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“See? That just seems like another challenge, princess,” he says with a wink.
“Ew, and it’s not a challenge. Go take that shower. You stink.”
His laughter follows him down the hall, and I can’t help but wonder if he’s right…Could I actually develop feelings for him?
I shake my head. That is highly unlikely. My body might be attracted to the guy, but that’s just a physical, chemical reaction. There’s no way on God’s green earth that I could fall in love with Liam King.
ChapterTen
Aliyah just left. How she managed to talk me into agreeing to all of those events she wants me to attend and donate to, I have no idea. She seemed so passionate when she talked about the causes. It was like I was seeing a completely different side of her and I liked it. A lot. I was captivated by her. It’s probably why I’m now staring at a printed-out list of dates, which all involve me wearing a tux.
I put the list on the refrigerator, pinning it under a Vancouver Knights magnet. It’s going to take me a while to get used to the fact that the Knights are now my team.
I sit on the sofa and turn on the television. I promised Aliyah I’d be staying in for the night, assuring her that she didn’t need to stay and babysit. She looked tired. Fuck, I’m tired myself. Probably too tired to go out even if I wanted to.
I flick through the channels until I land on sports news. I know I should keep scrolling, but like a moth to the flame, I’m drawn in. Especially when I hear my name mentioned by the commentator. They’re talking shit. They always do. Which is why I change the channel, deciding I don’t want to hear it. I used to spend my downtime obsessing over the highlights. Back when my name was only ever mentioned with praise. Now everyone is waiting for me to fall even farther from the pedestal they all had me on.
I’m not going to, though. This is going to work. No matter what I have to do, I will make this work. I’ll take the Vancouver Knights to the Stanley Cup and win. It’s not like it’s gonna be hard. They’re already a good team without me. They’ve come pretty fucking close to making it for the past few years. But this will be the year they go all the way. I’ll prove to everyone who doubted me, betted against me, that I’m still the fucking best at my job. Even better than that, I’ll beathim. My old fucking coach. The one who made the mistake of sleeping with my mother.
I settle for some horror flick I’ve seen before. It’s really just background noise at this point. I close my eyes, feeling the exhaustion of the day. I need to get up to skate before the sun rises. It’s nothing I’m not used to, but after the extra workout I did today—mostly as a distraction and to keep my hands busy so I wasn’t tempted to touch the forbidden fruit, so to speak—I’m struggling.
The worst part is, it didn’t work. I still wanted to touch her. Especially when I saw her checking me out. She thought I didn’t know she was watching. I had my back to her, but I could see her reflection in the mirror on the wall beside me. She was enjoying the show. Which made me do a million more pull-ups than I normally would. I liked knowing she was watching. Even as I think it, I know this woman has reduced me to a stupid teenage boy trying to show off for the pretty girl. A girl I shouldn’t be trying to impress at all.
What the fuck happened to my plan to just piss her off enough to get her to leave?
Oh, that’s right. My hard dick seemed to take over and erase that plan from my mind. It can start tomorrow… if I even see her. I’m sure I’m not going to see her every day.
Fuck, it’s going to be a long-ass season if I do. I run a hand down my face. I sink farther into the sofa and let my body start to relax.
* * *
“What the fuck?” I groan, waking up from what feels like a five-minute nap.
It’s dark outside, so I pick up my phone and check the time. It’s eleven thirty at night. Then I hear a buzzing noise. I look around, wondering what the fuck is making that god-awful sound before pushing to my feet and following the noise into the foyer. The buzz rings out through the apartment again, and that’s when I spot the culprit. The intercom on the wall. I don’t know a single soul in this town, apart from Aliyah, so why the hell is my door buzzing in the middle of the night?
Pressing the button, I grunt into the speaker, “What?”
“Open up, big bro. I’m freezing my balls off out here.” My little brother’s voice grates through the intercomandmy patience. What the fuck is he doing here?
“Matty? What the hell?” I say into the speaker at the same time I press the button that allows him access to the building.
I pace up and down the foyer, waiting for the elevator to ding and indicate his arrival into the apartment. Don’t get me wrong, I love my baby brother. He’s the most important person in my life. I’d do anything for the little shit. Which he knows and takes full advantage of at times. For as long as I can remember, it’s been me and him against the world. We’ve always had to look out for each other. My mom tried. She did her best. I know that. Her best just wasn’t good enough. It didn’t keep us fed, warm, clothed. I also know I sound like an ungrateful shit, but when you watch your mother suffer from depression every other month because of a broken heart, courtesy of her latest great love, you tend to develop some resentment. She did that to herself. She chose to chase a love story, instead of taking care of her children. And unfortunately for all of us, they never came with a happy ending.
That was until she met Glen, her current husband. I actually thought she’d got it right this time, that she found a guy worthy of her attention. I even took the time to get to know him. Now I wish I never did, because it turns out my mom isn’t capable of reaching the end of her love story. I don’t know if she self-sabotages on purpose, or if she’s just fucking hopeless. I can’t even talk to her after I found out she cheated on Glen with my fucking coach.
The elevator buzzes and Matty walks in. But he’s not alone. He has four extremely scantily clad women in tow.
“Matty, what the fuck? Do you know what time it is?” I yell while pulling him into a hug. I know… mixed-as-fuck messages going on right here. But he’s my brother and I haven’t seen him in two months.
“Nice to see you too, bro. And I do know what time it is. It’s P.A.R.T.Y time,” he says, spelling out the word for emphasis.
“No, it’s not. I have morning skate. I’m going to bed,” I tell him.
“Come on. I haven’t seen you in months. Just come and have one drink with me. Please, Liam, one drink and then we can come back here. I’ll even tuck you into bed myself,” he says.
Fuck, I know I’m going to regret this. “One drink. And I mean it, Matty. I have practice, and the new coach already hates me.”
“Until you start winning him games. Don’t worry so much. You’re Liam fucking King. Or have you already forgotten that?” Matty slaps a hand across my cheek.
