Page 33 of The Puck Secret

When the door closes us both in, that tension from before burns even hotter, I can feel it so I know he can too. I turn to look at him and find him already staring at me, just like he was earlier tonight. My eyes scan his face, taking in the cuts and bruises and trying to work out which were left by my brother, and which were from the fight with the other team.

“What happened tonight?” I ask, not sure if I even want the answer, but my mind can’t stop thinking about how that guy was looking at me before Nova slammed into him. “Why did you attack that guy in the game?”

I see a little surprise flare in his eyes at my question, I’m sure he thought I was going to ask about why he was fighting with my brother, but if what I think happened in the game is true, then I already know the answer. His eyes search mine, waiting for me to let it go before he finally sighs, “Does it even matter?”

“I think it does.” My words are out before he has barely even finished talking, but this is important to me. Things are changing so quickly that I can barely keep up, and I need answers, whether I like them or not.

Nova shrugs, attempting to keep a casual stance on the situation as he admits, “The guy was talking shit about you.” His words hold a vicious bite, and I can tell if the guy was in front of him now he would go right back to pounding his face into the floor of the ice, consequences be damned.

“You mean the way you talk shit about me?” I smirk a little as I ask him that, but he has to see the irony of the situation we are in.

“It's not the same,” he snaps, his anger churning beneath his skin once more before he quietly adds, “At least not anymore.”

His lip is badly busted from both of the fights, and a little speckle of blood creeps out as he talks. My hand moves before I can stop it, swiping along his bottom lip to wipe away the red spill. His eyes darken once more at my actions, and before I can move my thumb away, his tongue peaks out and licks his lips, caressing my thumb in the process and I gasp, but when I try to move my hand, he reaches up to keep it in place.

“What’s happening here, Nova?” I whisper, scared to ask the question any louder, and even more scared for the answer. This is wrong, getting involved with him given our history will not end well, but with the heat of his skin under my palm, I can’t find it in myself to care.

When he reaches out to grab my other hand and pulls it onto his groin for me to feel his cock straining hard against his pants, I let out another gasp that doesn’t sound like me at all. My fingers move on instinct, the remnants of what I know he likes from our first sexual encounter still lingering in my mind, and I squeeze him hard. “Fuck Maddie,” he huffs, eyes blown out in lust as he watches me carefully. “I don’t know what is happening here, but I do know if I don’t give in to this need to kiss you, then I might die.”

It’s only then that I realize despite the things we have done, we have never actually kissed. Not on the mouth at least, and suddenly I feel vulnerable and exposed, as my father’s threats plunge to the front of my mind. So, I force a smile to my face as I say, “Then die.”

A flash of something crosses his face but it’s gone in an instant, replaced by a cocky smirk as he drops both my hands and leans in close. I tilt my head to the side in a panic that he might actually try and kiss me, and this time I feel his smile against my neck as he brings his mouth to my ears. “I’ll see you at my party, Princess, be a good girl and wear something slutty for me.”

By the time I turn back to him, he is already climbing from the car and slamming the door without another word. I can’t help but feel like I just made a mistake with him, like waving a red flag in front of a bull and now I must wait for him to charge, but I had to shut this down. There is no universe where I can just mess around with someone like Nova, and it’s an even crazier one that he wants to mess around with someone like me. We are complete opposites and the hatred has burned bright between us for years, so why does it feel like something else now?

I spend the drive back to my house in a spiral, and when I park my car and find Bradley Thorne waiting in my driveway, I groan out loud as my night goes from bad to worse. He is leaning against one of my porch pillars, and when I climb from my car I watch his displeased gaze trail over my outfit. I guess jeans and a hockey jersey aren’t the look of the future Mrs Thorne. I almost gag at the thought, but paste my sweetest smile in place as I move towards him.

“To what do I owe this displeasure?” I muse, pushing past him to try to get to my door. The lights are off inside which means Hallie isn’t home yet, and considering I am finding Brad here, I am kind of glad she isn’t.

