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I didn’t want to be tempted to stare.
And motherfucking hell, but Wystan looked good. Of course he did. That was just my luck. He was all hard, slim muscles with a tattoo of a skate on his left hip. An earring gleamed in his left ear. How did he keep the gold hoop from getting ripped out? I didn’t stop myself from staring at his dick, a little plump, maybe from the workout. I licked my lips. The tattoo should’ve been stupid. Who got a fucking skate tattoo? But it wasn’t. It was sexy, and that pissed me off, too. I didn’t bother turning off the water or grabbing my stuff, just stalked toward the exit so I wouldn’t have to deal with this shit.
Wystan rolled his eyes at me.
I saw red and barreled between Wystan and Withers, knocking Wystan’s shoulder hard with mine.
It was very satisfying when he fell on his ass because I had about forty pounds of muscle on him.
Boss gave me a long look and shook his head like he was disappointed, but Wystan’s tongue poked out of the corner of his mouth. I’d seen guys do that when they were getting ready to start swinging their fists, but uncomfortably I realized I’d seen a guy do that one other time—right before he’d kissed me. A strange shiver rocked my body. My move had put Wystan almost at crotch level with me, and I hadn’t been prepared for how my cock tingled and started to react. I couldn’t handle the way my body was all over the place, and I rushed out while he sat there on his ass.
“Atlas!” Boss called, disappointment in me as a person clear in his tone.
“Sorry,” I snarled over my shoulder.
“It’s okay. I knew you were blind with the way you lost that puck out there.” Wystan’s tone was lighthearted, but there was a hint ofgo fuck yourselfin it.
Everyone laughed, full-bellied, pie-in-the-face guffaws.
I’d never wanted to murder another person so much in my goddamned life. I swung around to glare at Wystan, and he shot a gaze down my body, then winked as he hopped to his feet and took the shower that I’d left running.
I had no idea when or how, but I was going to make Wystan Finch regret ever being born.
When I was done, he would run away from New Gothenburg and never look back.
2
WYSTAN FINCH
“Is this the last one?”I settled the massive cardboard box on the floor beside the front door and glanced around the large Georgian-style house that I would call home from now on. It was unlike anything I’d ever seen, with hardwood floors, wide rooms, and tall ceilings. At two stories high, it was about ten times bigger than the last home Mom and I had lived in, which happened to be some shitty place we’d rented and could still barely afford. Getting a scholarship at New Gothenburg University was a blessing, and it helped that they slipped me someliving expensesif I played for their hockey team.
Mom meeting Joseph Frosteson at the first practice was incidental, and she quickly fell head over heels, something I hadn’t expected and couldn’t hate her for. She hadn’t had a relationship since my dad had left in the middle of the night with nothing but the clothes on his back and his fancy old car. One thing Dad had made sure to leave us was his debt, putting us in a pit we’d been stuck in.
Mom and Joseph’s romance happened so quickly that by the time I’d realized how serious they were, Mom had announced we were moving in with Joseph and his son—Atlas. There was no time to tell Mom how much Atlas hated my guts, and besides, how could I when she looked so happy? I hadn’t seen her this way since long before Dad left.
“Is that the last box?” I asked again.
Mom and Joesph were canoodling against the foyer wall, giggling about something as Joseph rubbed his nose against Mom’s, but he straightened and finally nodded. He was a lot taller than Mom and his wide shoulders and thick muscles made her look dainty. With short gray hair and a square jaw, I could see why Mom thought he was attractive. He had a silver-fox vibe, and while I wasn’t into older men, I didn’t mind looking.
His son, on the other hand....
Atlas shoved past me to get through the door, knocking his shoulder hard against mine. I grunted and grinned at him, even though I wanted to glare. He’d been trying to get a reaction out of me since we’d first met, and I wasn’t going to let him win.
“Atlas, be careful,” Joseph chastised with a shake of his head. “We don’t want our best hockey player hurt before the season starts.”
Atlas pulled his mouth into a sneer and narrowed his eyes at me, and I almost felt sorry for him.Almost.The sad part was that Joseph had no idea what he was saying hurt his son’s feelings. Atlas gritted his teeth together and ran a hand through his short dark hair. His arms were more muscular than mine, something that both irritated me and turned me on. I wasn’t blind. With his golden summer tan—probably from the pool outside—and his sharp cheekbones, Atlas was hot, even if he was an asshole.
I smiled at him. “Yeah,At Last, don’t touch the merchandise.”
“It’s Atlas,” he growled out, glancing at Joseph, but his dad had returned his focus to Mom, and they were whispering to each other. He stroked his fingers down Mom’s cheek, and I cringed and shrugged. Now that all the boxes were inside, I could start unpacking my new room, which was up the stairs, across a balcony that overlooked the family room and the foyer, and to the right, directly opposite Atlas’s bedroom. The design screamed money, and as much as I disliked Atlas, I could get used to this house. Each bedroom had its own bathroom and walk-in closet.
“Atlas, help the superstar unpack, will you?” Joseph winked at me. “Make him feel at home.”
I shot Atlas a grin, already aware of how furious he was and what those words would do to him. His face flushed red, and his brown eyes blazed with anger that could’ve burned down the world in a fiery heap. “It would be great to get your help, Atty.”
He shot me a killer stare and sneered. “Don’t call me that.”
“Atlas.” Joseph gave Mom a kiss before he straightened and crossed his arms over his wide chest. “We’re going to welcome Elissa and Wystan into our home like it was theirs to begin with, aren’t we?” He tilted his head forward and his eyebrows dipped in concern.
