“Something about forcing me to come to your place.”
He nods. “The Campus Drivers are having a New Year’s Eveparty, and we’re getting the new recruits involved. That means you need to be there as part of your training.”
Asshole!This issonot my vibe—I can’t think of anything worse than spending an evening making small talk with strangers and hugging random people just because it’s midnight, but on the other hand… If I want to be part of the team, I know I’ll have to make some kind of effort. And I definitely do want to spend time with him…
“I’ll try to swing by,” I offer.
God, I hate this version of me.
He balances the racetrack pass on top of my head and shoots me a smug smile before turning back to his car, and as I watch him cruise away, I turn the conversation over in my mind.So much contradiction.He wants me to play by the rules, but he’s giving me the racetrack pass as a way of blowing off steam. He’s telling me that time we had at the motel can never happen again, but his body language tells a whole other story. The guy is exhausting, to put it mildly.
15LEWIS
Adam’s driving us back to Sycamore Heights, while I stretch out on the back seat, one arm flung behind my head. We spent a week at his mom’s, and it felt good to be home. What with practice, college, and the whole Dodge situation, I really needed that break—especially as the NBA scouts are going to start ramping up the pressure soon. I need a clear head for this next semester.
“How was the hermit shack?” Adam asks.
I smile. The tree house cabin I’ve been working on for years is my safe space. I never invite anyone to join me, not even Adam—and he’s like a brother to me. One day, I’ll ask him to come up and see it, but for the time being, it’s my chance to get away from everything, out there in the forest by myself.
“The ramp on the deck is looking pretty good. I beefed up the holds on the main tree; switched up one of the braces.”
“How’s the inside looking?”
“Still kinda basic. I can build pretty much anything, but home furnishings aren’t really my thing.”
“That’s where a girlfriend comes in handy.”
I groan. “Not this again!”
Ever since he hooked up with Don’s sister, he’s been trying to get me into the idea of dating.Wasting your breath, man!
“I mean, let me talk you through the unicorn I’m looking for,” I start. “I need the kind of woman who’s cool with spending her vacations up a tree in the middle of nowhere, while also having an amazing eye for interior design. Oh, and she needs to have a great personality, too,” I add. “Plus, she needs to be okay with me being on the road for away games, surrounded by fangirls. And there’s the pissy moods she’ll have to deal with whenever we lose a game…”
He laughs. “Good luck with that!”
“Right?” I grin at him. “I’m good with a standard situationship, here and there.”
“That’s exactly what Lane and Don would’ve said last year—and now look at them!”
“Yeah, but I don’t have some homeless chick sleeping on my couch. Or a sister who makes me want to have a personality makeover. I’m a free man.”
“You have a trainee, though.”
I frown. “So?”
“So, I know you slept with her, man.” He shoots me a look. “I know you like the back of my hand. When Don asked you straight up, Iknewwhat that look on your face meant.”
Damn.
Having a best friend is the most amazing feeling, but when you’ve got one who knows you as well as Adam knows me… it can suck. No big deal, though—I know my secret’s safe with him.
“Okay, you got me! But don’t freak out—it was just this one time, in some creepy motel. There was this couple next door banging like crazy.” I shrug. “I needed to work off some energy, and she did, too. That’s pretty much all there is to it.”
“Wow, this is better than one of Carrie’s romances!” He smirks at me. “If Don hears about this, he’s gonna mess you up.”
“Hey, she wasn’t a Campus Driver candidate back then!” I protest.
“True…”
