Page 9

JORDAN

D espite the rink being cold, every time I thought about Preston my skin heated.

The way he’d commanded me and sucked my fingers…

straight out of my deepest fantasies. Clearing my throat, I took a swig of water and forced myself to be present in the game.

It was in between periods two and three, and the Wolves were down by two.

“Okay, spill it. You’re being weird for you, and I can’t stand it.”

I faced Logan, my skin tightening with memories again . “Uh, so like, remember how you said Preston and I had chemistry?”

“Oh my god, no way!” Logan hit my arm. Her eyes bugged out of her head, and her voice rose three octaves. “You did it! You’re finally together. I knew it. Quentin and I called it!”

“Whoa, whoa.” I held up my hands, urging her to calm the hell down. Together? No, no, no. “We’re not a couple. That’s… not it.”

“Okay, then explain it to me because I am mere mortal who doesn’t understand your mind most of the time.”

I brough her up to speed on everything: the pool, the conversation, helping him sleep, and this morning. Logan gasped and clapped a few times, but the smile disappeared, and a frown replaced it. My stomach twisted, her expression worrying me. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“You won’t date him though?” she asked, all of a sudden quieter.

“Correct. I told you I don’t want to get married or date for real. I want to have fun, and Preston has some kink in him. I saw it for a second and want to see more.”

She chewed her lip and scrunched her face for a beat before sighing. “I love you and him and you together, but how can you sleep with him and not get feelings?”

Waving a hand in the air, I brushed her comment away. “I’ve always been built that way. Sex isn’t some moving activity for me. It’s nature. You remember Julian, yeah? He and I were friends for years, and we hooked up twice a month for fun. Never affected a thing between us.”

“Huh.” Logan nudged me, her voice becoming more animated. “That’s so fascinating. I’m not built that way so it’s hard to even comprehend. I couldn’t imagine doing that and being all casual and chill.”

“Not everyone can, and that’s okay.” I knew I was different, but I never was embarrassed. I could separate physical attraction from feelings. Physical attraction was just that. It was also easier when you didn’t believe in love.

Logan clicked her tongue. “I’m not judging at all. I would never. But make sure Preston is okay with this. I’m not sure he’d be able to separate feelings from fun.”

“Nah, he totally could.” I laughed, thinking about the look in his eyes.

He was heated, but there was no love or feelings present.

Just animalistic lust. “I’m so not his type, and once my internship starts, I’ll be so busy I won’t be at the house.

Instead of me dating a bunch of shitty guys to get the urge out of my system, I’ll be with Preston.

He’s an athlete. He’s fit. I trust him. Win all around. ”

“I feel like I’d lose points in the best friend scorecard if I didn’t warn you I think this might be a bad idea.

” Logan paused and took a breath, meeting my gaze with a sympathetic look on her face.

“I will always support you, and if you truly believe this will work out, then go for it. But I think you do have feelings for Preston deep down. I think you avoid them for obvious reasons, but I’m worried this will do damage to both of you. ”

I brushed her concern aside. I knew myself. This would be amazing for both of us. But Logan meant well, and I loved how she looked out for me. “Thank you for caring so much about me.”

“I always will, and you know I’ll gladly admit I was wrong if this turns out to be the affair of the century. Just make sure Preston is on board.”

“Yeah, we’re gonna talk after the game. He seemed super into it, but I want to make sure he’s signing up for this with all the facts.

” God, I hoped he said yes. I was already thinking about the next time we’d be together.

My stomach swooped—something that rarely happened.

I stopped the thought though. This was hockey time.

Slugging my arm around Logan’s shoulder, I lowered my head.

“I have a theory the guys play better horny. What do you think?”

The rest of the game flew by, and while Preston had one of the best games of the season, the Wolves still lost by a final ten second shot.

I was so proud of Preston and Quentin for how they played.

They led the team with Liam, the three of them each showcasing different leadership styles, but that was the sport.

It sometimes came down to one shot in a few seconds .

A pang formed in my chest just thinking about the guys and their reactions. They’d be devastated. Coming in second place was the fucking worst. Third at least meant you won as the final battle, but second was the consolation prize.

“Shit.” Logan crossed her arms, a grim expression on her face. She shook her head and sighed, the heavy weight of supporting a player evident in the way she stood. “This is gonna be a tough one to get over.”

“Bullshit. The last shot like that…” I winced, already imagining Preston’s mood.

He’d carry the loss for a while. They all would.

They should be proud of making it to the championship, but that pride wouldn’t come for a while.

Not when they were in the grief stage of competing. “Poor Brady. Being a goalie is tough.”

“Oof, yeah, he’s gonna be in his head for a minute.” Logan frowned and plopped back down in our chairs. “Damn. I didn’t plan for this. I assumed we’d party and hang out, go to a bar or something.”

“We could distract them and try?”

“Quentin won’t do it.” Logan rubbed her temples. “It’s selfish to think about our guys. They played the best they could, which should help with the post-college options, but it doesn’t help the team or the tournament.”

Our guys.

In a way, the Central State hockey team was the campus’s guys.

Everyone rooted for them, but her use of our hit me.

Preston was my guy, through and through.

He held my hair when I threw up, hugged me when I’d cried after my mom canceled a visit yet again, and saved me from the shitty bar because he knew it was rough.

I had to protect him and our friendship at all costs.

A flicker of what if this was a bad idea entered the chat, each scenario worsening.

