Page 8 of Ice Me Out (The Six Six Six Rule #1)

Chapter 8

Unwanted

Connor

I ’ve never been much of a party guy.

When I had a girlfriend, I preferred to take her on a date; or stay in and watch a movie and chill together.

Then Fiona broke my heart, and Jamie convinced me that rebound was the only way to get over my ex. Hence, I unexpectedly became a party animal. The fact that I joined Gamma Delta Tau freshman year—like most of the hockey team—and that Fiona is a Zeta was just the icing on this particular fucked up cake. Rebounding became my way to show Fiona that I was over her and I made a point of parading my conquests in front of her as much as possible.

Jamie argued that hooking up with willing Zeta sisters and puck bunnies was pointless if I did it so that Fiona could see me.

You can’t get over someone if every time you fuck another woman, all you can think about is, did she see me taking her upstairs?

Did she look upset seeing me with someone else?

I suck at rebounds. Proof is that I didn’t even try to talk to a girl on or off campus the entire summer break. What was the point if Fiona can’t see me? So the summer was as dry a spell as the Sahara desert.

Tonight I might break that spell because I know she’s going to be at the Gamma party.

Bingo. I spot Fiona’s red hair the second I set foot in the frat house. I wait for the familiar quickening of my pulse, instead a painful lump expands in my throat and I stand there frozen in shock.

She brought her TA boyfriend to the party. She’s dangling from his arm, laughing with her sorority president and a group of her sisters.

That used to be me six months ago.

“Is that the infamous Fiona?” Keene asks, his voice high enough that it can be heard over the party noise, but low enough that I’m the only recipient of his question.

“That obvious?” I snort, attempting to sound self-deprecating but hitting a pathetic note dead on.

Keene can come across quite gruffly in confirmation that you can take a guy out of the army but not the other way around. This time, however, he’s not as blunt as I’ve become used to since he joined our team and moved into our condo when summer training started. “Not that obvious, but I’m very good at getting a hang of surroundings, and your eyes stayed on her for a beat longer than anyone else.”

Well, fuck. “Yeah, that’s her and her new man.”

He clasps my shoulder. “Her loss, dude. Guy looks old, even older than me.”

Keene was in the army for five years, so that makes him twenty-three, two years older than all of us seniors.

“Yeah, I think the guy’s doing his master or some post graduate shit, whatever. I think he’s twenty-eight or something like that.”

His eyes stay on Fiona and her group for a beat longer. “That’s not gonna last,” there’s certainty in his tone. “That guy will want to settle down at some point. Your ex is clearly not over her party phase. They want different things, and when that will become glaringly obvious, she’ll crawl back, begging you for a second chance.”

Hmm. “I’ve spent every waking minute since she broke up with me, obsessing over how to get her back. It never occurred to me that it might be that easy.” I admit.

Keene’s eyes bore into me as if he were trying to read my mind. “Right. And when she begs you to take her back,” he asks. “What are you going to say?”

I open my mouth to give him the answer that would have been obvious a month ago, but I hesitate. “Fuck. I don’t know. I thought I wanted her back, but now I’m not so sure.”

He nods. “Because you saw a side of her that you didn’t know existed. You trusted her, but not only did she walk away from you, she cheated. If she had broken things off with you to play the field, so to speak, giving her a second chance would purely depend on your feelings for her. But she cheated. Which means she was fucking someone else behind your back for a while. And even before that, she was looking for something outside of your relationship. All the while, you trusted her.”

I look at my teammate. Keene doesn’t speak a lot, but when he does, he usually nails it, dammit. “So if I take her back, who’s saying that she isn’t going to cheat again?”

“Winner, winner, chicken dinner.” His expression remains stony. “I usually hate platitudes. But once a cheater, always a cheater has some fucking merit to it. Would you ever be able to trust her again? If she had a dance practice that ran longer, if she was out of town with her sisters, or away with them on spring break. But even further than that. You’re going pro. That means a lot of time on the road, sometimes for days on end when you have a string of away games. Is your head going to be in the game, or are you going to think about what she’s doing while you’re away?”

