Page 41 of Against The Boards

I yanked it out of his hand and stomped over to the couch. I flipped on the Boston-Toronto game, but I was only half paying attention. Truthfully, I wasn’t mad at Benny. Lisa irritated me, and I took it out on him. He didn’t deserve that, but I held my tongue and sipped on my beer. I was being a bitch to him for no reason, but in typical asshole Roxanne Desjardins fashion, I wouldn’t apologize.

Chapter Twelve

BENNY

After an early morning workout session with Riley, I was beat, and it wasn’t even ten a.m. yet. I knew something was up when I walked through the door and saw Rox pacing in TJ’s bedroom. She had her phone pressed up against her ear, and she looked pissed off. She should have been at work already, so something was seriously wrong.

She had been off last night when I got back from training with Riley. I didn’t think things would have completely changed, but she snapped at me when I joked about her fine ass. I got why it annoyed her, and I had to admit she had a point. I couldn’t say stuff like that when we wanted to keep the fact that we’d slept together a secret.

She had gone quiet for the rest of the night while we ate dinner in front of the TV and watched the hockey game. I never thought Rox was a quiet woman, so it had unnerved me, but I didn’t want to press her in case she snapped at me again. When she went to bed after the game, she looked kind of sad, and I didn’t like that, but I didn’t know what to do about it, so I left her alone.

I dropped my gym bag on the floor and peered into the hallway. I tried not to eavesdrop, but she was yelling into the phone.

“Because you cheated on me! I’m not taking you back,” she yelled into the phone. “Fine, I’ll come get all of it today.” She groaned in frustration and threw her phone down on the bed. That’s when she looked up and saw me staring at her from the hallway. “What?” she asked, her eyes flashing in anger.

I held up my hands. “I didn’t say anything.”

She put a hand over her face. “Shit. I’m sorry.”

I crossed the threshold into the room. “What’s going on? Shouldn’t you be at work?”

“My ex is demanding I get the rest of my stuff. I’m going to have to take a personal day so I can drive up there,” she said and looked down at the floor.

I lifted her chin up so she looked into my eyes. Her eyes were shiny, and though she was putting on a brave face, my heart wrenched in my chest when a tear slid down her cheek.

“Aw, Rox, I’m so sorry,” I told her as I wiped the tear away with my thumb.

She wrenched her head away from my grasp. “I don’t want your pity!”

“Rox, it’s okay to be upset.”

“It’s none of your business.”

I clenched my jaw and tried to weigh my words carefully. I didn’t want to piss her off right now, even though I knew she wasn’t actually angry at me.

She sighed and wrung her hands in front of her. “Shit, I’m sorry. I’m not mad at you; I’m just taking my anger out on you.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Wow, an apology from Roxanne Desjardins!”

She glared. “Oh, fuck off, Benny.”

“Sorry. I’m being a dick. What are you gonna do? Drive the seven hours there and back tonight just to pick up some stuff you need?”

She shook her head. “I’m gonna have to take tomorrow off, too. I’ll probably stay the night.”

“You can’t wait until the weekend?”

She shook her head. “You don’t know my ex. I think she’ll throw all my shit out if I don’t show up today.”

“Okay,” I said firmly and went into my room.

I grabbed my passport from my bedside table and a backpack from my closet. I shoved a change of clothes in the backpack before swinging it over my shoulder. I paused for a second and opened the drawer of my bedside table again. I stared down at a pack of condoms and a bottle of lube. Then I shoved them in the bag, too, just in case. I didn’t think we would sleep together again, but I liked to be prepared for anything. A man could dream.

I walked out of my room and found her pacing in the kitchen. She looked frustrated, but I couldn’t help noticing how good she looked in a low-cut Bulldogs t-shirt and how her jeans hugged her sweet ass. My gaze lingered on her cleavage for a little too long, and when I shifted my eyes upward, she met me with a familiar scowl.

Would I ever learn?

“Can I help you?” she asked and crossed her arms over her chest.