The rest of the week passes by and I now get to start my day with a hot shirtless picture of my stranger running, and end it falling apart around Harold, as my Charmer sends me filthy messages that would make a whore blush. It’s been days since we crossed the line from flirty exchanges to virtual fucking, and it has never felt so good to give into temptation before. The rest of my life is ordered and planned to perfection, from the classes I was pushed into taking, and the fiancé lined up for me like stock. So being able to have this one piece of freedom feels worth the risk.
My father has been calling me non-stop to try and arrange a dinner with the Thorne family, to which I keep putting off, and Josh has been at the house almost daily to check on me. They are completely suffocating to the point that the stolen texts I can exchange with my mystery stalker have now become a lifeline I don’t ever want to let go of. Thankfully I have managed to evade my father’s wishes all week, and have placated Josh by promising him I wouldn’t miss his game tonight.
After roping Hallie in, which wasn’t hard considering her new budding friendship with Archer Gray, that she swears is nothing but platonic, I’m sure it will be a good night. We even manage to snag some seats right at the front near the penalty box, so we are gonna have the best view of the game. We gossip and catch up while we wait for the game to begin, but as soon as those lights start flashing and the players hit the ice, my focus remains on the rink.
I spot Josh the second he hits the ice, the number twenty-two clear across his back, and as always I am ready to cheer for him. I usually spend every game sitting on the edge of my seat, preparing for every hit he takes from the opposing team and pretending they don’t physically hurt me. It’s not easy to watch your flesh and blood be slammed into boards for the sake of a game, no matter how many years I have been watching it.
Scanning my eyes around the ice though they land on another number, a number I tell myself I haven’t been wondering about. His number nineteen jersey is probably the most recognisable one in the arena tonight. It’s no secret Nova Darkmore is set to be first draft pick next year. His talent alone is undeniable, and I know Josh was pissed that he was given captain instead of him, not that he would ever admit that out loud. I haven’t spoken to Nova since the night he walked me home, something I am still reeling from given the strain of our existence with one another.
I found the hatred easy to endure, I even felt deserving of it. I know that what my father did didn’t just hurt Diana, it hurt Nova too. They lost a lot from the impact of the affair, while my family survived unscathed. I was happy to take his verbal assaults and be ready to whip back with my own, but after that night a couple of weeks ago I found myself conflicted. He didn’t have to step in between Brad and I, and he certainly didn’t have to make sure I got home safe. So why did he?
That question has plagued me daily and now as I watch him move around the ice like it’s his home, I can’t help but wonder what changed and why? He’s always been quiet and broody, flashy with the girls on campus sure, but he keeps himself wrapped in a tight circle that I doubt anyone could penetrate. I wonder if anyone has ever even tried?
“Why are you watching Nova Darkmore like you want to crawl inside of him?” Hallie interrupts my thoughts. “Or maybe have him crawl inside of you?” she adds with a wink, as I turn towards her.
“I’m not,” I quickly lie, but I can tell she doesn’t believe me. Thankfully she doesn’t push me on it. Her own eyes are occupied by the players on the ice as she gets lost in their warm up routines.
Hockey games are the only activity like this that Hallie actually enjoys. I think dragging her along to most of Josh’s games when we were kids left her with no choice but to be comfortable with them, and I love having someone with me cheering for Josh. We have pretty much been his cheerleaders since he started taking hockey seriously as a hobby. I know he would never admit it out loud, but I know he loves us being here.
The game starts and I get lost in a sea of players, watching the puck fly from one to the other as they battle against one another for the upper hand. Josh is smooth on the ice, a natural talent from the second he stepped on it when we were kids, but the lethal duo that dominates is Nova and Archer. The two of them are so in sync with one another you would think they were damn telepathic. Watching them is thrilling, and I don’t bother trying to stop. I know I shouldn’t be curious about him, but I swear I can see a change in him.
He skates towards the glass I am sitting behind, and just as he is about to fly past us, someone from the other team slams him into it at full force. I flinch at the impact, and it’s definitely going to earn them a spot in the sin bin, but it’s the rage in Nova’s eyes that burns into me. He looks up, our eyes locking for just a fraction of a second, before he spins and throws himself at the guy, raining punches down on him until all hell breaks loose around him.
Fights are as common as goals at these matches, but being this close I can’t help but hold my breath, especially as Josh and his best friend Levi join the brawl. Yet still my focus waivers to Nova, and I don’t breathe until the refs tear them all apart and I see him pulling back, reaching up to wipe a spot of blood from his lip. He is instantly sent off for starting a fight, and as the game resumes my eyes flick back over to him as he sits in the sin bin stewing.