Motherfucker.

I hate to admit it, but he’s right. “You’ve given that some thought.” I say it with a hint of sarcasm, but Keene’s stony expression doesn’t budge.

“I’ve had nothing but time to think about it.” He offers.

We make our way to the kitchen and as I grab two beers from a cooler on the floor, passing one to him, I debate whether I should ask him what the fuck happened to him. All we were told by Coach when Keene joined the team was that he left the military and was in the process of getting a divorce. The rumor going around the locker room was that his wife cheated on him. When Keene showed up with his cat in tow, it was more than clear that he wasn’t up to talking about his recent past.

But since he’s showing interest in my personal life and he’s been so insightful about my situation, I dare ask the question on the tip of my tongue.

“It sounds like you’re speaking from experience?”

His jaw ticks, his eyes narrowing into two furious slits, and for a second, I think he’s about to punch me in the face.

To my surprise, he twists the cap off his bottle and takes a long pull from his beer. “I don’t like talking about it. But I think you aren’t asking because you’re gonna gossip about me. You’ve been there, so this is us bonding over how women are the devil and they’re good for one thing only, right?”

The corner of his lips is twitching in the hint of a smile, so I think he’s trying to make a joke.

“Something like that.” I offer, just in case I’m wrong and he does punch me in the face.

“Good.” His shoulders relax just a fraction. “Unfortunately, I’m as straight as an arrow, or I would take a page from Luke and Shane’s book. I hate to say it, but the only thing we can trust women to provide is a good time between their legs. If you want a loyal friend, or companionship, that’s what teammates are for. Or get yourself a cat, or a dog.”

Ok. I’m starting to think that all Keene is going to give me is that pearl of wisdom, but he sighs after taking another sip of his beer.

“It’s the oldest story in the book, really, bro. I got played like a fucking fiddle. Met my ex our senior year of high school. She was pregnant.”

I can’t help but interrupt him. “Dude. You knocked her up?”

He barks out a laugh, but there’s no trace of mirth in it. “That would have made some fucking sense, right? No, when I met Nicola, she had just found out that she was pregnant and her boyfriend had dumped her. At first we were just friends, but it turned into more. Her parents eventually kicked her out when she started to show and they realized that the father had walked away and that she was planning to keep the baby. I begged my parents to take her in and they helped at first, thinking I was the one who messed up. When they realized that the baby wasn’t mine, they gave me an ultimatum. I either broke things off with her, or I could move out with her.”

Damn. “So you got kicked out? And the baby wasn’t even yours?” I know it sounds like I’m judging him, because I am.

“I know it sounds stupid, but I was in love with her. The fact that I wasn’t the biological father of her baby meant absolutely nothing to me. Kids belong to who raises them. Biology has very little to do with parenthood, even if the two things often mix together.”

I don’t disagree with that. I guess it’s not that different from adopting a child, but it still took a big pair to take on someone else’s child like that. At least at eighteen. “So, this is why you joined the military?”

Keene nods. “We had no other choice. My parents were fuming because I had been offered a full ride to Star Cove to play hockey. But babies are expensive, and giving birth without health insurance would have been impossible. The army took care of all of that.”

It makes sense. “So you deferred college. But you were a big deal in high school hockey, Keene. Even I had heard about you. How come you didn’t get drafted?”

He shrugs. “I did. But the team wasn’t interested in me joining their roster straight away. They wanted me to play at the college level for a few years first. Then there was no guarantee that I would be invited to step on NHL ice. For all I know, I could have been sent to a farm team. And I needed money a lot quicker than that. I missed hockey like hell, but the army was the best option.”

It makes sense. “Even with all your medical expenses paid, and the army taking care of your housing, money must have been tight, assuming you went in as a private.” I muse.

