Page 14

CHAPTER 14

JACE

E than insisted that Dane and I drop by his place tonight.

Apparently, what started out as a few of the guys having takeout turned into a full-blown party. I didn't want to see Axel after that scene in the locker room, but I also knew that if I didn't show up, he'd win. And that wasn’t happening. I wasn’t going to stop seeing my friends or having fun just because Axel couldn’t face me or the truth.

He's not the only one who can’t face the truth.

I winced as I thought about my reaction to Axel in the shower. It took all the willpower I had not to stare at him every time we were in the same vicinity. And not in an ‘I despise you’ kind of way. More like, ‘why the fuck are you such a gorgeous asshole’? When he dropped his shampoo, I turned around and looked at him. Really looked at him. Like I never did with other teammates. And the sight of his sculpted, wet body had me biting back a groan. He had a biteable ass, thick, hard thighs, and a wide barrelled chest covered in dark blond hair. I made the mistake of letting my eyes roam longer, over those bulging biceps, and veiny forearms, and finally, his uncut dick. All kinds of wicked fantasies played out in my head. I knew how he smelled but now my curiosity about what he tasted like couldn’t be stopped. Thank fuck the water raining down over me concealed the drool coming out of my mouth.

It was madness. Thinking about Axel like that was pure stupidity on my part.

He’s a total a-hole, your nasty ex’s bestie, and he’s straight.

Not that I was completely sure about the last thing. I didn’t miss his once-over. Or maybe he was just sizing me up and looking for weak spots in case one of our fights turned physical.

Don’t even think about touching his body.

I was determined to play it cool. No way was I affected by that douchebag.

Until I walked into Ethan’s house and spotted Axel sitting on one of the many couches, snuggled up next to a Kappa Delta girl. I recognized her face but couldn’t remember her name. He was leaning in close, his arm around her shoulders, his mouth almost touching hers. Normally the sight of people kissing—any variation of couple, throuple, or more—would turn me the fuck on. But not now. Not them. I was confused and angry and irritated. At him, but mostly, at myself.

“This was a mistake,” I muttered as Dane handed me a beer. “I’m leaving after this beer.”

“What? Why?” Dane asked and then followed my line of sight. When he smiled knowingly, I glared back at him. “Get over it.”

“I don’t wanna,” I whined and took a long sip of beer. “I want things to be how they were last year. Before that dick ever showed up.”

“Poor baby,” Dane teased and patted my shoulder. “But don’t worry. It looks like Axel’s leaving, so you don’t have to.”

My head whipped around again as I spotted Axel, sitting alone, reaching for his jacket. The girl he was with was gone. Was she coming back? Then again, they were kissing—or almost kissing— a few minutes ago. Why would she up and leave so fast? Slowly, Axel put on his parka and stood up. Was he leaving alone or was he going to meet up with her?

God, listen to yourself.

I couldn't even make it through one conversation with the guy without fighting, so why should I care who he fooled around with?

Axel suddenly looked up and spotted me, and I nearly dropped the beer bottle I was holding.

Just like in practice today, facing off behind the net, we stared at each other, something wild unleashing between us. People walked by, music played in the background, and conversation ebbed and flowed around me. I had no idea what was going on.

I was angry. Turned on. Angry at being turned on.

More than anything, I was…hurt. Yes, that was it. I’d spilled my guts to Axel, showing him my vulnerability, and he still refused to believe what I said. It frustrated me that I couldn’t get through to him. That he thought I was a liar and a bastard. It made me feel like total shit.

Fuck it. And fuck him.

I stalked through the room, ignoring everyone but the asshole in my line of sight.

Surprisingly, he didn't back away.

“You. Me. Outside. Now,” I demanded.

Axel glared at me and shook his head.

“I don’t think so.”

“No? Fine. You want a public fight, I’m game.”

Axel scoffed and started for the door. I followed him, but Dane stopped me on the way out.

“What are you doing?”

“I'm going to try one more time to get through to that guy. That doesn't work, then I'll talk to Coach.”

“Do you want me to come with?”

