Page 85 of The Playmaker

“Hey, meet you at Shades later,” I shout to him. Shades is our usual drinking spot after a game.

“Yeah,” he says, and keeps going, like he has a shit ton on his mind. What the fuck? We should be celebrating our win.

“Cason,” I call after him, and he glances at me over his shoulder. “You okay?”

He stares at his bare feet, then frowns as he returns my gaze. “Yeah, see you at Shades.”

I grab my gear from my locker and make my way to the showers behind him. They guys are all carrying on, and lots of pats on the back are given out.

“Hey, Cannon,” says our goalie, Matthews. “You hooking up with Claire tonight?”

“Looks that way,” I say, and from the corner of my eye, I catch the way Cason stiffens.

He can’t fucking know about Nina and me, right? Surely to fuck Nina never would have told her brother about our arrangement. She has to know he’d kick my ass, and I’d have to stand there and take it, because I crossed a line. Cason is my best friend in the whole world, my savior. I’d be lost without him, and I never should have jeopardized our friendship.

But fuck, this is Nina we’re talking about. I get that she’s hands off, but I’ve fucking loved her since I was a kid.

Christ, this situation is so fucked up.

Cason leaves the shower first, and by the time I make it back to the locker room, he’s long gone. I dress, stuff my gear into my bag, and make my way to the hall. Claire and a dozen or so other girls, all looking for hook ups, are there waiting. She rushes up to me, throws her body against mine.

Any other time, I would have enjoyed the warm body pressed to me, but tonight, well, I just want to go home…to Nina.

Fuck, man, maybe I should take Claire up on her offer, fuck her all night in some stupid effort to expel Nina from my brain. But forgetting her, the fun we had, isn’t about to happen now, or anytime soon.

“Hey, rain check,” I say to Claire, even though I have no intention of ever cashing it in. She pouts and is about to say something, when Harding comes out the door behind me. She looks past my shoulder and the next thing I know, she’s in my teammate’s arms.

I shake my head and walk out of the stadium. The cool night air falls over me, and I glance around looking for Cason, for Nina.

Cut it out, dude. She’s better off without you.

I find my Jeep, toss my hockey bag into the back, and peel out of the parking lot. I think about going home, but the place feels empty. Tabby and Jack were long gone and Cason only stayed two nights. As I think about my sister, a smile touches my mouth. I’m thrilled that things worked out between her and Jack, and she came clean about our childhood. He accepted all sides of Tabby, and for that, I’m grateful.

Would Nina accept all sides of me?

Shit, I can’t think about that. I’m a fucked-up mess, and she deserves better.

I round the corner and as I head toward home, my mind revisits the way Jack went down on one knee to propose. He did it in front of me, Tabby’s only family—at least the only one who cares—and I’m grateful that I got to be a part of the moment. He put it all out there on the line, wore his heart on his sleeves, and that really showed both Tabby and me just how much he loves her.

I drive by my house and the lights are all off. Fuck, man, I don’t want to go in there alone, everything reminding me of Nina. Christ, I broke all the rules with her. I let her into my house, my head, and my heart.

I spin the Jeep around and head toward Shades. Not only do I need a drink, I need to figure out what’s going on with Cason. I can’t lose him from my life.

I squeeze my car between two trucks and power it down. Music filters into the street as I make my way inside. The place is packed, bodies swaying together on the dance floor, and I search the crowd for my best friend. I cut around the dance floor but get stopped by a few girls looking to play with The Playmaker. I politely decline, my only focus on finding my best friend.

I catch a glimpse of him at the bar, and plunk down on the stool next to him. “Great game.”

“What are you doing here?”

“Told you I’d meet you for a drink.”

He checks his watch. “You done with Claire already?”

I exhale and brush my hair back. “Yeah, well, that didn’t work out.”

He eyes me, and I nudge him with my shoulder. “What the fuck is going on with you, anyway?”

He goes stiff, his gaze going from curious to murderous, and my heart nearly seizes.

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