Playing to Win (The Players)

Once I make it to the kitchen I lean against the counter for a moment, running a shaky hand through my hair as I focus on my overactive heart rate, mentally telling myself to calm down. But wow.

Wow.

That moment with Ace shouldn’t have felt so intense, yet it did. I’ve been kissed before. By plenty of guys. I’ve even been felt up in a bathroom a time or two. But there was something about the way Ace touched me. The way he looked at me.

A shiver moves through me and I close my eyes for the briefest moment, willing myself to stop. I’m reading too much into it. Our encounter was a potential hookup in a bathroom, only to be rudely interrupted. I need to compose myself.

But it’s like I got close to him and he put his hands—wait, only his finger—on me and my senses went haywire. Completely out of control.

It’s weird. I don’t like feeling out of control. I sort of hate it.

I also sort of want it—that moment between Ace and me—to happen again.

“There you are!” I turn to find Natalie approaching me, two fresh Truly cans clutched in her hands. She gives one to me and I take it gladly, cracking it open and practically draining it with a couple of gulps. “Where were you? Getting felt up by the cutie QB?”

“Sort of,” I answer, lifting my can toward her in a cheers gesture.

She nailed that a little too closely for my liking.

Natalie laughs, clinking her can against mine before we both drink. “I need all the details.”

“There’s not much to share.” I glance around the room, hoping to catch a glimpse of Ace again. Hoping against hope that he followed me out here, though he better not be with the redhead.

I mean, it’s possible he could be looking for me. The tension between us was strong. Palpable. Did he feel it? When he touched me, I wanted to melt. I sort of did.

Remembering the moment now, I want to melt all over again.

“Don’t be shy.” Natalie’s smile is sly. “Please tell me you at least kissed him.”

“Hey, everyone! It’s almost midnight!” A tall, beefy football player is standing in the middle of the kitchen, his hands cupped around his mouth as he makes his announcement. “Get ready to celebrate the new year!”

Natalie sends me a panicked look. “I need to find someone to smooch on at midnight. It’s bad luck if you don’t kiss someone!”

“Are you serious?” She doesn’t even hear my question. Just hurries away from me, her head swiveling left and right as she moves through the house, as if she’s on the hunt for a man.

Which she totally is.

I watch her go before leaping into action myself, on the search for a specific someone to ‘smooch on,’ as Natalie put it. And that someone is Ace Townsend.

This is probably a terrible idea, but what does it matter? I’m leaving in a matter of days. I might be coming back to this campus as a student next fall, though what are my chances of running into Ace again. Knox will be graduated and gone, so I’ll have no reason to spend any time with the football team. No access to them whatsoever, which is fine by me. I get enough of that in my homelife. My entire family is made up of football players. I don’t date them.

I swore I never would.

Exiting the kitchen, I move through the crowded house, but I don’t spot him anywhere.

Where did he go?

“Hey! Did you just sneak off with Ace?”

My sister appears in front of me, her expression one of pure concern.

“Nothing happened,” I immediately say, not wanting Blair to overreact. I know she’s just watching out for me, but whatever happened between Ace and me a few minutes ago was no big deal.

That’s what I keep telling myself.

“Between you and Ace?” Blair makes a tsking noise, shaking her head. “Well, that’s a shame.”

I’m frowning. My sister is sending me mixed messages. “You actually want me to hook up with Ace?”

“I don’t know. Maybe?” She shrugs. “I mean, it wouldn’t be a hardship, spending a little one on one time with Ace. Look at him. He’s adorable.”

Adorably sexy. Adorably magnetic.

“I’ve always had a soft spot for him.” Blair leans in close, her voice barely above a whisper. “Don’t tell Cam, though. I think he’d be jealous.”

“Please.” I dismiss her worries immediately. “Like you look at anyone else.”

“I don’t,” she agrees. “But he’d still be jealous. Sometimes he acts like Ace is coming for his entire life.”

It’s kind of weird to hear that Cam has any insecurities, though he’s only human, so I guess it makes sense. He definitely acts like he’s got his shit together. Both personally and out on the football field. But if anyone knows the real Cam, it’s my sister. They’ve become super close in a short amount of time, and I love it for her. For them.

They make a great couple.

“Get a drink everyone! The countdown is about to start!” the same football player screams, his voice booming through the house.

“I need to go find Cam.” Blair gives my arm a squeeze before she leaves me alone.

Geez. I’m the guest here tonight and everyone keeps ditching me, I swear.

Determined, I go on the hunt once more for Ace, peeking around every corner. Looking behind every closed door, except the locked ones. He’s nowhere to be found and the beefy football player—I think his name is Derek—has officially started counting down from thirty, which is obnoxious as hell.

I guess he’s trying to give everyone enough time to find a drink and someone to yell Happy New Year with, but all he’s doing is filling me with panic. Leaving me with the urgent need to find anyone—okay fine, a particular someone—now.

“Ten, nine, eight…”

I race up the stairs, my heart pounding, my hands shaking when I reach for yet another closed door. An ominous feeling washes over me, my breath stalling in my lungs, and when the door swings open, I swear my heart lodges in my throat.

“Three, two, one…HAPPY NEW YEAR!”

The sounds of cheers and party horns blaring fill my already ringing ears as I take in what’s happening directly in front of me. It’s another cramped bathroom and Ace is in it, and this time the redhead who busted up our earlier encounter is the one in his arms, her lips fused with his. His broad back is to me and her hands are buried in his hair, long pointy red nails stroking through the short strands. When she breaks the kiss, our gazes meet, the triumphant smile on her face telling me she’s absolutely thrilled I caught them together.

That she’s the one who got to kiss him at midnight and not me.

Frustration ripples through my veins and I clutch my hands into fists. I hate losing control of a situation, and I hate even more looking like a fool.

Right now, I feel like the biggest fool out there.

Ace quickly extracts himself from the redhead’s arms, shaking his head. Rubbing his hand across his mouth like…what? He didn’t enjoy the kiss?

Please. I must make some sort of noise because he jerks his head in my direction, his eyes going wide when he spots me, the panic in his expression obvious.

Panic that he just got caught, I’m sure.

“Oh shit. Ruby.” He starts toward me and I hold up my hand, stopping him.

“Fuck off, Ace.” Before I can hear him say anything, defend himself, whatever…

I’m gone.