Page 23

CHAPTER 23

JACE

I woke up the next morning—afternoon—in my bedroom, but on the covers instead of under them, and alone. Still, I could smell Axel, like he was right here beside me. I glanced down with bleary eyes and noticed the gray, stained t-shirt I was wearing. His shirt. Oh God.

Don’t panic.

Maybe Axel and I hadn’t done anything. Maybe last night was all a bizzarro dream.

I slowly got up, stretched, and headed for the bathroom to take a piss.

When I glanced at my reflection in the mirror, I spotted the huge hickey on my neck and stopped short. Not a dream. Very fucking real . I ran a finger over the mark, remembering how sexy it felt when Axel sucked my skin.

Oh God, this was bad. Like, next-level stupid.

And what was with all that ridiculously possessive behavior at the party? From him and from me. Axel wasn’t happy about Lorquin coming on to me, but I wasn’t happy watching Hailey flirt with him either. In fact, I was downright furious at the possibility they’d hook up. Why should I care? Axel and I were, well, we were nothing to each other. Barely teammates, if that. Sort of friends?

Jesus Christ, I was totally out of my depth.

“What the fuck are you doing?” I said out loud to myself.

Fucking around with my teammate was bad enough, but Axel? Not that I had anything to worry about, it was done. He probably wanted to forget it ever happened. That was fine with me.

Or, not fine, if my morning wood was any indication.

After taking care of business—and ignoring my hard-on—I stripped out of my jeans and Axel’s t-shirt, hopped in the shower, and scrubbed away any remaining traces of him. Bad enough I’d worn his shirt to the party. Thank God no one realized. And while our teammates teased us about dancing together, I played it off like we’d come to a stalemate, and it was all in good fun. Most of the guys would be too drunk to remember details anyway.

Fun. Right. That wasn’t the word I’d use to describe the way I’d grinded against Axel. More like necessity, something primal, a need that I couldn’t ignore.

A need that should’ve been sated.

But I knew that if it weren’t for our teammates dragging us into a host of drinking games, Axel and I probably would’ve ended up having sex in one of the rooms of that frat house. Or, back here in my room. Which reeked of stale cum. Part of me wanted to revel in the musky scent, but the smarter part told me I had to get cleaning, now. Get rid of any traces that he’d ever been here or that sex had happened.

Forget about it. Move on.

A flickering memory hit me.

Axel and I stumbling home to the dorm with the rest of the guys, laughing and joking around, too drunk to be worried about anything but feeling good. But then, I was suddenly standing in the hallway, and Axel was inside the elevator, and we faced off once again. We stared at each other so intently that I was sure I was going to combust right there. I started to take a step towards him, but the doors closed shut in my face.

He was gone and I was alone.

The way it was supposed to be. Nothing good would’ve happened if I’d followed him.

Still, I couldn’t remember the last time I wanted to chase after anyone. Try never. More warnings echoed in my head but with my hangover, I could barely hear them.

Self-recrimination, like cleaning, would have to come later.

After showering, I was hit with a wave of nausea, so I downed a bottle of electrolyte water and ate two protein bars. Feeling better, I headed for the gym, determined to flush out the remaining alcohol—and these crazy feelings for Axel—from my system.

The gym was quiet for a Saturday afternoon, but it suited me fine. I put my earbuds in, blasted Linkin Park, and did my weight routine.

An hour later, sweaty but feeling better, I took another shower and headed for the library to get some studying done. I finished a project outline for my biology class and was about to launch into a report for my practicum when my phone buzzed.

Dane: You awake yet?

Jace: LOL, for hours. Been to the gym and now the library. You?

Dane: Studying with Jackson.

Jace: So, not studying?

Dane: Not at all, LOL. but it’s Saturday, and we only have one day a week to spend together.

Jace: Um, you guys share a room. And you were together last night.

Dane: Yeah, but with school, practice, and games, we’re both busy. It’s hard to find time just us two.

Jace: Then stop texting me and go back to your boyfriend.

Dane: I will. I just needed you to confirm that hell didn’t freeze over first.

Jace: What??

Dane: You and Axel last night, dancing at the party. What the fuck was that?

Jace: Just what I said.

Dane: Why does that confirmation scare me?

Jace: Nothing to be scared about, we’re fine.

Dane: Maybe it was the alcohol, but you were all over him, J, and he was pretty comfortable in your space. Call me crazy, but…

Jace: It was the alcohol. We were dancing and having fun. Nothing to worry about, Captain. At ease.

Dane: If anything changes…

Jace: You’ll be the first to know.

Eventually I’d tell Dane what happened with me and Axel but not now. It didn’t have any impact on me or the game, so why upset him? He was already stressed out with the pressure on our team as we headed into the semi-finals.

My phone buzzed again, and I shook my head. I loved my friend dearly, but he needed to relax. Only, when I stared at the message, it wasn’t from Dane. It wasn’t from any of my friends.

It was Preston.

Axel

‘Back away, Ax, or swear to God, I’ll kiss you right here, right now. And I know neither of us is ready for that. You, especially.’

I didn’t care. I wanted him to kiss me.

