AVA SHOWS up bright and early, armed with donuts, coffee, and a smile.
Brooks has practice with Fitz this morning, so he headed down to his apartment to get ready an hour ago.
I bring the steaming latte to my lips and hum. “You are officially my favorite person.”
Ava laughs. “Thank Lennox for all of this. I’m just the delivery girl.”
As if on cue, my phone buzzes on the counter. I scurry over and tap the screen, giddy when I see my best friend’s name.
Lennox’s smile is bright. “Good morning, lover! You know what time it is.”
I smile into my cardboard cup and wave Ava into the living room. Silently, I point at the coffee table, instructing her to put the donuts down and relax.
Ava’s literally the bright spot in any room. She’s always dressed in soft colors. Never black. This morning is no different. She’s decked out in nothing but cream, from her leggings to her crop top to the long cardigan layered over it. Her wavy red hair is pulled back in a messy ponytail, and her freckled face is free of makeup.
When she holds a pink glazed donut to her lips, I wince. If I was dressed the way she is, there’s no way I could get away with eating a donut without staining the light fabric with icing. She’s a brave woman.
“How was the date?” Lennox asks, pulling my attention back to her.
Remembering every moment of yesterday—from Brooks’s heartfelt apology to him teaching me how to skate to his confession about being a virgin—leaves my smile wide. “It was amazing.”
“Did you guys bang in the arena or something?” Lennox teases. I’m glad that, for once, she can’t read me and figure out every little thing we did.
I desperately want to work through all the emotions whirling inside me, but more than that, I want to protect Brooks’s privacy.
“We’re taking it slow.”
Lennox slumps against her bed and pouts. “I can’t believe you still haven’t fooled around with him.”
“I didn’t say that. He did go down on me in the announcer’s booth. And he forced me to describe everything over the speaker,” I admit, tossing her a bone.
“Shut up,” Ava hisses, slapping the cushion beside her. “What if someone had come in?”
“Then they’d have heard Brooks score three times.” The laughter bubbling out of me is light and loud.
Beside me, Ava goes pink, but Lennox is cackling. She’s flat on her back with her legs in the air, kicking them in excitement.
“Okay, enough,” I pant, slapping a hand to my chest. “We’re making Ava uncomfortable.”
“You’re not,” she insists. “But seriously, aren’t you worried about getting caught? I mean, in the act?” She won’t even say the word, and suddenly I’m wondering if Brooks is the only virgin employed by Langfield Corp.
Lennox, the hussy, barks out another laugh. “It’s called cunnilingus, Av, and why are you acting all virginal? Please tell me you aren’t saving yourself for War like Brooks has been saving himself for Sar.”
My stomach drops and my mouth falls open. How the hell does the woman do that? I thought her supernatural talent was limited to positions. Not a person’s lack of sex, period.
Lennox waves a hand. “Secret’s safe with us. Even if your face hadn’t just given it away, I assumed. When I dated Aiden in high school, Brooks was still a virgin. If the man held on to his virginity through college and then when women literally threw themselves at him when he was drafted, it’s a given that he was until he met you. He’s never dated, and the guy’s a romantic. He wasn’t just giving that shit up.”
I’m speechless. Not that I have anything to say anyway. Protecting my best friend’s secret and his privacy are my top priorities.
“I’m not a virgin,” Ava says quietly, pushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “And the last person I’d have sex with, let alone give my virginity to, would be Tyler Warren.”
The way she says his name, filled with animosity and distaste, makes me giggle.
“Talk about one person we all know isn’t a virgin.” Lennox sighs. “He’s got that whole bad boy with a back story thing going for him, Av. And I bet he’s amazing in the sack.”
Ava gasps, her jaw going slack, and both Lennox and I dissolve into giggles at her reaction.
“Why do you put up with us?” I ask.
She shakes her head and huffs out a breathy laugh. “Someone needs to keep the two of you in check.”
“True. Lord knows I’m not that person,” Lennox admits. “So, how are we feeling about Seb now? Is operation make-him-quit getting anywhere?”
