Page 19

JORDAN

I f the power ever went out again, I’d just need to sit on Preston to keep warm. My traitorous body was overheated, sweating beneath my layers as I positioned myself on his lap. His thighs, thick and strong, tensed as I adjusted my stance on him. Price was a little devil, and he knew it.

My knee bounced, the restless energy needing to escape, and Preston rested his hand on my leg, stilling me. “You’re moving too much,” he said, his lips practically hitting my ear.

“Sorry.” I gulped and tried not to melt into him. Every part of me wanted to lean into him, close my eyes, and let him touch me. It could be the nearness, the game, or the way he seemed to understand me in ways no one else did, but I wanted to touch him.

“You’re turn, Jordan.” Price smirked and kept giving me knowing glances.

I didn’t like it. I wondered, briefly, if he knew what happened between Preston and I, and I wasn’t sure if I liked it or not.

Preston wasn’t cruel, but the idea of him saying we had a meaningless hookup hurt me.

But at the same time, him saying we did more also felt weird.

We played in a silence for a few minutes, my body hyper- aware of Preston’s. Every time he breathed, I felt it. Every time he shifted his weight, I felt it. His breath hit my neck, and I shivered, goose bumps exploding down my body.

“Are you cold?” He wrapped his arms around me, rubbing up and down. “I can add more wood to the fire.”

“No, I’m alright.” I hated how defensive I sounded.

“You’re tense.”

“I’m not.” I gritted my teeth together, my core heating at his nearness. He was so hard and strong beneath me, and it was all I could think about. Everything we did that night, how it was the best orgasm I’d ever had...how he matched my freak. I inhaled right as Price stared at me. “What?”

“Only a tense person would say they aren’t tense.”

“Oh my god.” I laughed. “You’re a pain in the ass.”

“So I’ve been told.”

The game continued, no other truth or dares popping up before Preston won.

Something was different about him as he reached for my hips and slid me off his lap.

He wasn’t gloating or talking shit about his win.

He was too quiet. Thoughtful, almost, as he cleaned up the cards and kept sneaking glances at me.

The hesitation on his face had my nerves exploding again.

He should be bragging. He should stand up and call us losers. This silent victory made my skin itch.

“Fuck, this sucks.” Price leaned onto his back and groaned for a solid thirty seconds. “Might as well sleep. Not much else to do.”

“Yeah.” Preston gripped the back of his neck, his attention moving toward the front window. “We should move upstairs.”

“What about the fire?” Price frowned. “Shouldn’t we stay near it?”

“It’ll die out when we sleep, and this room has the most draft.” Preston’s jaw tensed as he glanced up the stairs. “If we put towels near the door, we can keep each room insulated. ”

“Okay,” I said, hoping to appease Preston. He seemed to need this validation. “That sounds like a good plan. Price, you can use Logan’s room.”

“She won’t care?”

“No,” I said. “She wants us safe. I’m assuming you’re not an animal and won’t destroy her stuff.”

“No promises.” He winked and stretched his arms up. “Thanks for letting me charge. I’m gonna to bed, fuck around on my phone for a bit. Maybe the power will come on during the night.”

“Maybe, yeah.” Preston picked up the blankets and folded them, taking his time on each one. “Glad you’re here, Pricey.”

“Aww, you too brother.” Price hugged his twin from the back, Preston giving a little grunt. “Night, Jordan, take care of our boy.”

“I will.”

Preston’s body tensed as I said the words, his nostrils flaring once before he flashed a quick smile.

I hated that fake-ass smile. I wanted the dimples.

I wanted the way his eyes crinkled on the sides and the ridiculous chuckle he had.

It had been too long since I’d seen that version of Preston, and I wanted it.

I vowed to do whatever it took to get that guy back.

“Let’s head to bed.” I balled up the rest of the blankets he didn’t grab and marched right up the stairs to his room.

Blue and black blankets covered his queen-sized bed, and the light of my flashlight moved from the bed to the door.

Preston stood at the entrance, his posture rigid.

“I’m spooning the fuck out of you tonight.

You can be big spoon or little, it doesn’t matter, but I’m using your body heat. ”

His lips twitched as he walked in and threw the blankets on his bed.

It felt weird to point my flashlight at him, so I faced it on the ground.

Darkness surrounded us, and the only sounds were our breathing and his soft footsteps on the carpet.

“I’m gonna brush my teeth and use the bathroom. I’ll be right back. ”

Well, shit.

He didn’t respond to my taunt. Groaning, I fell onto his bed and bundled myself with all the covers.

It was significantly colder in here compared to the living room and the fire, but with our body heat and blankets, we should be alright to sleep.

Part of me stressed about the event and my future resting on it, but that stress was tomorrow’s problem.

Tonight, my worry was about calming Preston and getting some sleep.

I went through my mental checklist twice before sitting up and frowning.

Preston still wasn’t back yet. Did he…let me sleep in here alone?

My throat ached at his dismissal. He wouldn’t do that, would he?

My eyes prickled as I slid out of his bed, ready to find him and demand answers when his door creaked open.

“Preston,” I breathed, relieved to see him. He hadn’t left me. “You’re back.”

“Can you shine the light for me? I don’t want to spill.”

“Spill? Sure, okay.” I scrambled for the flashlight and pointed it at the floor. “What are you carrying?”

“Hot chocolate. I know you like them late at night, and honestly, I wanted something sweet.”

The emotion in my throat was different now. The reason he took so long was to make me hot chocolate. “But the microwave?”

“I used our tea kettle.”

“The one you insisted we didn’t need?”

