Page 65 of The Risk Taker

And Nathan’s the one guy I can’t seem to look away from. Can’t stop thinking about. Can’t stopwanting.

And my dick hasn’t gotten the memo that we’re supposed to be playing it cool until he gives me the green light.

“Anyone coming to the bar after this?” Jackson asks, glancing around the room.

“Sorry, guys,” Austin says with a shake of his head. “I’m out. I’m taking my girl on a date.”

“C’mon,” the kid groans. “You’re always with your girl. It’s one night.”

“Yeah, well. She gives him perks you’re not willing to do,” I reply, wiggling my brows.

Jackson snorts, then looks back at me. “You coming?” he asks.

I should answer immediately, but my gaze drifts to the guy sitting on the bench across the room, pulling off one pad at a time, his eyes locked on mine.

I don’t have to ask for his permission. I’m a grown-ass man with a fully functional brain and averyfunctional dick. I can go have a drink without checking in like some loyal little lapdog.

But I do it anyway, because I respect him and for some weird fucking reason, I don’t want to let him down.

My eyes find his and I tilt my head slightly, lifting a brow in question.

He rolls his eyes, the tiniest smile tugging at his lips.

I chuckle and shrug, turning back to Jackson. “Sure. I’m down.”

Jackson grins and shifts his attention to Nathan. “What about you, Hayes?”

I glance down, focusing on unlacing my skates.

“Can’t.” Nathan pulls off his chest guard. “I’m grabbing coffee with this girl.”

I freeze and glance up, my fingers stilled on my laces. For a second, I’m sure I misheard him.

The room goes quiet for all of two seconds before Austin lets out a bark of laughter, swinging his arm around his shoulders. “No way. Hayes is going on a date?”

Ryan lifts his brows. “Finally. Took you long enough.”

“What?” Nathan’s brow furrows. “No. It’s not a date.”

“Sounds like one,” I say, pulling off my jersey, acting as if it doesn’t matter, like I’m not currently imagining what girl gets to sit across from him, gets to watch the way his mouth moves when he talks, gets to smile at him while he frowns into his coffee, that cute line forming between his brows.

“It’s not,” Nathan insists, his gaze flicking to me. “She just asked if I wanted to grab coffee. I said yes.”

“Which is literally the definition of a date,” Ryan says, tugging on his hoodie.

Nathan frowns, looking confused. “No, it’s not. We just talk in class sometimes. She’s cool.”

Cool.

Awesome.

I’m so thrilled he’s making cool new coffee friends while I’m over here hard as fuck, thinking about the curve of hisback.

I reach for my joggers and yank them up over my compression shorts, feeling the heat of his gaze on me as I try desperately not to look at him.

Austin lets out a scoff. “You really don’t see how much girls throw themselves at you, do you?”

I glance at him, only to find him already looking at me, his jaw clenching slightly.