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He was right. I kind of did. He was warm in the chilly arena, and his salty scent was doing all kinds of things to me. I still said, “You’re entirely too sure of yourself.”
He leaned back and tilted his head to the side, gaze boring a little too deep into mine. “Not as much as I’d like to be.”
What exactly did that mean?
I tugged at my sleeves. “Won’t you get in trouble for this?”
He smirked. “Worth it.”
He tightened his hold momentarily before releasing me. “I have to go back and get ready. Lucas’s girlfriend, Piper, should be here any minute. She’ll sit with you.” Jax stepped forward and leaned his head down, so close his mouth brushed my ear. “I’m happy you came, Trouble.”
He released me, grabbed his helmet, and got back on the ice, shutting the door behind him. He caught me watching as he was about to go into what I assumed was the locker room entrance. His gaze roamed over me, and he wet his bottom lip before slipping through the door. Heat pooled in my stomach, washing away the chill in the air.
Mia bumped my shoulder with hers. “Girl, you’ve got it bad.”
A few minutes later, Piper arrived with an enormous smile. She had long golden-blonde hair with beachy waves and stunning clear blue eyes. She looked like she’d just moved here from California. “Hey, guys, I’m excited to finally have someone to sit with. I was ecstatic when Jax called and said you guys were coming.”
I rolled my eyes. “It was under duress, I promise.”
Piper sat, effectively blocking my escape. “Well, now that you’re here, let’s have a bit of fun, shall we?” She looked between us, waiting for an answer.
Letting out a big dramatic breath, the corner of my mouth kicked up into a grin. “Fine.” I drew out the word as long as I could. They both laughed at me, and Mia hit me with her mitten.
Piper rubbed her hands together. “First food!”
We chatted about nothing while we got our snack, then headed back to our seats, arms filled with food. The second we sat down, we dug in, blissfully eating the first few pieces.
Piper licked her fingers and said, “I could never do this with Lucas. He would have it all devoured in seconds.”
“Are you going with Lucas this summer?” Mia asked, curious.
“Oh yeah. I’ll stay near his training camp, but then I start school in September, so that’ll make it tougher.” Her voice was light, but she held herself a little tighter. “What about you and Jax?” Piper asked in between mouthfuls of food.
“What about him?” I replied, a bit guarded.
“Cut it out. You literally slept there last night,” Mia chimed in while she tossed a chicken bone in the bucket.
“Yeah, ‘slept’ being the operative word.” I didn’t dare mention the kiss.
Piper nearly spit out her drink. I had to pat her on the back until she got her breath back. She looked at me in shock. “You’re telling me you not only got invited to their place, but you spent the night?”
“Well, technically, it got really late, so Jax asked me to stay instead of driving home tired.” Okay, even I could hear how weak that sounded in the light of day.
Piper leaned forward, eyes alight with excitement. “You don’t understand what a big deal this is. I’ve known him longer than I’ve known Lucas. He never invites anyone over there. The man’s not a saint. He takes advantage of what’s offered to him, but they’re not allowed to stay the night.” Her smile turned wicked. “That is until now. Tell me, did you study in his room?” She must’ve read my expression because she clapped her hands together, getting more and more excited with every question. “Wait! Did you sleep in his bed? Did he give you something to wear?”
Mia spun to look at me with a devilish grin.
“I’m sorry to crush your hopes, but I’ve got other plans for after school. Getting into something right now would not be a good idea.”No matter how great he is.
“Oh honey, what you’re saying implies you get a choice in this matter.” Piper put her arm around me. “I get it, though. I have big goals, and Lucas would never hold me back.”
Mia raised her cup something deeper passing over her expression. Too quick for me to make out. “Cheers to men not holding us back from our dreams!”
All three of us clinked our plastic cups and took a long drink.
“Okay, what did you guys do to my girl? I left her, and she loved me, and now I snuck back to see her and she’s toasting to singlehood?” Lucas had a floppy smile on his face, and his eyes were pinned on Piper’s.
“Hey, baby!”