“Yeah,” he confirms. “The first year was tough. But then my company was deployed, and it all started as a joke, a silly way to pass the time between missions. One of my sergeants found out that I was my high school hockey star, and he started setting up these ‘hockey courses,’ where I had to score a goal by sending the puck through a number of different obstacles. Like mini golf, but with a puck. A lot of times, they even froze the tracks so the physics would be similar to puck behavior during a game. At first it was just for fun. Then people started betting on how many tries it would take me to complete the track, or how fast I would do it. Other companies started coming to watch, and it was just a matter of time before someone started filming me and posting on social media.”

My jaw hits the floor. “You’re puckyousoldier? Dude, you’re a fucking viral sensation.”

Keene chuckles, laughing fully for the first time since we got to the party. “Yeah, that would be me. I eventually started posting from my own accounts and I got monetized pretty quickly. Companies that manufacture hockey equipment started paying me to show their products in my stunts. Soon I could have lived just off of that money, but I had enlisted for five years, and there was no way out of the army until my contract had expired. It’s crazy how money can make your life a lot easier, but by itself it doesn’t give you happiness.” His tone turns pensive.

I don’t disagree with him. My parents do very well for themselves and I was lucky enough that I never had to struggle, even before I got offered a contract by a NHL team and a generous signing bonus.

“I was deployed twice in the four years I served.” He continues. “Once for nine months, the last time for a year. My ex-wife wasn’t happy. And while she stuck by me—or at least I think she did—during the first deployment, the second time, she didn’t get why I had to go. She hated being left to hold the fort, and for all the parenting being on her shoulders. Anyway, long story short, while I was gone things between us were tense. Halfway through the deployment, we were talking less and less often. When we did, we often ended up fighting. So when a soldier in my unit needed to postpone his scheduled R&R break, and he was told he would be able to do it as long as he swapped with someone else, I jumped at the chance to go home sooner than I was supposed to. I booked a vacation for the three of us and decided to surprise Nicola with it. I was gonna show up at home and whisk her away.”

I have a bad feeling about how Keene’s surprise must have gone.

Sadly, I’m right.

“I came home smack in the middle of the day. I was excited when I let myself into the house using my key. I didn’t see anyone in the living room or the kitchen, so I thought she must have been upstairs. I knew she was home because her car was parked outside. I was right, she was in bed.”

Fuck. “Not alone?” I ask when he doesn’t add anything.

“Yup. She was riding someone’s cock in my fucking bed. At first, I was so stunned that I didn’t even recognize him. He was a soldier from my company, one of the officers who had stayed behind as part of the Rear-D battalion.”

Jesus Christ. “What did you do?”

He stares at the countertop, as if the gray marble of the Gamma house kitchen could hold the answer to some existential question. “I stood there until they realized they weren’t alone. Eventually, she saw me. They both jumped out of bed. She was screaming and crying, he was trying to play the knight in shining armor, acting all protective of her, as if I would ever raise a finger against my wife. I ignored them both. I went to my daughter’s room and gave her a kiss, then left and went on that vacation we were supposed to go on together. When I went back down range, I got her served with divorce papers.”

Holy shit. I don’t know if I could have been that cold. I’m not proud of it, but when Fiona told me she had someone else, I cried.

“Wow, dude. I’m sorry, that sounds rough.”

Keene empties his beer, setting the bottle on the counter. “Want another one?” he grabs two more bottles from the cooler on the floor. “Having six more months of my deployment was good and bad at the same time. On one hand, being apart meant no fighting in person. On the other hand, I had a shit ton of time to think and to ask myself what had I done wrong. I thought we had a good relationship, a relatively happy family. She was my first love and I would have done anything to make her happy. In the end, I came to the only possible conclusion.”

He stops talking, so I have to ask. “What is the conclusion?”