Jace.

I reached out for him, but realized, too late, that there was nothing around me but cold bedsheets.

Idiot. You were dreaming.

Shit. I rubbed a hand over my face, trying to wake up, and then reached for my phone. Last night, after leaving the party, I’d come back to my room, alone. Jace was downstairs in his room. Safe and sound, and yeah, the farther he was away from me, the safer we’d both be.

I had a hangover, but it served me right. It hit me all at once; I was dizzy, nauseous, and my temples pulsed with a wicked headache. It was nothing that greasy food and a gallon of water wouldn’t fix. Then again, it wasn’t just the hangover that was making me feel out of sorts. It was the reality of what I’d done.

Not just fooling around with Jace but acting territorial about him. I could only hope that his hangover was worse than mine and that he’d remember none of what happened.

My phone began to ring and really, who the fuck was calling me on a Saturday morning (afternoon)?

When I saw the name on the screen, the nausea in my stomach had me swallowing down bile.

“Lo?” I answered, my voice hoarse with sleep.

“Axel, it’s about goddamn time you finally answered your phone. I’ve been calling all morning.”

I quelled at the sound of my mother’s raspy voice.

“How can I help you?” I asked calmly even though I was anything but.

She didn’t text or call me, ever, unless she needed something or wanted to remind me what a disappointment I was. Either way, it was never good. Never.

“I understand your team has a game in Albany in three weeks, against Grainger College,” she continued.

“How—” I muttered as I rubbed my eyes. “How did you know that?”

“We live in a college town, Axel. I’m calling to tell you that your father and I will be there. After your game, we need to talk.”

“Can’t,” I grumbled, reaching for my pill case and the bottle of water on my nightstand. I popped my meds and took a gulp of water. “Team dinner. No exceptions. Sorry.”

“You’ll make time after the game or we’re coming to Vermont. Your choice.”

I knew my mother and her singular determination. There was no point in arguing. I sighed and ran a hand over my scruff. “Fine. I can give you ten minutes after the game. We’ll meet in the lobby.”

“That works,” she replied briskly. “Have you talked to Jonas lately?”

“You mean, did he call me asking for money? Yes, he did. And yeah, I gave it to him.”

“Good. That’s good,” I heard a sigh of relief on the other end of the line. “Your father and I are a bit short of cash this month.”

“This month?” I scoffed. “Try again.”

“You really are an ungrateful little bitch, you know that?” she hissed.

I should’ve been surprised at the name calling, but unfortunately, I wasn’t.

“I know a lot more than you realize,” I warned her. “Is there anything else?”

“Your father?—”

“Which one?” I snarked.

“Your father,” she continued, ignoring my remark. “Has an important deal closing soon. With a family-owned company called Fullman. They’re based in the midwest and very conservative. They believe in old-fashioned family values. It’s important to them and to us.”

“You’re joking right?” I barked out a laugh. “Family values, my ass. Try again.”

“I don’t need your opinion, Axel. I’m calling to give you a heads-up. We need this deal to close. We need it. So, should you be approached by anyone, a journalist for example, you keep your mouth shut, understood? And for fuck’s sake, don’t create any college scandals.”

“First off, journalists don’t ever approach me. Our family isn’t that important, it’s just your ego talking. And I’m not the one who’s in danger of causing a scandal, like being arrested for possession, or caught out for fucking someone’s husband.”

“I’m warning you to keep quiet,” she replied sharply. “And Jonas is under control. He’ll be fine. As long as he has the drugs that he needs, he’ll be fine.”

I couldn’t take any more of this conversation.

“I have to go.”

“Have you heard from Preston lately?” she asked.

The mention of his name made my stomach roil again.

“No, why?”

“Just curious.”

She wouldn’t have mentioned him for no reason. But I was too tired to care at this point. And if she wasn’t going to offer any more details, I didn’t give a fuck. I had to call him back anyway. I wanted to hear what Preston had to say and if he’d continue to lie to me, because yes, I was certain now that he’d been lying. That wasn’t just my dick talking. The uneasy feeling I’d had recently about Preston only grew stronger as the distance between us grew wider.

“I have to go,” I repeated and hung up.

I wanted to scream, loudly, after that conversation but settled for a cigarette instead. I wasn’t supposed to smoke in my room, so I opened a window and figured it didn’t count. When my anxiety calmed and my head started to clear, I stalked to the bathroom to rinse the tobacco from my breath, showered, and shaved.

An hour later, I headed for the cafeteria for breakfast and lunch, ate my weight in eggs, roasted chicken, and potatoes, and downed two iced coffees. Feeling better, but not great, I picked up my phone and texted Jace. Maybe he wanted to avoid me now, but we weren’t going to go down that road again.

Axel: Are you busy?

Jace: I’m at the library.

Axel: Can I meet you there?

Jace: Sure. Third floor, I’m at a table near the front windows.

Axel: See you soon.

I thought about that guy at the party, Lorquin, and what he said about Preston. It confirmed what my gut was telling me.

I sent another text, this one to Preston.

Axel: I know the truth, but I want to hear it from you. Call me ASAP.