I crossed the hotel lobby to the bank of elevators, feeling bad for Shay who was still stuck at the bar. I waited for a few seconds before the doors split, and I stepped into the empty elevator. Just as the doors were about to close, a hand shot in between them, reopening the door. A group of girls squished inside, forcing me into the back of the elevator as they talked amongst themselves.
“He’s so hot.”
“Looks like he has a girlfriend.”
“That won’t last. Athletes can’t stay loyal.”
“Especially with us hanging around.”
They laughed, and the sound turned my stomach.
The elevator stopped on the fourth floor—my floor. The girls piled out and turned right—the same direction I was heading.
I followed them, though I wasn’t walking as straight as I would’ve liked to. Damn shots.
They stopped, knocking on the door to room 406 as I kept walking to my room.
“Hey, ladies,” a familiar voice said.
I stopped, unable to get my legs to move no matter how much I willed them to. Then, I slowly turned around to see the girls filing into the room.
Thayer poked his head into the hallway, making sure he hadn’t missed anyone. His eyes widened when he saw me standing there.
“With Kason off the market, you seem to be picking up right where he left off.” I hated that I couldn’t keep the thought to myself.
His eyes narrowed. “Wow. Judgmental much?”
“Just calling it like I see it.”
“You know what…” He stepped into the hallway and walked toward me. His plain white T-shirt showed off the sleeve of tattoos on his right arm that he’d been adding to since he was sixteen. His jeans—that would’ve looked sloppy on any other guy—hung perfectly on his hips.
Why was I even looking?
“For someone who’s ignored me for an entire year, you have no right to comment on what I do or who I do it with,” he said.
“I wouldn’t dream of it. You’re a big boy. You can make your own stupid decisions.”
He scoffed. “Unless someone else is making them for me.”
My eyes tightened. Was he seriously making a dig at me for rejecting his stupid kiss? “Oh, please. Get over it. Like you said, it was almost a year ago.”
His head hitched back as if I’d slapped him across the face.
Okay. So, maybe it was my embarrassment over said kiss. Or, maybe I was just pissed he had a roomful of girls waiting for him, but I kept spewing. “Don’t let me keep you. Those girls couldn’t get up here fast enough. They’re all ready for you.”
“There you go again. Judging.”
“So let me get this straight,” I said, crossing my arms. “What are you all going to do in there? Watch a movie? Play a game? Have a pillow fight?”
His lips twitched in the corners. They fucking twitched. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were jealous.”
“Jealous?” My voice squeaked at the absurdity.
He shrugged. “Sounds a lot like it.”
“You think I’m jealous of a bunch of groupies in your room?”
“Yes,” he deadpanned.