Page 19

Chapter 19

Thirst Trap

Bex

I ’m parched.

This is the first thing I think when I wake up in the middle of the night. It would take me a second to figure out the unfamiliar surroundings if it weren’t for Jamie’s strong arms around me.

I’m warm and comfortable, but I’m too thirsty to go back to sleep. I untangle myself from Jamie, careful not to wake him up.

My fingers find his jersey on the floor, and I quickly put it on, tiptoeing out of the room as quietly as I can.

The living room is dark and empty. It must be still night time as obscurity is the only thing in sight through the gauzy curtains of the full length patio door.

I debate if I should turn the light on, but my eyes are getting used to the dark, so I decide against it.

There should be no way that the light in the kitchen could seep under one of the bedroom doors, but I don’t want to take any chances. Despite the fact that Connor was polite at dinner, I’m still well aware that he and Keene were against letting me move in. I’m not homeless and I need to thank my brother and the puck bunnies who kept posting about sleeping with Jamie and the other hockey players.

If the Dean hadn’t been worried about how getting a party school reputation could hurt this school’s ranking, I don’t know what I would have done.

I don’t have a problem finding a glass in one of the kitchen cabinets even in the dark. It’s crazy how quickly I got used to this place.

As I get water from the dispenser in the fridge’s door, I think about the last couple of days. The encounter with Connor earlier could have been worse, but it’s not him I’m worried about. Since I agreed to the fake relationship with Jamie, I haven’t seen Keene.

Luke warned me that the Cove Knights’ newest defenseman was absolutely furious when he heard the news.

The water is cold and refreshing, and I drink greedily, refilling the glass to take it back to the bedroom.

A flash of light floods the kitchen for a few seconds as I wait for the glass to fill.

The small hairs on the back of my neck stand at attention and I turn to look outside through the kitchen patio door.

Darkness is the only thing visible, and I tell myself that I’m being stupid.

I guess this place isn’t that familiar after all, if I’m getting so jumpy, standing here in the dark for the few minutes it took to get myself some water.

The eco-lights outside come on again for a few seconds. They’re motion activated, so there must be something outside that’s triggering the mechanism.

“That fucking cat.” I mutter, thinking it could be Poonani taking a stroll in the middle of the night. After all, cats are supposed to be crepuscular creatures.

The lights come on again, still going off after a few seconds, and these flashes of light and darkness must be messing with my vision.

It’s the only possible explanation for what I see in the glass pane of the door. Why would a man stand outside in the dark trying to look inside the kitchen?

My glass is finally full, so I turn on my heels, relieved to get back to the safety of Jamie’s bed.

However, I can’t help but look over my shoulder again, and then I see it.

It’s just a split second, so I can’t be sure my imagination isn’t fucking with me. But is that a man in a hockey mask?

A shudder works its way down my spine, my fight or flight instinct kicking into high gear.

Now, if there was a masked stranger lurking in the night outside the kitchen, the smart thing to do would be to run for my fucking life.

I live with three burly hockey players. Fighting is a way of life for them, on and often off the ice. Intruders should be the least of their worries. If I were smart, I’d run back into Jamie’s bed. He’s already proved to me that he can protect me if needed.

Instead, my bare feet carry me toward the door. I press my face against the glass, squinting as if that could somehow dispel the inky darkness outside.

If there was anyone outside, they’re either gone or they’re not moving a muscle.

Chances are that there’s no one out there and my overactive imagination is messing with me. And yet, all my senses are on high alert. I don’t know that there’s someone out there, I feel it.

I’m not alone, and my imagination wouldn’t have been enough to turn on the motion sensors outside and trigger the light on the deck. Right?

Against my better judgment, the hand that isn’t holding the glass of water slides the patio door open.

The lights don’t come on until I take a step over the threshold and onto the wooden boards of the deck.

Adjusted to the darkness, my vision fails me and when the light comes on, I’m virtually blind for a few seconds.

Then all hell breaks loose.

“ Meow !”

I jump just in time to dodge the black feline that launches itself at me, claws out.

My scream tears into the silent night as I brace myself for the sharp prick of the cat’s claw, but the pain never comes.

“What the fuck are you doing outside in the middle of the night?” the most irritating voice on Earth asks.

Keene

The patio door I came out from a few minutes ago slides open.

Poonani attacks the second the light on the deck comes on.

My reaction, honed by years of playing hockey, is faster than my little feline hellion and I grab Poonani before she can get to her pray.

“ Meow !” she cries out, struggling against my hold to hurl herself at Bex and finish the job.

Luke’s sister gasps, her eyes as wide as saucers. She’s quite the sight standing on the threshold in just a hockey jersey. I hate the way my eyes skim over the creamy skin of her toned, shapely legs.

