Page 40 of College Hockey Bully

I twist on my side, looking up as she squeezes something from a tube into her palm. “Answer me.”

“Why is that important?”

“I’ve never had a virgin give me a leg massage before,” I reply, smirking.

Scarlett smirks back. “Well, sorry to burst your bubble, but this is not that time.”

My smile disappears abruptly, in tune with the sucker-punch feeling in my gut. Which is weird. It shouldn’t bother me that she’s already had her first. I’ll never be anything to her.

Flipping back to my stomach, I keep my eyes trained on the backyard pool as she applies deep pressure to my leg. “You’re very tense,” she mutters.

I grunt in response.

Her hands are small, deftly working the muscles, each stroke sending pleasure to my groin. Biting my lip, I suppress the groan that wants to rise from my throat. Scarlett definitely knows what she’s doing. This feels so fucking good.

“Turn over,” she soon instructs, and I roll onto my back.

She moves down to the spot above my ankle, gently working the soft area, which allows my heartbeat to slow down.Her eyes occasionally meet mine, soft but focused. I wonder what she’s thinking. I’m curious enough to ask her.

“Just ensuring I’m hitting the right spots and not worsening the situation,” she replies. Her eyes flick up at me. “Can I ask you something?”

I shrug. “Sure.”

“Why don’t you want the team to know about your injury?”

I didn’t expect that question, especially with how she just looked at me. Her being here, willing to help me, it makes me believe I can trust her with this information. “There’s a talent scout coming from New Jersey to see our next game,” I explain. “I need him to see me.”

“Need?”

“Yes. I need to go pro next year. Playing hockey is my lifetime dream.”

“I hardly know much about hockey, but you play really well, plus you’re the star of the team. Isn’t that good enough?”

She moves down to the sole of my foot as I shake my head. “It’s not that simple. There are tons of players looking to make it to the big league each year. It’s easier to get drafted when a scout is impressed by watching you play live.”

“I see, but you’ve been playing for years—” She stops at my raised brows. “No, I wasn’t stalking you or anything. You’re one of the most popular guys on campus, duh.”

“If you say so,” I tease.

She rolls her eyes. “Anyway. You’re so talented that I can’t imagine a scout not seeing you play.”

“They usually look for a pick among the best of the best, usually during the finals,” I explain, and her expression shifts with a sudden awareness.

“That explains why you were so pissed at me. You thought I denied you a chance of getting scouted,” she mutters, and I nod.

“Jeff Ross usually shows up at the championship game. He scouts for my dream team, theNew York Sabers. Missing out on that chance, it gutted me.” Pushing up on my elbows, I lash her with a remorseful stare. “I was so pissed, not thinking straight and I put you in harm’s way. I’m sorry.”

“You already apologized, remember?” she murmurs, the lightness in her tone contrasting with the emotion in her eyes. “Besides, you were only wrong about the person who called security. It doesn’t change the fact that someone wanted to ruin the team.”

I sigh, dropping back down. That puzzle has been on my mind since I realized it couldn’t have been Scarlett. It was a dark night. Someone else was obviously lurking when the team dashed into that parking lot.

Who? And why is security so tight-lipped about it? It couldn’t have been someone from the rival team or they would’ve sang like a canary when Noah flashed those hundreds for them to give up a name. Back then, I thought they were protecting Scarlett out of pity, but now I can’t help suspecting it’s someone powerful.

For some reason, it leaves me concerned as fuck. My gut tells me they’re going to strike again.

“Whoever made that call, I hope that wasn’t their endgame,” Scarlett says. “Let’s hope they were only doing what was right.” She looks back at me. “No offense.”

“None taken. I wasn’t a part of their plan, Scarlett,” I reply, and she pauses. “When you saw me, I was on my way to stop them. By the time I got there, the damage was already done.”

---