Page 45 of Against The Boards

“Hockey stuff?” he asked. His brow furrowed in confusion, and he looked at me curiously.

“Like my old trophies and jerseys. Oh, and my skates. I guess that’s why I wanted to come get my stuff. I want my hockey stuff back.”

He gave me an appraising look. “Wait, you played?”

“Pretty much my whole life. After university, there isn’t a good option for women. There’s the NWHL...wait, sorry, they just rebranded themselves as the Premier Hockey Federation; I keep forgetting to call them the PHF. But they’re still growing; it’s not as viable as a career like the NHL. Most of the women who play in the league also work full-time jobs.”

I didn’t want to talk about how my hockey career ended. I wanted to get my skates back, but that didn’t mean I wanted to get back on the ice.

“I didn’t know,” he said, and he gave me an impressed look. “What position?”

I grinned. “Left-wing.”

He grinned back. “Maybe that’s why we never got along.”

“We’re too similar!”

He laughed with me. “I want to see you on the ice.”

I shook my head. “I haven’t put on skates in three years.”

“Really? But Rox…”

I squeezed my eyes shut and held up a hand to cut him off. I didn’t want to talk about this. It was bad enough Tristan kept trying to get me back on the ice. I loved playing hockey with every fiber of my being. Not playing the sport I loved, not being on the ice, felt like there was a hole where my heart should have been. That accident my last year at university and the concussion that followed fucked me up, though. I couldn’t think about getting back on the ice without thinking about that night.

“Benny, I love hockey, and I miss it, but that part of my life’s over. It’s okay.”

He seemed bothered by that, but he didn’t push it. Instead, he changed the subject. “Are you gonna be okay with this today?”

I couldn’t answer him because the elevator dinged, and we were on Lisa’s floor. I went to her door and knocked on it with Benny close on my heels. I couldn’t believe he was doing this for me. We fought and argued, but after the night we spent together, it felt like we finally understood each other. He still frustrated me, though. Stubborn man. After three years of fighting, one good fuck and a few favors didn’t mean he was automatically going to become my best friend.

Lisa opened the door in a huff. Her blonde hair was up in a messy bun, and she had dark circles under her eyes. She didn’t look good, but I didn’t care. She looked past me at the man behind me, who stood with his arm around my waist. His fingers dug into my hipbone, almost possessively.

Where did that come from? And why do I like it?

“Hi,” I said to her. “I’m here for my shit.”

She crossed her arms and eyed Benny up and down. “Really, Rox? Michael Bennett? You hate him.”

I opened my mouth, but Benny’s thumb stroking across my hip made my breath catch in my throat. “She just thought she did. There’s a fine line between hate and love,” he said, and he bent to kiss my temple. I wanted to slap his hand away, but I had asked him to do this. I could be mad at him later. I schooled my face so she couldn’t tell I was annoyed with my ‘boyfriend.’

She opened the door and gestured to the boxes sitting on the floor in the living room. I walked over to them and knelt beside them. She had done a good job of getting my stuff together, but some of my books were missing.

“You got everything, baby?” Benny asked, and he tried to suppress a grin.

I wanted to glare and give him the finger, but I knew he was calling me that because of Lisa and because I hated it. Dick. I shook my head and walked into the office. I peered at the bookshelf and felt Lisa walk in behind me.

“Some of these are mine,” I snapped at her.

“Really, Roxanne? You’re dating that guy?” she asked, apparently not caring about the book issue.

“Yup. He’s a good guy. Hot too.”

She groaned. “What are you straight now?”

I gritted my teeth. “You’re worse than my parents. Dating a man doesn’t take away my bisexuality. Ugh, you never understood me. I’m soooo glad you cheated on me and this ended.”

While Benny packed up the full boxes and took them out to his SUV, I collected my remaining books and put them in the empty boxes. I walked back into the bedroom and opened the closet. I had packed most of my clothes when she kicked me out, but I had a few things shoved back into the closet I wanted to take with me.