‘There’s my favourite killjoy!’ Oakley shouts, jumping up from where he sits beside Ava when I walk inside Adam’s front door a week later.
‘If it isn’t my favourite hockey dud. I was expecting better from you this season, ya know? I might have to tell the team that our new captain is a flop,’ I tease, a genuine smile on my lips for the first time in a while. One that only this group can bring out.
‘Soon to be captain,’ he corrects me with a wink. ‘And if you wanna play dirty then I’ll have to make sure you don’t see a minute of ice time all of next season.’
As we shake hands, I look over his shoulder and catch sight of Gracie trying to sneak a glance at her brother and I from behind the kitchen door frame.
‘And miss out on reliving our glory days? Yeah, right,’ I scoff, my attention still fixed on Gracie’s wide blue eyes as they meet mine from across the room, making my stomach dip.
When Ava comes barrelling into the room, the curious blonde whips her head back around in a feeble attempt to avoid getting caught gawking at me by her future sister-in-law.
‘Well, aren’t you a sight for sore eyes?’ Ava asks, hand on her hip. ‘Finally decided to join us, eh?’
Chuckling at her light tease, I shake my head and accept the hug that is quickly offered to me. ‘Trust me, I would have rather been with you guys,’ I mumble, quiet enough for only her to hear.
She squeezes my arm in response before pulling away, her eyebrow raised. Her green eyes are clouded with judgment but the last thing I feel is judged. Funny how that works.
‘Well, are you going to come say hello to the fat pregnant lady or not?’ Morgan quips, her sass level at an all-time high. I still don’t know how Matt has handled her this long. God knows I wouldn’t be able to. I can barely handle an hour alone with her on a good day.
‘Not with that attitude I’m not,’ I scoff, and walk towards her regardless. My eyes widen as I round the couch and see her protruding bump. ‘Holy shit.’
‘I know! I’m fucking huge!’ she cries, her eyes swelling with unshed tears.
‘Sorry . . .’ I trail off, not sure how to pull my foot out of my mouth as I lock my wide eyes with Matt’s tired ones. ‘What is happening?’ He shrugs his shoulders in response and places a comforting hand on Morgan’s back.
A hand slapping against my ass sends a shock through my system. I quickly spin around and throw daggers at Adam.
He looks back at me with a shit-eating grin. ‘Hey, buddy. Ready to get this show on the road?’
Excitement rolls through my bones. ‘Always.’
Adam moves to sit down on the couch, and as I turn to follow his lead, I see the only open spot is beside Gracie.
The hurt etched deeply in her features is undeniable as I reluctantly sit down beside her. Our thighs brush together, and the urge for me to lean as far away from her as possible rolls away with the immediate need to let more than just our thighs touch. Thankfully Oakley stands before I can do something I’m sure I’ll regret.
‘Ava, baby,’ Oakley chokes suddenly, and pulls Ava up to the front of the room with him. ‘You know I love you, right?’
This is the moment every one of us has been waiting for. It’s why I helped Adam order a congratulatory cake from the most extra cake shop in Vancouver. Oakley’s finally going to do it. It only took him three years. Ava’s eyebrows tug inwards, and she gives a slight nod of her head.
‘So you know that I would be an even bigger idiot than I already am if I waited any longer to lock you down? To finally give you my last name? Forever?’ His tone has changed from nervous to unmistakably confident on the turn of a dime.
As Ava catches on to what’s happening, surprise takes over her features. Wide, shiny, emerald green eyes stare back at Oakley as he slowly gets down on one knee. Gasps break through the room as the other two girls watch the heartwarming sight in front of us and my own proud smile grows.
When a small hand wraps around my much larger one, my breath catches in my throat. I fight to keep my eyes trained in front of me and silently pray that this dangerously stupid move remains unseen.
A soft sniffle breaks my concentrated gaze and my eyes dart to the girl sitting beside me. A sudden pang shoots through my chest, causing my brows to scrunch in confusion. Gracie’s bottom lip is caught between her teeth and quivering furiously as she tries to hold back her happy cries from tearing through the room and interrupting her brother’s special moment. My eyes focus on the lone tear cascading down her cheek, and my thumb is swiping it away before my brain registers what I’m doing.
The second the pad of my thumb makes contact with her skin, an unnatural heat flares through my body while she seems to freeze in response. My mouth dries up like a wet sponge in the sun and I stare at the small beauty mark on the right side of her mouth.
The sound of clapping and booming voices pull my attention away from Gracie and towards the happy couple who I’m assuming deserve congratulations.
I’m getting up off the couch to do just that when a sharp pain shoots through my foot. I turn to the side and hiss, ‘What the fuck was that for?’
Gracie clenches her fists and ignores my irritation as she leans in and whispers the words “follow me” in my ear. She’s walking away from me before I get the chance to argue. Closing my eyes and taking a deep breath, I look over at the group one last time and follow her. When I reach the room at the very end of the hallway, Gracie pulls me further into the room and carefully closes the door behind us.
