Page 11 of No Shot (The Toronto Tundra #2)

Penn

Well, well, well.

What an interesting turn of events. As I lay on my couch, mindlessly watching the ESPN sports highlights, I can ’ t seem to stop myself from looking past the TV at my living room wall.

On the other side lies the most infuriating girl I ’ ve ever met. I don ’ t know why I can ’ t seem to shake the feeling. I ’ m not into the chase normally, and let ’ s be real, I never actually have to. I ’ m not even chasing her , but I don ’ t know… it ’ s fun. She ’ s fun.

It must be the lack of action. I ’ ve stopped thinking with my brain, and the sexual frustration has turned me desperate. I ’ m now thinking exclusively with my dick. Yeah, that must be it. She ’ s hot, and my dick is desperate. It ’ s just dicks peration, nothing more.

Still, that distinction doesn ’ t seem to dissuade me from getting up and walking over to her apartment. I just want to see her face when she realizes we ’ re basically roommates now. It ’ s going to be pure bliss. Then, I ’ ll go back to my apartment, and that will be the end of it.

I raise my hand to her door and knock three times, failing to withhold my excited smirk. This is going to be so good.

“ One second!” Her voice calls through the door. It ’ s excited and sweet, and fucking cute. Oh shit, not cute—

The door starts to open, and I spot her face turn into the most hilarious scowl.

“ Who ’ s the stalker now?” Her tone has lost all of its sweetness and is full of snark. The instant switch does something to my dick—already getting excited. Yeah, yeah, yeah, something ’ s fucked with me, I know. The door slams in my face before I even get a chance to respond.

Even better than I hoped.

Okay, I got my moment. Enjoyed her snark, got to see her surprised face, time to go—my knuckles knock twice more on the door before I can stop myself.

Whoops.

It opens again— aggressively . Well, about as aggressively as you ’ d expect from an angry chipmunk, but you get the point.

She has the door half open, just showing off her popped hip and narrowed eyes.

She ’ s wearing workout clothes today. Tight, black leggings and a matching—oh shit.

I didn ’ t even notice the first time I saw her.

A strappy sports bra is hugging every curve of her chest. The skin-tight set looks like it was made for her and I casually shift in place, trying to will my dick to deflate.

Dude, we ’ re not thirsting over neighbors right now, get a hold of yourself.

She looks so damn good, her hair pulled into a low ponytail. I wonder if it ’ s long enough to swish when she walks, I always love that. I realise in my gawking that she ’ s just staring at me. Oh shit, yeah, I knocked on her door. I should say something. Usually, the visitor has a reason, right?

“ Jack told me we were neighbors, but I didn ’ t believe it.”

What a funny thing it is to see a brain process a flurry of emotions right in front of your eyes. I watch her shift from confusion, to surprise, to shock, and yep, back to my favorite yet— annoyance .

“ I beg your pardon?” she asks, tone as sharp as her gaze.

“ That apartment?” I point to my door. “ Mine.” I make a point to slap my chest before pointing at her door. “ This apartment? Yours.” Her anger grows the slower I talk, but I ’ m enjoying myself way too much. I work to hold back my chuckle. “ Us?” I motion between us. “ Neighbors.”

“ You ’ ve got to be fucking kidding me.” God, her bluntness catches me off guard, though I should expect it at this point. This time, I can ’ t stop the laugh from ripping out.

“ Not kidding you, Soup. Looks like you ’ re stuck with me.”

She ’ s still glaring at me, but a small part of me thinks she ’ s fighting back a tiny smile. “ You headed to the gym?” I ask.

“ No, going for a run.” She looks back into her apartment at what seems to be the oven clock. Definitely my cue to leave, but I stay rooted in place.

“ Outside?”

“ No, genius. In the hallway. Thought I ’ d lap the corridor a hundred times. That ’ s a great way to make friends, right?”

“ But the sun will be setting. It ’ ll be dark soon.”

“ That is how the sun works, yes. Hence why I ’ m running now before it ’ s gone.”

“I ’ ll come with you,” I blurt out in a frenzy. Welp, I guess I have been missing my runs. Getting back into it will be good, even if this time it ’ s just to make sure she ’ s safe.

“ Absolutely not.”

“ Hate to break it to you, Soup, but you don ’ t own the sidewalk.”

“ Do you make a habit of harassing neighbors, or is this a privilege you reserve exclusively for me?” Oh, it ’ s just for you, sunshine.

I smirk. “ What are the chances you ’ ll wait for me to get changed?”

“ Hmm, I ’ d say it ’ s fifty-fifty.” I ’ ll take it.

I dart over to my door, without so much as a be right back.

Once inside, I start ripping off my t-shirt.

I can run in just my sweats—I just need to get my running shoes on.

I hear a door slam in the hallway and peek out the peephole just in time to see Bri sprinting to the elevator.

Fifty-fifty my ass. I try to control my laughter as I shuffle to get my shoes tied, and I ’ m out the door two seconds later.

