Page 52 of The Puck Chase

I follow him into the room, my stare zeroing right in on the desk I had him splayed out against yesterday, some of the things still knocked over, and I grit my teeth, forcing my eyes elsewhere. The rest of his room is a mixture of orderly mess, with his bed still half-made and laundry piled up on the chair, yet his shelves are neatly stacked, and his open closet is completely coordinated. Organized chaos, it mirrors him perfectly.

Reign strolls around the room as I look, holding up different items every five seconds, badgering me with questions. “What about this?” He asks on repeat, and I shake my head every time, until he snaps, “Why are you even doing this?” I can see he isn’t buying into the basic answer I provided downstairs, and despite us being teammates, we both know we aren’t friends.

Yet still I find myself sighing, as I say, “Archer Gray infuriates me more than anyone I have ever met, going out of his fucking way to get under my skin, any chance he gets. So, I’m here to steal something so I can try and piss him off the same way he does me.” My words are gritted through my teeth, and by the time I am done, Reign is smiling wider than I have ever seen him.

“Well, all right then,” he purrs, before shoving me roughly, until I am sprawled on my back on Archer’s bed, watching in disbelief, as he jumps on it beside me and holds up his phone. “Smile pretty for me, love,” he winks, before snapping multiple pictures of us, him posing differently for each of them.

Then I watch as he flicks through them, finding what he deems to be the best one, before posting it on social media with the caption ‘Flyers Christmas Reunion’, and all I can do is glare at him, as I push myself upright.

“How is a picture of us going to piss him off?” I ask, but before I can even finish the end of my sentence, Reign’s phone light’s up with an incoming video call from Archer, and my deranged goalie just gleams at me.

“Archer, to what do I owe the pleasure on this fine Christmas evening?” He says by way of greeting, getting himself comfy on one of Archer’s pillows, as I continue to stare at him in shock.

“What the fuck are you doing, Alexander?” Archer yells, and I blink back in surprise at the anger in his tone, glancing towards the screen, and capturing a glimpse of him looking pissed as hell.

“Is something wrong, Arch?” Reign asks innocently, clearly enjoying himself as he toys with his friend. “Is Christmas with the family not going well?”

Archer only gets louder, as he spits back, “You know exactly what’s wrong, you oversized British piece of shit.”

Reign’s grin now is infectious, as he continues to gaslight him. “Do I? Why don’t you enlighten me?” He teases, pulling meinto the shot, and when Archer sees me, sees him touching me, he loses his temper completely.

“Don’t fucking mess with me right now, Reign, and get the fuck out of my bed,” Archer demands, a fury like I have never heard from him before, lacing his every word, and it makes me giddy. Especially when his eyes meet mine, and they darken with nothing but pure possession.

“And what about Forbes?” Reign asks, watching me as he talks, clearly having worked out the dynamic between Archer and me. “Should I kick him out too?” he drawls, tossing his arm around me, and I try not to cringe beneath his touch.

“Get your fucking hands off him, he doesn’t like to be touched,” Archer curses, and though he laughs, Reign releases me instantly.

“Now, we both know that’s not true, don’t we, Gray?” He tosses back, getting more pleasure from this interaction than he was from the girl who was sucking him off.

“Just leave him your fucking phone, and get the fuck out of my room, Alexander,” Archer commands, and Reign holds his hand up in defense, handing me his phone with a wink, and leaving the room without looking back.

When I look back to the screen, Archer is glaring at me. “Care to explain your evening activities, Forbes?”

Leaning back against his headboard, his scent assaults me, and I can’t help but grit my response. “I was here to return the favor of theft,” I shrug, acting as casual as I can manage, finally pulling a smirk from him.

“Did Alexander let you in?” he asks, leaning back himself, and I can see he is in a different room from the last time I called.

“In your room, yes, in the house, no,” I reply, searching his surroundings, before I ask, “Whose room are you in?”

His smile only widens, as he drunkenly asks, “Is this what I can expect now I’myours, demands of where I am?” WhenI don’t reply, he rolls his eyes, panning his phone to reveal a familiar figure from his sister’s social media account. “I’m with Everest, we’re having a nightcap.” He holds up a bottle of champagne in view of the screen, as his younger brother nods at me, as if he knows exactly who I am, before Archer pans it back to him. “So, how the fuck did you get into my house? Wasn’t the door locked?”

Still feeling completely thrown off by this whole fucking night, I shake my head, as I reply, “No, but do you honestly think a locked door would stop me from getting to you?” Which only makes his brother snort a laugh.

“Damn, the psycho sounds just like fucking Griffin,” he tosses out, grabbing the bottle from his brother. “No wonder you like him so much,” he adds, and if I’m not mistaken, I swear I see Archer’s cheeks turn pink.

“Fuck off, Ever,” he groans, grabbing the bottle back, before focusing on me. “So, should I expect you in my bed with our goalie when I get back?” he asks, and I’m already shaking my head.

“Fuck no, he’s fucking crazy, he was drinking tea and getting his cock sucked when I got here,” I snap back, and Archer smiles, tipping some of the champagne into his mouth.

“Yeah, that sounds like Alexander,” he sighs, looking tired, before he adds, “Well, hurry up and steal something and fuck off home, so I don’t have to worry about him corrupting you.”

“How do you know it wouldn’t be me corrupting him?” I ask, mocking outrage, and the prick only smiles.

“Because you’re a loner who hates everyone, and he’s a fucking British playboy with no credit card limit,” he grins in response, as I push up off his headboard. “Now, unless you’re gonna jerk off in my bed while I watch, I suggest you go home,” he adds, making his little brother groan in outrage, as he hits Archer with a pillow.

“You guys flirt really fucking weird,” he complains, but Archer only laughs, looking as light as always.

“I better go before my brother disowns me,” he smirks, letting his stare drag over me once more. “I’ll text you when I’m home?” He adds, in a slight question, and I nod before we say our goodbyes. “Merry Christmas, Daemon.”

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