“Not bad to look at?” She laughs and takes a sip of her margarita.
“Okay, we both know that’s a lie,” I admittedly mutter. “As much as it pains me to admit, he’s a walking god, and he knows it too.”
I can almost hear the wheels turning in her head as we dive into our fish tacos.
“He’s scared,” she says, breaking the silence a couple of minutes later with absolute resolve. “I mean, can you blame him? Your brothers aren’t exactly puppy dogs when it comes to you. You have an entire army of rottweilers behind you just waiting to tear into any guy who looks your way.”
“I don’t think Knox Stone gets scared,” I laugh softly. “Have you seen him play hockey? He’s fearless and almost runs toward the danger like he enjoys it.”
“That’s hockey,” she says, shaking her head. “Letting someone in is a whole different ball game…or hockey game in this situation.” She ponders for a second whether that even makes sense before waving her hand. “Whatever, you know what I mean. The point is, you mean something to him, and he’s scared to mess that up.”
“So what do I do? I already asked him once and got turned down. I’m not about to get on my knees and beg that man.”
“God no. I wouldn’t let you either.” Her grin gets wider as she takes a fry from the basket and plops it in her mouth. “You just keep existing, babe. Show him what he’s missing. Hell, even go out on a few dates and let him wonder what you are doing with other guys. Jealousy is a hard emotion to swallow. It seems like you guys have danced around this sexual attraction for years, masking it with annoyance and anger, so neither one of you had to face it. Fate has brought you together under the same roof, and it’s only a matter of time before he realizes he can’t stay away.”
“This is crazy. I can’t believe I’m even considering this,” I mumble as I take another sip.
“Love makes you do crazy things,” she grins. “Trust me, I know,” she laughs, and her eyes light up, which tells me she’s thinking of my brother.
“Love is not the right word. It’s more like a strong lust and curiosity mixed in with a lot of annoyance and loathing when he pushes my buttons.”
“God, this is going to be so good,” she beams, looking like a kid who just woke up Christmas morning. “It’s like the buildup of the most perfect storm. The whole town of Blue Haven could quite possibly feel the aftershocks of this one.”
“You read too many books,” I laugh.
“Says the girl who has two libraries…one at her house and one at work.”
“Touché,” I laugh, clinking my glass with hers.
We finish the rest of our meal as we talk about her wedding plans. As much as I try to remain present, my thoughts only want to focus on one thing…
A six-foot-four, infuriating ass of a man who I now have to figure out a way to live with, all the while wanting to kill him and be under him at the same time. The scary part is that I have no clue which one will win in the end.
SEVEN
KNOX
“Relax, Stone,”Coach says under his breath as I stare intensely at the ice as one of my team members gets checked hard against the boards. “They are holding their own out there. Your job today, while your ass is on the bench, is to study their techniques and look for improvement. You’re here to teach them, not be their damn babysitter,” he mutters.
My leg bobs up and down in an anxious state. Every part of my body is begging to be out there with them. I gnaw on my mouth guard out of habit as my hands white-knuckle my stick.
I get what Coach is saying. It’s not a secret that I’ve always been very protective of my team and have no problem stepping in and kicking ass when I feel someone is stepping out of line.
Another hard hit has me standing up and gripping the railing.
“Let me in, Coach,” I say with conviction. “The game is almost over. I’m not letting these fuckers tie us.”
I know it’s only a preseason game and doesn’t really count, but a win is a win. Our top lineup has barely played tonight, which is normal for a preseason game, but I want us to end it.
Coach glances up at the scoreboard, and I know he wants this win too, even if it doesn’t count for the season. “McCormick, Hayes, Foxx, and Kane,” he yells, grabbing my guys’ attention, causing me to grin.
They stand up with eager smiles to match my own.
“Don’t make me regret this, Stone. I need you all this season, so no taking risks. Just get out there, take control of the damn puck and win this fucking game.”
“Understood, Coach,” I grin, causing him to rub his hand over his face in agitation. I know I’m unpredictable on the ice sometimes, but I’m not stupid enough to get myself injured right before a season starts. There’s nothing wrong with having a little fun, though.
The ref calls an offside, and Coach signals the line change as my skates hit the ice. Our crowd goes wild when they see us line up. I take my place at center with McCormick and Hayes flanking both of my sides. Foxx and Kane take their positions behind me as they guard our goalie. I know it’s killing Cayden right now not to be in front of the net, but we need him too much to use him for a preseason game. It doesn’t matter now anyway because if I have my way, our goalie won’t be seeing any more action.
