Page 32 of The Puck Secret

When I finally turn to face him I know this is only going to end one way, so I don’t bother with any pleasantries or excuses. “How about you tell me what the hell that was, Peters?” I spit, the anger from before spiraling back through my veins. “You just gonna let some punk mouth off about your sister?”

Archer curses under his breath as he finally realizes what happened out on the ice, but Josh remains completely composed, he is his father’s son after all. “I don’t see why not, I let you do it, don't I?”

I almost scoff, not wanting to remind him how he always fucking cuts in when I mouth off to her, but I guess we are past that now. “You really are just like your fucking father,” I seethe, knowing the impact that it will have against him.

I feel Archer and Reign brace at my sides, and watch as a smirk curves at the corner of Daemon’s mouth, they know what’s coming. “What did you just say to me?” Josh takes a step forward, squaring his shoulders as he questions me.

“You heard me, your Daddy doesn’t know how to respect the women he loves either, does he?” His jaw tightens beneath my words, and I can’t help but smirk. He can’t refute my words, they’re true. The mayor cheated on his wife, deserted his mistress, and I never see him with his daughter unless it’s a photo op, so I’d love for Josh to show me something different.

“I’m going to fucking kill you,” he seethes, his chest rising rapidly, as his own temper that he keeps locked down takes over.

My smile gets even wider as I flex my fists in preparation. “Oh, I would love to see you try, Golden Boy.”

I don’t know who moves first, me or him, but suddenly we are one, as his fist smashes into my jaw, and my hands slam him into his locker. Someone tries to pull me away, but I shove them off and head butt Josh as he tries to move towards me. He busts my lip, and I black his eye, and by the time her voice cuts through the carnage, we are both once again bruised and bleeding.

“Stop, please,” Maddie pleads, and I feel her come up beside me causing my attention to flick to her and falter, just for a second.

His punch comes so fast that it pushes me back, yet before I can retaliate, she comes between us. “Nova, please.” She looks up at me with tears in her eyes for her precious brother, but her words cut me to the bone. The heat of her palm sears into my chest and I press against it, yearning for more. She holds my stare for a few seconds until she finally feels that I am done.

When I look back at Josh he is still furious, as Maddie’s friend, Hallie, attempts to check his bleeding eyebrow, but he pushes her away. When he stalks away, Maddie drops her touch to move after him, but Hallie holds up her hand to stop her. She looks between the two of us before she whispers, “It’s okay, I’ll go.”

We watch them leave, and Daemon slowly follows after her, until it’s just me, Maddie, Archer, and Reign left. When she looks back at me I see both sorrow and anger on her face, and I try to ignore the stab of disappointment that slashes into my gut. Instead, I keep my gaze hard as I turn my head to the side and spit the blood gathering in my mouth to the floor.

“Are you okay?” she asks gently, genuine concern in her tone as she reaches out to prod a bruise on my face.

I hiss through my teeth, not flinching from her touch, as her eyes continue to search mine. “Do you even care?” I ask, not caring that I am being a prick, even if doing so doesn’t satisfy me the way it used to. I want something else now, something different.

“More than I should,” she whispers, her words meant only for herself, but I hear them anyway. They entrap me, luring me into her in a way I know I shouldn’t be tempted by, but all I can think about is her taste. The feel of her on my tongue, what she would look like beneath me.

It isn’t until Archer clears his throat that I realize how long we have been silently staring at one another. “Well, I hate to break up whatever kind of foreplay this is, but we should go before Coach comes back.” Both of our attention snaps to him, and the moment between us passes.

I grab my bag and we all turn to leave as Maddie asks, “Do you guys need a ride home?” Her voice doesn’t hold the same confidence as usual, and I know she is just waiting for me to say no.

Before I can say anything, Archer slings an arm around her neck and smiles at me as he says, “We would love a ride home, baby Peters.” She nods under his hold and then we all make our way to the parking lot.

Maddie pulls out her phone on the way, no doubt sending a text to check in with her brother or Hallie, and when we reach her car, I almost roll my eyes at how nice it is. Archer reaches for the front passenger door, but I grab him and slam him against the back door, and the fucker smirks as if he was purposely testing me and I failed. I flip him off as he slips into the back, and I open the door to take a seat in the front next to Maddie.

There is a silent tension as she starts the car and backs out of the space, and even though we took a while in the changing rooms there is still a line of traffic waiting to get out of the lot. She turns on the radio, and then Archer sticks his head through the middle of the seats like a damn puppy to ask, “What are you doing for Halloween, Maddie?”

I groan out loud, and she looks between the two of us confused, before she turns to him and shrugs. “I don’t really have any plans. Hals and I usually do like a scary movie marathon, but we haven’t discussed this year yet.” She looks back to me, and then Reign, before she asks, “Why, what are you guys doing?”

Archer smiles wide. “Well, I am glad you asked. See, it’s my boy's birthday here, and I’m throwing him a party, costumes mandatory of course, are you down?”

I know she won’t come, I know she will refuse him, but the fact he is even inviting her has me fuming on the inside. He knows that something is happening between us, he told me so himself, but I haven’t told him anything, he is just going off what he saw when she left my room. Yet when she turns to me, I can’t help but think she looks disappointed that I didn’t invite her myself. It’s like we communicate silently as I pray she doesn’t come, not if she doesn’t want this thing between us to get even messier, and when I see her stare harden I know I’m well and truly fucked.

She shakes her head. “Of course the devil is born on Halloween,” she muses, and I can’t help but smile.

“And do you want to come to hell with me, Princess?” The question is a loaded one. She knows what it means, and so do I. Then when I watch a blush creep up her neck, I have to stop myself from mounting her right here in the car in front of my boys. Not that they’d care, I’m sure they’d enjoy it. I know I would.

I keep my stare on her as she licks her lips, and then turns back to Archer. “I’ll be there.”

I’m pretty sure all four of us ignore the mounting tension in the car as I give the guys a ride home. Hallie responded to my text while we were stuck in traffic at the parking lot. She said Josh is fine, pissed off but fine, which I guess is nothing new for him, and that she will see me at home later. Her text does nothing to calm my nerves, especially not when I can feel the reason for my current predicament burning a hole into the side of my head with his stare.

I thought I knew Nova, or at least knew him enough to understand him and his hatred for me, but that’s not the Nova I am dealing with anymore. This Nova is different. Still harsh and dark, but now there is an edge of something else, something I can’t quite decipher. I know things have changed between us, and I know it’s my fault. I started this that night I made a drunken mistake. Or at least that’s what I keep telling myself. The night at the restaurant wasn’t the same. Neither one of us were drunk, we were perfectly capable of making sound decisions, and still somehow he ended up with his head between my legs while I writhed against his tongue until I came.

By the time we pull up outside their house, I know Archer and Alexander must both be aware something is up, it has been far too quiet. Still they move to slip out of the car silently, while Nova remains put. Yet it doesn’t stop Archer from leaning back down into the open doorway with a smirk. “Don’t take too long or the windows will steam up.”

I can’t help but smile as heat floods my cheeks, but it’s Nova who curses him out against the slamming of the door. “You’re a fucking asshole, Gray!”

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