“One of my students is here,” I say. “I have to get off this dance floor before someone sees me grinding against you.”
The kid wasn’t looking at me, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t see me.
Ash’s hand moves to the small of my back as he steers me through the crowd toward the VIP area again. We’re met with a chorus of cheers and whoops when we return to the couches.
“When’s the wedding?” Mack asks. “That was hot.”
Ash tries to pull me back onto his lap again as we sit, but I manage to detour my ass onto the couch next to him. He doesn’t say anything, but his hand is on my thigh again the second I cross my legs. I’m trying to decide if he’s really dedicated to this Code Ex thing, or if he’s at that stage of drunkenness where some men get especially handsy.
To be sure, I enjoy the attention, and I’m trying to live in the moment. I just don’t want to get used to it or make the mistake of thinking there’s anything more to Ash’s touches than alcohol, friction, and the desire to help a friend out.
A friend? Is that what I am to him? Regardless, it would be a mistake to think the way Ash touches me means more than that.
“You should’ve seen the look on the guy’s face when the two of you started dancing,” Bouchard says. “He’s definitely jealous.”
“He was totally eye-fucking you,” Mack confirms.
“I just learned he’s a hockey fan,” I say. “I’m pretty sure it was Ash he was eye-fucking.”
The guys all laugh and tease Ash. All except the guy with the black hair who now has a woman on his lap. He’s making out with her, but he lifts his lips from hers long enough to speak for the first time.
“If you really wanted to make the guy jealous, you should’ve told him you were with me,” he says.
I blink at the blatant egotism. Ash’s fingers twitch on my thigh, and he scowls at the guy.
“And you are?” I ask.
I know who he is, but I won’t give him the satisfaction of proving it.
If he’s surprised by the question, he doesn’t show it. The woman on his lap looks more outraged than he does.
The man smirks. “You can call me ‘Your Highness.’” He nods to the woman in his lap. “That’s what she’ll be calling me later tonight.”
Unoffended, the woman grins and lays a hand on his chest.
“This is Kingston, our starting goalie,” Ash tells me.
Kingston starts to speak, but all the other guys chime in to say his full name along with him. “Beckham Kingston III.”
The guys laugh, and Kingston looks annoyed for the first time. The woman on his lap just glares at me.
“Don’t get us wrong,” Kelsier says. “Kingston is definitely a big deal.”
“He’s just also a big prima donna,” Fig says.
Kingston rolls his eyes and goes back to making out with the woman.
“It’s a wonder his head still fits in his helmet,” Mack says to me.
“Honestly, he’s a great goalie,” Ash says close to my ear, and it sounds like the words almost pain him to admit. “He had nine shutout games last season. Kaladin paid a lot of money to get him here.”
Mack nods, having heard. “Yeah,” he says, just loud enough to be heard over the music. “It’s too bad he’s such a flaming dickbag.”
Chapter 13
Gray
The next couple hours pass uneventfully. Drew leaves about half an hour after my dance with Ash, then it’s just me and the guys. Well, me, the guys, and the woman fastened to Kingston’s lap. I never do get her name before the goalie gets up and leaves with her after not too long, barely saying goodbye to his teammates.
