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“That’s nice, but the guys are waiting for me,” I say.
“I understand, but it would be nice to have a bite to eat sometime. You guys are welcome. And Scarlett too. That way, I will finally be able to meet the famous annoying little sister!”
I chuckle at Gabriel’s comparison of Scarlett, clearly imagining the tirade she’d go on if she heard him say that. It wasn’t even me who told him she was annoying, or at least not out loud. I guess my face speaks for me.
And Scarlett is clearly annoying!
“Thanks for the beer anyway!”
“Anytime!”
I say good-bye one last time and pass the front door to rush into the hallway, before walking down the two floors and getting behind the wheel of my Chevrolet. I drive off quickly, lowering the window as far as possible to let the stifling air of this early evening ventilate out of the cabin. I’m dying of heat and the study session we just did with Milo didn’t help. I hate being locked up for hours reading a book. I am not illiterate or bad at schoolwork, far from it. But I’m lucky to have already had the opportunity to do internships in the company that my father manages in Boston. A start-up that brings together several sports magazines and is starting to expand all over the East Coast.
The plan is after college, I’m to take over the Boston branch so that he can fully focus on the one he’s opening soon in Baltimore. I’ll be graduating in management next year, and with the experience I’ve gained during the months and holidays spent there and my—rather excellent—hockey playing, I should be able to take over from him in a while. I get along really well with the current director, who has to support me for a few months before I can take over. Right now, he’s on two locations, Boston and New York, but his wife got transferred to New York last month. He’s only waiting for one thing to be moved there as well. So, I can do the minimum in college, I already have a future all mapped out. Unless everything changes and an NHL team recruits me, but that’s utopia considering the monsters on some teams.
When I arrive in front of the building, I park in one of the free spaces, barely glancing at the couple on the sidewalk cuddling near the front door. I stop in my tracks, examining the blonde from afar on her tiptoes. The denim shorts hugging her buttocksare almost hidden by the guy’s hands on her. I frown, rolling my keys around one of my fingers as I walk towards them.
“Hands off,” I say, stepping right behind Scarlett.
She jumps and Corey just gives me a sideways look.
“Excuse me?”
Her deep voice sounds like a warning, but I don’t move, staying inches from Scarlett’s back, who has barely turned towards me. She rested her head on the shoulder of her—brand new—boyfriend, looking disillusioned by my unexpected arrival.
Sorry, sweetie, but if you want to be discreet, don’t do that in front of the building.
“Hands,” I say firmly. “Higher!”
“Go away, Nolan,” she sighs, stepping back.
She barely shifts, avoiding bumping into me. I stare at her as she crosses her arms across her chest, which actively rises and falls. Corey moved his hands, keeping one on Scar’s hip, as if to mark his territory. I look down at his arm, examining it for a second before returning my attention to his pale eyes.
Teryl was stupid and pretentious, Corey on the other hand is far from stupid but has the same asshole attitude.
I may have exaggerated when I told Edgar this guy was good for her.
No, this guy is just one to watch very closely and I don’t like the way he challenges me.
“Is your brother home?” I ask.
I glance at Scarlett, now ignoring the asshole standing next to her.
“He’s up there.”
“Rule number one, huh?” I chuckle as I eye them both. “So, you’re together now?”
She rolls her eyes, keeping a defensive posture, and Corey tightens his grip on her hips, pulling her closer to him.
“You better watch your hands, man,” I say quietly. “I’m notthe one you should be afraid of. Her brother would’ve cut them off if he’d seen where you put them.”
“She is an adult as far as I know,” Corey says. “And her brother isn’t here.”
“I am.”
“Nolan,” Scarlett growls. “Go, the fuck, away.”
I raise my arms in surrender, giving Scarlett a knowing wink, because even if the guy is fondling her in front of my eyes, she doesn’t have to suffer my wrath. Whether I like it or not, she has grown up and this fight is not mine. I’m not her brother, strictly speaking, but I can still try to scare that asshole whose hands are way too wandering for my taste. So, I nod my head at her boyfriend, my gaze cold.
