Page 34 of Risky Play

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.