Page 16 of Flagrant Foul
“Why?”
“You know why.”
“Well, stop it, asswipe. I don’t need your concern. I can take care of myself.”
Obviously, I’m not in a particularly good headspace right now. When I get like this, I lose touch with reality and find myself unable to think of a reason not to take off all my clothes and jump Sev, even when he’s infuriating. Actually, in this mood, Sev’s infuriating behavior only makes things worse.
When I’m like this, I find myself thinking I should follow him to his car and jump him in the garage. Or to his hotel room.
Actually, his hotel room would probably make more sense for naked jumping. There are cameras in the garage, and that kind of publicity is the last thing I need.
It’s clear I’m pent up. Badly. Hockey makes me pent up sometimes. Winning often makes me pent up. Letting goals through that I should’ve stopped does too. Basically, when I’ve spent hours on a plane sitting next to Sev Delorean and stood behind him on the ice for an entire game, watching him play, everything makes me feel pent up.
Sev plays like he lives, like a man with a propensity for violence that lurks just under the surface. He plays with a brutish physicality that shouldn’t be beautiful, yet somehow is. There’s a grace to his movements that flirts with mercilessness. It’s mesmerizing.
I accidentally got the smell of him up my nose on the plane. Every time I inhaled, I took in fragments of him. Tiny particles of his particular brand of masculinity invaded my senses until I was lightheaded.
Hours later, in a room full of steam and sweaty men, it’s still the only thing I can smell.
It’s fucking me up.
Lockie comes over, hair damp from the shower, dress shoes and pants on, game day shirt hanging open.
“So,MisterDog,” he says, throwing a shithead grin Sev’s way. “Cap told me you’re looking for a roommate. I’ve been living at my aunt’s until I getsettled in Tampa, but I figure I’m ready for something more permanent. What do you say, wanna be roommates?”
“He says no.” Sev’s voice is louder than usual and his words are clipped and clearly enunciated to the point of disdain. He sounds nothing at all like dumb Sev.
It draws a few looks and absolutely infuriates me, despite the fact that no part of me wants to live with Lockie. It’s a recipe for disaster and a surefire way to have a massive falling out with a guy I have to see almost every day for the next few years, but if there’s one thing that makes me incandescent with rage, it’s people talking for me.
My hackles rise, and I turn to aim my anger squarely at Sev. In my peripheral vision, I see Lockie flinch in surprise.
“How come?” he asks, unable to remove traces of hurt from his voice.
Sev’s features are smoothed out and neutral. He loosens the last strap on his chest protector and pulls it off over his head. His compression top is glued to him like skin, stretching over his pecs and clinging to his biceps. His chest rises and falls.
“’Cause I’m his new roommate,” he says matter-of-factly.
9
Sev Delorean
Myhandfloatsthroughthe air, stopping when it enters my line of sight. My fingers curl into a loose fist and my knuckles make no-nonsense contact with the door in front of me.
Get in and get out,I tell myself again.Do what you came for. Nothing more and nothing less.
Despite that, I can’t shake a strong feeling of unease. It’s a warning, I think. A subtle warning from the most primitive part of my brain, letting me know that something is going to go wrong. It makes the hair on the back of my neck stand on end. I hate this feeling. A freight train behind me, moving at full speed.
As always, I’m dimly aware that it’s my doing. That even though it’s coming up behind me, I’m somehow the one steering the engine. I know that. What I don’t know is how I always manage to get myself in this position, flattened by a large, fast-moving object when I should be sitting pretty at the wheel.
Teddy takes his sweet time getting the door. I know it’s deliberate. A pissing contest of sorts, so I resist the temptation to knock again. Instead, I take my phone out of my pocket and message Nate while I wait.
I’m here.
Is he happy to see you? Lol.
I’ve been telling Nate what a huge douche Lockie is since he joined the team a few months back. Nate plays hockey too, so he knows what team dynamics can be like and how close you can get to guys on your team. He’s been almost as concerned about Lockie sniffing around Teddy as I’ve been, so he was in full agreement that the last thing his brother needs is to live with a guy like that. It would be a fucking nightmare, and Teddy hasn’t been in a good place recently. He can’t handle more roommate drama.
While Nate and I feel that my inserting myself into the situation isn’t ideal, compared to having Tee living and playing with Lockie, it seems like the best possible outcome.
