Page 34 of College Hockey Bully

With my body half-way out the door, I pause, a sudden chill clashing with my curiosity. “Did he say what he wanted?”

Melissa shakes her head. “He seemed quite urgent, though.”

I continue on my way, my eyes darting from left to right, my hand curled around the bottle of pepper spray as I brace for another attack. Aiden checking on me—not good, but whatever they’ve got planned, they’re in for a huge surprise.

With no incident, I make it to the refreshment room where I start collecting bottles of vitamin water, stock them in an igloo, then have an attendant place it on a trolley. As I push it toward the slope that leads to the rink, I realize this won’t be as bad as I thought. The entire coaching staff will be here, watching them. They can’t touch—

“Scarlett.”

Relief immediately vanishes as I come to an abrupt stop, my hands curled around the trolley handle. Keeping my eyes straight ahead, I whisper, “Give me a break, Aiden. Please.”

His cologne washes over me as he walks past, coming to stand in front of the trolley. I lift my chin, hating that I’m attracted to a guy I detest. Because in this moment, as frustrated and anxious as I feel, I can’t deny how gorgeous he is, especiallywith that lock of hair dangling over his eye. He sweeps it away, hitting me full blast with a loaded stare that sends warmth flooding my insides.

“How are you doing?” he asks.

I raise my brows at him. “Is that a rhetorical question? I’m sure you know how I’m doing. After all, I’m sure this is not your first rodeo.”

He catches my meaning at once. “I’m not in the business of drugging women and having them violated, Scarlett, and I don’t appreciate your insinuation of me.”

“I don’t care what you appreciate. You made Noah invite me to a party where I almost got—” I suck in a breath, remembering my panic while lying in bed with that creep, knowing I got drugged, scared that I couldn’t do anything to stop his plans for me. “What you’ve done, if I had proof, I’d go straight to the cops—”

“Which would be a waste of time, considering I did nothing to you—”

“You run this team, Aiden. The entire school knows that. You say jump, they ask ‘how high?’. They’re not going to make such a drastic move without your say-so—”

“I need you to hear the words that are coming out of my mouth, Scarlett.” His voice is low, carrying an edge that sends a cutting response flying down my throat. Wetting my lips, I wait for him to go on.

“What happened on Saturday night had nothing to do with me. Noah invited you on his own accord. Those plans were his and his alone. Lucky for you, I happened to spot you two from the balcony. I saw him forcing that drink on you. Itstill scares the shit out of me when I imagine what would’ve happened otherwise.”

The emotion hanging on those last words makes my entire body shudder. I hug myself to somehow keep still. His expression looks sincere, pleading. “Please believe I had nothing to do with it,” he says. “I wanted you out of here, not…”

Call me a fool, but I believe him. It explains why he took me home. For the first time since I woke up yesterday morning, I feel a semblance of normalcy again. “Thank you,” I reply. There’s no need to elaborate. He knows exactly when I’m thankful for.

He nods. “It’s the least I could do.”

As he walks off, heading toward the rink, I call after him. “The guy who… do you know him?”

Tentatively, he nods.

“Would you mind giving a statement to the police? I want him arrested.”

Aiden’s mouth twists, he contemplates something for a moment, then comes back to me, saying in a low voice. “Don’t worry about him. He’s been handled.”

“What does that mean?”

“He won’t bother you again.”

“That explains nothing,” I throw back, folding my arms over my chest.

Aiden’s eyes drop there, and a soft smile emerges. “You are such an enigma,” he says.

Although he’s smiling, I can’t tell if that’s a compliment. “Don’t change the subject. Why won’t that creep bother me again?”

His smile slowly fades, but a sparkle remains in his eyes. “If I tell you, we just might go back to being enemies, Scarlett. I don’t know about you, but I didn’t enjoy being your enemy very much.”

“You’re still my enemy,” I point out curtly.

His eyes still sparkle as he shrugs. “Well, you’re not mine.”

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