‘What the hell was that back there?’ she spits, an uncontrolled fire burning brightly in her eyes.
‘What are you talking about?’ I ask, my eyes locked on the wall behind her and a fake tone of confidence drips from my tongue. The corners of my lips tug up as she lets out a small growl, shooting daggers into my chest. Her fists open and close by her sides, and her cheeks have become a dangerously dark shade of red.
‘Don’t touch me like that and then act like . . .’ Her voice trails off, yet she takes a brave step towards me. I raise an eyebrow and stare at her expectantly. ‘Like you have no idea what you did! Stop acting like you feel nothing for me when we both know that you do! You’re a giant pussy,’ she finishes, her jaw clenched in anger.
Pulling my lips back, I cross my arms and glare down at her as rage builds deep in my chest. “You need to think carefully about what you’re going to say next, princess,” I reply, my eyes narrowed into slits. I take a menacing step towards her. Our bodies are pushed against each other now, heat radiates off of the both of us in blistering white hot waves. My chest is rising and falling at an alarming rate as anger blurs my vision. For a second, I wonder whether I should run through the door behind her.
‘And why would I do that? So you can run away again? Pretend like nothing happened and move on with your life? News flash Tyler, it didn’t work last time, and it won’t work this time.’ She pushes back like always, her chest rising in time against mine.
I can feel my dick straining against the zipper of my jeans as flashbacks of last summer flicker through my mind like a movie reel. The hot Mexico sun beaming down on my back as she lay under me on nothing but a thin beach towel. Her nails ripping into my shoulder blades while mine gripped the soft white sand with every jaw-grinding thrust.
We spent hours on that beach, hiding away from reality until we couldn’t anymore. It was fun, even exciting, hiding the late-night meetups from our friends. But it was also selfish. Stupidly selfish. And after we got on that plane and flew home, I promised myself I wouldn’t betray them again. But I did the night I took her home from that club and I hate myself for it.
“It was working,’ I mumble, closing my eyes in a weak attempt to keep myself from staring at the black bra peeking out from her sheer shirt. My feeble attempt is made futile when I grip the thin material between my fingers. “Have you worn this in public before?” I grit through clenched teeth. Jealousy burns in my veins, forcing images in my head that I don’t want to see.
Looking down at her shirt, she plays with the hem before looking back up at me again with a widespread smirk. ‘Oh, this? I usually only wear it when I’m looking to get laid. The guys usually can’t keep their eyes off—’
I slam my lips against hers before she can finish the rest of her sentence, knocking her back into the wall as she gasps in shock. She responds to me instantly and runs a hand through my hair, pulling me harder against her. I cup her face tightly in my hands and snake my tongue through her parted lips. Any self-control I had is long gone the second she pushes off my hat and scratches her fingers along my scalp. She then gives a harsh tug to the hair on the back of my neck, and a gravelly groan falls against her mouth.
Letting go of her cheeks, I run my hands down her sides, grabbing tightly on her exposed hip. I pull her towards the bed that is waiting for us a few feet away. When my knees brush up against it, I sit down and pull her onto my lap. As she readjusts her ass on my thighs, she pulls away slightly, beaming at the obvious hard-on nestling between her spread legs. Then, without warning, she tugs at the shirt covering my torso. Taking the hint, I raise my arms and yank the shirt off for her and throw it away carelessly.
‘Does this feel familiar, Tyler?’ she coos, and my blood runs hot with lust. Her hand inches down my stomach and grabs me through my jeans. My head falls back at the sudden contact, and I fight back the moan that’s itching to be set free by tugging my bottom lip between my teeth and gnawing roughly at it.
‘Words, Ty,’ she purrs into my ear, fingers moving up my length until they reach my zipper. “Tell me you remember how good we felt together.”
‘Yeah.’ I choke, every inch of my body needing more friction between us. ‘You know it does.’
She tells me she liked my answer by grasping the waistband of my jeans. I raise my hips, allowing her to pull them down enough for the cold air to hit my cock through my boxers. ‘What about this?’ Her hand wraps around me through the last boundary, gently rubbing where I need her touch. Her baby blues stare at me innocently, just begging me to fuck her and give us what we both need. As I open my mouth to speak, a loud knock on the door echoes through the room. I freeze, my eyes on the locked door. Gracie jumps away from me and her body makes a loud crack as she hits the hardwood floor. In any other situation, her clumsiness would have made me laugh.
‘Shit. Shit, shit, shit. Put your shirt on! That could be my brother!’ she whispers. Her expression is frantic as she runs her shaking fingers through her hair. I stand up quickly, jumping as I pull my pants back on. ‘Fuck, I’m so stupid! It’s definitely my brother,’ she rambles, hands still wrapped in her hair.
I brush her concern off with a light chuckle, ‘He won’t suspect anything.’
Another knock on the door sounds and she pushes me back forcefully, eyeing the small spare room. ‘Where’s your shirt? I can’t find it!’
My heart drops when I don’t see it either.
