made our way to the bar. “Are you traumatized?”
He shuddered. “Yes.”
I tried not to laugh, but I couldn’t help myself.
“I need a drink,” he muttered, but he didn’t remove our linked arms and kept pace with me.
“I’ll buy you one for your troubles,” I offered and flashed him a bright smile.
I almost saw the corner of his lip upturn. He was being grumpy, but I didn’t blame him. Noah and D were very much in the honeymoon phase, and it was probably hard to remember someone else lived with them. I’d be traumatized like Matt if I walked in on that.
We walked in step to the door of the bar, and he unraveled himself from me to open it and let me inside first. For a Tuesday night, it wasn’t that crowded, and a host sat us at a booth immediately. Matt helped me out of my jacket, and I felt all gooey inside at how he was a gentleman. He took our jackets and set them on his side of the booth while I slid in across from him.
A server came over, and we ordered local beers while we scanned the menu.
“I saw you scored a goal last night,” I told him and closed my menu. I was going to be boring and get the grilled chicken Greek salad, but in my defense, it was really good.
His lips twitched into a ghost of a smile. “You did?”
“Totally. I watched the game with Dinah when she was supposed to be working.”
“You cracking the whip working for her?” he joked.
“Trying!”
The server came back to drop off our beers, and we put our food order in. Matt rubbed a hand over his freshly shaven jaw and took a sip of his beer. God, I wanted so badly to rub my hand over his face or feel the stubble of it across my own as he kissed me.
“How’s your team doing?” he asked.
I shrugged, taking a sip of my beer and thinking about how to answer that.
Kiira was the only person on the team who actually liked me. Elsa was so hardcore, while I just wanted to have fun. Last practice, she accused me of not being serious about the team. It wasn’t like any of us were going to go pro after college, so I didn’t understand what her problem was. My linemates seemed nice, but they kept to themselves.
“It’s okay. It’s only club hockey.”
He shook his head. “Don’t sell yourself short. Just because it’s not pro doesn’t mean it’s not serious.”
Okay, he had a point, but that was the issue.
I sighed. “I want it to be fun, but the captain has a stick up her butt about us buckling down and winning the championship. It’s like chill, it’s not that serious. I’m so stressed about everything else, I need hockey to be fun again.”
“Again?” he asked.
“My old university was intense. I’ve got a lot on my plate this year, and I need something to relieve my stress.”
He nodded in understanding but said nothing as our food came, and we chowed down.
“Thanks for offering to get me out of the house,” he said after a few minutes of us silently chewing had passed.
I shot him a flirtatious smile. “I needed to get out of my dorm, anyway. I had a bunch of classes today and have been doing assignments since I got out of them.”
He leaned back and winced. “I’m glad I never went the college route.”
“Why? Because of classes?”
“I wasn’t the most studious. I want hockey to work out for me.”
I reached out a hand toward him. “It will. You looked like a beaut out on the ice last night. You’re still making your way. Plus, with you under my brother’s wing, you’ll do great.”
“Thanks, sweet pea. I really needed to hear that.”
I rolled my eyes. “Again with the sweet pea.”
His eyes twinkled. “You love it. It’s our thing. I tease you by calling you sweet pea, and you call me…”
“A douche,” I joked.
He cracked a smile because we knew he was the furthest thing from that.
But he was right. I loved that he called me sweet pea, even if it was in a teasing way. I wanted to hear him moan it in my ear while he was on top of me. But a girl could only dream because this man took the code to heart. Kinda wished he was an asshole playboy so I could get what I wanted. That was the problem with liking the nice guy – they never wanted to be bad with you.