“The only possible conclusion, really,” he snorts. “I was a fool in love with her, and she used me to get out of a difficult situation. I’ve seen it a lot in the military. Some women marry a soldier because of the steady paycheck. The fact that the second our divorce was final, she married the guy she was cheating with, is proof that I was right about her intentions. I should have listened to my parents, I guess.”

I feel bad for Keene. Now that I know the details of his past, I don’t blame him for keeping mostly to himself. “Sorry, that sounds horrible.”

He surprises me with his next words. “Nah, you live and you fucking learn. Every experience, even the shittiest one, has some value as long as you learn something from it. In this case is that love isn’t in the cards for me. Sex is fine, as long as everyone involved knows that it’s just a way to let off some steam and fulfill a need. I always make it abundantly clear that I’m not looking for anything. In the end, my only big regret is that my ex filed for sole custody of our daughter. I fought it in court, but the judge granted her petition based on the evidence she provided that I’m not the child’s biological father. I miss Lily and I hate that she probably won’t even remember me, since she was barely two-years-old the last time I saw her. But I guess there’s a silver lining in there too, that she isn’t going to miss me as much as I miss her. At least after my four years, I got back in touch with Coach Harrison, and he offered me a spot on the team. He even helped me transfer from the online college I was attending part time to Star Cove. And I’m using my G.I. bill, so I don’t even have to touch the social media money.”

I open my own beer, grabbing the discarded caps from the counter and tossing them in the trash can by the back door, throwing it over the kitchen table.

“Good aim.” Keene laughs.

“Thanks. I wish Luke’s sister could see me now. She was ribbing me last night at the fair because I couldn’t aim for shit. I guess tequila doesn’t help my precision.”

Luke’s chuckle comes from the doorway. “I don’t think tequila ever really helps anything, except maybe letting loose and making bad decisions.”

I can’t argue with that. “Hey, cap.” I smile. “Where’s your better half?”

He rolls his eyes. “Speaking about aim and precision, Shane has been challenged to a game of beer pong by Tucker.”

“Ha,” I chuckle. “How that ends depends on how early Tucker started drinking.”

Luke agrees. “True that. Hey guys, there’s something I wanted to talk to you about. Do you mind stepping outside for a second? Let’s find a quiet corner to talk.”

Jamie

My phone vibrates in the back pocket of my jeans, and I debate if I should ignore it.

I let my gaze descend to the blonde head that’s bobbing over my cock and sigh. Maybe I should finish this up before I check my messages. If only this bunny was a little better at giving head, we could speed things along.

Another sigh escapes my chest. I’m being unfair. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with her blowjob technique. I’m the problem. I’m distracted. My head has been elsewhere all day.

I close my eyes, pressing my eyelids tight together. That does nothing to banish the haunted look in Bex’s eyes last night. How she flinched at my attempt to comfort her after I took care of that asshole who dared groping her without her permission.

Bex was scared of me.

I’ve been obsessing about the fear in her eyes all day. I want to talk to her, ask her what that was about. Let her know that she has me all wrong. I’ll throw a punch or two if needed, on or off the ice, but I would never hurt someone smaller or weaker than me. I know it sounds like a contradiction, but I can’t stand injustice. Someone checking my teammates against the boards during a fair confrontation? No problem. But hit someone from behind, or go after them when they don’t even have the puck? I’m gonna take matters into my own hands.

It’s the same thing when I see someone use their size or strength to prevail. I see red. I’ve dealt with my fair share of bullies back in my day—I was the smallest in my class in middle school before I hit one hell of a growth spurt—so I could never hit someone who’s defenseless, especially a woman.

“Hmm.” The blonde on her knees in front of me moans around my cock.

Usually something like that would make me harder, push me closer to the edge. Not tonight.

I wonder if Luke brought Bex to the party, maybe I could find her and clear the air with her.

Just the thought of my team captain’s gorgeous sister does what the eager efforts of the bunny at my feet have failed to achieve for the best part of half an hour.