“I’m good. I can handle him.”

I knew just how I wanted to manhandle Axel Lund…

Dane nodded, and I slipped out of the door and back into the frigid winter air. Axel was halfway down the stairs when he stopped, pulled out a packet of cigarettes, and lit one up. I clambered down the steps and stood beside him, holding out my hand.

“What?” Axel bit out.

“Give your teammate a fucking smoke.”

Axel grumbled something about ‘annoying brats’ but threw the pack at me anyway. I hated smoking but I needed something to do with my hands. Anything that didn’t involve putting them on Axel.

I never imagined that I could want someone I despised so much. It was a new, unfamiliar, completely unsettling feeling, and one I wanted to be rid of.

I pulled a cigarette out of the pack and lit up. We continued down the rest of the stairs until we reached the gravel pathway. The wind whipped around, fat snowflakes falling on our faces. I shivered, taking a drag from the cigarette, the warmth infusing my lungs. More like burning the fuck out of them. I choked on the inhale and Axel started laughing at me.

“Fuck you,” I croaked, coughing.

“Now that you’re done bossing me around, what do you want?”

I scoffed. “Pfft. That wasn’t bossy at all.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Ask anyone I’ve fucked.”

Axel rolled his eyes and groaned, but I didn’t miss the flush that highlighted his sharp cheekbones. Snowflakes kissed his blond eyelashes, the bump on his nose, his pouty lips. Then I remembered that he was about to kiss that girl. Angrily, I admitted to myself that the blush wasn’t about me, but her.

Focus, Jace.

“So, are you going to talk to me like a real teammate or are you going to continue to act like an ass?” I added.

“I don’t have to do anything,” he bit out.

“So, you still believe Preston?”

Axel paused and took a drag of his cigarette. His expression tightened as he blinked fast. Then his lips pursed together as he let out a long plume of smoke.

“I didn’t say that.”

His whispered admission was so low I nearly missed it.

It wasn’t a win, but I’d take it.

Axel

I was out here freezing my balls off when I should have been unloading them all over…what was her name again? Whately? Winnie? Waverly. Right. Her. Yes. She was into me and that’s what I should have been doing.

Not acting like a fool, again, thanks to Jace.

He was wearing his battered baseball cap, and I wished the brim was facing forward so I wouldn’t be forced to look into his big hazel eyes. It was like looking into the sun. I surveyed the rest of his face and that was even worse. He had long, thick eyelashes, the dark tips white with snow, and freckles that dusted his long nose and ruddy cheeks. Dark stubble surrounded his mouth, teasing the rim of those full lips.

What would that feel like? Kissing a man?

No, not just any man. Jace. His scruff rubbing over my lips, my jaw, lower… Shit. I’d never thought of a man as beautiful before but as I stared at Jace, I realized that’s exactly what he was. He was beautiful and my best friend’s ex.

Oh my God.

The sexual revelation didn’t bother me as much as the guy in question.

Now my balls weren’t freezing at all. Despite the frigid temperature, they—and my dick—were hot as hell inside my jeans. My cock was hard and heavy. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d had a monster erection. And fuck, since when did a guy , and a mouthy one at that, do it for me? How about never ? My poor dick was so confused.

Well, let’s be honest; he wasn’t, but I was.

And what exactly did Jace mean by bossy in bed? Did that mean dirty talk? Was he into the dominant-submissive thing, or…

Stop. Don’t think about fucking or Jace or fucking Jace. Or Jace fucking.

“If you want to kiss me, just do it,” Jace taunted, jolting me out of my filthy daydream and tumbling me into another.

I croaked out a smoky laugh, then threw my cigarette on the ground. “Are you drunk?”

“I had two sips of one beer. You?”

“Vodka shots and a couple of beers before that.”

“Well then, no kiss for you,” Jace replied. His expression was playful, but his tone wasn’t. “You’re too drunk to consent.”

“I’m not drunk, just buzzed,” I argued.

“So, you say.”

I shrugged my shoulders.

“Your loss,” I grumbled.

