Stop. I closed my eyes for an instant, reminding myself that he was just another good-looking guy, no big deal.
"You coming?" Olivia asked over her shoulder.
I hadn't realized I’d stopped walking and hurried to follow her down the couple of steps into the living room area. We walked behind the couch and made our way over to where the boys were standing. Taking a big breath, I worked to calm myself down. This was the first time we'd seen each other since he'd told me he liked me, since we'd spent the night in each other's arms, and I was more nervous than I'd thought I would be.
The boys finally noticed us, and I forgot to breathe when Rush's eyes took me in. He looked me up and down and up again, and when his eyes connected with mine, I could see a fire burning in them.
I swallowed. This might be a long night.
Rush pushed off the wall to come toward me, but Slate shot out his hand and said what sounded like "Down, boy," but I couldn't be sure with how loud the TV and music were.
Wilder's mouth had fallen open at the sight of Olivia, and from the look on her face, she was more than happy about his reaction. He grabbed her by the waist and pulled her up against him, leaning down to whisper something in her ear, resulting in a faint blush on her cheeks. I had a feeling they were going to have fun with that costume later when they were alone.
Instead of Rush coming over to me, it was Slate that stood in front of me. "Are you trying to kill the poor guy?" he asked, looking me up and down. His eyes snagged on my overflowing cleavage. "Dressing like this and puttingthoseon display without him being able to call you his is like pure torture."
I lifted my chin and feigned innocence. "I have no idea what you're talking about. I just came dressed up for a Halloween party."
"Bullshit," he countered. "And I wore this costume because I planned on going swimming later."
I plastered a fake smile on my face. "The night is still young."
He ignored my comment. "I know you two like each other and that you were able to talk things out, but I'm asking you to not mess things up. It's not only him that it will affect— remember there's a whole team whose dreams and futures ride on us winning games."
No pressure.
I hadn't even thought about how Rush might also feel the pressure not only from his family and coach, but also from his teammates.
For a second I felt foolish for wearing this outfit, but I was quick to push that feeling away. I could wear whatever I wanted, and if it was too much for Rush, then he could look away. It wasn't my job to keep his lust in check.
I pushed my shoulders back and crossed my arms underneath my chest, pushing my boobs up even more, making his eyes dip for only a second. When his gaze returned to mine, I narrowed my eyes at him. "Slate, I could come here naked if I wanted to. I don't answer to football players or their rules. I'll stay away from Rush because I care about him, not because of you or anyone or anything else."
I turned and started walking away, suddenly wanting a drink.
"Scarlet, wait," he said with regret. "I didn't mean it like that."
But I kept walking, not giving him a chance to try to apologize. Heading to the kitchen, I went to the long counter against the wall where all the drinks were set out. I looked over the different types of alcohol but didn't know what I was looking for. I wasn't a heavy drinker, but I was feeling in the mood to try something new.
"Hey, Rush. Great game last weekend," a loud voice said somewhere behind me.
I glanced back, and sure enough Rush was attempting to make his way over here.
Crap. I needed to get out of here. Why? I didn't know, but I just wasn't ready to face him yet. Plus, Slate's words were still bouncing around in my head.
In an ice chest on the ground was a bunch of cokes and wine coolers, so I hurried to grab a coke and fled the kitchen like it was on fire. Going back down the wide hallway, I pushed through people, trying to get back to the front of the house where the dancing was. Strobe lights flashed, and a multi-colored disco ball cast colors around the room as people danced. On one end of the room were couches where people were talking, vaping, and making out.
I shimmied my way over to one of the couches and sat down, opening my can of coke and taking a sip. It wasn't quite what I had been hoping for, but it would do.
Looking around at the party in front of me, I wondered what had happened to me. I used to be a part of the party, not running away trying to hide. Everything was so different now. Before, I hadn't known Rush, and then I'd eventually had Mick taking up my time and being my constant companion at parties like this. Now I had to figure out how to go back to my single, carefree days. And how to avoid Rush. Yeah, that sounded easy.
I continued to people-watch until Rush entered the room. His gaze swung around the room like he was looking for someone. What was he doing? Was he really trying to find me? I thought we'd both been on the same page about not pursuing anything between us.
Before he could spot me, I grabbed the hand of the guy sitting next to me who had been talking to another girl on the other side of him, and said, "Let's dance."
His stare dipped down to my chest, his eyes lighting up. It didn't take much effort to get him to follow me and forget about the girl he'd been talking to. I felt a little guilty about stealing him away, but not bad enough not to do it. I had a really hot fireman I was trying to stay away from. I'm sure she would understand. Maybe. Probably not. I mean, who wants to run away from a hot fireman? Nobody.
I pulled the guy after me and took the long way around the room, hoping to escape Rush's notice. Once we got to the middle of the dance floor, I faced the random guy and started dancing. He put his hands on my waist and started moving along with me, and it took everything in me not to recoil at his touch. He was not who I wanted to be dancing with. His vampire costume was cheesy, and the white paint he'd put on his face was smeared from his sweat. I closed my eyes and tried to get lost in the music, trying to forget this guy who had his hands on me.
The song began to bleed into another, and I finally opened my eyes again. Vampire man seemed to only be interested in looking at my boobs as his hands moved up and down my hips and sides. He kept trying to pull me closer, but I resisted.
