Page 52 of Twisted Collide

“She fucked up my—”

“Again, stop. I understand you rely heavily on Molly, but if she’s not going to be here, you need to have someone manage you, and if you’re going to fire every person who comes into the room, we’ll keep having issues.”

“I’m not going to fire every single person.” As the words leave my mouth, I know it’s a lie. I will because no one can replace Molly. For the longest time, it’s always just been us, which is why I’m struggling now.

After my parents died, I fought for custody of her. She was only eleven, and I was eighteen, a senior in high school.

My uncle, the scumbag who I wouldn’t let watch my fish, wanted to take custody, probably because of my parents’ estate and the money he would be in control of if he raised her, but I fought tooth and nail. Since then, it’s been us against the world.

Molly is the reason I live in Redville. We grew up here, so when the time came to play for the NHL, and she was still in school, it was a no-brainer.

The moment she graduated, she started to manage my life. Again, it was her and me against the world.

So, as much as it sucks for her to be gone for the next month, she deserves the three months I gave her to travel.

Unfortunately, it also means I’m lost without her.

“Well, this shit has to stop. And I have the perfect solution.”

I have no idea what he’s talking about, and if he means bringing Molly home, that’s not going to fly.

“Laurie!” he shouts.

“Yeah, Coach,” I hear her shout back, head peeking around the corner.

“Bring Josie here.”

Shit. Wherever this is going, I don’t like it. This is a bad idea, and he hasn’t even said what the idea is.

“Sure thing.” She offers a toothy smile, one that looks like more of a grimace than anything else.

My back is rigid as I wait, and fuck is my jaw tight. If I didn’t know better, I’d say I was about to lose my shit just at the concept of what I fear is about to come out of his mouth.

Anything that puts Josephine in the same room as me is a bad idea.

Horrible.

A few seconds pass, and then she comes bouncing along.

She looks young today. Still beautiful, but in an innocent way.

Something I know she is not.

That’s what makes being near her so hard. She’s temptation. The sweetest sin.

Her long blond hair, normally down, is pulled up into a high ponytail, and she’s wearing black leggings and a skintight cropped white T-shirt.

How her father allows her to walk around all these men in that outfit is beside me.

It’s practically indecent with the way her nipples pebble under the thin material from the cold.

And don’t get me started on the skin of her flat stomach.

She’s walking fast, practically jogging here, and her breasts bounce with the movement.

Is she even wearing a bra?

If my jaw was tight before, now it feels like it might snap in half from how tightly I’m grinding my teeth.

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