“I don’t know.” I slump back against the couch. “He almost ruined my relationship with Brooks, and I’m worried that Brooks will do something rash if Seb pushes him again.” I pick up my coffee and take a slow sip. “Brooks has it in his mind that he needs to protect me. Like he thinks I’m heartbroken over Seb. But we were never like that. The relationship was so shallow. How could it not be when he insisted it stay a secret? We flirted in the beginning and fooled around a few times. But looking back? The only thrill I felt was because of the sneaking around. Not because of Seb. And that got old quick. By the time I found out about his wife, I was already over it. I just hadn’t ended things because I was holding out hope for more. Like maybe if we could date out in the open, my feelings would grow. I guess I was still wishing he was more. And now that I know what more looks like…” I huff. “God, I can’t believe I wasted any time on him.”
Ava smiles. “It’s like that saying. ‘If he wanted to, he would.’”
“Yes!” I slap my thigh and sit up straighter. “That exactly. Finally experiencing what it feels like to be chosen, not daily, but hourly, by the minute, puts it all into perspective. Brooks is still upset that we fooled around in public, but it felt incredible to know that he wasn’t embarrassed to be seen with me. To think that maybe he couldn’t help himself. He had to touch me, kiss me, make me come.”
The pink stain on Ava’s cheeks moves to her chest, and she’s focused on a spot on the coffee table in front of us now.
I cringe. “Sorry.”
“It’s fine.” She shrugs. “I was raised that it wasn’t okay to talk about this stuff. But believe me, living in this building has opened my eyes.”
Lennox giggles. “And yet you still haven’t boinked a single hot hockey player.”
Ava’s eyes widen and she pulls back. “How do you know I just haven’t talked about it?”
With a scoff, I shake my head. “Don’t even try it. She has this weird ability to tell when a person has had sex, down to position.”
Lennox nods. “You can call me Madame Lennox.”
That sends us all into a fit of laughter.
When we’ve settled again, I go back to my coffee. “I just want Seb gone. More for Brooks than for me. This is Brooks’s team. If you knew just how dedicated he is to the team—” I leave it at that and avert my gaze. Shit. If I’m not careful, Lennox will fixate on that comment and glean way too much information from it. I doubt she can see in my eyes that Brooks has a Bolts-blue Jacob’s ladder, but I’d rather not test the theory.
Thankfully she’s subdued, thoughtful. “He always was the most dedicated.”
“I’m tired of Seb’s comments, his stares, his attitude.” A pit of dread forms in my stomach when I really think about how often he’s hovering nearby. “I hate that he could be standing in the hall right now. That he lives next door. It’s gross.”
Ava’s lips twist, and she hums. “You really think there’s a chance you could get him to quit? Wouldn’t it be better if Brooks went to his brothers and told them the truth?”
Lennox taps her finger against her lips. “Or maybe we just take things up a notch. The two of you need to be more in his face.”
“Brooks won’t use me as a prop.” I fold my arms over my chest and let out a humph. I liked the games we played to piss Seb off. At first I thought it was ridiculous, but then it became fun.
Even so, I get why Brooks doesn’t want to do it. He’s focused on the two of us, and he wants our sex life to be for us, not for someone else.
But that doesn’t mean I’m done fucking with Seb. I just need to go about it in a different way.
“So you do the dirty work,” she counters, breaking out in a smile fit for a villain.
“No.” Ava shakes her head. “Look at the two of you scheming. How did you survive college together? Did you have any voices of reason around? You must have had someone.”
I raise a hand and grin. “That’d be me.”
“Oh God,” she mutters.
“What are you thinking, Len?”
She picks up her phone so she’s centered on the screen. “You’ve already got the hat and the jersey. The whole sitting on his back while he does push-ups thing.” She looks off to one side, then goes on. “You’ve fooled around in front of Seb. You’ve made sexy noises so loudly he’s bound to have heard. But nothing seems to be pushing him.”
I nod. “Right. That’s my point. Nothing works.”
“So you need to be more extreme. More over-the-top.”
“I don’t think so,” Ava says, a worried frown marring her face.
“What if you dyed your face blue?” Lennox beams, like this is genius.
Rearing back, I scoff. “Um, what?”
