Page 94 of Offside Attraction
His breath hitches in his throat, and for a moment, he doesn’t move. I can hear his heartbeat quicken, the sound almost deafening in the otherwise silent hallway. His dark eyes lock onto mine, burning with a mix of frustration, anger, and something else—something raw and unspoken.
“You’re full of it,” Hayes says, his voice low and strained, but the waver in it betrays him. He’s trying to stay in control, but I can feel the cracks forming, the tension vibrating between us like a live wire.
“Am I?” I murmur, leaning in closer, so close I can feel the warmth of his breath on my skin. “Then tell me to stop, Hayes. If you really don’t want this, say the word.”
His jaw tightens, and for a second, I think he might shove me away, might say something to break the moment. But he doesn’t. Instead, his gaze flickers, moving down to my lips for the briefest second before snapping back to my eyes.
I trail my hand down to the waistband of his pants, eyes locked on his. He’s already hard, straining against the tight fabric, and a small smirk curls my lips as I palm him through the fabric. Helets out a quiet groan, head tipping back against the wall, eyes squeezed shut like he’s trying to hold himself together.
I lean in, my mouth brushing his ear.
“Why don’t you just admit it, Hayes?” I murmur. “You and I both know if I gave you the green light, you’d tear off my clothes and fuck me right here, right now.”
I nip at his earlobe, slow and teasing.
“Tell me you don’t think about me every night when you’re alone, touching yourself. You know you do.”
My palm presses harder against his length, feeling him throb beneath my hand.
“Do you like that?” I whisper, pulling back just enough to meet his gaze. His eyes are dark—clouded with lust and something deeper. Raw. Dangerous.
Hayes bites down on his bottom lip, a low, needy sound escaping his throat.
“Now imagine me on my knees,” I whisper, dragging a single finger down the rigid outline of his cock, “with my mouth wrapped around you.”
Then I pull away, all at once—no more teasing, no more smirk. Just a sharp, cold look that replaces the heat in my eyes with pure irritation.
“You and I are done, Hayes. Don’t fucking talk to me, don’t fucking look at me. And acting all jealous because of Zach, that’s just low,” I say, my voice sharp, cutting through the tension between us like a knife.
“Jealous?” Hayes scoffs, peeling himself away from the wall. “You think I give a shit about what goes on between you and Zach? I don’t even care if you’re fucking him.”
“Of course, you do,” I smirk at him as I turn to walk away, the irritation bubbling in my chest. “That’s why you’re so worked up right now. You literally just popped a vein.”
“Real mature, Miller,” Hayes snaps, his voice dripping with sarcasm as he glares at me, but I can see the tension in his posture, the way his hands curl into fists like he’s holding himself back.
“Good talk, Griffin. See you in detention, you spineless piece of shit!” I call out, my voice loud enough to echo down the hallway. Anger simmers beneath my skin, a heat that refuses to fade as I turn away from him. My steps are quick, my breathing uneven, even though a part of me—some frustrating, unrelenting part—feels jittery for no goddamn reason.
I tell myself it’s because I’m pissed off, because Hayes knows exactly how to get under my skin. But deep down, I know that’s not it.
It’s because Hayes, without even saying the words, just told me I have him wrapped around my fingers. The way he looked at me, the way he reacted to my touch—it wasn’t just frustration. It was something deeper, something he doesn’t even realize he’s showing. And that knowledge twists inside me, making my pulse race and my head spin.
I don’t want to think about it. I don’t want to feel whatever this is creeping up my chest. But as much as I hate it, it’s there, undeniable and impossible to shake.
I clench my fists, forcing myself to focus on the anger instead, on the sharp bite of our exchange and the satisfaction of leaving him standing there, probably seething and worked up. But even that satisfaction feels hollow.
Because as much as I’d like to believe this is over, I know it’s not. Not even close.
CHAPTER 24
Thecafeteriahasneverbeen my favorite spot in Crestview. It might be neat, luxurious in its own way, with the wealthy and famous students occupying one side of it, with Hayes being the king of it all, but to me, it’s just another battlefield. A loud, chaotic arena where the lines between cliques are as sharp as the cafeteria trays. The laughter from Hayes’ table echoes across the room, mingling with the sound of clinking cutlery and muffled chatter. His presence dominates the space—he doesn’t even have to say a word, and yet everyone bends around him like he’s the sun at the center of their universe.
I’m jittery, my right leg bouncing up and down, and not because of the chaos around me, but because I’m going through a nicotine withdrawal. I’m desperately craving a cigarette right about now. I sit at the edge of the cafeteria, directly adjacent toHayes’s table. And even from this distance, I feel his gaze now and then, fleeting but heavy, like a weight pressing down on my chest.
I go through my phone, doing nothing in particular as I try to tune out the noise around me. But even as I try to tune out the noise around me, I can still hear his laughter—deep and familiar, but it doesn’t bring comfort anymore. It’s a reminder of who he is, who he’s always been. The boy who once tormented me, and now, the guy who can’t seem to decide if he wants to ruin me or… something else.
I hear the scrape of a chair as I look up from the device in my hand. Tripp smiles at me as he drops his tray in front of me, his smile boyish and friendly, like he has no care for the world. He sits down on the opposite chair, grabbing the bottle of water from his tray and opening it. I watch as he throws his head back and takes a big gulp. Corking the bottle of water shut, he drops it back on his tray as he picks up his ham sandwich, biting into it with his complete gaze fixed on me.
I roll my eyes, a small smile creeping onto my lips as I stare at my friend.