As if he can feel my stare on him, he cocks his head to the side and catches me watching him. When I don’t turn away, a smirk curls at the corner of his mouth, before he blows me a bloody kiss and turns his focus back to the game. Blushing from the inside out, I clear my throat and follow his lead, forcing my eyes back to ice.
The rest of the game is tense, with both teams at each other’s throat for what happened in the first part of the game. There are a couple more smaller scuffles, but nothing too serious, and by the time the clock runs down, the Flyers manage to scrape by with another win.
Hallie has already made arrangements to meet Archer after the game. There is an after party at his house that I have reluctantly agreed to go to, but I need to check in with Josh first. We wait near the entrance of the arena and I text Josh to let him know that I am outside, as I wait with Hallie for Archer to come out.
“So there is nothing going on with you and Archer Gray?” I ask her the same question I have now asked a million times in the last couple of weeks, and she laughs.
“How many times do I have to tell you that I am not his type?” She is exasperated at having to constantly tell me this, but they keep spending time together, and Hallie rarely spends time with anyone, so of course I am curious.
“Hals, please,” I roll my eyes. “You are everyone’s type.” A man would have to be blind to not find her attractive. Her hair is dark and perfectly curled, making her green eyes pop against her naturally tanned skin. Mix that with her curves and amazing rack, she turns heads everywhere we go, whether she believes that or not. Another thought occurs to me as I ask, “Is he your type?” Maybe she is playing the long game, and he might not be interested now, but maybe she is hoping that will change.
She scoffs, as she finally snaps, “He’s not the one I like.” As soon as the words slip out of her mouth I can tell she regrets them. She looks like she wants to snatch them back from thin air and shove them back down her throat. It’s the only reason I don’t push her on them, and before I can say anything else the doors to the arena swing open.
Archer appears with his housemates Alexander and Jake, and I hate that I notice that the only notable person missing from their usual foursome is Nova. A few of the other guys from the team have already left, there are only a couple more, and Josh and Nova still haven’t emerged yet.
“Sanders!” Archer yells, jumping towards Hallie and wrapping an arm around her shoulders. Surprisingly she doesn’t cringe under his touch, and it’s as if she has barely noticed the contact. Interesting. “Are you ready to celebrate with us?”
She smiles up at him, cheerfully nodding before they turn to me. “What about you, baby Peters, are you coming?” Alexander Reign asks suggestively, and I roll my eyes. Josh warned me away from all the guys on his team, but there was a special warning against Reign. He is the biggest player on campus, and everyone knows it.
“Not if you’re involved,” I reply sweetly, and Archer and Jake both laugh. “You guys go ahead, I’m waiting for Josh.”
Hallie pulls out of Archer’s touch and closes the distance between us. “Are you sure you’re okay if I leave?”
I’m already nodding. “Of course, Hals, Josh and I will be right behind you.” She smiles at my assurance, pulling me in for a hug briefly before she starts to back away.
“Text me when you arrive and I’ll grab you a drink, okay Wendy?” She winks, turning away as I nod, and trails towards Archer’s car with the others on her heel.
Once they have gone, the rest of the car park starts to quietly filter out, and I half wonder what the hell is taking Josh so long. The game ended over half an hour ago and I am still waiting. Growing impatient and cold, I open the door and head back inside the arena to track him down. The hallways are empty as I go in search of the locker room, and when I round the corner I find the last person I wanted to see.
Nova is locked in conversation with an older man who looks to be in his late forties. They are too far down the corridor for me to hear what they are saying, but it looks heated. After a few seconds, Nova shakes his head and pushes past the man, starting to head towards me. He doesn’t seem to notice me approaching as he dips back into the locker room, as the other man turns and disappears.
When I reach the door he went through, I hesitate, and before I can make a decision about whether to go inside, the door flings open and Nova reappears with his bag tossed over his shoulder. He startles slightly when he sees me, before the anger on his face turns into a wicked smirk.
“If you’re that desperate to see my cock, Princess, all you had to do was ask. Waiting outside locker rooms is trashy, even for you.” His words have their usual bite to them, and for some reason it settles the tension in my stomach that has been rising since the night he walked me home.
“Get over yourself, Darkmore, I’m looking for Josh,” I snap back in response, falling seamlessly into our usual routine that we have perfected over the last couple of years.
