Do I, though?
Or is he just playing me?
My mind drifts to the way he kissed me in the hallway earlier. The way he did it without caring if anyone saw us. The way he drove me today, his hand not once leaving mine. The way he looked at me from the ice and no one else.
I swallow hard, my mind flashing back to the women at the bar. “What if they’re right?” I ask her, my voice barely audible.
“They’re not.”
“But you don’t know that,” I argue, taking another long sip of my drink.
Lucy’s eyebrows cinch. “Do you feel like he’s playing you?”
My lips part and I pause for a beat. My heart pounds harder because the truth is, no. The way he looks at me, the way he does things for me—it all feels…real.
But sometimes things really are too good to be true.
“I don’t know,” I admit.
The buzzer sounds as intermission ends and the crowd grows louder as the patrons settle back into their seats, eager for the third period to start. The players come down the tunnel, filing onto the bench as the guys on the first line get on the ice.
“If he hurts you, I will personally ruin his life and his career,” Lucy says, leaning close. “Don’t let some women who peaked in high school make you question things between you and Matty.”
I snort, a small smile lifting the corners of my lips. I look back out at the ice and immediately I find him. Matteo looks over at me as he skates to the center. It’s impossible for my eyes not to find him. He’s the flame and I’m the moth.
He’s magnetic and I’m drawn to him.
I watch the game mindlessly, unable to pay full attention until halfway through the period, when Matteo scores again. The crowd goes wild and Lucy grabs my arm, pulling me to my feet.
Matteo skates past the bench, bumping his glove against his teammates, but he doesn’t stop there. He skates along the boards in front of where we’re sitting, his eyes finding mine through the glass.
He smiles, the grin stretching across his lips as he winks at me. For a split second, I feel the familiar warmth in my chest, but it dissipates as soon as that woman’s voice enters my mind.
I’m sure that girl he was pictured with will be old news in a few weeks..
He only likes the chase.
Nausea rolls in the pit of my stomach as I force a plastic smile and clap my hands together. We made a deal that’s over at the end of the season. We agreed we’d use each other for our own benefits.
It was only supposed to go this far.
I was never supposed to fall for him…
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
MATTEO
“I was drunk on her. Lost in lust. Under her spell.” - Julian Hart, Painted Inferno
Pulling up to a red light, I push my foot on the brake, turning my head to look at Jade. We won tonight and I can’t help but wonder if I did something wrong instead. She’s been damn near silent since Lucy gave me a dirty look and left us alone after the game.
We’re ten minutes from her apartment and she hasn’t said more than a dozen words to me.
“Sunny,” I say, my voice catching in my throat. My stomach is in knots. “What’s going on? Did something happen?”
The muscle in her jaw tightens. “Everything’s fine.”
“Bullshit,” I shake my head, refusing to accept her answer. I stare at her, even when the light turns green, and she still doesn’t look at me. She just stares blankly through the windshield.
