Page 22 of Hate the Game (Playing Dirty #1)

***Jax***

Atension headache pounded in my head as I made my way back to my room.

I couldn’t shake it, or my shitty mood. I’d had to sit through a student government meeting and act like I wasn’t so angry that I wanted to flip the tables and scream at everyone.

They wanted to talk about raising money to redo a park off campus and I couldn’t stop thinking about the woman living across the hall from me who had danced with me at Billy’s while plotting to ruin my career.

No matter how much I told myself to get my shit together, it was useless. Savannah had gotten under my skin and I wanted to surgically remove her as fast as possible.

I swore to myself when I opened the door to our hall from the stairwell and heard giggling coming from the bathroom just past our suite.

Several of the cheerleaders lived at the other end of the hall and it wasn’t unusual to find them in the bathroom getting ready for one party or another while dominating the middle bathroom instead of their own.

I stopped at my door when I recognized my sister’s voice. I knew Blaire didn’t hang out with the cheerleaders so I couldn’t make sense of why she’d be in our bathroom. Until I heard Savannah’s voice.

Fury burned even hotter in my veins as I stomped down to the bathroom and stopped in the open doorway.

The fire shifted from fury to lust the second I saw Savannah bent over one of the sinks, her long legs and thick thighs on display thanks to the tiny pair of shorts she had on.

She was washing a rainbow of paint off her arms and face while laughing at something Blaire was saying.

I could see her face in the mirror and she looked as happy as she had at Billy’s.

I was struck frozen as I watched her duck her head and splash water over her face.

I watched in the mirror as water ran down her chin and dampened the front of her tank top.

My dick thickened in my pants and I had to force myself to move before either of them saw me.

I stumbled into the suite and leaned against the door after slamming it shut.

Then, not trusting myself, I turned the lock and jammed my hands in my hair.

My mind was fucked. I couldn’t make sense of it.

The Savannah we’d first met felt fake and it was easy to believe that version of her had been trying to trick us into opening up.

The version I’d had at Billy’s, the version I’d just witnessed in the bathroom, it didn’t feel fake.

It felt too real, like I was catching little pieces of her that she didn’t mean to share.

That version didn’t feel like some sort of journalistic spy.

Ryder was staring at me from the couch when I looked up. He grunted and I knew him well enough to know he was asking if I was okay.

“She’s in the bathroom with Blaire.” I didn’t need to explain the she I was talking about.

She was the only she we’d been talking about lately.

I walked over to the apartment sized fridge we kept stocked full of drinks and grabbed a beer.

“Covered in paint. Barely dressed at all. Laughing like she doesn’t have a fucking care in the world. ”

He shifted on the couch and swallowed so loudly that I heard it from across the room.

“I fucking know. My dick reacted without any hesitation over her being a goddamn traitor and I had to get the fuck out of there before I ended up scarring my sister with the sight of her brother getting a boner.” I chugged the beer and then threw it at the trash can.

It hit the rim and missed and that just pissed me off even more. “This is bullshit.”

Cole came out of his room rubbing his face. “Who pissed in your cereal, man? I haven’t heard you swearing like this since the Rams lost the Superbowl.”

Ryder took a deep breath and stood up slowly. “Time to start the plan. She wants to write an article about the monsters we are? I’ll show her just how monstrous I am.”

I held my hands up and shook my head. “You’re not ready for the clothes she’s wearing, or not wearing, right now, man. None of us are.”

Cole’s eyes lit up. “It’s fine to look and enjoy still. Even if she is a little traitor.”

Ryder stumbled at the door since we never locked it and shot me a look over his shoulder before stomping out.

“He’s fucked.” I grabbed another beer and hesitated before tossing one to Cole.

“She was bent over and I swear to god I could see the outline of her pussy. I’d say she’s trying to fucking kill me but she had no way of knowing I’d come by.

Which meant she’s just letting anyone and everyone see her like that.

Why does that piss me off so much? It shouldn’t.

I mean, it doesn’t. It doesn’t piss me off. I’m fine. Just thirsty.”

Cole frowned at me with his eyebrows quirked. “I have to see this outfit if it’s left you like this.”

Ryder suddenly exploded back into the room and slammed the door shut. “Nope.”

Cole swore and had to go see for himself. When he came back a few seconds later he was holding the beer to his throat. “Fuck. I just… One more look.”

I pressed forward and the three of us slowly opened the door and leaned out.

Her door was open and she was on her hands and knees, ass towards us, as she picked up her floor.

Her shorts were no match for her ass. They were basically see-through, enough so that I could make out the fucking Longhorns on her panties.

And yeah, her lower lips were puffy and easy to make out.

“Perverts!” Blaire appeared in front of us, blocking our view, her face pinched in anger.

She whispered, though, glancing back at Savannah like she was making sure Savannah hadn’t heard her.

“If you’re going to look at her like that, at least tell her she’s pretty.

Your friend and her cheerleader buddies were making fun of her earlier.

They called her a cow. Tell Cass to knock it off. ”

I leaned over, nearly knocked Cole over, just to see Savannah once more but she’d gone back on her haunches and the visual was much less erotic. Glancing back at Blaire, I frowned. “We’re not Cass’ keepers. And we’re not looking at her like anything, Blaire. What are you even doing here?”

Ryder cleared his throat and slipped past my little sister. “Be right back.”

I watched him go over to Savannah and squat beside her. I couldn’t hear what he said to her but it was easy to see the way she flushed and nodded. “What’s he doing?”

Savannah pointed to something on the floor and Ryder’s big body stiffened. I tried to see what he was looking at but Blaire blocked my view again.

“Don’t mess with her, Jax. She’s not one of your accessories to use when you go to some event. I like her.”

That finally got my attention. I glared at Blaire and let my frustration get the best of me. “And you’re such a great judge of character? Where’s the guy who did this, by the way?”

Her eyes filled with tears but she didn’t back down. “You sound just like Dad.”

Ryder was pushed into the hallway when Blaire stomped into Savannah’s room and slammed the door shut. He looked up at us and cleared his throat. Nodding back to the closed door, he shook his head. “They made paintings of their tits.”

I made a sound that was half gag and half growl. “What the fuck?”

He wiped his sweaty forehead and blinked. “Impressions. She said she painted her tits and pressed them to the paper… I need a drink, too. A big one.”

Cole groaned. “Any chance you could recreate it for us?”