Fake Dating My Ex's Hockey Star Brother (Maya Scott) novel Chapter 180

ALLISON’S POV

Midterm week flies by, which is a relief, considering I’m surviving on maybe two functioning brain cells. Katy tried her hardest to force every bit of information into my head, but most of it just leaked right back out of my ears.

As much as she loves studying, she still made time to create flashcards for Braydon and me to revise with. She loves me like that.

And you should see her after every exam…hovering overanalyzing, and trying to figure out if I wrote the right answers. I’ve never lied as much as I have this past week, because I know she’ll sulk for days if she finds out I mostly filled my papers with educated guesses. Still, I’ve managed to keep a 3.5 GPA for two years, so I think I deserve a little slack.

Right now, the only thing keeping me sane is my play in two days and I can’t wait.

“I’m gonna be great,” I mutter, stopping in front of Justin’s door. I roll my neck, easing out the stiffness, and try the handle. It’s locked.

I dig through my purse for the key, my back aching, and then finally get the door open. I head straight to his room and collapse onto the bed. At this point, I’ve basically turned his place into my second dorm, but again, cut me some slack.

Justin’s not complaining, and who am I to say no to free food, good d**k, and the whole package that comes with this place?

I’m about to reach for my phone when a knock hits the door. I freeze.

My pulse spikes, and I sit up slowly, listening. Another knock follows.

“Justin, are you back?” Katy’s voice slips through the door.

Goosebumps ripple across my skin, my body locking in place on the bed. Panic floods me and I scan the room, my breath shallow. A cold sweat breaks out along my spine, like I might evaporate on the spot.

What the hell is she doing here?

No, that’s not the right question. I’m the one who isn’t supposed to be here.

She won’t come in. She’ll assume he stepped out and leave. There’s at least a ten percent chance of that happening, right?

Except she’s his sister and she has a spare key.

If that door opens, Katy will find me here. On his bed. In his room. And there is no explanation on earth that could make this look even remotely okay. Not when I told her I was heading to practice.

I jolt to my feet and rush into the bathroom with my phone, my heart pounding violently in my chest. It turns out to be a smart move because the front door opens seconds later, followed by approaching footsteps.

“Did he actually leave his door unlocked?”

Katy’s inside his room now and my stomach drops. From the faint sounds of movement, I can tell she’s looking around and any second, she might decide to open this bathroom door.

I tiptoe farther in, pressing myself flat against the wall, barely daring to breathe, and silently praying that all the good karma I’ve ever collected will finally come through and keep her from finding me.

“Justin?” she calls again, her voice closer now. “Are you in there?”

Oh God. She’s coming closer.

My hands start to shake, my heart thudding so hard it feels like it might give me away. I’ve never been this close to actually having a panic attack in my life. I press a hand over my mouth, barely breathing, and silently begging the universe for something to happen. I don’t care if she suddenly faints, trips, or gets abducted by a rogue ghost. I just need her gone.

Justin, where are you when I need you?

My hands fly to my mouth just as the bathroom handle twitches.

I swear my soul leaves my body.

I’m two seconds away from passing out and waking up with a brand-new personality: amnesia, kidnapped, and victim of a very elaborate crime that sent me all the way to her brother’s bathroom. Honestly, I should’ve never hidden in the first place. It would’ve been easier to lie my way through this. Now? It’s too late. I’m trapped.

“How did you know I was in there?” I ask, plopping onto the bed.

“I don’t leave my door open.” He shrugs, tossing his heatly folded clothes into the dirty basket. His almost-too-neat habit seriously gives me OCD vibes. “Also… I could smell you.”

My eyes widen, and I lift my armpit to check before realizing how ridiculous that is. “Wait… smell me?”

He smirks. “Anyway… how were midterms?”

I roll my eyes. “Finished way earlier than I should’ve and I have no idea what half of that was. Anyway, I have drama practice in a couple hours, so I figured I’d make a quick pit stop here.”

“Did you race here or something?” He asks. “And what’s the quick stop for?”

He turns toward me, bare-chested, and my stomach does this weird, helpless flip. I don’t know if he’s doing it on purpose, but it’s working. I want to run my hands over every inch of his chest and abs.

“I… um,” I bite my lips. “Just wanted to spend a few minutes with you. It’s been like a week since we last hung out.”

“Few minutes doing what?” He’s fighting a smirk that says he already knows exactly what I mean.” Use your words, Allison.”

I love when he says this. Use your words. With Sean I never got that. He was always asking, demanding, telling me what he wanted, and I ended up giving everything to him and forgetting what I even wanted.

With Justin, it’s completely different. He asks, listens, lets me say what I want, and it makes my knees weak just thinking about it.I rise to my feet, closing the space between us. My fingers drift slowly up his chest, tracing the lines of muscle, and I catch his eyes following every move.

“If I tell you what I want… what happens next?” I whisper.

He tilts his head, a smirk playing on his lips. “You already know what happens next.”