This is probably rude, thinking about someone other than the person who has my cock down her throat, but… Fuck.

The second I imagine it’s Bex’s mouth wrapped around my dick, her tongue massaging the underside of my shaft, her hair tangled in my fingers, my balls start tingling.

Heat collects at the base of my spine and I keep that image going in my head. Her beautiful green eyes, her soft, heart-shaped lips, her perfect tits.

A wave of searing hot pleasure travels down the length of my cock and shoots out of me. I shudder as I blow one spurt after the other, pressing the girl’s head against my crotch.

“Fuck.” I let her go with trembling hands, as my vision clears.

A string of saliva connects her mouth to my skin until she wipes it off with her forearm.

I’m vaguely aware of her turning around to spit in the sink as I check my phone.

I wonder what Luke wants, I think, as I tuck myself back into my jeans.

“Hey,” the girl’s voice pulls me out of my own head. She’s glaring at me. “Rude much? You just jizzed in my mouth. Could you at least say thank you before you look at your fucking phone?”

She isn’t entirely wrong, but something in her shrill voice, in the way her mascara is running, giving her look raccoon eyes, makes me laugh.

I know that was the wrong reaction when her eyes narrow into two furious slits. Somehow the effect is lost because that accentuates her raccoon look.

I cover my mouth with my hand, hoping to trap another peel of laughter.

“Sorry doll,” I try to soothe her, wiping under her eye with the pad of my thumb. “It was my captain. I have to go.”

Her mouth opens in a little shocked o, her chagrin replaced by doubt. “Jamie, are you going because you didn’t enjoy it? If this gets out, my reputation?—”

I shake my head. I’ll never understand puck bunnies. She isn’t worried about people knowing that she gave me a blowjob within minutes from meeting me for the first time. What she has a problem with is that people, and especially the rest of the team, might think that her blowjobs aren’t top notch.

“No, doll. I swear, it’s nothing like that.”

She doesn’t let me finish. “Is it because I didn’t swallow? I promise it’s nothing personal. But I only swallow with boyfriends.”

Interesting. It’s the first time I hear something like that.

“You don’t have a boyfriend, right?” I ask, suddenly a little put off by the thought.

I like to have fun. I’ve always embraced the puck bunnies as one of the greatest things about playing hockey in college, but I draw the line at girls with a boyfriend.

Some no strings attached fun with a single girl is hot, but I’m not a cheater. I would never lay a finger on another man’s woman, no matter how tempting.

“Oh, no. Nothing like that. I broke up with my ex when he tried out and didn’t make the team. I want to date a hockey player.”

Ok. I’m not judging her for having goals. Just not this particular hockey player.

I wrap my arm around her shoulders, walking toward the bathroom door. “Someone will be very lucky to date you, doll. But you remember what I told you when we got in here, right? Before you came all over my fingers and before you decided to return the favor. I’m not looking for a girlfriend. This can only be a one-time thing. You agreed to it before anything happened between us.”

She bites her bottom lip, batting her eyes at me. “Yeah, I remember. I was just hoping…”

Fuck no.

“I enjoyed getting to know you, but we had a deal. You wanted to take some selfies together and to have some fun. That was the offer you took.”

She steps away from me, crossing her arms over her chest. “Yeah, I know. But I heard so many things about you. I was hoping we’d get to at least spend the night together. Now you have to go and you don’t even remember my name. You keep calling me doll.”

I hesitate. She’s right. “Of course I remember your name,” my fingers close around the doorknob, as I try to remember our introduction earlier. “It’s Marissa. Such a pretty name for a pretty girl.”

Her arms tighten over her chest and her tits don’t move. She must have implants.

“It’s Carissa.” She scowls.

At least I was close. I know better than to say that, though. “That’s right.” I smile, crossing the threshold. “Carissa, sweetheart, I’m sorry. I really have to go see what my captain needs. It’s been a pleasure, though. See you around campus, ok?”

