Page 25 of Puck You Not

“Is she always like that?”he asked.

“Yeah.”

“Why?”The question was filled with disbelief, as if he couldn’t imagine someone being so…like Sheena.

“I don’t know.She’s constantly accusing me of things, taking my belongings, flying off the handle about weird stuff.This morning she was screaming at me for eating the last of her strawberries—”

“But you’re allergic to strawberries,” he said, obviously remembering that from our emails.

“Yup.And she knows that, too.But I guess she’s in the past, and I should see that as a good thing and forge forward.”That’s what I’d been doing since I was twelve.

Not wanting to discuss my ex-roommate further and knowing Parrish needed to get some sleep before practice, I lapsed into silence.Sleep didn’t come easily.Staying still, I stared into the darkness and tried to acclimate to having someone in bed with me—and to the noise.I certainly couldn’t block out the raucous laughter and yells from the main part of the house.

Behind me, Parrish made a low sound in his throat, then I felt arms go around me and he pulled me toward him.I squeaked, and my free arm flailed out when my back hit his chest.

He captured the limb loosely under his muscled bicep.

“Relax.Go to sleep,” he murmured, pressing a kiss to the back of my head.That was it.No groping.No grinding against me.He just held me, and I quickly realized he didn’t plan to do anything but that.He shifted his arm to around my waist, freeing the limb he’d briefly captured.

Tension drained from me, then his warmth, and the steady rise and fall of his even breathing lulled me into feeling safe.Safer.Secure.With no worries for a few hours.

His heat soothed me, and soon, I floated into that state between sleep and wake, drifting…drifting… Until I encountered dreams of Parrish and everything else faded away.

Seven

Parrish

“This is bullshit,” I complained, skating laps around the rink, my limbs burning with fatigue and the rest of me begging for caffeine.

“Better than suicide drills,” Porter said, blades digging into the ice as he sped along with ease, his JetSpeed hockey stick sweeping back and forth in front of him as if he were dribbling a puck.

“Yeah, I was just up too late.Feel like hammered shit.”

“Hot date?Wait…weren’t you with Avalon?”

“Yeah, her roommate kicked her out last night.She’s crashing with me for the time being.”For as long as she wanted actually, but I didn’t say so to him.Avie and I had to discuss it first, and I needed to convince her to stay if she proved reluctant.Last night with her in my arms…?Perfection.The only thing better would have been the assurance she’d be there every night.

And sex.But that was a different thing altogether.

“That bitch did what?”Porter exclaimed.“Fuck.Can’t even say I’m surprised.Every time I turn around, she’s doing something psycho to Avie.Nash is going to lose his shit when he hears this.”

“That’s what Av said.”

“Maybe, she can wait until tomorrow to tell him, if she hasn’t already.”

“Why?”

He looked around.“I need a plus one for my parents’ anniversary party.Tonight, I’m asking him if he can pretend to be my date for Saturday evening.”

My brows raised, not that he could see it with my helmet on.“Good luck with that.”

“Gonna need it.But my cousins are rabid about matchmaking, so I’m desperate.But if he’s worried about Avalon, he’ll want to be taking care of her—”

“Say no more, I’ve got you,” I told him as the coach whistled and sent us all to the locker room.

“Thanks for taking care of Avie, too,” he said.“I know Nash is her best friend, but she’s gotten to be almost like a sister to me over the past couple years.I’ll throw gloves with anyone who screws with her.”

And I considered myself warned with that.Porter would never hit a woman, but he’d brawl with me if I hurt his friend.He needn’t worry.Hurting her was the last thing I intended.

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