Page 20 of The Love You Win

Rubbing at my sternum, I navigate away from the article. It brings up too many memories, and every word feels like a reminder of how hopelessly naïve I was. I don’t know if everything Candace said was truthful. But I do know that I’ve lived that tragic tale and I’ll never put myself in that position again. If I ever reopen my heart, I’ll find a nice guy who understands the value of loyalty, love, and family. And I’m going to stay far, far away from men like Maddox Graves.

nine

MADDOX

“There he is!”

It’s Monday morning, which means I’m starting the day in the weight room. We have strength training for two hours, followed by conditioning. While it’s tempting to slack off during the off-season, none of us do. Hockey seasons are long, grueling, and hell on a body. If you don’t want to end up injured, you train all year.

I grunt at Griffin when he greets me with far too much energy. His hazel eyes twinkle with mischief and his floppy blond hair bounces. I swear Griffin Wright has Monster flowing through his veins instead of blood. “You’re chipper this morning.”

He chuckles, slapping me on the back. “Got laid last night. By twins.”

Jesus.

“Shouldn’t you be a bit more chipper? You had that date on Saturday.” Griffin looks me up and down as if he can tell just by looking if I had sex. Byrne and Navarro wander over, greeting me with nods and smug smiles. They want to hear about my date, too, apparently.

“Didn’t sleep with her.” I don’t want to talk about this with them. Or anyone. Ever. Saturday night was a disaster. If I tell them about it, I’ll have to admit to being a total asshole. I’m sure they’ll laugh, but they’ll also give me a hard time for the rest of the week.

“Why not?” Byrne asks. “Was she ugly?”

“What? No.” Isla definitely wasn’t ugly. She was stunning, and that had been the problem.

Bash eyes me speculatively. His dark brown eyes don’t miss much. “Then why the hell didn’t you sleep with her? Was she a super-fan? Some kind of crazed stalker?”

That makes me chuckle. “Nope. She’s never watched a hockey game in her life.”

Griffin presses a palm to his chest, mouth falling open comically wide. “Blasphemy.”

“I know, right? She told me she’d rather read a book than watch sports.”

“I bet she reads some real kinky shit,” Griff says as his eyes grow unfocused. “The chicks that read a lot always have the most shocking Kindle history. One time I went out with this quiet, adorably nerdy girl in college because one of my buddies dared me to, and I was not prepared. She tied me to her bed and rode me so hard I came in like two minutes. She tried to get me to let her peg me, but I wasn’t into it.” He sighs. “Best damn sex of my life.”

Navarro, Byrne, and I all burst out laughing. Only Griffin Wright could have such a dreamy look on his face while talking about being pegged.

“Pegging, huh?” I chuckle. “I’m surprised you didn’t go for it.”

Wright shrugs. “I let her finger my prostate a few times, but a strap-on just felt too impersonal.”

“Totally,” Navarro says with a roll of his eyes before he turns back to me. “So, tell us about it.”

“I wasn’t there when Wright’s girl fingered his asshole.”

“Christ.” Bash groans. “Tell us about your date, Graves. Stop stalling and spill it.”

Loading weights onto a bar, I set up my station and avoid making eye contact with any of them. “It was fine. She was nervous. We ate food, I signed a few autographs. Nothing to write home about.”

“Waaait,” Sebastian says, drawing out the word. “What do you mean, you signed autographs? Like, you signed merch for her or something?”

I rub the back of my neck. “Uh, no. I didn’t actually sign anything for her.”

“Then what the hell do you mean you signed a few autographs?” He stares at me, and when I can’t meet his gaze, he pinches the bridge of his nose. “Please tell me you didn’t sign autographs while you were on a date with the poor woman.”

My silence is confession enough, and Navarro groans. “Dude. That’s shitty.”

“I know,” I say a little too loudly. “Trust me, I know. I’m going to be paying for it, too.”

All three of them watch me with raised brows, waiting for an explanation. Dammit.

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