“J.D.! Who would’ve thought? Dude,” Patrick said, jumping down from the porch and greeting me with a bro hug. “Little Reiner. My favorite Reiner sibling. Get over here.”
She rolled her eyes, and her smile was forced when Patrick pulled her in for a hug. He picked her straight off the ground and swung her around until she smacked him.
“Put me down, you idiot.”
He grinned as he set her back on the ground and jutted his chin toward the house. “Come on, I’ll show you where the keg is. We all know that’s why you’re here. It isn’t to flirt with me, unfortunately.”
She knew Patrick well, and seeing him touch her with ease sent an uncomfortable edge to my posture. But I didn’t think about it for long. Ryann followed him, leaving me to trail behind her. I didn’t mean to check her out. It just happened. The black shirt clung to her body, showing every curve, and the jeans molded against her in the best way. Something entirely new made my heart beat faster, but it didn’t last long when Michael Reiner walked into the entrance hallway and hugged hislittle sister.
“Everyone knows I’m related to you and won’t hit on me. Don’t make it worse,” she said, laughing as she swatted at him. “Don’t embarrass me.”
“It’s so easy though,” he quipped back, slinging his arm around her shoulders.
“Stop it! You’re pretty much guaranteeing no one will talk to me. I came here to flirt and drink.” She shoved him away, and she fixed her messed up strands of hair.
“That’s my goal forever.” He glanced down at his sister for a second before his gaze landed on me. “Hey, look who it is!”
He moved from Ryann to me, holding out his fist for a bump. “Glad you could make it. Come on, let’s get you a beer, J.D.”
Ryann winked at me before joining Patrick and his brother, Paxton. That left me to follow Michael. He led me through the living room where coeds laughed or sat cuddled up on one of the couches. The senior nodded to everyone—guys, girls, teammates, and people responded. He was one of those guys that people liked. His charisma and easy smiles translated over to his leadership on the team. He pushed us and made us better, but he wasn’t one of the alpha-assholes hockey often saw. How he brought people together made up for what he lacked in talent.
He was a good guy, which meant letting my thoughts about his sister cross the line was unacceptable. I respected himandRyann, and I needed to keep my unwarranted desires hidden.
“Here we go.” Michael grabbed a cup, filled it up with beer, and handed it to me before doing the same for himself. “Cheers, J.D.”
“Cheers,” I mumbled, feeling stupid and out of place. The back of my neck burned like everyone was watching me. I took a sip of the liquid, letting the bitter taste coat my throat and found him staring me with a curious look on his face. “I tried to have her move out,” I said, my voice cracking a bit.
His jaw tightened, and he narrowed his gaze. “Ry doesn’t work that way.”
“Yeah, figured as much.“ I shifted my weight to each foot, hating the situation. I took another sip of beer, my face burning at his silence and the irritation rolling off him. Ryann’s laugh carried over from the other room, and it baffled me how I knew the sound after one week. My gaze moved to her without my control, and Michael followed, his dislike obvious.
“Let me explain two things to you.” He lowered his voice and waited until I looked at him before continuing. “My sister is my only family.Nothingbad can happen to her. She’s had some shit luck.” He paused, took a deep breath, and a line formed between his eyebrows. “I hate that she felt like she needed to solve her living situation without my help, but that’s done. She’s living with you now. If I push her, she’ll sink in further.”
I nodded.
“Don’t think for one second I’m cool with this. I’m tolerating it because she’s my sister and I love her.”
“Right,” I said, my stomach hardening to the point of pain. He flexed his jaw before blinking, and the turmoil in his eyes disappeared like a snap of fingers.
“I’m not bringing this shit to practiceunlessyou fuck this up. That means no sleeping with her, no dating her, none of it. She’s off limits in every fucking way. That would change everything. Got me?” He smiled, the threat hidden beneath his eyes.
“Yes.” I took another drink, his meaning quite clear.
“Good. Now enough of that. Ryann would kill me if she knew we had this talk, so this never happened.”
I nodded, my throat dry, and I chugged half of my beer. I rarely drank, and the dark amber liquid warmed my insides just a bit. I welcomed the feeling. It put Michael’s warning and my lingering thoughts of Ryann to the back of my mind.
He left me in the kitchen with a wave to join some other guys on the team, and I finished the glass before filling it up again and returning to the main area of the house. Couples lined the walls, friends laughed, and some punk had one arm on the doorframe as he gazed down at Ryann. I squeezed the cup a little tighter at the way he leaned into her. Everything about her posture from the way she held her shoulders back to how she looked around the room every couple of seconds meant she wasnotinto him.
Yet he didn’t get the message.
Her eyes widened a fraction when I approached, and I regretted it when they both looked at me. I had nothing to say. I opened my mouth, unsure how to explain my interruption, but Ryann took charge and smacked her head against her forehead. “Shit, we’re up next, aren’t we?”
She gave the slightest nod, signaling me to agree, and I did. “Yes. We are.”
“Damn, well, it was nice seeing you, Mark. We’ll have to catch up again soon.”
Mark nodded, but disappointment flashed across his features.
