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Her gaze shifted away, not meeting mine, and I closed my hand into a tight fist to stop myself from reaching out and turning her attention back to me.
I hated the look of disappointment that crossed her features before she wiped it clean, putting on a small smile that looked so different from her real one. I wanted to tell her that I’d hang out with her over her brother any day. That the small moments she would hang with us were my favorite times. But I kept my mouth shut like the good friend I was. After years of moving from town to town, I’d never had time to make real friends, but the second Marcus moved in, that all changed. He was like a magnet to everyone around him, and my life went from quiet and alone to full of life. He and Jax accepted me like a brother, and we became inseparable. If Piper was Marcus’s sister, then she was mine, and I had no goddamn business thinking of her the way I did.
“Alright then.” She turned, heading up her driveway, and gave me a quick glance back. “Thanks again.”
There was a burning question that I needed answered before I could let her go. “Why me?”
She spun and tilted her head. “What?”
“Why did you call me and not Marcus? You know he’d have come.”
Several moments passed before she answered. “Because I wanted it to be you.”
Jesus Christ. I wanted to be the one she called, fucking desperately. It was a dangerous feeling coursing through me. One I needed to stop. “Well, next time, call him. He’d want to know.”
She flinched, and I wanted to take them back, but she cut in before I could. “You aren’t going to tell him, are you?”
I should, but I wanted to be her secret keeper. To have something between us that was just ours. “Nah, not this time, but you better hope he doesn’t find out.”
* * *
I walked around the block, taking the long way, before approaching my house, needing some time to get a grip on myself. The boys were still in the garage practicing.
Jax’s head popped up, looking me over with a raised brow. “Got the milk?”
“Huh?”
“For your mom. Did you get it?” he asked.
Shit. “She called me when I was out and told me to forget about it.”
He tilted his head to the side and scrunched up his nose. “That’s weird.”
Jax examined me for several seconds before slapping his stick on the ground. “Alright, fuckers. Last to ten buys beers for the weekend.”
Unsurprisingly, Marcus kicked our asses. We might have been good at hockey, but he was the next all-star. We took turns practicing trick shots until I was drenched in sweat. Tired, I hung my stick in its custom spot on the wall and grabbed my shirt. “I’m heading up for a shower.”
Jax popped up from the couch. “It’s only eleven. You are such a fucking pussy.”
I let out a laugh and replied, “Says the man who still calls his mom every night when we’re at camps.”
“Fuck you. I can’t believe you brought my mom into it.”
I shrugged. “Don’t start shit you can’t finish.”
Marcus grabbed Jax’s shoulder. “Come on, buddy, before he burns you so bad there’s nothing left.”
* * *
I ripped off my shirt that clung to my skin, revealing my sweat-soaked abs, proud of how all my hard work on the ice was paying off. I didn’t miss how Piper’s attention caught on me this past year.
I groaned as the water from the shower cooled me down. It was the perfect pressure, hard enough to dig into my muscles but not too hard on my neck and face. I lathered up with an all-in-one bodywash and shampoo. Thoughts of Piper in that curve-hugging dress threatened to take over, and I quickly shut the water off, dried myself with a fluffy white towel my mom picked out, and then tied it around my waist.
My room was hot from my open window, and I should’ve shut it to keep in the air-conditioned air, but I didn’t. Instead, I left it open in case I caught a glimpse of a pretty blonde. Our bedroom windows faced each other since she moved in, and we had shouted across the distance more than a few times when we were young. I would love to say I left it open out of habit, but that would be a lie. The light in her room was off, casting it in impenetrable darkness. From this angle, I couldn’t make out her bed, which was a relief because I couldn’t promise I wouldn’t be a perv and watch her. Even the idea that she slept so close drove me crazy.
Knowing I wouldn’t sleep, I pulled up a pair of basketball shorts and tossed my towel into my hamper. I headed to the backyard to take a few shots on the basketball net.
I’d just gotten through a round when a sound caught my attention. At first, it was soft, but it quickly grew to a cry. I was already pushing through Piper’s gate when the cry became louder, changing into just short of a scream. I ran to her window and climbed through, not giving a damn if I was caught.
