Page 25 of Never Bet Against A Hockey Player

This man was not giving me an inch.

My omega was relieved but I wasn’t. All I knew how to do was survive. That alone reminded me that I couldn’t give in no matter how enticing he made it sound.

When I finally finished cleaning, I tried to push my cart past him.

He held open the door, but as I walked past, he plucked my phone from my back pocket.

I didn’t even bother to ask for it back yet as I headed for the utility room, cleaning up my cart, wiping everything down, and putting everything away meticulously.

Gavin was waiting outside the door with my phone in his hand when I finished.

“August offered to give us a ride home,” he said as he held it out. “It might be nice not to lug my gear all the way back.”

My eyes widened in surprise.

“Who are you, and what did you do with my brother? Weren’t you ready to rip his head off earlier?”

“Yeah, and then you told me he was your scent-match and your former best friend, so if you trust him, I trust him. And I’m exhausted.”

I studied his face, the dark circles under his eyes marring his pale skin. That was enough for me to crack completely.

“Okay, we can get a ride today. Just don’t get used to it.”

“Maybe we should get used to it,” he countered under his breath. “You can’t stop living your life because of me.”

“We’re not having this fight again,” I told him. “Grab your stuff. Did you get your homework done?”

He rolled his eyes. “Yes.”

“Good. Because, if you didn’t, I was going to make Lydia serve your butt oatmeal in the morning,” I said as I brushed past him.

“What? That’s terrible! Why would you do that to me? You know I hate oatmeal.”

“You’re not falling behind because of me and my job,” I said evenly. He couldn’t argue with that logic so he stayed quiet for now.

All three of my scent-matches were waiting at the front door when we reached it. I ushered everyone out before locking the doors behind me.

“August said he’s going to give you a ride home,” Conrad said. “Are you okay with that?”

I nodded once at the alpha.

“Yes, that’s fine. Gavin said he’s tired, or we’d be walking,” I said pointedly at the Delta who looked a bit too smug.

“You have all three of our contacts in your phone now,” August said.

When anger flared across my face at him being pushy, he only smiled wider.

“There’s my firecracker,” he said before taking Gavin’s gear and heading out, leaving me to follow.

He dropped it in the back of a sleek, black pickup truck.

Gavin climbed into the back of the cab while I moved to the front seat, staying almost comically far away from the delta, pressing myself against the window.

“I’d be hurt, but I’m trying to be a gentleman here,” he said with a chuckle, before turning on the truck.

He didn’t press me further as he drove us across town, not even having to ask where we lived because some things never changed.

It wasn’t until I was climbing out of the truck that I realized what a mistake this was.