“No idea what you’re talking about.” He set the mugs on the side table next to his bed and joined me. Our thighs touched, my heart in my throat as he handed me my mug first.

He’d put three little marshmallows on the top.

The simple gesture knocked the breath out of me. “You put three,” I whispered, refusing to cry. I wasn’t an emotional person. I rarely cried, and the last two weeks, I almost had a thousand times. Maybe my hormones surged this month. That could happen.

“Yeah, it’s your favorite number.” Preston brought his mug to his lips, the shadows from the little light dancing across his face. He seemed at peace, content. “You always eat things in threes.”

“My first friend used to do it. It was his favorite number, and he’d always pick up three pretzels or three green beans or three pieces of popcorn before he’d eat them.

I don’t know if he did it intentionally or if it was on accident, but I thought it was so cute.

” I took a large sip, the warm liquid pooling in my gut and heating me up from inside. “Thank you, for this. For… everything.”

“You’re welcome.” Preston clinked his mug against mine. “Are you feeling okay about the event? We didn’t help a lot today. Whatever you need tomorrow, we’ll do.”

I exhaled, the tension I kept at bay escaping.

“I need to go to the venue, but I’m not sure that’s even possible.

I can work on the centerpieces and all the administrative things, plus contacting the vendors and servers and DJ.

But if they can’t make it to the venue, then there is no event.

The fundraising part was key. I had to prove I can plan fundraisers and a black-tie event. Not just a party.”

“What if we moved it to the rink?”

“What do you mean?”

“The rink is easier to access. Large parking lot that the team could shovel and clear a path for. We could put carpet on the ice, possibly reach out to the dorm kitchens for a backup plan.” Preston stood and snapped his fingers. “Jordan, we can totally do this.”

Hope inflated in my stomach, the unfamiliar buzz causing me to join him in standing. “I have speakers. I could ask Logan to DJ.”

“And three of the guys on the team know how to serve food. ”

“And we could make the auction virtual—get the word around on social media. Donations could come from people everywhere. They don’t have to physically be at the event, but we could stream the event live online.”

Preston’s face lit up. “ Yes . And, we could get Quentin’s brother to post about it, and his team would totally continue to help spread the word. We can raise the money you need to prove to your professor and mom that you’re capable, strong, and fucking brilliant.”

“We could host a challenge, like who can make the cleverest centerpiece or something. Or auction off a date with one of the team,” I blurted out, energy taking over.

I finished the hot chocolate, saved the three marshmallows for last, and set the mug down.

“Could you get some of the team to dress in tuxes and be ushers?”

“Absolutely.” Preston had his phone out, his eyes softening. “I bet we can ask the football team to help us too. I just sent a text out now to the guys. We’ll make this work for you, J. I promise.’

Without thinking about it, I jumped on him. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and legs around his waist and squeezed him. “Thank you, thank you, thank you.”

He laughed and rubbed my shoulders. “I haven’t done anything.”

“Yes, but even coming up with this idea has helped me so much. I don’t know what I’d do without you,” I said the words, my voice cracking at the end. This was the problem.

I couldn’t lose Preston. I refused.

And I’d never been in a relationship before, and I couldn’t risk hurting him. Yet when he cupped the back of my head, kneading his fingers into my neck and tilting my face toward his, I couldn’t breathe .

If I was standing, my knees would’ve given out. He looked at me like I mattered, like he needed me too. “Preston…”

His chest heaved, his rapid heartbeat matching mine, as his gaze dropped to my mouth, but he quickly averted his attention.

“I’m sorry your mom makes you feel worthless, but I hope you know how amazing you are.

You need reminders, and that’s okay, but I’m always going to remind you when you forget. ”

“Fuck.” I rested my forehead on his chest, his words exactly what I needed.

“Come on, hon. Let’s go to sleep.” Preston let me cling to him as he carried me toward his bed. He set me down carefully, tucking me in with four blankets before he cursed. “You need another pair of socks.”

“I’m so cozy. I’m okay.” I snuggled into his pillow, inhaling the masculine, earthy scent. Preston ignored me and lifted the end of the blanket. “What are you doing?”

“Making sure you don’t lose your toes.” He gently lifted my calf and slid a large pair of socks on my hot pink ones. “Are you sure you’re warm enough?”

“Get in here.” I sat up and patted the bed. “Stop worrying about me. You’re stressing about the cold, which I understand, but our body heat will keep us just fine.”

“You’re right.” He sighed and joined me in the bed, his body tense. “It’s so stupid how anxious I am right now.’

“No, it’s not.” I moved to my side and cuddled next to him. My head was on his shoulder, my leg resting on top of his. There was no room between us, and I liked it this way. “You went through a traumatic moment as a kid. That sticks with you.”

“We’ve had storms before, even lost power. This just felt different. I don’t know why.”

“It doesn’t have to make sense. Sometimes, the shit we went through as kids stays with us and chooses to come out in weird ways.” Like how I’m damn sure everyone will leave me. “Do you need anything? More socks, another blanket?”

“No.” His arm around me was like wood. Hard. Stiff.

“What will help you relax then?” Immediately, my thoughts went to the hotel where he’d also been tense for a different reason.

I could slide my hands down his pants and help him out, but my stomach swooped at the idea.

We couldn’t just hook up without talking about what it meant, and I refused to bring it up. “I can massage you, if you want.”

“No.”

His rejection stung, and I wondered if he was thinking about that night too. “We could play truth or truth?”

He snorted, his arm coming up behind me to tug me closer. “Wow, what a fun choice. Truth or truth, Jordan. What do ya pick?”

“The first one.”

“What would it take for you to ever go on a date with me?”