Page 67 of Faking It with the Forward

OneFive: Me, Sunshine. I’m horny for you and it’s fucking killing me.

“Who are you talking to?” Nadia asks.

I lower the phone and adjust the dumb grin on my face. I hate lying to Nadia, especially with our new-found peace, so I just shrug.

“Is it Logan?” she asks eagerly. She’s in the chair across from the couch doing homework. “Or wait. Is there another hot guy you haven’t told me about?”

Avoiding the question, I ask, “Are you bored? I’m bored.” I turn off the TV. Who am I kidding? I’ve watched three different shows about this cold case already. No one’s solving it unless there’s a miracle. “Want to go do something?”

“I always want to go do something, Twyler, you know that.” She grins, slamming the laptop shut. “What are you thinking?”

Thirty minutes later we walk into the Badger Den. Coach Green can’t demand that I avoid the team in a public place. The Den is a Wittmore institution, it makes perfect sense for me to come here with a friend. The place is packed with hockey players and fans coming to watch the game on a dozen screens. That and the girls that love to hang out with them.

Neither of us took much time on our appearance or dressing up other than changing out of our pajamas and into actual clothes. My hair is twisted up in a bun, the best I could do last-minute.

I push through, thinking about how far I’ve come since the last time I came here with Reese. I’d been so nervous. Not just about being with him, but in general. Putting myself out there. The farther I get away from Ethan, the more I realize how much he affected everything in my life. I don’t want to be that person anymore.

“TG!” Reid calls over the crowd. He rushes over and gives me a hug. I don’t miss the can of Busch Light in his hand. “I wondered if you were coming.”

“I’m not on the team, Reid.”

“Sure you are.” He sees Nadia and nods. “Nadia.”

“Hey, Reid.”

A few other guys come up to greet us and I say hello. My eyes are skimming the room for Reese, but I can’t see him over the crowd.

My phone buzzes in my pocket and I pull it out.

OneFive: So you’re horny for me too, huh?

So he can see me. Another message pops up before I can respond.

OneFive: Because I can’t imagine another reason you’d show up here.

“Come on,” Reid says. “We’ve got room at our table.”

Nadia goes first, following Reid’s broad-shouldered body as he pushes through the crowd. Most people are watching the game, but as the back booth comes into view, Reese’s gray eyes are pinned on me, making little to no effort to pretend otherwise. My gaze drops to his mouth and my skin heats, thinking about how good it felt when he was between my legs.

This may have been a terrible idea.

There isn’t actually room for the two of us, not with four massive hockey players already crammed in the booth, but Reid forces Kirby to shift over, leaving a sliver of space next to him. Across the table, Reese and Jeff make space, but the two guys are so big that whoever ends up sitting there will basically be in Reese’s lap. I pause, determining the best route to take, the one I should or the one I want.

Nadia leans in and whispers, “I got your back,” and squeezes in next to Reese. I don’t miss the dirty look she gives him. From the way his eyebrow raises, he doesn’t either.

“So, how’s the bonding going?” I ask, cupping the glass of beer Jeff slides down to me. I take a sip. Thankfully, it’s not Reid’s pick. “Everyone BFF’s?”

“Someone made the rookies all take shots when we first got here” Kirby says, eyeing Reid, “so they’re all wasted.”

“Hey! It’s tradition,” Reid counters. “Matching shots for your jersey number.”

“You made up that game.” Reese rolls his eyes. “Just because you got wasted on shots on your first night out with the team, doesn’t mean it’s a tradition.”

“Are you serious?” I ask, looking over at the group of guys. “Emerson is number eighteen. You want him to take eighteen shots?”

Reid shrugs. “If the number fits.”

“Conveniently, Reid’s jersey number is seven,” Jeff says, tipping his beer back and taking a swallow. “And even then he blacked out by the sixth shot.”

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