I bee-line for the stairs, rushing down the steps as quickly as I can. I am a professional athlete, after all. This is my time to shine.

That ’ s the thing about large apartment buildings, the elevator, especially if you get on the higher levels, makes a lot of stops. If I ’ m lucky, I can catch up to her, and I always seem to get lucky.

When I hit the lobby floor, I ’ m fully panting.

Scanning the room, I try to spot Bri. I catch just a flash of her through the large glass windows, about to round the street corner.

Bingo . I forge ahead, easily gaining on her.

She ’ s speedwalking, but I ’ ve got probably a foot on her, so my strides are crushing the distance.

I follow her path, fully ignoring the fact that I ’ ve gone full-blown stalker, and when she stops at the crosswalk, waiting for the light to change, I seize my opportunity.

“ Bri Campbell? Fancy seeing you here!” She doesn ’ t seem pleased by my mocking.

“ Can I help you?” she asks, turning to me.

“ Nope,” I reply, popping the P. I tuck both hands in my sweatpants, rocking on my heels, and look ahead to the light countdown.

“ You forget something, big boy?”

“ Can ’ t say that I did, why? What seems to be missing?” I scratch at my stomach for emphasis, pretending to look around me. She mutters something that sounds a lot like ‘ arrogant asshole ’ under her breath, but can ’ t seem to peel her eyes away.

“ Oh, you mean my shirt? Nah, I like to feel the wind across my chest when I ’ m running. Fabric holds me back. Plus, wouldn ’ t really be fair to deprive the city of my six-pack now, would it?”

“ Of course not. Imagine all eyes not being on you? You ’ d simply shrivel away from lack of attention.” The light finally changes, and Bri starts to cross. “ Speaking of running…” She takes off in a dead sprint.

It ’ s pretty easy to keep pace with her, ya know, being an athlete and all. I can easily run and chat, too, a talent I fully intend on using today.

“ So, Scott says you ’ re in school?”

“ Yep,” she huffs out between breaths.

“ Cool, cool. Do you like it?”

“ Sometimes.”

“ Hmm, I hated school personally. Always got in the way of hockey. Cool that you like it, though. How ’ d the quiz go?”

Her head assesses me, trying to discern, well… something I can ’ t quite place. “ How ’ d you know about my quiz?”

“ Cami said it last night, brainiac. Or were you too drunk to remember I was there?”

“ Oh, I remember.”

“ Memorable, am I? I ’ m flattered.”

“ Trust me, you shouldn ’ t be.”

“ Well?”

“ Well, what?”

“ The quiz? How ’ d you do?” She ’ s analyzing my expression, trying to gauge how serious I am right now. I actually want to know. That ’ s what friends do—or frenemies, I guess, is more apt.

“ Um, it was difficult, but I think I did okay.”

“ Nice!” I raise my hand to high-five her, and she stops in her tracks.

She tentatively touches her palm to mine.

The level of excitement that courses through my body at that small level of physical contact should honestly be studied.

I need to get laid or something, but I swear, there was a tingle, followed by my heart beating harder.

She ’ s staring at our hands like she felt it too.

Oh shit. Are we having a moment?

We ’ re definitely having a moment.

She clears her throat and takes off running again. I follow suit, catching up to her in a few strides.

“ You ’ re a pretty good little runner, eh?”

“ Little runner?” She levels me with a look I swear would knock a grown man to his knees.

She ’ s a fucking firecracker and honestly, I ’ m tempted to go down willingly.

I wonder how bossy she ’ d be after I devour her until she comes on my tongue.

I bet she ’ d taste fucking sweet too, I can ’ t wait to find out. Fuck, dick, stay on track.

“ Yeah, you ’ ve got tiny legs.”

“ Ha, my tiny l egs could whoop your ass. You ’ re like an uncoordinated giraffe. I ’ m fast as fuck.”

Oh, I like where this is going.

“ Care to bet on that, Soup?”

A fire erupts in her eyes, a gleam that I recognize immediately. You don ’ t get to the NHL without competition thrumming through your bloodstream. She has that—the edge, the competitive nature—and it ’ s sexy as hell.

“ You ’ re going down, Penn.” Oh, I ’ d go down alright.

“ Competitive?” Not sure why I even had to ask when I already know the answer.

“ Always. Stakes?” A woman after my own heart. I think back to the tunnel, it ’ s really the only time I ’ ve seen a flicker of vulnerability from this fierce girl. Her guard dropped just enough to let me protect her. It was cute, and I liked seeing that different side of her.

“ If I win, you have to watch a scary movie with me.”

The way her lips part, I know I made the right choice. “ I hate scary movies.”

“ Well, you better win then, huh?”

“ Fine,” she grumbles. “ And when I win?”

“ I ’ ll give you anything you want.” Shit, I don ’ t know why I said it like that. All low and gravelly .

Something feels charged in the air when our eyes meet. My stupid stomach is doing that fluttery thing low in my gut that seems to happen all too often when I ’ m around Bri, but I can ’ t help it.

I ’ m starting to like the feeling.