AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“He wasn’t mad.” I shrug, telling the truth. “He thinks it’s pretty fucked up your parents cut you off. And despite what they’ve done to my family…he likes you. Always has.”
“But Iammy family,” she whispers, barely audible. “I share their blood.”
“Guess he doesn’t look at it that way. He looks at it as a way to piss off your folks—that’s a win in his book.” I smirk. “So, that means you’re going with me to dinner because that’s what a good little girl would do.”
“Who said I’m a good girl?” she says, raising an eyebrow, and fuck if my cock doesn’t stiffen to a level of discomfort.
Reaching for her chin, I tilt it upward. “Something tells me you will be, Little Bird.” Stepping back, I wink. “Oh, and next time I catch you in an Uber, it won’t be good.”
Climbing into my truck, I blow her a kiss before backing out of the driveway and driving away.
Still thinking about that fucking kiss and still tasting her mouth on mine.
13
Hunter
Dinner is going better than I thought it would. Right off the bat, Sutton cleared the air with my parents, telling them both that she has no idea what transpired to make her parents do what they did, but that it isn’t her fight and that she would like to be thought of as her own person. After a round of questions, my mother seemed to have left the past in the past. Well, as far as Sutton is concerned.
“How’s hockey been going, Hunter?” my dad asks, sipping his old-fashioned. “Y’all lost a few big players. How’s that affecting things this season so far?”
“We did. We lost our center, Cam Hardy, who was our team captain, and we lost a key defenseman, Brody O’Brien. But it’s going all right. I think we’ll do just fine with our new lineup.”
“Just one more season of hockey after this,” my mother says, finishing her glass of wine. “And then it’s onto medical school.”
I don’t bother to say anything back. It’s useless, and no matter how many times I’ve explained to her and my father that I’m good enough to make it to the pros, they don’t believe it. So, instead, I just ignore it.
“His opening game is tomorrow,” Sutton says, surprising the fuck out of me because I didn’t know she even knew that it was. She looks at my parents. “Y’all plan on staying in town for that? Should be a good game.” She looks at me, giving me a small grin. “At least, that’s the buzz around campus.”
“Oh, no. We have to get back,” my mom says, shaking her head. “Work never ends, you know.”
I watch Sutton swing her gaze to my dad, who gives her an odd look. “Sylvie is right. We’d love to watch him play, but we have lots of work to get back to. One day, you kids will understand.”
“What about you, Sutton?” My mother’s eyes burn into Sutton’s. “Areyouwatching his game?”
It’s all a test. Every second of this dinner is a test for them to dissect if her intentions are good. I hate it, but I guess it’s expected.
What I don’t expect is for Sutton to reach up, brushing her hand across my face sweetly. “Of course. I wouldn’t miss it. He’s the talk of Brooks, you know?”
My parents watch cautiously before my dad smiles. “I’m sure he is. That’s great, Sutton.”
When Sutton’s eyes meet mine, I stare at her in complete shock. Maybe this is all for show. She probably doesn’t actually give a shit if my parents watch me play hockey and doesn’t care if I’m the talk of Brooks or not. And she sure as hell isn’t really coming to my game. But something about this, even the way her fingers feel on my skin…feels real.
And it also feels good.
We watch my parents get into their SUV and drive away. We stand there, hand in hand, until they are out of sight. And once they are, she drops her hand down and pokes my chest.
“Well, I think we sold that shit, if you ask me. Give me the Oscar already, folks. I’mthatgood,” she jokes sarcastically before taking a bow.
“You were all right, I suppose.” I shrug, teasing her. When she sticks her tongue out, I wrap my arms around her, pulling her to my chest. “I’m kidding, Little Bird. You did great. Thank you for being here with me.”
She did good, I’ll admit. Better than I did anyway. I knew we were going to walk into this today and pretend we liked each other, but I had no idea she was going to be that friendly to me. I give her major props just for staying through the damn dinner because I’m sure it wasn’t easy after my parents voiced how much they hated her mom and dad. But she was good.
She was fucking perfect, to be honest.
“Whoa there, Thompson. Your ’rents are gone. No need to pretend to like me.”
She smiles, but I can tell she feels uncomfortable. When I don’t release her, she stiffly moves her hands awkwardly to my sides before she eventually hugs me back, looking up at me. The moisture in the air makes her hair curl at the back of her neck, and for some reason, I think it’s adorable.