I keep my head down as I go down the stairs and cross the crowded living room. Several people call my name, trying to get my attention, but I ignore them.

“Hey.” I find Luke outside with Connor and Keene. “Did you want to see me?” I wonder what the matter is. It must be some roommate related issue if Luke asked us all to have a word with him.

I rack my brain to think if I did something that could have pissed off our captain and come up empty.

Not to toot my own horn, but I’m a great roommate. I’m not a slob. I respect other people’s property and I’m quiet. I never even bring hookups to our condo. Even Poonani hates me less than the others.

So, if someone fucked up, it must be either Connor or Keene.

“Thank you for being here,” Luke says, clasping my shoulder. “I hope I didn’t interrupt your party?”

I shake my head. “Nah, not at all. You actually helped me get rid of a potential clinger. I really don’t get some women. They agree that it’s a one and done deal and then they look offended when you say thank you and excuse yourself.”

“That’s typical,” Keene snorts. “Women are fickle creatures. They’re mentally unstable, incapable of keeping a promise. Whether it’s about not fucking someone else in your own bed, or where they want to have dinner, they change their minds more often than I change my fucking underwear. You’d be better off getting a cat.”

I chuckle at his eye roll.

If I thought Connor was jaded after he was cheated on, Keene brings his distrust of women to a completely different level.

“Anyhoo,” Luke keeps fidgeting with the label of his beer bottle, like he always does when he’s nervous. Before a game, that translates into obsessively taping his stick. “Thank you for interrupting your party to talk to me. There’s something I need to run by you guys.”

“Shoot.” Keene says. “Let’s make this quick. I was about to split.”

“So soon?” Luke frowns. “You literally just got here.”

Keene sighs. “Look cap, no disrespect but I made an appearance at this party because you and Coach Harrison keep going on about building team spirit. But this is the last long weekend before the season starts. With no classes on Monday, that means another party I have to show my face at tomorrow night. I’m reaching my limit real fast.”

Luke rips the label off his beer bottle, folding it into a cone shape. We’re probably testing his patience, but he keeps his cool.

I swear the man is a fucking saint. He puts up with all our antics and he does a damn good job trying to keep us in line without being a pain in everyone’s asses. Which is something, considering how strict Coach Harrison is, and how hard he rides Luke’s own butt if one of us fucks up.

“Ok, I’ll make this quick. You’ve all met my twin sister, Bex, right?”

Connor and I nod, Keene snarls. “We did.”

Luke ignores Keene’s less than enthusiastic reaction and continues. “I don’t know if you guys noticed that last night she showed up in her wedding dress. Well, long story short, she fled her wedding. Something went down with her fiancé and…” he grits his teeth, clenching his fists so hard that his knuckles turn white. “He hit her.”

“Fuck.” It’s my turn to clench my fists.

That could explain Bex’s reaction after that brawl outside Joe’s Shack.

“I’m not going to go into the specifics of her situation, but she left with literally the clothes on her back. She doesn’t have a penny and nowhere to go. I’m her only family. I was wondering if she could stay with us until I find her something more permanent.”

I don’t even have the chance to think about it.

“No.” Keene says.

“Excuse me?” Luke’s head rears back as if he had been slapped.

“You heard me.” Keene challenges him. “Absolutely not.”

Our captain looks hurt. “Can I at least explain?”

Keene glares at him. “There’s nothing to explain. If I wanted to live with a fucking woman, I would have taken my ex back when she begged for a second chance.”

“She has nowhere to go,” Luke pleads. “I wouldn’t ask unless it was a life or death situation. If I had money to rent her even just a room anywhere else, I would do it. But my NHL bonus isn’t triggered until I show up for summer training next year.”

Our new teammate doesn’t budge. “Sounds like a personal problem to me. There must be someone else you can ask.”

