Page 1 of A Little Secret

PROLOGUE

GRIFFIN

A few years ago…

“Well, would you look at that.” I pull Finley into a hug, realizing the girl barely reaches my armpit. “You shrunk.”

My best friend’s little sister has always been short. Or maybe the age gap has always been too big, and now that I’m officially a senior in high school and have hit a few growth spurts, she’ll never catch up.

This doesn’t mean she hasn’t changed since I last saw her, though. The baby fat from her face is missing, making her look older and more mature. Her mascara makes her gray eyes pop even more than I remember, too. And, thanks to her braces being removed since the last time I saw the girl, her smile is whiter and brighter than ever. Simply put? My best friend’s little sister is fucking gorgeous.

Craning her neck up at me, Finley arches her brow. “I grew two inches since the last time you saw me, thank youvery much. You just happened to grow a foot. That’s ayouproblem, not ameproblem.”

My mouth twitches. “Like everything else in the world. Right, Fin?”

She grins. “Exactly.”

And just like that, my childhood crush flares to full force. I’ve always had a thing for Finley Taylor. I won’t ever do anything about it, especially after my half-assed comment in the car with Ev earlier. He’s my best friendandFinley’s older brother. I’m not gonna lie. I was curious if time and distance would affect my attraction to her. All it took was two seconds to debunk the theory, leaving it dead in the water.

“Hey, man, I’m gonna shower, then we can go out,” Everett announces beside me. He had to pick me up at the airport straight from hockey practice, thanks to my flight’s early arrival. After I jokingly asked if he’d be cool if I took Fin on a date while I was visiting, he shot me down flat. I figured he’d watch me like a hawk while I’m here, so the fact he’s willing to leave me alone with her while he showers must prove he bought it. That I was lying. That I didn’t mean it. And maybe I didn’t. Maybe I shouldn’t. I shake off the thought and tuck my hands into my jean’s pockets.

“I’m sorry. Did you say you want to go out?” Finley interjects. “You two are gonna ditch me? Rude.”

“We could always stay in,” I offer. “Play a game or something, then go out tomorrow night?” I turn to Ev. “Not gonna lie. I’m pretty wiped.”

Like the Fourth of July, Finley’s stormy, almond-shaped eyes light up. “I am a hundred and ten percent on board with this idea. I’ll get the cards.”

As she darts away, Everett squeezes the back of his neck and watches her go, calling out, “I didn’t say yes!” Shedoesn’t even bother acknowledging him. Shaking his head, he turns to me. “I’ll be back in ten. You good?”

“Yeah, man. I’ll hang out down here.”

“Not gonna hit on my sister, right?”

I lift my hands in defense. “It was a joke.”

“A bad joke.” He shoots me a glare, but it soon turns into a smirk. “I’ll be down in a few.”

The stairs creak beneath his weight as he strides up them, leaving me alone in the family room. I’ve been here a few times. The place is nice. It reminds me of their cabin back in Lockwood Heights. Same massive fireplace in the family room. Same epic kitchen. The only real difference between the cabin and this place is the location of the bedrooms. At the cabin, they’re on the same floor. Here? I glance at the staircase where Everett disappeared when Finley appears a few seconds later.

Flashing the red deck of cards in her hand, she asks, “Wanna play BS?”

I nod. “Yeah, sure.”

She motions for me to sit on the leather couch as she kneels at the coffee table and begins splitting the deck in two, leaving five cards in a separate pile. BS, er, Bullshit, is a simple card game. The goal is to get rid of your cards as quickly as possible by playing one or more cards face down in the center of the table and stating which cards you played. The player can either tell the truth or lie through their ass about which cards they play. It’s the opposing player's job to decide whether or not the person is lying. If they decide you’re full of shit, they call it out. If Bullshit is called, the cards are shown and one of the players winds up taking the cards. First person to get rid of all their cards wins.

“So…I heard about the Tornadoes contract,” Fin says, mentioning the NHL team I signed with last week as she deals the cards. “Congratulations.”

“Thanks.”

“Are you sad you’re gonna have to play against Ev’s team? I heard the Rockets are pretty badass.”

I shrug. “Not too worried about the Rockets, since I have a few years until I’ll have to think about it. For now, I’m gonna focus on college and LAU, where I get to play with Ev, so…”

Ev and I have both been accepted to Lockwood Ames University, along with the rest of our friends, and damn if I’m not excited to play hockey and share a place with everyone. Me, Ev, Mav, Archer. It’s gonna be amazing. As for our NHL contracts? Well. We’ll get there when we get there.

“Good point,” Finley offers. “Can I tell you how jealous I am that he gets to move back to Lockwood Heights while I have to stay here in Boringville?”

With a low laugh, I reach for my half of the cards and begin sorting them by number. “Come on, this place can’t be that bad, can it?”

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