Page 19 of Daring the Defender

I wince, not sure I want to know about my brother’s body heat, but I do notice the jersey she’s wearing has my brother’s name on the back. Twyler rests her hands on the handlebars of the bike. “I can go put this on the back porch. Is there anything else you need help moving?”

“No, I think I’m good. I’ll put my suitcase where the bikes were. I already vacuumed out the couch and a nest of spiders in the corner. I’ll just get some clean sheets and maybe a new comforter. But all in all, I think it’ll make an okay bed for the next few weeks.”

“You sure it won’t get too cold?”

“I can take it.” I sit on the arm of the couch. “What are you two doing here anyway? Don’t tell me Axel made you come check up on me.”

“No,” Nadia promises, “but we’re heading over to the Badger Den to watch the game and thought you may want to come.”

“What’s the Badger Den?”

“A hockey bar,” Twyler says.

“For hockey players or hockey fans?” I ask, not wanting to admit I’ve never been to a bar.

“Both.” Nadia tugs at the hem of her shirt. “They have on all the games and it’s the best way to catch the away ones.”

I haven’t left the Manor since I got here, having spent the first two days getting settled in and avoiding my phone. “I’m not twenty-one.”

“Good news! It’s eighteen and up,” Nadia replies cheerfully.

Okay, so this is happening. “Sure, yeah that sounds fun.”

“Although…” Nadia looks me up and down, taking in my sweats and dirty T-shirt.

Twyler mutters, “Oh boy, here we go…”

“What?” I ask, but Nadia thrusts her hand out at me and I grab it.

She yanks me up, saying, “The sweats look is great for moving furniture and cleaning up a nasty porch, but we’re going out, Shelby, and going out means dressing up.”

“Don’t listen to her.” Twyler gives me a sympathetic look. “You can wear whatever you want. I do.”

“Yes,” Nadia rolls her eyes at her friend, “and the whole student body is still trying to figure out how you won Reese Cain’s heart.”

“Because he’s into what’s under the clothes–”

“Yeah, I know, babe. We share a wall, remember.”

“That’s not what I meant! Reese and I connect on a different level. He’s into my brain and smarts, not my body.” A small smile curves the edges of her mouth. “Okay, he’s into my body too.”

“I’m not looking for anyone to get into my body,” I declare. “I already have a boyfriend.”

“Cool,” Nadia says, “but there’s one thing that’s mandatory if we’re going to the Badger Den.”

“What’s that?”

She pulls at the jersey and grins. “You’ve gotta dress like a fan.”

“Finally,”I say, rushing out of the cold and into the brightly lit, crowded bar. Once inside Nadia peels off her jacket. “You’re from Florida aren’t you?” She nods. “How do you stand this cold?”

“You get used to it,” she says.

“And a lot is about clothing and just being prepared,” Twyler adds.

I should have taken the stained hoodie Nadia dug up from the floor of my brother’s closet. Instead, I picked the black women’s Wittmore v-neck buried in his T-shirt drawer that seemed logical if I was still in Texas, but we’re in the North East and I’m struggling to get used to that.

Unzipping my coat, I look down at my shirt, alarmed at the amount of boob showing. I tug up the V for coverage. “If this isn’t yours, then whose shirt is it?”

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