Page 80 of Arctic Titans of Northwood U: Volume 1

He deserved someone who would invent a new way of flirting for him. He deserved someone who wouldn’t resort to tricks.

“What the hell happened?” Noah huffed as he followed me, almost shoulder to shoulder. “What did I do wrong?”

I stopped dead in my tracks. We had already left the bustle of the student center well behind and were following a path to his dormitory, rather than my team house. I hadn’t planned it, but we were making our way to his place by instinct.

I looked into his big eyes where confusion was gathering. “What?” It was a gasp, rather than a question. “You didn’t do anything wrong,” I said.

A worried look bunched on his face instead of disappearing. “But I…I thought it was gonna happen.”

“Not with him,” I said, nearly growling, then took a breath to sort my thoughts. “I couldn’t let you do it. I’m sorry.” I stepped back. “It’s not my call and I was rash, but I just couldn’t sit there and watch you make that mistake.”

“What mistake?” he asked, curious more than confused, now. He wasn’t angry with me. Not exactly.

“That fuckboy,” I said and the edged feeling I had been holding so tightly leaped and showed itself fully. Jealousy. It fanned the embers in me into a roaring fire. “He was gonna take advantage of you, I could feel it. I know those guys. I know how they think.”

“I’m not stupid, you know,” he said flatly.

That stopped the words that had welled in my mouth.

“I know what he wants,” Noah said. “And I told you what I wanted.”

“I know, I know,” I blurted, frown contorting the upper half of my face. “But there’s so many other guys, less sleazy ones, who deserve you more. You don’t have to just pick up the first one who’s willing.”

He was surprised now, his eyes widening and mouth opening. “Did you just call me a slut?”

“What? No. Hell no. I said there were better guys for you out there,” I insisted. Like me, I nearly shouted, then knew instantly how wrong that idea was. I was no different than any other fuckboy around. In fact, knowing this probably made me worse.

“Where?” He demanded. There was a trace of accusation in his voice now. “If you failed to notice, nobody’s ever interested in me.”

“Bullshit,” I spat. I didn’t know why he was fighting me. I was only watching his back. “Plenty of guys are interested, you just don’t see it because you’re so certain that they wouldn’t want you. Or you don’t want them. Whatever the case, you’ve got better options than that hookup artist.”

Noah pouted at me and I realized I’d totally wrecked his night out. “Don’t you realize that I’m a socially awkward nerd who can’t even talk to attractive guys?”

“Wrong. You talk to this attractive guy all the time,” I said, pointing at myself, then cursing myself for choosing that path.

“That’s…different. You’re not...I mean…” He huffed. “You’re hot, but you don’t look at me like that.”

“Like what?” I asked.

“Like you’re interested. And that’s fine. I’m used to guys seeing me as their younger brother all the time and never as someone they would sleep with. But you wouldn’t know what that’s like. Everyone wants to get a piece of you.” He said all of this like it was my fault people wanted to have sex with me.

But there was one thing he was totally wrong about. “I’m plenty interested, Noah. Don’t think that I’m not. Fuck. You’re smart and beautiful. What else could you want?”

He gaped, but I didn’t let him speak even if he meant to.

“But I’m also trying to be your friend and do the right thing. Unlike Bluto over there.” As the words spilled from my mouth, I replayed them and realized just how much I’d said aloud.

Noah stared at me like I was an apparition. He blinked, his green eyes glimmering under the street lamp. His chest rose and fell steadily. I hadn’t realized how close we were standing to one another until he inhaled through his nose and nearly touched me with his chest. “You like me?”

“I…it’s…” I pursed my lips. Fuck!

“Or you’re just saying it to make me feel better,” he concluded with his eyes narrowing.

“That’s not at all what I’m doing. I like you. Okay? I like you a lot, but I’m also a player just like that guy was and that’s not who you deserve.” Darkness creeped into my voice as I said these things.

It felt like I’d eaten a rock. My stomach was heavy and my limbs were just kind of hanging from my torso, useless. My cock was stirring, for sure, and it only added to my annoyance. Of all the parts of my body, my cock had the worst timing.

Somehow, the thing that I considered a noble sacrifice of my own desires for the sake of a better outcome for him, annoyed Noah the most. His frown exploded on his face. “Can you stop doing that?”