Page 9 of One More Time

And here I am: resentful yet lusting after him. Get your head in check, Hunt.

“He just needs to loosen up. He can’t waltz into our locker room and judge us for having a good time. Dude’s wound up tighter than a preacher at a pride fest.”

Laughter erupted from my teammates. “See? They get it!” I gestured to the laughing faces, but Colton simply shook his head.

“If it fuels his game on the ice, I couldn’t care less. Respect his boundaries, would you? I want what we had today. And if it’s ‘cause he’s choosing to stay abstinent, well, screw it, I don’t give a damn.”

The word ‘abstinent’ almost made me gag. But damn, there was this twisted desire to unravel what makes that guy tick. He was like a scratch-off ticket, the jackpot hidden beneath a cover. And damn if I didn’t want to find it.

Chapter five

Tyler

The fucking nerve of that guy ! It was like he found the scab that needed scratching and kept picking until it started to bleed. I glanced at the time, noting it was nearing nine in the morning at home. Good, I needed some familiar voices. I shoved past Hunter and returned to my stall to get dressed.

“Ignore Hunter.” I looked over to see Colton leaning against Hunter’s locker. “He’s all about the college experience. He just doesn’t understand that it’s different for us. Look, the party tonight is at the hockey house; it’s not just sex and booze. We have video games, pool, and shit. It’s just mates hanging out, and the guys get the deal; they won’t try to force girls your way. We like you, Aus, and it would be good to celebrate our first win with you.” I smiled, even though there was no way I was going, especially if Hunter was involved. Still, it was nice to have the invitation.

“Thanks. I’ll think about it.”

Colton clapped me on the shoulder, a broad smile on his face. “That’s all we ask.”

I packed up my gear and left, waving goodbye to the team as I dodged more attempts to get me to the party. I was already dialing home before the doors banged shut behind me.

“Hey, it’s my college hockey star!” That was all it took for me to relax. I wasn’t embarrassed to admit I was homesick.

“Hey, Ma, how’s it goin’?”

Her chuckle sounded on the line. “I feel like I should be asking you that. You’re the one exploring the world.”

I rolled my eyes; grateful she couldn’t see it. “Yeah, it’s fine; we won our first game. I got to play in the starting lineup with the captain, got a couple of goals in. It was just a preseason game, so no biggie.” I remembered the feeling on the ice and God, it made me… forget. Forget that I was thousands of miles away from home, forget all the new—forget Hunter.

“Tyler, it’s hard to be happy for you when you don’t sound it yourself.”

“I’m just a little tired, getting used to the classes, the training schedule, ya’ know.”

“Mmhmm… I call bullshit,” Mum hummed, knowing me all too well. I couldn’t help but laugh, drawing a couple curious stares as I walked back to the dorm. The cold air stung my cheeks and nose, but at least I now had a jacket that could handle it

“I’m just missing home, you know? The team is great, save for one guy—the dude’s got a mouth on him. On the ice, though, we’re a killer combo. It’s like we can read each other’s minds. Though as soon as we step into the locker room… he just knows how to make my blood boil.” I could feel my blood pumping at the mere thought of his glare, the way he studied me like he was trying to read me for weaknesses. It was as if he got off on making me squirm. That alone sent shivers down my spine, giving me that extra edge for the next match.

“I see…” I knew that tone; it was the one that meant, “I know something you don’t.” I swear that woman was a witch in a past life.

“See what?” The bite in my voice even made me flinch. I never spoke to her like that.

“Don’t take that tone with me, Tyler Riley,” Mumma Bear mode was activated, and my shoulders slumped.

“Sorry, Ma. He just gets me so riled up. What do you see that I can’t?” There was a beat of silence on the other line, long enough for me to enter my dorm room. As usual, it was empty. Cal was the ghost that graced the halls, occasionally making his presence known by a lone sock in the living room or the stickiness of a poorly cleaned countertop. “Ma?” I began as I pushed through the door to my room, sitting on the bed that groaned like an Australian in the snow.

“Is he hot?”

Panicked, I looked around my empty bedroom like an idiot, as if someone else could possibly hear.

“Excuse me? Did my mum just ask if I found the dickhead teammate hot?”

She simply laughed. “Well?”

I blinked some more at the dingy-looking ceiling. Where was she going with this? “I am not telling you that! God…”

“So, I take that as a yes?”

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