Luke’s eyes are shiny, as if he was trying not to cry. That green gaze reminds me of his sister. “I swear there isn’t. Guys,” he begs, turning to look at me and Connor. “Please help me. If you don’t want to do it for me, do it for the team.”

“The team?” I ask. “What does helping Bex have to do with the team?”

A flicker of hope lights up in Luke’s eyes. “It does, indirectly. If I’m worried about my sister being homeless, how can I concentrate on hockey? Helping me, helps the team.”

Keene barks out a laugh. “Nice try, dude. The answer’s still no. Even if I wanted to say yes—and I don’t—where would she stay? We each have a room. She can’t crash on the couch. First off, because Poonani hates her, secondly?—”

“Poonani hates everyone.” Luke cuts him off.

“Especially your sister.” Keene smirks. “This morning she had her claws stuck into Bex’s shirt. I had to literally pull her off of her and restrain her so she wouldn’t attack her again.”

Now Luke looks really offended. “Why do you look so pleased when you say that? Bex is the sweetest girl on Earth. She doesn’t deserve what happened to her.”

“Whatever,” Keene shrugs. “Last time I helped a girl in need, it didn’t end well for me. And anywhere I turn, I see women lying, cheating and scheming to get their way without any regard for who they hurt. Connor can back me up on this. Right, bud?”

Connor looks like the proverbial deer caught in front of headlights. “Uh, I—yeah, I guess.”

“See?” Keene gloats, his tone triumphant. “Sorry, but no. Besides, like I was trying to say before, we don’t have an extra room. Our house is no place for a chick. What if I walked into the kitchen in the middle of the night, buck naked, looking for a midnight snack, while she’s sleeping on the couch?”

Luke’s eyes narrow into slits as he snorts at Keene. “I’ve lived with you for almost three months, and I’ve never seen you naked. Not even in the locker room since the showers have partitions, and you keep a towel around your waist when you change your underwear.”

Keene doesn’t skip a beat. “But what if I wanted to have a snack in the middle of the night in my fucking birthday suit? There’s no room for a fifth roommate.”

Our captain looks hopeful again. “We do. I would give her my room. I can stay with Shane until I find something more permanent for Bex.”

“Fuck that,” Keene argues. “If I knew this was the deal, I wouldn’t have moved in. Sorry, but I vote no.”

Luke now looks positively distraught. “What about you two?” he turns to look at me and Connor. “You got to spend some time with Bex last night. You’ve seen how nice she is. Are you seriously going to let Keene tell you what to do? If anything, we should put it to a vote.”

I’m conflicted.

On the one hand, I like Bex. She’s hot and funny and I would like to get to know her better.

On the other hand, I would like to get to know her better. And that’s a recipe for disaster. Luke is one of my best friends, my team captain. I already feel guilty about the way I was picturing his sister on her knees in front of me instead of that puck bunny earlier on. If she lived in the room next to mine, how long would it be before I betrayed my friendship with Luke?

I’m not boyfriend material and I’m pretty sure that I would end up hurting her. I would inevitably convince myself she’s the love of my life and then I’d get bored with her.

“So? Connor, Jamie, what’s your vote?”

I’m fucked. I wish I didn’t feel attracted to Bex. It would be easier to say yes. I open my mouth, unsure about what I’m gonna say, but Connor saves me by the skin of my teeth.

“Look, dude, I’d love to say yes. Even with my horrible track record with women lately, I don’t think Bex is like my ex. Sorry Keene.” He says when he receives a glare from our new teammate. “If we were staying off campus, I would have no problem siding with you. We’ve been playing hockey together since freshman year, and I consider you more than a just a teammate or my captain. I consider you a friend. But our condo belongs to the athletic department. It’s technically a dorm. What would happen if someone reported us for living with someone who doesn’t even go to school here?”

Luke frowns. “I know I’m asking for a lot. But I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t have my back against the wall. If there’s any problem with Bex staying, I’m gonna take full responsibility. You’re right that we’re way more than just teammates. Do you think I would ever let you go down for helping me?”