“Don’t start with your fucking games, Madeline,” he snaps, gripping my arm and turning me towards him. “Where the fuck have you been?”

Confusion clouds my mind as I try to pull from his grip, but his fingers only tighten. “I was at Josh’s hockey game,” I say through gritted teeth, still pulling against his hold to no avail. “What the hell is your problem?” I’m not sure why he cares about my whereabouts so much, we have barely been on a few dates before my father told me about our situation. It’s not like I have ghosted him, and he seemed quite happy to be doing his own thing.

“My problem is, I don’t think you know how you need to behave.” He uses his hold on me to pull me in even closer until our bodies are pressed together, and fear starts to lick at the bottom of my spine as I smell the alcohol on his breath.

I open my mouth to ask if he has been drinking when Hector appears silently behind him, pressing a gun into his shoulder blade as he says calmly, “Let go of her arm.” Brad’s eyes widen as he feels the hard steel being pushed against his body, and his fingers loosen instantly. “That’s a good boy,” Hector mocks, before turning his stare on me. “Go inside and lock the door, Miss Peters.”

My hands shake a little as I nod and walk backwards away from them, Brad still watching me closely with an unfinished look in his eye, as Hector pulls him away. It takes three tries for me to unlock the door, and when I shut it behind me and lock it, I let the tears fall from my eyes. How did my night turn out like this?

I force my unsteady legs into the kitchen and reach into the cupboard for a bottle of tequila, pulling off the cap and taking a deep swill. I cringe a little at the harsh taste on my clean palette, but when I feel the warmth down my throat, I take another long drink. By the time Hallie makes it home I have drunk half the bottle and sunk myself onto the kitchen floor, which is where she finds me.

“Hector told me what happened,” is all she says, before slinking down to the floor beside me and holding her hand out for the bottle.

God bless best friends and their pure hearts.

We spend the next hour on the floor drinking and laughing, until my sad and scared tears are nowhere to be found. When I finally make it to bed half-drunk, I fall asleep to thoughts of a pair of dark, brooding eyes, and wondering what the hell I am going to wear to a halloween party.

* * *

For the nextweek I throw myself into classes and my usual routine. I feel Julian and Hector in my presence more than usual, but for once I am truly grateful for it. I don’t see Brad at all, and I guess Hector’s warning really must have sunk in. I wonder what he must have said to him? Thankfully I don’t have to think too hard, Hallie keeps me distracted with homework dates in the library, and shopping for our costumes for the party, and by the time the weekend comes around, I have almost completely forgotten what happened last week.

The party is tonight and I am looking forward to it, despite whatever tension still lingers between Nova and I. I just have to get through a family dinner first. I haven't spoken to my dad at all this week, choosing to ignore his calls, which seems to be the norm these past two months, but I know Hector will have filled him in on what happened. I wonder if he actually cares?

The dinner is as awkward and mundane as expected, even Josh doesn’t attempt to fill the silence with any pleasantries. And after my mom asked about his game and my father commented on the fight he joined in on, it shut down any other conversations we might have had. Thankfully, the silence makes the time go quicker, and the courses are all brought out promptly until we manage to make it to dessert. I eat quickly, forcing the food into my mouth and pretending that everything is okay, until I can escape.

Once the plates are clear, I push my chair back and stand, but before I can try to excuse myself, my father beats me to it. “Madeline, I’d like a word in my office please.” My spine straightens as he stalks from the table without giving me a chance to refuse.

I feel Josh’s stare on me, as I tighten my smile and move to follow after our father. It feels like the last time he brought me here and told me what my fate was to be. One I haven’t been able to evade since, and I can’t help but pray this is about to be my salvation. When I enter, he stalks around his desk and gestures for me to take a seat, and I do, reluctantly, biting my lip to keep my nerves at bay. I wait for him to pour an after dinner drink, before he takes a seat in his chair and looks at me.

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