Page 9

CHAPTER 9

Tristan

H ow the hell am I supposed to concentrate in class when Jordyn is dressed like a sexy librarian?

My gaze moves from her black button-down shirt to her plaid skirt. Her long, lightly tanned legs are crossed. She swings one sandal clad foot nervously. My eyes roam back up her body, slowly drinking her in before landing on her crimson cheeks. Her eyes lock with mine before darting away.

“You’ve got it bad for her, captain.” I hate the smugness in Alex’s low tone as his eyes follow mine to Jordyn.

My eyes narrow at him. “Shut up.”

“Oh… I’m scared by that comeback.” Alex rolls his eyes. “Why don’t you march over there, flip up her skirt, and fuck?—”

“Don’t finish that statement,” I hiss, unadulterated rage rolling through me at the thought of anyone seeing her naked except me. I tried like hell to get her out of my system by hiding out at Alex’s house this weekend.

It didn’t work. At all.

“If you didn’t like this girl, you wouldn’t be so pissed off.” His smug smile makes me want to punch him, but I know that would only prove his point. Instead, I clench my jaw and fists, remaining silent.

“Whatever, Alex.” I stare straight ahead, pretending to pay attention to Professor Martin. I nod in the instructor’s direction and hiss, “Pay attention.”

He chuckles, and I turn my head, scowling at him. He’s completely unbothered, which is typical of Alex. “You mean, like you? All I’ve seen you do is stare, message, and text Jordyn.”

I punch his arm, and he rubs the spot, laughing at the expression on my face. “You’ve got it bad for her, Tristan. Doesn’t matter how much you run and hide at my house. Won’t change your feelings.” He faces the front of the room, leaving me to stew over his words.

My gaze drifts to Jordyn. Her fingers move rapidly over the keys of her laptop, her gaze on the screen. I take a moment to appreciate her beauty.

Jordyn’s eyes meet mine, and I don’t miss the heat that flares in her eyes before she looks away.

A jolt of satisfaction blooms inside me before it changes to worry. I promised myself I wouldn’t get involved with a woman this year because I needed to focus on the draft. The second I looked at her, I was ready to throw that rule out the window.

I’m in so damn much trouble with this woman.

Sweat drips down my back as Coach Jensen blows his whistle and screams, “Again.”

My teammates groan, exhausted from the brutal practice. We have our first game this Saturday, and Coach is determined that we will have a strong start to the season .

My gaze slides to Alex. When I see the irritation and frustration on his face, I skate over to coach, sending shavings of ice his way as I stop in front of him. I slide my gloves off and spit my mouth guard into my hand. “Come on, Coach. We know the damn drill. We’ve done it so often we’re gonna have nightmares about it.” Removing my helmet so he can see my eyes, I plead with him for their sake and my own. “The team is exhausted, and the risk of one of us getting injured is high.”

Coach’s face is stern, his arms crossed over his chest as he silently weighs my words. A smile tugs at his lips before he grows serious. “Good of you to be looking out for your guys.” He turns toward the rest of the team and blows his whistle. His voice carries around the rink as he says, “I’ll tell you what. You can hit the showers if Tristan can score a goal in five minutes or less.”

Fuck. I exhale a deep breath, turning my weary eyes toward Alex, reading the challenge in them. Alex practices like he plays, and I know this isn’t going to be easy. But when I look around at my exhausted, sweaty teammates, I know I must find a way to score.

Alex pops his mouthguard back in before placing his hand inside his goalie glove. He skates to his position in front of the goal, then bangs his stick on the ice.

Challenge accepted.

Shoving my mouthguard between my lips, I slide on my mask and gloves, determination settling in my spine. As I skate across the ice, I pass the puck back and forth, moving around invisible players as my teammates cheer me on. Alex readies himself in a position to block my shot. I pull my stick back, setting up to take my shot. But I fake it, which sends Alex to the left side, and I immediately take advantage of the opening. Swinging my stick back again, I send the puck flying into the net as my teammates erupt into cheers.

Alex pulls off his gloves and spits his mouthguard in his palm. “You’re lucky I’m exhausted, Harrington,” he quips.

I skate over to him, removing my glove and spitting my mouthguard in my palm. “That was all skill, Graves.” Patting his padded shoulder, I give him a smug grin. “Let’s hit the showers.”

Alex nods. “Maybe I let you score a goal because we’re all fucking exhausted. Coach is pushing us like we’re machines.”

I chuckle. “Noted. And true.”

We pull off our helmets simultaneously, sweat matting our hair and running in rivulets down our faces. “What’s up, Tristan? You have that look on your face.”

I wave my hand dismissively. “Nothing’s up.” Please don’t ask any questions or bring Jordyn up. “Wanna come back to my place? I’ll order pizza… And you can help me do some research.”

He raises a brow, a smirk settling on his lips. “On blondie?”

