Page 39
Story: Faking It with the Forward
As much asI’d hoped the post-game gathering at the Manor wouldn’t be too big, my teammates had other ideas. First, Pete showed up with a keg. Then Axel invited every puck bunny in his contact list and half the rowing team, which meant Zeta Sig also showed up and they’re notorious for taking everything up another level. Reid plugged in his playlist and by eleven, we have a full-scale, bass-thumping rager going on.
“We have to stop letting Axel invite people to these things,” I say to Jeff as I stub out a lit cigarette someone left on the porch. “He has zero discretion.”
He shrugs, eyeing a new group of girls coming up the path. “I know you hate the frat boys, but they always bring a nice selection of sorority girls with them.”
“Sure, if they don’t burn the house down first.” Eyeing that little Zeta prick Miller Hansen take a drag from a joint and shotgun it into his girls’ open mouth. “Or get us busted for possession.”
“Dude,” he says, “you’ve got to chill out. When did you get so uptight?” Probably when I decided to get into this relationship with Twyler which includes no sex. “Where’s your girl? Is she coming?”
“Not sure. She had some stuff to do.”
“Hopefully she gets here soon so she can help you relax.” He winks and heads back into the party.
“Congratulations, Captain. Two goals, very impressive.” Ginna steps onto the porch and presses a cup in my hand. I sniff it and then take a sip. Jack and Coke.
“Thanks,” I say, sitting in one of the rocking chairs. “It was definitely what we needed to kick off the season.”
She comes closer, perching on the arm of the rocker, her short skirt riding up and showing a wide swath of her upper thigh. “You alone tonight?” she asks, hand landing on my shoulder.
“Alone? Yes.” I take another sip of my drink and cut my eyes to her. “Available? No.”
She frowns. “So you’re really dating this girl? The meek little trainer I saw you with at the bar?”
I don’t like the description, but I don’t owe Ginna any explanations. “Twyler and I are together, yeah.”
“Then why isn’t she here?” Her hand runs down my arm, fingers squeezing my bicep. “Because part of the perk of having a big win is having a hot girl ride your dick.”
She’s not wrong, and that’s exactly what the majority of my teammates will be doing before the night is over, but it’s none of Ginna’s fucking business. I’d hoped Twyler would come, but it was obvious she was both tired and eager to get home to find out if Nadia got her concert tickets. I open my mouth to tell Ginna to cool it when I see a familiar head of dark hair step off the sidewalk and stride purposefully toward the house. I stand, ignoring the way Ginna’s hand tugs me back, walking down the steps to meet Twyler.
“Hey,” I say, unable to contain my smile. “You came.”
“And you’re a dick,” she snaps, stopping me in my tracks. I get a better look at her face. Her eyes are ice cold and filled with rage, but more than that, I see the red rim underneath and the pink in her nose.
“You’re crying.” My stomach clenches.Shit. “Why are you crying?”
“Because you suck. You and Nadia and Ethan. You all fucking suck.”
Ethan? The ex? What the hell?
On the porch I hear a snort and look to see Ginna and a few other puck bunnies watching us. I shoot them a dirty look and realize I need to take this somewhere quieter.
“Hold on,” I say, resting a hand on her lower back and leading Twyler around the front of the house. There’s a side door that leads to a small, enclosed porch that we never use. I open the door and usher her inside the dimly lit space. Once we’re alone, I say, “It’s completely possible that I’m a dick, but do you think you could give me a few more details?”
“Nadia didn’t get my tickets because she was fucking Brent Reynolds.” Her arms are folded over her stomach. “Sound familiar?”
It does sound familiar. I’d made that joke earlier in the day, but it’d been just that. A joke. “That’s… fucking uncanny. I didn’t know. I swear. I was just fooling around because I know Nadia has a history of jersey chasing and what bigger jersey is there to chase than the quarterback of the football team?” I give her a cocky grin. “Well, other than mine.”
She glares at me, but I see the quiver in her lip. She wants to laugh. At me maybe, but that’s better than the murderous look she was giving me when she got here.
“Hey,” I say, stepping closer and resting my hand on her shoulder. I resist the urge to pull her closer, but I do hold her eye. “I promise that was a bizarre coincidence. I didn’t know anything.”
“I believe you.” She sighs and then shocks the hell out of me by leaning into me and pressing her cheek against my chest. Slowly, I wrap my arms around her shoulders, drawing her into a hug. I rub her back and the feel of her body sinking into mine is unreal.
“It sucks that Nadia flaked—and for Reynolds too. What a douchebag.”
She laughs, the vibration bouncing off my chest.
“Heisa douche, right?” she asks, wiping her nose. “Ugh, that’s twice today I’ve left fluids on your body. First my drool. Now my tears and snot.” She frowns. “I’m sorry I barged into your party and accused you of being a dick. It’s been a shitty day.”
Table of Contents
- Page 1
- Page 2
- Page 3
- Page 4
- Page 5
- Page 6
- Page 7
- Page 8
- Page 9
- Page 10
- Page 11
- Page 12
- Page 13
- Page 14
- Page 15
- Page 16
- Page 17
- Page 18
- Page 19
- Page 20
- Page 21
- Page 22
- Page 23
- Page 24
- Page 25
- Page 26
- Page 27
- Page 28
- Page 29
- Page 30
- Page 31
- Page 32
- Page 33
- Page 34
- Page 35
- Page 36
- Page 37
- Page 38
- Page 39
- Page 40
- Page 41
- Page 42
- Page 43
- Page 44
- Page 45
- Page 46
- Page 47
- Page 48
- Page 49
- Page 50
- Page 51
- Page 52
- Page 53
- Page 54
- Page 55
- Page 56
- Page 57
- Page 58
- Page 59
- Page 60
- Page 61
- Page 62
- Page 63
- Page 64
- Page 65
- Page 66
- Page 67
- Page 68
- Page 69
- Page 70
- Page 71
- Page 72
- Page 73
- Page 74
- Page 75
- Page 76
- Page 77
- Page 78
- Page 79
- Page 80
- Page 81
- Page 82
- Page 83
- Page 84
- Page 85
- Page 86
- Page 87
- Page 88
- Page 89
- Page 90
- Page 91
- Page 92
- Page 93
- Page 94
- Page 95
- Page 96
- Page 97
- Page 98
- Page 99
- Page 100
- Page 101
- Page 102
- Page 103
- Page 104
- Page 105
- Page 106
- Page 107
- Page 108
- Page 109
- Page 110
- Page 111
- Page 112