Page 52 of The Alternate Captain
Rummaging in her bag for her keys, she fishes them out, then turns to look at me.
I swear to God I’ve never understood anything until this moment. Because the way she’s looking at me makes me want to spill my heart out. All those messages come flooding back to me, and I remember how much I was into this girl. And then there was that kiss.
When I won man of the match for the first time, I felt pure euphoria. Being recognised as the best on the ice—it became one of my life’s greatest memories.
But kissing Kelly for the first time completely shits all over that.
“Johnny, I—”
“Yeah?”
Eyeslocked. Breath held. And we’re fucking kissing. In broad daylight. On her doorstep. And you know what? I don’t do a damn thing to stop it. I kiss her back.
Bettsy could drive past right now, and I wouldn’t pull away.
She nibbles my lip and moans in such an erotic way I cannot stop myself from leaning into her. I want more. I want to hear what she sounds like when...
But she pulls away and stares at me for a moment before bringing her hand to her lip and brushing her fingertips over her almost-a-smile-but-not-a-smile.
“Oh, shit.”
“Huh?”
“Thanks for the ride, Johnny.”
Then she’s gone.
“How many sticks didyou break last season, Cap?” Bettsy says from the passenger seat.
He’s got his phone clutched in his hands, his thumbs hovering in midair as he waits for my answer.
“I don’t know, why?” I say, flicking my gaze sideways.
“I’m starting a pool. But I need something to go off. A starting point.”
My phone pings in my pocket, and Bettsy chuckles to himself. I suspect he’s dropped something in the team chat.
“A pool?”
“Yeah, like a wager. A bet. A dabble.”
“Fuck’s sake, Betts. You’re wasting your time,” I say.
“So how many was it? Six? Seven?”
Shit. I’d be lying if I said I actually knew, but it’s definitely over seven. “Forget it.”
“Fine. I’ll get the guys to guess this year’s number. Forget last season.”
“If you want to keep your ass away from your head, you’ll drop it,” I say, using my sternest voice.
“Okay, okay, I won’t mention it again,” he says. But he twists in his seat and stares at me. “Alright, who blunted your blades because you’re more tetchy than usual.”
I sigh heavily, not wanting to admit that I can’t even look at him properly since I’ve been having very impure thoughts about what I want to do with his sister. But since I have other shit in my head, I decide to tell him about that.
“My dad’s got this new girlfriend. He called me yesterday to tell me he’s planning a visit sinceshewants to meet me and Vic.” I half expect Bettsy to make a MILF joke, but he doesn’t.
“Well, I take it you’re not interested in meeting her?”