Connor’s hand lands on Luke’s shoulder. “I know you wouldn’t let us take the fall for you,” his tone is low, full of compassion. “But we both know it doesn’t work like that. We would all get in trouble for letting someone who isn’t enrolled here live in a dorm accommodation. We could get expelled, and we would definitely get kicked off the team if anyone reported us. None of us can afford that. If we’re all hoping to go pro next year, we can’t afford any trouble.”

That pretty much nails it.

Relief and guilt war in my chest as I agree with Connor. “Sorry, Luke.” I can’t look him in the eye. “I want to have your back, and I think Bex is a terrific girl. But you can’t deny that if it came out that someone who doesn’t go to school here is living in the dorms with us, our hockey careers would be over.”

I’m a hypocrite. Because my hockey career is only one of the reasons why I’m not backing Luke on this. The truth is, I can’t trust myself around someone as hot as Bex.

“So this is it?” Luke’s tone is bitter. “You’re all voting no?”

We all nod silently.

“Fuck.” Luke runs a hand over his hair. “I must admit, I expected this from Keene, but not from you two. I thought we were more than teammates. I thought we were friends.”

Keene crosses his arms over his chest. “That’s unfair, Luke. It’s probably none of my business, because I’ve only been a Star Cove Knight for a couple of months. But if you consider Connor and Jamie real friends, you can’t ask them to risk their dreams for a girl they’ve barely met. You’re calling them shitty friends, but the way I see it, it’s the pot calling the kettle whatever color is politically correct these days.”

I almost snort at the way Keene rolls his eyes. Coach Harrison made us attend a mandatory media course during summer training and there was a ridiculous module about all the things that we can no longer say to the press or post on social media. Anything that could be perceived as racially insensitive was firmly on the list. So sheep and kettles can no longer be called black in a negative connotation. Even if they’re old sayings, like Keene argued with the sociologist who was tasked with making us politically correct.

Luke, however, doesn’t accept our new teammate’s criticism. “She’s my sister, dude. My twin sister. And you’re asking me to kick her to the curb. Forgive me for not feeling like we could bend the rules for someone who really needs our help. And I know I’m asking you to take a risk and that you don’t have to, but I’m the one who’s risking the most anyway here.”

“What do you mean?” Connor frowns.

“Oh, I don’t know.” Luke’s eyebrows hit his hairline as he shrugs. “You all have big bank accounts to support you if your pro careers don’t pan out. You can afford to take a risk for a friend.”

I know Luke is upset and doesn’t mean it.

“Dude, that’s out of order.” I clasp his shoulder. “You don’t mean that, right?”

“No.” He hangs his head as his voice breaks. “I don’t mean it. I’m so scared for Bex that I don’t know what the fuck is coming out of my mouth right now. I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t hold it against you if you come from wealth. And Keene, dude, you fucking earned every cent you have, and I admire you. You’re also one hell of a d-man. You don’t know my sister, so I can’t expect you to ruin your chances to finish your education and get an NHL contract for someone you don’t know. I just wish you didn’t judge every woman based on how your ex treated you, that’s all.”

Keene’s glare dims a few notches, in a way that on anyone else would probably look like a smile. “Don’t sweat it. Sorry we can’t help you.” He grumbles, and I think he might mean it.

We stare at one another for a long moment.

“Guys,” I’m the first to break the silence. “We agree that letting Bex stay with us wouldn’t work. But people have friends or significant others staying for a weekend all the time. Our dorms are technically coed, so I don’t think it would be too risky to give Luke until the long weekend is over. Right?”

Connor is the first one to agree. “Yeah, that sounds reasonable.”

“Keene?” I ask.

“Fine.” He huffs. “But you better believe that if she isn’t gone by Tuesday night, I’ll sic Poonani on her.”

That doesn’t give Luke a ton of time to find a place for Bex, but it’s better than nothing.