Page 7 of Treacherous
Cooper turns red, the realisation of what we are talking about. “I’m good for now.”
I shake my head, holding in a laugh as Cooper and Willow leave for their respective rooms. We may give Coops shit for being a virgin, but we love that kid to death. He only joined us at the beginning of last year and the team environment is better for it.
The rest of us shift into the kitchen and dining room. It’s Sunday night, meaning it’s Hayes’ turn to cook. We have a set routine to make sure the house is clean and tidy, and so we don’t starve to death.
Hayes, Cooper, and Aiden are the only ones that can cook meals that are edible. So, the rest of us steer clear of the kitchen and take on other chores to make it fair.
The sun slowly dwindles below the horizon as Hayes serves up tonight’s dinner. The aroma of roast lamb, herbs, and vegetables must reach upstairs because Willow and Cooper come in almost immediately after the table is set.
“That smells amazing,” Willow says, taking a seat at our large dining table.
“Hayes, Aiden, and Cooper are our resident cooks. You can decide what chore you will do. The rules are that everyone contributes evenly.”
Willow stills, her throat bobbing. Her chest heaves and I muffled sigh leaves her throat. I move my focus to my plate, loading up on meat and carbs.
The amount of food we go through in this house is ridiculous but considering the amount of training and games we play, our large appetites make sense.
“Of course. I’m fine with anything except cooking. Unless you want burnt food, then I’m your girl.”
The guys laugh, except for Hayes, who looks scared for his life. “Please stay out of my kitchen, then.” He pleads.
“I thought you would be good a cooking,” Aiden says, but after receiving a death glare from Willow, he corrects himself. “I mean, because of your degree. Most nutritionists and dieticians I have met are meal prepping with a distinct plan in mind.”
Willow nods as she chews on her food. “It would make things easier, but I can still make a killer meal plan. What are your go-to meals? I’m happy to create a plan since I think that is one of my assessments for the session.”
The boys agree immediately. Although, we know the basics about nutrition and fuelling our bodies, it could never match Willow’s knowledge. Dinner continues without a hitch and Willow agrees to being on laundry duty with Sam.
Maybe Jaz was right about this being a chance for Willow and I to get along. I’ve probably spoken too soon, but this is a good start. Besides, when it comes to hockey and the Frozen Four, I will do anything to win, even putting my mild disdain for her aside.
After dinner, Willow stands and drops her plate in the sink before leaving the room. I let my eyes linger on the hallway for too long after she leaves. Quickly, I turn my head back towards the boys.
Most of them are trying to hide their smiles, Aiden, however, doesn’t even bother. His smirk plastered on his lips. I’mconfident he knows about my temper tantrum this morning, when Willow first arrived.
“And to think I thought we would be lacking in entertainment after Dallas left,”
I roll my eyes. Dallas Parker was our version of the class clown but is now our injured ex-teammate who has moved back home for senior year. He tore his ACL and suffered a severe concussion in the pre-season.
Dallas is the reason Willow is here. When Oliver West, our hockey coach said they found a player from another university, I was surprised.
Senior year is a strange time to transfer to a new team especially in Willow’s case, she has been with Nevada since freshman year. She should have great chemistry and trust with her old team, yet Willow still decided to move. It makes me wonder if something happened to her.
The rogue and unwanted thought slams into me. Fuck. I’m not thinking about it. I don’t care about her any more than I do for my teammates.
“Why did you give Willow your room?” Conner says a glint in his eyes.
“Do not mention that to her. It was the right thing to do,”
Most of the boys scoff, not believing me. Aiden speaks, not afraid to voice his thoughts. “Sure, that’s the reason.”
I inhale, trying to centre myself and ignore their jabs. Unfortunately, though, Aiden is right. Senior year is bound to bring more than just entertainment now that Willow Rogers has arrived. And not knowing what to expect has my stomach twisted in knots.
I hope it doesn’t take a turn for the worst.
Chapter 3
Willow Rogers
Although the gym is my second home, I fucking hate bench presses.
