Page 26 of Keep Me Close

We switch lines.

Jax leans in as we glide to the bench. “Seems to me like someone woke up this morning and chose violence.”

I wipe sweat from my face with the back of my glove and say nothing.

Coach has us skate sprints from the blue line to the goal line and then back again.

I win the first, second, and the third time.

“Okay, psycho,” Zane pants. “Take it down a few notches.”

Jax skates up beside me, breathing hard. “Wanna know what I think?”

“Actually, I don’t.”

He continues anyway. “That you need to get laid.”

Laughter ripples across the ice as I stare straight ahead.

“It’s science,” Jax continues. “If a man goes that hard, he’s got a lot of pent-up aggression and isn’t getting any.”

Zane’s nod is solemn. “Truth.”

Not that I’m going to tell these bozos, but it’s been way longer than any of them realize. And the streak isn’t going to get broken any time soon. That’s for damn sure.

The problem isn’t a lack of options. It’s that none of them are Cheyenne Benson. The only woman I want is sleeping under my own damn roof, and there’s no way anything can happen between us.

My brother would fucking kill me. Plus, it would make everything messy in a way I can’t afford. Family dinners. Holidays. Britt. The kids. The whole tangled knot of our lives.

As we reset for another drill, I glance down the ice and catch Laiken watching me. He isn’t grinning or chirping. Just silently observing. I get the feeling he knows exactly what’s going on. Hell, he probably started piecing it together the second I showed up at his place last night with Chey in tow.

When I meet his gaze, he lifts one brow before kicking away a stray puck.

Great.

By the time practice is over, I’m still twitchy. There’s too much restless energy thrumming beneath my skin. The locker room is loud with music blasting through speakers and guys joking around, giving each other shit.

I drop onto the bench to unlace my skates.

Jax throws a towel over his shoulders. “Bro, I was serious out there. You need to get laid.”

“Hey, I have an idea. How about you mind your own damn business for a change,” I fire back, hoping it’ll shut down this conversation.

Oliver laughs from across the room. “He doesn’t have any business. That’s why he’s all up in yours.”

Jax gives him the finger before turning back to me. “You should’ve taken that hot redhead home when you had the chance. You’d be way more relaxed.”

My fingers still on the laces.

“The one at VYCE,” he continues. “She was practically climbing in your lap.”

Zane smirks. “What’s wrong, McNichols? Couldn’t close the deal? Need a few pointers? I’d be happy to assist with that.”

Jax grins. “Nah, he sent her packing without a second thought.”

The guys laugh and joke around as the showers run, but everything in my head goes quiet. How the hell was I supposed to take that woman home when she reminded me too damn much of Cheyenne? Honestly, it doesn’t even matter if they’re a blonde, a brunette, or a redhead. The second they start getting too close, my brain automatically stacks them up next to Chey.

And they lose.