Page 20 of The Puck Secret

Hockey games are the only activity like this that Hallie actually enjoys. I think dragging her along to most of Josh’s games when we were kids left her with no choice but to be comfortable with them, and I love having someone with me cheering for Josh. We have pretty much been his cheerleaders since he started taking hockey seriously as a hobby. I know he would never admit it out loud, but I know he loves us being here.

The game starts and I get lost in a sea of players, watching the puck fly from one to the other as they battle against one another for the upper hand. Josh is smooth on the ice, a natural talent from the second he stepped on it when we were kids, but the lethal duo that dominates is Nova and Archer. The two of them are so in sync with one another you would think they were damn telepathic. Watching them is thrilling, and I don’t bother trying to stop. I know I shouldn’t be curious about him, but I swear I can see a change in him.

He skates towards the glass I am sitting behind, and just as he is about to fly past us, someone from the other team slams him into it at full force. I flinch at the impact, and it’s definitely going to earn them a spot in the sin bin, but it’s the rage in Nova’s eyes that burns into me. He looks up, our eyes locking for just a fraction of a second, before he spins and throws himself at the guy, raining punches down on him until all hell breaks loose around him.

Fights are as common as goals at these matches, but being this close I can’t help but hold my breath, especially as Josh and his best friend Levi join the brawl. Yet still my focus waivers to Nova, and I don’t breathe until the refs tear them all apart and I see him pulling back, reaching up to wipe a spot of blood from his lip. He is instantly sent off for starting a fight, and as the game resumes my eyes flick back over to him as he sits in the sin bin stewing.

As if he can feel my stare on him, he cocks his head to the side and catches me watching him. When I don’t turn away, a smirk curls at the corner of his mouth, before he blows me a bloody kiss and turns his focus back to the game. Blushing from the inside out, I clear my throat and follow his lead, forcing my eyes back to ice.

The rest of the game is tense, with both teams at each other’s throat for what happened in the first part of the game. There are a couple more smaller scuffles, but nothing too serious, and by the time the clock runs down, the Flyers manage to scrape by with another win.

Hallie has already made arrangements to meet Archer after the game. There is an after party at his house that I have reluctantly agreed to go to, but I need to check in with Josh first. We wait near the entrance of the arena and I text Josh to let him know that I am outside, as I wait with Hallie for Archer to come out.

“So there is nothing going on with you and Archer Gray?” I ask her the same question I have now asked a million times in the last couple of weeks, and she laughs.

“How many times do I have to tell you that I am not his type?” She is exasperated at having to constantly tell me this, but they keep spending time together, and Hallie rarely spends time with anyone, so of course I am curious.

“Hals, please,” I roll my eyes. “You are everyone’s type.” A man would have to be blind to not find her attractive. Her hair is dark and perfectly curled, making her green eyes pop against her naturally tanned skin. Mix that with her curves and amazing rack, she turns heads everywhere we go, whether she believes that or not. Another thought occurs to me as I ask, “Is he your type?” Maybe she is playing the long game, and he might not be interested now, but maybe she is hoping that will change.

She scoffs, as she finally snaps, “He’s not the one I like.” As soon as the words slip out of her mouth I can tell she regrets them. She looks like she wants to snatch them back from thin air and shove them back down her throat. It’s the only reason I don’t push her on them, and before I can say anything else the doors to the arena swing open.

Archer appears with his housemates Alexander and Jake, and I hate that I notice that the only notable person missing from their usual foursome is Nova. A few of the other guys from the team have already left, there are only a couple more, and Josh and Nova still haven’t emerged yet.

“Sanders!” Archer yells, jumping towards Hallie and wrapping an arm around her shoulders. Surprisingly she doesn’t cringe under his touch, and it’s as if she has barely noticed the contact.Interesting.“Are you ready to celebrate with us?”

She smiles up at him, cheerfully nodding before they turn to me. “What about you, baby Peters, are you coming?” Alexander Reign asks suggestively, and I roll my eyes. Josh warned me away from all the guys on his team, but there was a special warning against Reign. He is the biggest player on campus, and everyone knows it.

“Not if you’re involved,” I reply sweetly, and Archer and Jake both laugh. “You guys go ahead, I’m waiting for Josh.”

Hallie pulls out of Archer’s touch and closes the distance between us. “Are you sure you’re okay if I leave?”

I’m already nodding. “Of course, Hals, Josh and I will be right behind you.” She smiles at my assurance, pulling me in for a hug briefly before she starts to back away.

“Text me when you arrive and I’ll grab you a drink, okay Wendy?” She winks, turning away as I nod, and trails towards Archer’s car with the others on her heel.

Once they have gone, the rest of the car park starts to quietly filter out, and I half wonder what the hell is taking Josh so long. The game ended over half an hour ago and I am still waiting. Growing impatient and cold, I open the door and head back inside the arena to track him down. The hallways are empty as I go in search of the locker room, and when I round the corner I find the last person I wanted to see.

Nova is locked in conversation with an older man who looks to be in his late forties. They are too far down the corridor for me to hear what they are saying, but it looks heated. After a few seconds, Nova shakes his head and pushes past the man, starting to head towards me. He doesn’t seem to notice me approaching as he dips back into the locker room, as the other man turns and disappears.

When I reach the door he went through, I hesitate, and before I can make a decision about whether to go inside, the door flings open and Nova reappears with his bag tossed over his shoulder. He startles slightly when he sees me, before the anger on his face turns into a wicked smirk.

“If you’re that desperate to see my cock, Princess, all you had to do was ask. Waiting outside locker rooms is trashy, even for you.” His words have their usual bite to them, and for some reason it settles the tension in my stomach that has been rising since the night he walked me home.

“Get over yourself, Darkmore, I’m looking for Josh,” I snap back in response, falling seamlessly into our usual routine that we have perfected over the last couple of years.

Nova looks like he couldn’t give a damn what I want or who I’m looking for as he snarls, “Peters is gone already, I’m the last one here.”

I blanch back, my mouth opening and closing with nothing coming out. Gone? How is he gone? I texted him and told him I would wait for him after the game. I pull my phone from my bag and groan when I see I have no service, and sure enough my message never went through. I curse internally, groaning at the fact that I passed up a ride with Hallie and the others to wait, and now I am stranded alone. Well, not alone, but I doubt Nova is going to feel gentlemanly for a second time this month.

“Okay, okay, thanks.” I turn without waiting for a response, before I halt and turn back to him. “Are you okay?” I don’t know why I ask him that, he just seems more tense than usual, and I wonder if he has anyone to talk to about it.

“Why wouldn’t I be okay?” His frame towers over me as he bounces my question back to me, and I can’t help but fidget under his stare.

I shrug. “I don’t know, it was a rough game.” I can still see the trace of blood on his lips from where he took a hit in the fight earlier.

He moves towards me and I can’t help but take a step back as he begins to tower over me. “Why the fuck are you talking to me?”

“Excuse me?” Confusion laces my tone as he pushes me against the wall, forcing my head to fall back so I can look up at him, and making my bag drop to the floor. His presence is toxic as he leers down at me.

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