Page 19 of College Hockey Bully

“You don’t scare me.” The slight tremor in her voice and the rapid bouncing of her chest betrays her. Stepping closer, I grab her ponytail, malice burning bright and hot inside me as her pupils dilate with renewed fear. She jerks her head away as I run my fingers through the thick, golden locks.

“Such beautiful hair,” I murmur, slowly releasing it, watching as it falls in clumps on her voluptuous chest. “I’d really hate to see it decorating the floor.”

Rabid terror fills Scarlett’s eyes.Ah. It seems I’ve found her weakness, after all.She pulls her hair away from me. I grab it back, this time wrapping the silky locks around my hand.

“Let me go, Aiden. Please,” she begs.

That quivery, emotional plea shouldn’t turn me on. Yet, my cock swells in response, straining against my pants. Scarlett jumps when I slap the wall behind her. Satisfaction runs up my spine as she whimpers. “Fuck with me again, Scarlett,” I whisper against her lips. “I dare you.”

A gentle sob leaves her mouth when I release her. Her body rocks as another sob escapes, then another. She wraps her arms around her middle, leaning against the wall as I back away. Something moves in my chest that oddly feels like remorse. Ignoring the sensation, I turn and walk away.

It’s all a farce. She’s only playing me. Not a single tear did she shed just now. I’m not going to believe she’s half as innocent as she portrays. Coincidences don’t exist in my world and until I get proof otherwise, my finger will keep pointing right at Scarlett.

She’s the one.

“I mean, we were all happy as fuck to win the game, but running out of your gear was mad extra,” Cameron greets me with amusement as I enter the locker room. He cocks his head to where my stuff is resting on a leather bench between the lockers.

“Lucky for you, I snatched them before Scarlett got her hands on them.”

I sit beside him, rubbing my socked feet on the floor, slightly wincing from a sudden sharp pain on my right ankle. A surgery done five years ago always makes me worry whenever I feel any discomfort there.

“That was a joke,” Cameron says, nudging me.

“I saw her in the stands,” I reply. “She came to watch the game.”

“And?”

“She has never watched a game.”

Cameron scoffs. “Hundreds of people fill those seats, Aiden. There’s no way of knowing for sure.”

I can’t tell him thatI do know for sure, so I just shrug. “I got rid of my skates and chased after her.” At his alarmed expression, I add, “Just to find out what she’s up to. I didn’t hurt her or anything.”

Except threaten to cut her hair off. Scarlett would never guess that I’d rather go bald than have her lose that head of beautiful, golden locks that I’m secretly obsessed with. I can still feel its silkiness through my fingers. I’m still battling with an urge to run them through her hair again.

“What did you find, pray tell?” Cameron asks as other teammates file into our space.

“Nothing,” I reply in a low tone. I don’t want to incite the other guys with talk of Scarlett. We’re on a high from this win and I want to keep it that way.

I peel my shirt off as Coach enters the room, his expression perplexed. “Listen up, boys,” he bellows over the chatter. The noise quickly dies down.

“I have good news and bad news,” he announces.

“Throw away the bad news, Coach!” Andy, a reserve, calls out. “Good vibes only.”

“Trust me, you’re going to want to hear this. Good news is, the janitor found the skates in an empty dumpster around back.Bad news; someone wiped the surveillance cameras. There’s no proof of anyone moving to and from the locker room with anything suspicious.” He looks directly at me. “Including the intern.”

I purse my lips. Noah scoffs. “She still did it. Obviously, she’s not working alone.”

His words perk me up.It’s quite possible, isn’t it?

Clearly, I’ve been looking at this wrong. All along, I assumed Scarlett had it out for me, but maybe not. Possibly, she’s working for someone with a grudge.

Maybe someone who tried out for the team and didn’t get in.

It could be a rival team that wants to take us out of the competition.

Scarlett has no brothers, no male friends—no friends for that matter. Could it be a secret lover, someone she has kept under the radar?

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