“Why are you asking when you already know the answer?”

He chuckles, shaking his head. “Tryin’ to get you to admit your feelings for this woman is worse than pulling teeth.”

“And how many teeth have you pulled?”

“None. But I have knocked some out on the ice during fights. It’s easier to remove teeth than getting you to confess you’re head over heels for Jordyn.”

Lowering my voice as we step into the locker room, I shake my head. “Good to know.”

I push through the library doors, my backpack over my shoulders, giving the illusion I’m there to study. In reality, the only thing I plan on studying is Jordyn.

I nonchalantly cut through the Learning Center, where Jordyn works. Jessica, the girl Jordyn sat beside in English Lit, also works here. Since I couldn’t sleep last night, I stalked Jordyn on social media and the school website.

As I round the corner, I spot her standing at the counter, talking to one of her coworkers. Her back is to me, and I unabashedly check out her tanned legs, short plaid skirt, and black shirt. She laughs at something her co-worker says, oblivious to me checking her out.

I can’t take my eyes off her.

The girl she’s chatting with looks over Jordyn’s shoulder, her eyes widening. She reaches out, shaking Jordyn’s arm, who turns around to see what her coworker is looking at.

Her eyes widen, and her face pales as she looks at me. “Tristan. What are you doing here?” My presence flusters her, and it turns me the fuck on.

I just stand there, not saying a word.

The electricity in the air between us is palpable. I know Jordyn feels it when she shifts her weight from one foot to the other. Her curious gaze never leaves mine. Her breathing becomes heavier, her chest straining against the buttons holding her shirt together.

Gritting her teeth, she pushes off the counter and stomps my way, her cheeks flushed from anger.

Oh, Jordyn. You have no idea what you do to me. The sexy librarian look is making me feral.

Her strawberry scent engulfs me when she stops in front of me. She cocks her head, irritation blooming over her face. In annoyance, she puts her hands on her hips and taps one heeled foot. The urge to grab her and kiss the hell out of her until she surrenders to me is almost impossible to ignore.

“Did a puck smash you upside the head and cause you to lose your hearing? I asked you a question.”

Oh, shit. She’s a feisty little kitten, hissing at me.

My smile widens as I gesture to my backpack. “Just passing through to head toward the study lounge.” I point to the large corridor on the left, which leads to the lounge.

Her gaze narrows. “Why cut through the Learning Center? It’s longer than?—”

I step forward so our shoes are toe to toe. She stops talking, her aqua eyes widening in surprise. I’m so close she’s forced to tip her face up to mine. What she sees on my face causes her to suck in an audible breath and hold it.

A sense of satisfaction rolls through me. “I saw you here and thought I’d come over and say hi.”

Jordyn exhales, her irritation disappearing. She scratches her cheek, looking uncomfortable. “Oh.” She runs a hand down her shirt before it travels to her skirt, smoothing her clothing. “Well, hi,” she finally says, her voice high-pitched and unnatural.

“Hi,” I rasp, breathing her in. God, she smells good . All the tension drains from my body, the aches and pains from that brutal practice disappearing in her presence. The boulder that has been weighing down my chest for the past couple of weeks lifts, allowing me to breathe again.

The girl Jordyn was talking to approached us, curiosity on her face. “Aren’t you going to introduce me to your boyfriend?”

Jordyn’s eyes widen as she looks from her coworker to me. “Oh, h-he’s?—”

I immediately extend my hand. “Hi. I’m Tristan. And you are?”

Jordyn gapes at me as the girl shakes my hand. “Felicity. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Likewise.” Felicity’s gaze slides to Jordyn, who stares at me like aliens have taken over my body.

Before either of them can say another word, I hurriedly offer an explanation. “Just thought I’d come in and say hi to Jordyn before heading to the table to study.” My voice lowers as I look around the quiet Learning Center. “I’m also here to walk her out to her car. I don’t like her walking to her vehicle alone at night. It’s unsafe.”

Jordyn opens her mouth, her face red from anger. Before she can speak, Felicity says, “Oh, that’s so sweet. You’re right, it’s unsafe.” She turns to Jordyn and pats her shoulder. “You have one of the good ones. Lucky girl.”

I wink at Felicity. “I keep trying to remind her of that.” Jerking a thumb over my shoulder, I smile at Jordyn. “Well, I better let you get back to work.” My gaze moves to Felicity. “Nice to meet you. I’m sure I’ll be seeing you again.”

She giggles and waves. “You too, Tristan. I’m sure we’ll cross paths since I work with your girlfriend.”

As I walk away, I chuckle to myself. Jordyn was so mad that steam was coming from her ears, rendering her speechless. While I appreciate that I had her so on edge she couldn’t speak, I’d much rather use my lips to shut her up.

If the opportunity arises, I’m not wasting it.