Page 23 of One More Time

Every feeling I had about leaving came rushing back. I sighed, knowing that following my dreams was too good to be true.

I steeled myself, realizing I was standing in the middle of the pathway. Students were giving me a weird look as I tugged at my hair. I heard shuffling, then another voice. “Jamie, give me the phone.”

“Mum, he’s just a kid. I have to come home.”

“You will not come home, Tyler Riley. I’ll have Aunt Kay come stay with us. We’re fine. I promise.”

The desperation in her tone did nothing to quell how not fine I felt. “Let me say goodbye to Jamie, mum.”

I heard her sigh, and I knew this killed her. It’s why I needed to be there, to protect her from thinking she was failing—to protect Jamie from the sight of our mum dying.

“Ty?” He was crying.

“Hey bud, awesome job. You did great. You are doing great. Auntie Kay will be there soon, okay? And if you ever need to talk just give me a call, okay? No matter the time”

“Okay,” he said, though he sounded anything but.

“I love you, James.”

“Yeah, you too.” He hung up, and the silence was deafening. I clenched my jaw so hard my teeth ached. Quickly, I stuffed my phone into my pocket and sprinted back to the dorm.

The combination of music and the thud of each footfall on the treadmill battled with my thoughts. I was breaking my strict training routine, because even after this morning’s run, my body was buzzing with a need for release.

Golden eyes appeared before me, breaking my focus enough to make me stumble. Luckily, I caught myself, bracing on the arms of the machine enough to regain control and pause my run. I jerked my headphones off, choice words sitting on the tip of my tongue.

“You know Aus, you can’t run away from your problems. Through running does seem to be your specialty,” Those infuriating golden eyes gleamed with mischief. With the help of the treadmill, we were eye-to-eye. I noticed a couple of scars that I was normally too short to see. They were more noticeable with his cheeks flushed from his own workout and his damp hair raked back out of his face one scar streaked across his forehead and disappeared into his hairline. The other sat on his right eyebrow. My hand itched to touch them, feel their depths. But I didn’t. “Don’t know what you’re on about, Graves.”

Hunter stiffened. “Don’t call me that.”

His tone made me stiffen. It was a lot like the one he used the day he knocked me over.

“What is your problem, Boston?”

His shoulders relaxed, but his face remained as stoic as it was before.

“Didn’t think you would be the kind to abandon one date for another.”

I scoffed. Was he jealous?

“Stalking me now? It was one night, remember? What I do is none of your business.” I drew the line. My hand began to massage my chest as if it could rub away the ache there.

“Sure, if stalking is going to the only coffee house on campus and seeing you leave with one of my old conquests. I heard you loud and clear with the whole one-night shit when you were gone in the morning. Excuse me for treating you differently and letting you sleep over. If I’d known that’s all you wanted I’d have sent you home with Kins.”

I glanced around the gym, thankful we seemed to be the only two to get a workout in before practice. Hunter didn’t miss my obvious concern. “Oh don’t worry. Your secret’s safe with me. But know this, Aussie: I know what you look like when you come, what you look like when you’ve completely come undone. I know you murmur in your sleep, and your leg twitches as you dream. I know you’re scared of women and know every point on your body that makes you cry when it’s touched.”

My body shivered despite myself. “Good to see I still have that effect on you. It’ll only be a matter of time before you come crawling back. The question is, Aus: will I let you in for thirds? Because that’s not something I usually do.”

His lips curled into a sneer. It was a threat rather than a promise, yet I couldn’t ignore the unmistakable lust in his eyes. They raked over my body. His tongue grazed his bottom lip and I tracked the movement.

“You don’t have to worry about that, Hunter. You caught me with whiskey glasses. Like any alcohol, it left a bad taste in my mouth in the morning.”

He flinched and I instantly regretted my choice of words. But there was no turning back. He nodded, lips screwing to the side of his face.

“Right, Mr. Perfect got to dip his toe in the water. I am glad to have been your little experiment Aussie. Have fun with your baby Captain America. He’s cute and all, but remember he’s just a bottom. But you like the control right? Like holding the reins—both on and off the ice? Everything’s perfect when you’re in control, right?”

I felt the jab where he intended, sliding under my rib cage and racing toward my heart, just nicking it enough to let me know the knife was there. I bit my lip, head moving up and down as if sucking up his blow.

“Sure Boston, pretend you know me. You don’t know a fucking thing about me. Enjoy your endless rounds of emotionless ass, pretending you don’t give a flying fuck about anything on this earth other than being the cockiest man on and off the ice, right? But the game always ends. The high wears off and you realize you’re all alone. You wouldn’t know chivalry if it bit you in the ass.”

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