“Sawyer Jennings, my teammate.”
She hesitates long enough for me to notice there’s something else going on with her. “You want me to meet your teammate?”
“I want you to meet all my teammates… if you want.”
The emotion in those sky-blue eyes does something to me. I’m already a complete goner. She could ask me to do anything, and I’d say yes—as long as it kept her in my company. Her brother might be my friend, teammate, and captain, but the more time I spend with Finley, the less I find Icare. Which is a massive problem I have no idea how to fix.
“Okay,” she says finally.
“Okay,” I say, smiling like I scored a playoff goal, and I lead her to my teammate to show off my girl.
17
Finley
Déjà vu strikes whileI stand in front of my brother’s teammate as he tries to impress me.
“As much as I love to play hockey, there’s nothing like being on campus. Studying on an airplane with a bunch of smelly dudes is nothing compared to sitting in Princeton’s quad when the leaves are turning in the fall.”
Sawyer’s more understated about it than other hockey players my brothers brought home in the past, including Garrett, who had one goal in mind and attacked like he was on the rush. None have ever tried to charm me by talking about their academic accomplishments, that’s for sure.
“Most places would be preferable to a smelly dude plane,” I reply.
“True,” he says with a laugh. “So what’s UPC like? Taking anything good this semester?”
His blue eyes don’t stray from my face, like he’s interested in what I have to say. I like that about him, even if I chose this costume with distraction in mind, for Zach. The look on his facewhen he saw me for the first time made every uncomfortable second in leather worth it.
I consider telling Sawyer about my 80s literature class that’s made me consider majoring in English, but it’s information I’d rather confide in Zach.
Instead, I say, “There’s this interesting class about historical events since the 1950s. One of our assignments was to watchThe Big Shortabout the financial crisis in ’08. I never thought I’d find the stock market fascinating, but it was a good movie.”
“Briggsy was talking about that movie the other day. Said he wished everything was explained to him by Margot Robbie in a bathtub.”
I roll my eyes. “Ofcoursehe said that.”
Sawyer cocks an eyebrow, as if he’s realizing Zach and I are friends. If Sawyer didn’t know, does it mean Zach doesn’t like me as much as I like him? Am I only a way for him to pass his time while sidelined from hockey?
My stomach turns over like it’s filled with curdled milk.
Sawyer props an elbow on the table beside us. “Do you plan to major in history?”
His eyesgleam. Women would die for his shade of blond hair, the spitting image of a Ken doll, but I can’t find one part of me waking up for him the way I do for Zach.
I shrug, forcing a smile on my face. “What are you majoring in?” I ask to divert the conversation off me.
“Engineering.”
“Oh,comeon,” I blurt, waving a hand in his direction. “A professional hockey player who looks like you studying engineering? It’s like you walked out of a romance novel.”
Sawyer throws his head back, laughing, as one of his hands lands on my forearm. “Speak for yourself,” he says. “Hot gymnasts with senses of humor are pretty rare.”
I freeze, so shocked to hear him call me a gymnast I don’t register the drink being placed in my hand. By Zach. His eyes land on Sawyer’s hand still on my forearm. I pull away immediately, but from the glazed-over expression on Zach’s face, I know the damage is done.
“Zach,” I say, but he’s pointing over his shoulder, cutting me off. “I’m going to find Volk and Kennedy. I’ll catch ya later, all right?”
My entire body flashes hot, a ball of dread settling in my gut.
Sawyer slowly shakes his head. “You’re not available, are you?”