He looked at me with a curiously intense expression. “For a straight guy, that’s pretty flirty.”

“You’re pretty too,” I blurted out.

Okay, I had drunk too much vodka. What the fuck was wrong with me?

“I think you forgot a word in there,” he chuckled.

I thought about that as I stared at his mouth, his lips so fucking tempting. So fucking close.

“Nope,” I foolishly admitted, the alcohol racing through my veins, burning my worries to ash. “And don’t be judgmental. I can find men pretty.”

“Me?” he demanded, the fire in his eyes sparking. “You’re the one who’s been a dick this whole time, judging me without cause.”

He had a point, but I couldn’t even form words to reply.

Suddenly, I wanted to be bold, wild. I didn't want to talk, I wanted action. I wanted to grab ahold of Jace and shut him up in the most satisfying way. What would be even better? If he grabbed ahold of me . Yeah, I wanted that. I wanted him to grab me, manhandle me against the side of the house, and kiss me. Hard. And I would kiss him right back. I wanted to suck on his tongue, nip his lips, take all my frustration out on that sexy, annoying mouth of his.

I guess I couldn't hide my dirty train of thought, because Jace stared at me in the exact same way. He let out a long breath, the white puff of air curling around his face. When he licked his lips, I knew exactly what he was thinking. This was crazy. Stupid. I shouldn't be standing here, not with him.

But I couldn't walk away. I knew what I wanted, even if it scared me.

Jace took a step towards me, then another, so close, until our boot tips knocked, and his breath teased mine. Everything about Jace—his eyes, his smell, his presence—was intense and so heady I wanted to lean down and lick him. Lick every inch of skin I could find. Mark it, bite it, ruin it. Wreck him.

My heart kicked up so fast that I wasn’t sure it would ever calm down.

I leaned down, closer, so fucking close.

“Not this again,” a familiar voice called out.

Jace and I both startled and stumbled apart.

I was shaking, and I wasn’t sure if it was from the cold, my annoyance at the interruption, or the fact that I was a barely restrained mess thanks to Jace. Judging by my painfully stiff dick, I already knew the answer. Then I remembered where I was and what almost happened and figured the interruption was for the best.

Now I had another secret to add to my list. Not so secret given the way Jace’s gaze burned over me.

I reluctantly turned my head towards the street to find Silas standing on the sidewalk, staring at us with a pissed-off expression. Wearing a leather motorcycle jacket and a thick grey scarf, he’d tied his long hair up in a bun, but most of it was escaping.

“Seems I arrived just in time,” Silas added as he headed towards us. “No fist fighting in the cold, idiots. You’ll get injured much worse.”

“We’re not going to do that,” I grumbled.

“Oh really?” Silas glanced between me and Jace. “It looked like you were about to lay into each other.”

If kissing the fuck out of Jace was laying into him, then yes, I was about to do just that.

“We were talking, that’s all,” Jace insisted, his voice hoarse.

“Whatever you say,” Silas snarked and pointed to the house. “I can only stay for an hour but let’s have a drink together. That way, I can give Dane a reprieve from his babysitting duties.”

“Funny,” I retorted.

“It’s not,” Silas grumbled as he walked past us and called out over his shoulder. “You’re both acting like goddamn teenagers in some high school drama. Just focus on hockey and put your personal shit aside. We’re so close to the nationals, doesn’t that mean anything to you?”

“Thanks for the advice, but stick to defense,” Jace bit out. “And you haven’t exactly been a role model for team spirit, either. You hardly talk to anyone, and every time Coach says something to you, you’re ten seconds away from losing your cool.”

Silas paused when he reached the landing and slowly turned to face us.

“It’s not the same thing at all,” Silas offered. “And yeah, most days I’m a grumpy bastard because I’m dealing with a shitload of responsibilities outside of school and hockey. Stuff you know nothing about. But I still do my job on the ice. I’m not acting like a fucking kid with a temper tantrum. What do we have to do with you two? Lock you both in a room until you work it out?”

Jace held my gaze.

“I’m game if Axel is.”