It was like a scene from a goddamn movie. All he needed was a spotlight and his own soundtrack.

He was magnetic. Hypnotic. Utterly addictive to look at.

As he drew closer, all the conversations around me faded out, and an eerie silence fell over the group. He came to a halt beside me, throwing an arm around my shoulders.

“Ready, James?” He snapped his gum, giving me a wink.

It was the equivalent of an atomic bomb going off in my personal life. Everyone stared at us, wide-eyed, but no one said a word. We could have heard a puck drop fifty feet away.

Jillian and Amelia looked like they’d seen a ghost. Derek eyed Chase warily, which wasn’t totally unwarranted given his reputation. And Luke clenched his jaw, his face turning redder than the Falcons’ home jersey. Sophie looked up at him questioningly, but his eyes were laser focused on us.

Not even on us. On Chase.

Chase flashed Luke an easy grin and gave him a nod. On its face, it looked cordial, but in reality, the smile was more smug than friendly, and it was peak passive aggressive. It was a “what are you gonna do about it?” smile. This, of course, had the intended effect. Luke glowered at him, his expression murderous, but he didn’t speak. Really, what could he say?

Chase inclined his head to the doors. “Let’s go.”

“Uh, sure.” I glanced back over at Amelia and Jillian, already dreading the interrogation I would surely receive later. “I’ll see you at home.”

“Okay,” they echoed in unison, heads cocked and voices lilting in confusion.

They weren’t the only ones who were confused.

I awkwardly waved goodbye to the stunned group of witnesses as Chase steered me away, his arm still draped around my shoulders. My brain was having a hard time getting up to speed. It didn’t help that I was close enough to get a contact high from his delicious cologne.

He was still touching me…and I didn’t completely hate it.

Even though I still hated him. Obviously.

Chase wordlessly maneuvered me back through the crowded concourse and over to the side exit that led to the players’ parking area.

“What are you doing?” I hissed, stealing a glance at him once we were out of sight of my friends.

“Rescuing you, apparently.”

“I don’t need to be rescued.”

He chuckled, low and deep. “You sure about that?”

10. as a friend

CHAPTER 10

AS A FRIEND

Chase

“What the hell, Carter?” Bailey pulled away from me and came to a stop on the sidewalk outside the arena. Her eyes flashed with anger. “Where are you taking me?”