“Okay, paint, then. Paint your face blue. Oh my God. Paint your whole body and streak across the ice!”
“Do you hear yourself?” Ava asks, her voice pitched high. “How in God’s name would that help?”
I laugh, just imagining Seb’s face if I did that. “I’d probably get fired if I ran across the ice naked. I’d probably slip and fall and end up with a concussion too. So I’m gonna go with a no on that one. Even though pissing off Seb does make me happy.”
Lennox groans. “Ave, stop being so reasonable. You’re ruining all my fun!”
Ava’s grinning as she pulls her phone from her pocket. “I actually have to go. But seriously, do not dye your face. That is a really bad idea.”
I nod, already entertaining another idea. Something equally loud, equally annoying, but a little less permanent or Smurf-like.
When the door shuts, I bring my phone closer and smirk. “Okay, Len. We’re going to the store.”
She bounces on her bed. “Yes. Okay, call me when you get there. I want to see your evil scheming in action.”
Once we’ve disconnected, I pull on my favorite new beanie—the one declaring me Brooks’s bunny—wrap a blue Bolts scarf around my neck, and slip into my leather jacket. Then I head for the door.
When I throw it open, I stagger back. Seb is standing on the other side of it, a brown box in one hand and the other poised to knock. His salt-and-pepper hair is a mess, like he’s been pulling on it. He’s in a pair of jeans and a black sweater. The look is casual for him, yet still a little too formal.
For a moment, I stare at him, confused about why he’s here. He watches me in return, his face blank. But as he takes me in, sliding his gaze up to my hat, that dull expression morphs into a familiar scowl.
God, how did I ever find this man attractive?
The bluish gray of his irises makes him look like one of those walking zombies. Void of anything but misery. Both eyes are rimmed black from the broken nose he’s sporting. The one he claims he got when he tripped and hit a dresser on his way down. I tamp down the elation that zaps through me at all the misfortune he’s so obviously earned.
“Can I help you?”
He crosses his arms over his chest, his scowl deepening into a menacing glower. With a shake of his head, he scoffs. “Thought the charade was over.”
My stomach knots. “Excuse me?”
“The charade. The revenge plan you and Brooks so obviously concocted when you found out I was married.” He waves a dismissive hand in my direction, as if I’m worthless. As if his nephew couldn’t possibly be interested in me. As if pity is Brooks’s only motive.
But I know the truth about how Brooks feels. And I know how he makes me feel.
A full-on smile spreads across my face. “Guess I should be thanking you, huh? If you hadn’t fucked up so royally, my best friend would still be convinced he had to be a robot like you. And I’d be missing out on the best relationship I’ve ever had.”
With a growl, he pushes the box toward me. When I catch sight of the label, that elation is back. It’s a package from an erotic online shop. I totally forgot that I’d ordered a bunch of dildos in my name and had them sent to Seb. I giggle and peer up at him. The box has been opened, so he clearly saw its contents. I am so immature sometimes.
The sneer on his face makes him look so ugly. “These little games of yours are pathetic. He’s going to destroy his career. Is that what you want? He’s playing like shit. Can’t stop a goddamn puck to save his life.” He takes a step closer. “You want to destroy him? Destroy his relationship with his family? You don’t have much of one, but his means everything to him.”
I should feel his words like the slaps he intends them to be. But Brooks’s love doesn’t leave room for them to land. Maybe Brooks was colder, angrier, off his game for a few weeks. But that wasn’t because of me. That was because of the poor excuse for a man in front of me.
I set the box on the table in my entryway, then step out the door and pull it shut. He doesn’t deserve another moment of my time. “Thanks for delivering my dildos, Seb.”
As I side-step him, he takes a surprised breath. “You’ll ruin him. You ruin everything you touch.”
I laugh all the way to the store. I have every intention of ruining something, but it won’t be Brooks.
Then again, maybe he and I are ruining each other. As we grow closer, I kind of hope neither of us looks like the person we used to be. I already feel stronger, and I’ll do everything in my power so that Brooks can say the same.
But as far as ruining him? Yeah, I guess I will. I’ll ruin him for every other woman.
Because Brooks is mine, and I won’t give him up.