Nova looks like he couldn’t give a damn what I want or who I’m looking for as he snarls, “Peters is gone already, I’m the last one here.”
I blanch back, my mouth opening and closing with nothing coming out. Gone? How is he gone? I texted him and told him I would wait for him after the game. I pull my phone from my bag and groan when I see I have no service, and sure enough my message never went through. I curse internally, groaning at the fact that I passed up a ride with Hallie and the others to wait, and now I am stranded alone. Well, not alone, but I doubt Nova is going to feel gentlemanly for a second time this month.
“Okay, okay, thanks.” I turn without waiting for a response, before I halt and turn back to him. “Are you okay?” I don’t know why I ask him that, he just seems more tense than usual, and I wonder if he has anyone to talk to about it.
“Why wouldn’t I be okay?” His frame towers over me as he bounces my question back to me, and I can’t help but fidget under his stare.
I shrug. “I don’t know, it was a rough game.” I can still see the trace of blood on his lips from where he took a hit in the fight earlier.
He moves towards me and I can’t help but take a step back as he begins to tower over me. “Why the fuck are you talking to me?”
“Excuse me?” Confusion laces my tone as he pushes me against the wall, forcing my head to fall back so I can look up at him, and making my bag drop to the floor. His presence is toxic as he leers down at me.
“You heard me,” he spits. “You know I can’t stand you or your fucking family, so go and throw yourself at someone else.” I almost scoff. The audacity of this asshole.
He moves to take a step back, but before he can create any distance between us a rage bubbles up inside of me, and I snap, pushing him back with as much force as I can manage. “Throw myself at you? I ask if you are okay and you think I am throwing myself at you?” I shake my head in disbelief. “God, are you that fucking starved of non-sexual attention that you can’t remember what it looks like anymore?” I lean down and grab my bag off the floor, before searing him with one final look. “Seriously, Nova, get the fuck over yourself.”
I storm from the building before he can even attempt to respond or catch up with me, and it’s that quiet anger that pushes me into a power walk half way across campus, until I reach that prick’s house and head inside in search of Hallie.
When she sees me her eyes light up as she squeals, “Here she is!” I can tell she has already had a couple of drinks, but she immediately grabs a shot glass and a bottle of tequila and starts pouring one for me. What an angel.
Archer and Alex cheer her on as she holds out the shot for me, but when I reach her, I ignore it completely, snatching the bottle from her hand instead. I toss my head back and pour the liquid straight down my throat, relishing in the burn as it slides down, until I have cleared at least three gulps. That should make me feel better.
“Fuck, Wendy, are you alright?” I hear concern in Hallie’s tone, but instead of saying I was abandoned by my brother and verbally assaulted by his douche of a teammate, I just smile.
“I am now.” I hold the bottle up in silent cheers, and knock back another gulp until I can feel the warmth start to spread throughout my body.
My eyes flick across the room as Nova enters the house, ignoring everyone and walking straight upstairs, and at the same time I spy Brad flirting with a girl in the corner. I scoff a laugh, taking another drink, and smile up at Alexander Reign as he pulls me into their group and starts telling some story about a threesome he had. Booze and boys, I can’t think of a better combination to cheer me up.
Fuck my family, fuck Brad, and fuck Nova Darkmore.
I spend the next couple of hours drinking, dancing, and having fun. I make a point of ignoring Brad and his hoard of girls, and Josh never bothers to show up to the party at all, so for once I feel free. We are all on the back deck and I watch in amusement from my spot leaning against the rail, as Archer tries and fails to make Hallie good at beer pong. Watching them in my drunken haze I think I finally get it, the friendship between them. He looks at her in a protective way, not a possessive way, like he has taken her under his wing. It’s nice.
We’ve spent the night all getting to know each other better, and I feel bitter for Josh always warning me away from this scene. Why does he get to have this and I don’t? Don’t I deserve to have fun too? As that question enters my mind, I spy Brad dragging a girl from the house into the garden.
I scoff drunkenly, as I yell his own words back at him. “Remember the deal, darling,” I drawl sarcastically. He looks over his shoulder, and I see an evil tint in his eye as he drags the girl towards him and sticks his tongue down her throat.
I almost gag at the sight, but it’s his cocky smirk that pushes me over the edge. He thinks he is the only one who can play around with this stupid arrangement and get away with it. He’s so much like my father that it makes me sick, and when I turn and spy Alexander Reign heading inside, an idea forms in my head.
Oh Brad Darling, two can play that game, and I always play to win, and it’s time to bag myself a teammate.
