I’ve had my fair share of hookups, but no one has ever made me feel the way she did.
By the time I came in the condom harder than ever before, I was ready to break every single promise I made to myself when I accepted the transfer to Star Cove. I thought Taryn was worth it.
But I might have fucked everything up instead.
“I’m dating Colsen and Tucker. It’s complicated.”
If my two teammates found out that I fucked her, this could turn into a repeat of the situation in Hemlock Beach. Would they believe me if I told them that I didn’t know they were involved with Taryn? That if I had known, I would have never touched her despite how much I wanted to?
Or would they think that I’m fucking with them? It’s possible especially after I expressed my skepticism when they told me that they were both pursuing her.
This has the potential to turn into another Hemlock Beach. And while neither Tucker nor Colsen have the power to bench me like Coach Hiddink did, they’re well loved by the entire team.
Coach Harrison might be hard on them. But if push came to shove, who would he choose between two team veterans who won the championship with him last year, and the new guy with a reputation for fucking other men’s women?
It’s a huge risk to tell them about me and Taryn, but they have to hear this from me. If she told them about what happened between us, they would think the worst of me.
Usually, I’m not the type to dilly dally in the locker room, but I wait until most of our teammates leave.
The film crew is still here, and there’s no way I can broach the subject until I’m sure we have complete privacy.
“What are you guys up to?” I ask them, keeping my tone neutral.
“Nothing much.” Tucker is shoving most of the contents of his locker into his duffel bag. “I was gonna hit the laundry room later, but until then I’m wide open.”
Macklin slaps him on the back. “I was gonna challenge Tucker to a game of the latest edition of NHL on my PlayStation. You and Col can join too. We could make it a roommate challenge. The loser has to load and unload the dishwasher for two weeks.”
I frown at the idea. What I want to discuss could turn into a hard conversation. I want Tucker and Colsen in a good mood, but I don’t want them distracted by video games or the TV.
“I was hoping for something a little more… relaxing.” I sigh. “I’ve been having trouble focusing today, so I don’t think I have the bandwidth for a video game.”
Mack wiggles his eyebrows. “That’s exactly why I invited you. If you’re distracted, it’ll be easier to beat you. I’ll have you doing all my chores in no time.”
“That’s fucked up.” I chuckle. “Would you take advantage of your teammates like that?”
His smile widens. “Absolutely.”
“You’re new here, Nash,” Colsen sounds clearly amused. “But you’ll learn soon enough that Mack is ruthless. On and off the ice.”
Tucker agrees. “Yeah, he’s the worst chirp in our conference. Maybe in every D-1 hockey team. He isn’t just one of our fastest skaters with the most wicked slapshot I’ve ever seen. He gets under the other team’s skin with all kinds of taunts. The best part is that he isn’t nasty. It’s not shit like ‘your mom was sucking my cock last night.’ He’s provocative as hell, but he keeps things funny as shit at the same time.”
“Aww, shucks.” Mack grabs Tucker and puts him in a headlock despite our goalie’s taller stature. “You’re gonna make me blush, dude. It’s always nice to see that my hard work is appreciated.”
The two men jostle and horse around until Tucker frees himself from the headlock.
“I’m happy to hang,” Tucker tells us. “But I’m with Nash. I’m having a hard time focusing, too. Maybe we could put on a movie or something.”
“Or,” Colsen chimes in. “We could go check out the hot springs area?”
I arch one eyebrow. “We have hot springs?”
Colsen nods. “Yeah, didn’t you check your welcome pack? This training center will be where the new NHL team will practice year round. They have a whole bunch of crazy stuff. Saunas, a Japanese garden, a spa, and a couple of hot outdoor pools. They found the hot springs while building the center, and they tiled them so we can use them as well as ice baths to soothe our muscles. I’ve been meaning to check them out.”
“Sounds good.” That could be a good place to talk to them while they’re relaxed. “I guess I need to swing back to my room to get my swimming trunks.”
“Nah,” Tucker zips his bag closed. “There’s no need for that. I’ve walked by those pools on the day we moved in. They aren’t very big. Each one takes a maximum of four or five people, and they’re surrounded by shrubs and bushes for privacy. We can go in our birthday suits.”
Mack’s ear to ear grin would be contagious if I weren’t worried about the news I’m planning to break to them.
