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I didn’t realize he had time because of the off-season, and as fall got closer, he started to pull away. His “you mean the world to me” promises didn’t last. He found me a modern-day version of a governess, packed his bags, and took off, telling me he loved me and would see me soon. I’d only seen him a few dozen times since.
I was too young to understand he was a selfish prick who went back to his career over me. Since then, I’d seen countless of his players do the same thing. I swear, at the rate they get divorced, it was a competition. Don’t even get me started on the cheating.The takeaway was, under no circumstances was it a good idea to get involved with hockey players. They were literally heartbreak walking.
When I got to class, Jax slammed into the seat beside me, rocking the entire table and nearly spilling my coffee everywhere. I snatched the cup just in time and glared at him. He missed it completely, his baseball cap pulled so low it covered his eyes. He was completely rigid in his seat; a deep scowl formed on his lips, and a muscle worked in his jaw.
“Well, good morning to you too.” My voice came out with more emotion than I wanted, but he didn’t notice.
He gruffed out, “Morning.”
I tilted my head to get a better look at him, watching as he turned away. I couldn’t help the pang of annoyance ripping through me. That was it? No sign we knew each other at all.
Jax continued to be in full-blown thundercloud mode during class. He barely said two words to me, and he’d been staring a hole into the teacher’s head since he got here. My initial thought was Jax was a complete dick, but as I watched him, I could see his jaw clenched and his hands were fisted, making white creases in his knuckles. He held himself so tensely that I worried he would crack a rib. He looked miserable. No, miserable was the wrong word. He looked stressed. Leaning over a bit, I tried to make eye contact. “You okay?”
His flat, gray eyes met mine. He must have thought it had been long enough for me to get his “don’t talk to me” hint because he faced forward again.
“Soooo, I didn’t know they let five-year-olds into college,” I said, looking directly at him, refusing to shift my gaze.
He went rigid, then took a deep breath in and a deep breath out. Slowly, I could see a crack in his wall, and his lips tipped up on the side. Victory! I inwardly fist pumped. A feeling of euphoria filled me, knowing that I had put it there.
“Six, actually. I’m sad you can’t tell I’ve matured.” A hint of amusement was audible in his words.
I couldn’t help the pride I felt knowing that I did that. I lightened some of the anxiety plaguing him this morning.
“You played rough last night? I heard you were good at that sort of thing.” Oh. My. God.Pleasetell me I didn’t just say that. I meant his practice. I could feel the heat climb up my neck, covering my cheeks. He chuckled, and his dark gaze skimmed across me, pausing on my mouth, taking his time before meeting my eyes. He was clearly thinking about what I’d just said and everything I’d implied. His tongue darted out, and he licked his lips. I was struck again by how intense it was to have all of his attention on me. There was something irresistible about him, and it wasn’t only the attraction.
“Something like that.”
The air whooshed out of me all at once as his deep rumble rolled over me. I wanted to know exactly what “like that” meant. Shaking my head, it was my turn to stare straight ahead. This conversation had gotten me nowhere good. For all of my “hockey players are the worst” pep talks, it sure didn’t take him long to break through my resolve.
He turned his head forward and went back to his grumpy demeanor, his pen rattling against the table as he flipped it from side to side. All the tension returned to his body like he wasn’t smiling seconds ago.
By the time the class was over, I’d had enough of his attitude. I was going to snap him out of his mood, and I knew exactly how to do it. I grabbed my stuff and stood too quickly, causing me to lose my balance. His hand darted out and caught my wrist, stabilizing me.
“Careful,” he said, fingers still wrapped around my arm.
The spot we were connected tingled under his touch. This was my opportunity to make “Operation Relax Jax” a go. I pushed all the hesitation to the back of my mind.
“Come on. I’ve got something to show you.” At the risk of looking like a complete ass, I shifted our hands and closed my fingers around his, gently tugging. I wouldn’t put it past him to resist, but he surprised me by sliding from his seat, grabbing his bag.
“Lead the way.” Rough calluses moved against my smooth skin before he laced our fingers together, stroking his thumb over the pad of my palm. The feel of the barely there touch sent tingles through my arm. He was staring at my mouth, and I bit my bottom lip. He took a step toward me, but I stepped back, needing a little space between us to breathe. Neither of us let go of each other’s hand, and I turned toward the door, dragging him behind me.
I smiled, knowing I was going to fix whatever was eating at him.
NINE
JAX
“Come on, let’s go.”Sid looked back at me, piercing hazel eyes searching mine. I was more than happy to follow. She was like a lifeline, dragging me toward the surface.
At this point, she could lead me off a cliff. I was that curious about what she had in mind. She looked at me with determined eyes, and the corner of her lips tilted up. She was definitely up to something. “Where are you bringing me? I’m in a shit mood, Sid.”
She didn’t slow down. If anything, she pulled harder, laughing. “I know. You were a sour ass for the entire class. Get over yourself for a minute, and trust me.” She gave my hand a firm squeeze.
“Fine, but don’t expect good company.” Grumbling under my breath, I followed as she led me out of the building but didn’t head to the parking lot where I expected. Instead, we cut across the soccer field and headed for an eight-foot-tall chain-link fence.
“I’m not sure if you looked at yourself lately.” I gesture to her already short skirt. “But I’m not sure hopping fences is the right idea.” I was a fucking idiot. If she wanted to climb this fence, my only response should’ve been thank you.
“Sounds like wishful thinking on your part.” She lifted the corner of the green chain-link closest to the pole. The end folded up like a flap that she easily climbed under.
