AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Why?”
I shrug, hoping I look casual enough. “We were hungry.”
His frown deepens. “You’re not making a move on her, are you?”
“No.” The word comes out snappy and defensive.
Shit. Pull it the fuck together. I silently berate myself while Ethan’s eyes narrow.
He crosses his arms, and it’s moments like this when I hate being shorter than him. I might be broader across the chest, and I can beat him in an arm wrestle, but I’d love just two more inches so I could eyeball the guy more easily.
“She was a wreck last night,” he warns me.
“I know. Which is why I wasn’t making a move. I took her out to breakfast to get her away from Casey. He was standing shirtless in the kitchen, flirting his ass off, and she looked like she wanted the floor to swallow her. Gimme some credit, man.”
Ethan’s suspicious look slowly drops from his face, and he nods. “It’s just… she’s Mick’s best friend, you know? And if you guys did hook up and it didn’t work out… it’d be awkward as fuck. I don’t want anything to come between you and me or Mick and me, so… just don’t go after Rachel, all right?”
I work my jaw to the side, hating this conversation.
“And you need to let her heal first anyway. I always think it’s sleazy to dive in on a girl’s breakup pain, you know?”
I roll my eyes at him. “You cannot stand there and tell me you haven’t done that before.”
He goes instantly red and starts kicking the snow along the pathway with his boot. “I’m not proud of it.”
With a snicker, I shake my head. “I would never do something like that, okay? Rachel just needed someone to talk to this morning, and Mick was still in bed, so I took her for coffee and an omelet. It was no big deal.” The words get stuck in my throat for a second.
No big deal?
It was a fucking huge deal.
What Theo and his fucker of a friend did to her is…
I clench my jaw, my insides writhing.
There’s no way I’m gonna be able to concentrate in class today. But somehow I have to keep this under wraps, because Rachel’s not ready to share with anyone.
Anyone but me.
The privilege of that knowledge is huge. I let it ride through me, and it softens the tension in my stomach.
“I’ll catch you later, man.” Ethan slaps me on the arm.
“Yep. See you at practice.”
I watch Ethan walk away before turning back in the direction of the building I’m supposed to be heading to. I have a criminal justice lecture happening in exactly eleven minutes… and I can’t make myself walk into that room.
Instead, I spin on my heel and start jogging.
I run all the way off campus and head to a small boxing gym that employs me during hockey’s offseason.
Walking through the door, I raise a hand in greeting to the owner, Hank, before dumping my stuff and hitting the bags in my jeans and T-shirt. I have to burn off some of this angst before I combust.
After five minutes of bruised knuckles, I grab a spare pair of gloves out of the storage room before hitting the bag with all the venom coursing through me. I don’t know what Theo looks like, or that friend of his, but I pretend the bag is them. And I give it all I’ve got.
Jab, cross, hook, kick.
Hammer punch.