It isn’t lost on me that she’s wearing the number six, Jamie’s number.

“What the fuck are you doing outside in the middle of the night?” I bark out, my tone way harsher than I intended.

Her plump bottom lip trembles, but it’s just for a moment. “I was in the kitchen, getting myself a glass of water,” she bites out. “And I thought I saw an intruder out on the deck.”

This woman will be the fucking death of me. My temper flares. Rather than reassuring her that I didn’t see anyone out here, I go on the offensive. “Really? An intruder? And how did you think of confronting him? Were you going to drown him in your glass of water?”

That was obviously the wrong thing to say.

“Asshole! You scared the shit out of me!” Bex’s arm rears back and its contents hit my chest and face.

“Why did you do that?” I gasp.

She’s crazy. But that shouldn’t surprise me. She’s a woman, after all.

“That’ll teach you to lurk outside at night in a hockey mask like an extra in a low budget horror movie.”

Yup. She’s definitely out of her fucking mind. “I don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about.” I set the record straight.

“Did Luke tell you I liked the kiss at the party and you decided to mess with me? That’s low, even for an asshole like you.”

I shake my head, confused by everything she’s saying. “Jamie must have fucked whatever little sense you had out of you. You aren’t making any sense. You and your new boyfriend were so fucking loud that I couldn’t sleep and I went out for a walk. Poonani must have snuck out behind me and I just found her on the deck trying to attack something.”

She raises her voice. “Yes! She was trying to attack me.”

I don’t think she was. When I saw her, Poonani was looking in the opposite direction. She was pointing toward the thicket of trees that mark the end of campus on this side.

But I don’t say that to Bex. “Maybe you shouldn’t wander around the house at night practically naked. Poonani was just protecting her territory from something unusual.”

“I’m not naked!” she snaps, her voice going higher by a few octaves.

I’m about to tell her that I bet every fucking cent in my bank account that she isn’t wearing anything under Jamie’s jersey, but someone intervenes.

“Are you two trying to wake up the entire campus?” Connor appears from behind me in a pair of Cove Knights athletic shorts.

His t-shirt is tucked in his back pocket and his chest is glistening with sweat. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think my roommate was getting ready to shoot a thirst trap video.

“Connor,” Bex gives him a once over. “What were you doing outside at this time?”

I can practically see her counting the abs on Connor’s six pack. That shouldn’t bother me, but it fucking does.

“I couldn’t sleep,” Connor offers. “So I went out for a run.”

“Oh.” Her eyes travel back up to Connor’s face. “I couldn’t sleep either. There must be something in the air tonight.”

Connor rubs the back of his neck, his tone apologetic. “Actually, it was you.”

Bex brings a dainty hand to her chest, surprised. “Come again?”

“Jamie’s room is between mine and Keene’s. The walls are pretty thin in here.”

She doesn’t blush, she goes a deep crimson. Her eyes now staring at her painted toenails as she babbles her apology.

“Ha.” I chuckle, feeling vindicated. “See? I told you. Next time you want some dick, maybe choke on it, rather than keeping the rest of the house awake.”

I know it’s rude, but I’m still reeling from the fact that she’s living with us after I was clear about my feelings about having her as a roommate.

“Who wants some dick?” Jamie comes to stand behind his girlfriend. “You ok, baby?”

She turns to look at him, letting him pull her against his side. “I’m fine. Keene was just offering me some advice on how to take your dick.”

My teammate looks confused. “He was?”

Bex nods. “Yeah. Apparently he’s the expert on choking on dick and he was giving me some pointers.”

I open my mouth to say something, but I’m too shocked to find an appropriate barb to throw back at her. All I can come up with is an incoherent. “I didn’t mean that. I?—”

Connor intervenes to save me from this embarrassing pickle. No pun intended. “I think we should all go back to sleep.” He slaps my back, entering the house when Jamie and Bex move to allow him in. “We have our first early morning skate in just a few hours. I don’t know about you guys, but I don’t want to find out what kind of punishment Coach will invent this year if we’re late to practice.”

I listen to the voice of reason, carrying Poonani—who’s now asleep in my arms—into the house.

“Dick.” Bex mutters under her breath.

For once, I don’t have anything to say in return. She’s right. I was a dick to her. And it isn’t even because I’m still pissed about the way her brother got her to move in.

It’s because I’m fucking jealous.

I’m over my ex and I don’t want a relationship. This year I should complete the credits I need to finish my degree. I should use the opportunity Coach offered me to play with the Cove Knights, get noticed by an NHL team and hopefully get signed as an unrestricted free agent.

My plan is to get my life back on track, follow my dreams, and avoid any distractions. I don’t have time for women. Especially not for ones who are related to one of my teammates and dating another.