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.
I’m still staring at her, my wrist draped over the steering wheel with my body angled toward her. A horn sounds from the car behind us. “Fuck,” I mutter, glancing in my rearview mirror before grabbing the wheel with both hands.
I turn it to the right, onto a street I didn’t plan on going down, pulling my car into the parking lot at the park right down the road from the stadium.
“What are you doing?” Jade’s eyebrows draw together and she looks fucking pissed as she turns to look at me. “Take me home, Matteo.”
“No,” I say, putting the car in park and killing the engine. I turn to look at her. “Not until you tell me what is wrong.”
“Oh my gosh,” she breathes, rolling her eyes as she shakes her head. “You’re acting like such a spoiled little brat.” She sets her jaw, turning to look at me. “Didn’t get your way so you’re throwing a temper tantrum?”
What the hell? Where is this even coming from?
“No, it’s not a temper tantrum, Sunny,” I huff, shaking my head at her. “This is what it looks like when someone fucking cares. When someone knows something is wrong and they want to know what it is so they can fix it.”
She stares back at me, blinking. “What?”
“Everything was fine before the game and now… you’re icing me out.” My face contorts, my stomach rolling. “What’s going on?”
Her throat bobs as she swallows hard. “I don’t want to do this anymore.”
My stomach falls to the fucking floor. “What do you mean?”
“This!” She waves her arms, frustration and hurt laced in her voice. “You were right when you said things would change after we slept together. They did and I don’t like it.”
I stare at her, a heaviness settling on my chest. “You don’t like it.”
She blows out a breath. “I don’t like being another name on your list. People saw us in public and now I just look like a goddamn fool, falling for your shit like every other woman you get involved with.”