What if we hooked up and he hated me after? What if he stopped being my friend? What if he developed feelings for me, and I couldn’t return them, then he left me forever?

No. I swallowed, forcing myself to knock it off. This was about the team. I needed to support Preston regardless of what he wanted.

“We do what the guys want.” I shrugged. If Preston needed another night in the pool or to get naked in the hotel room, I’d do whatever he needed to help him get over the loss. Literally anything. “Oh, the ceremony is starting.”

It was a special type of pain to sit through an awards ceremony for getting second. They announced the third-place team first—some team from Ohio. Cheers filled the rink as they handed out the medals.

Wolves were next. “Please welcome our runner-up team, the Central State Wolves!”

Howls rang out as the guys skated up as a group to the announcer.

They posed for a photo, each member receiving a medal.

There was a decent student section who’d traveled all the way up here.

The fans were loyal as hell, and it had to feel good to hear them and see the blue and orange in the stands.

Most of the crowd came for the champions, and when the Wolves skated off the ice, it was our time to head up.

“Come on, let’s go to the friends and family section.”

Logan and I weaved our way to the special gate, just for friends and family.

Our arms looped together as we avoided the opposing team’s fans.

They were rowdy and proud. Our boys would’ve been too, but there was always a winner and a loser in every game.

It was part of life. Survival of the fittest and all that shit.

That was what my dear mother taught me the most.

“Wait, are those Preston’s parents?” Logan nudged my side and pointed toward one of the columns. We’d met his parents a few times the last couple of years since we became so close, but after his bombshell of their divorce, this seemed weird. No idea how to approach them.

They stood close but distant. Their faces were pinched tight, and his mom’s cheeks were red. Both crossed their arms, both looking miserable. “Shit, he doesn’t need this right now.”

“I mean, some people like being down with their parents. I would. If I lost, I’d probably cry and ask for a hug.”

“Yeah, but your family is one of a kind. Act like you don’t know, but his parents are going through a divorce. He’s only known a few weeks and just told me,” I whispered. “It’s really bothering him.”

She sucked in a breath. “That totally sucks. I would be a full mess if mine were.”

“Yours never would. They are soul mates.” A world without her parents together didn’t make sense, and it wasn’t a world I wanted to live in. Plain and simple. They were the truest example of a happy marriage, and if that fell apart, all hope would be lost.

We found an empty area, out of sight from his parents, and waited.

If I didn’t know the truth, I’d probably go up and say hi to them, but I didn’t know the game plan.

If Preston wanted to avoid them, then he wouldn’t want me talking to them.

I’d follow his lead. I had to ask more probing questions to get to the bottom of his stress though.

Logan rubbed her hands over her arms, a thoughtful, concerned look on her face. “Hey, if the divorce thing is for real… you need to be super careful with him, okay? He’s gonna be vulnerable and upset. He might be a himbo most of the time, but he feels a lot. That’s why him and I bond so much.”

“I’d never hurt him, Log,” I said, a little firmer. I didn’t like how she’d warned me about hurting him twice now. Did she think I would? My worry from earlier snuck in, but I knew myself. I’d never upset him. “You know I’m a caretaker,” I added, my tone more defensive.

“Hey, hey,” she said, pulling my hand. “You would never hurt anyone intentionally, ever. Your heart is massive, but I’m saying how you view feelings is different than how Preston does, and with the divorce, he’s probably all over the place. You’re an easy person to get attached to, Dan.”

“Psh.” I waved her comment away. If that was true, then my dad would’ve stuck around and my mom would’ve tried more. My grandparents would’ve been in my life. Logan and Preston were the only two people who hadn’t disappointed me. “I won’t let that happen, okay? Trust me.”

“Oh, here they come.” She stood on her tiptoes, her gaze searching for Quentin.

Her boyfriend was having the season of a lifetime, which he needed to have a shot at the NHL.

He’d missed the draft the year earlier and played like his future was on the line.

He once worried that having any distractions, aka my best friend, would cause him to not play great, and I begged to differ.

He’d been incredible since they got together.

Preston didn’t have to play for his future. I was sure of it. Right? I scratched my chest, an uncomfortable truth wedging itself behind my ribcage. I actually didn’t know what Preston’s plan was. He was majoring in…business? Fuck. I was a shit friend, and that was unacceptable on so many levels.

I vowed to ask him a thousand questions immediately. God, I talked about my classes all the time. I was annoying. Usually when we hung out, we chatted about Logan’s librarian drama, my classes, or we played video games and shit talked. We didn’t talk on deep levels, and that was on me.

My heart beat twice as hard as I scanned the slumped shoulders leaving the locker room.

Brady’s head hung, his gait slow as he walked past everyone and outside.

I imagined he’d blame himself for the loss.

There were quite a few families present since this tournament was such a huge deal, and they all would probably get a late dinner, or drinks, and talk about the good stuff.

What an opportunity to play in this. You played your heart out.

I could be that person, but I had no idea what Preston was gonna do with his parents. He walked out, his jaw tight and his eyes downcast. He displayed his mood when he walked, quite like Logan, where his emotions radiated off him. Typically, they were upbeat, but today it was clear.

He was upset.

I had to find him before his parents did. I pushed off the column and sprinted toward him. “Preston, hey, hey. ”

His gaze snapped to me, his strong brows coming together in confusion. He either wasn’t expecting to see me, or my tone put him on edge. He scanned me up and down, his mouth parting. “What’s wrong? Are you hurt?”

“No, I’m fine. Your parents… they’re here.”