HOOKED: Boston Terries Hockey #4

by Chance, Jacob

  “Maddie and I are thinking of grabbing dinner at that Italian place she loves so much. Do you guys want to join us?” Shaw questions, changing the subject. Thank Christ he did.

  “I’m going to pass. I took chicken out of the freezer this morning to grill.” My gaze wanders to Clover, willing her to look my way, but she doesn’t.

  “What about you, Clover?” Shaw asks.

  She rises, rubbing her knees that are red from kneeling on the wooden floor. “I’m kind of tired and I’d be lousy company. I’ll hang here.” She still avoids my gaze, but I’m encouraged that she’s choosing to stay with me. If she was regretting our alone time, she would go with them.

  Maddie hugs Shaw's arm. “I guess it’s just you and me, babe.”

  * * *

  “I thought they’d never leave.” Clover plops down on the couch beside me, running the ball of her foot over Buddy’s sleeping form on the floor.

  My head swings her way. “How come you didn’t go?”

  She leans her cheek on the leather surface, her orbs caressing mine. “I wanted to spend more time alone with you.”

  “Really?” My eyebrows climb.

  “Why does that surprise you?” She seems taken aback by my insecurity.

  “I’m only human, Clover. I have doubts and worries like any other person.”

  “I guess you always come across as confident, even bordering on arrogant.”

  “I am… usually.” Shifting on the couch, I turn my body to face her. Taking hold of her hand, I slot our fingers together. “Clover, you make me off balance. You make me unsure of myself.”

  “Why?” she asks.

  “Because I like you.” I pause, losing my next thought as I stare into her hopeful gaze.

  She’s stunning.

  Brain numbing.

  Breath stealing.

  I could go on and on.

  “You do?” she whispers.

  My lips part, arching into a smile. “I really do. A whole lot.”

  Her smile lights up her face, straight teeth exposed in the toothiest grin I’ve ever seen grace her visage. “I like you too,” she confesses.

  “You do?” I echo the same question she posed to me.

  She nods. “Not as much as you like me, but it’s a start.” Clover’s matter-of-fact expression has me thinking she’s serious. But as I look more closely, I notice how her lips give a little twitch at each corner, followed by a ripple across the seam. She’s fucking with me.

  Growling, I dive on top of her, tackling her. Landing on her back on the couch beneath me, she shrieks with surprise. Straddling her hips, I capture both her hands in one of mine and raise them over her head. “You want to play, huh?”

  “Your expression was hilarious,” she says, giggling.

  “You know what’s really hilarious?” I ask. She rolls her lips inward and shakes her head. “This.” My fingertips are unmerciful as they dig into one of her sides, tickling below her ribs before switching to the other. She howls with laughter, her head twisting side to side.

  “Mercy,” she calls out.

  “What’s that?” I tease.

  “Mercy. Please,” she yells in a high pitched voice mixed with laughter. Stopping, I let go of her hands. Her chest heaves, moving up and down as she tries to catch her breath. I brush the back of my fingers over her soft, pink cheek, flushed from laughter and the exertion of trying to buck me off. The amusement in her eyes fades, turning heated when she notices my hard cock between us.

  Slicking her tongue between her lips, she wraps lean arms around my neck, urging me down for a kiss. Caving, I seal my mouth over hers and wonder how I’ve gone so many hours without being joined like this. Tongues lashing, I stretch out on top of her, our bodies connecting from head to toe.

  Clover’s nails scratch the nape of my neck, and her hips raise in invitation. As much as I’m dying to bury myself inside her again, that’s not what this is about.

  Cupping her face, I draw back and smooth the hair from her brow. “Let’s slow down. We don’t need to rush.”

  “But what if they come back?”

  “You know my sister as well as I do. She’s not going to rush through dinner. We have plenty of time.” I brush the tip of her nose with mine and then whisper my lips across hers. I press a kiss to each corner of her mouth and nibble on her bottom lip. “You taste delicious.”

  “I’m glad you think so,” she purrs.

  “You didn’t let me finish my sentence. You taste delicious everywhere.” Closing my mouth over hers once more, we don’t come up for air until it’s time for our clothes to disappear, which means it’s time to take this someplace more private.

  Rising to my feet, I scoop her from the couch and carry her to my room where I plan to keep her occupied until my sister and Shaw return.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Clover

  Loading the dishwasher, I let my thoughts wander to last night. Marshall confessed how he feels about me and I felt confident enough to do the same. My dream of us being together seems to be coming true. I don’t want to get my hopes up too high, but it’s difficult not to. We’re being so adult about all this. We even had a discussion about birth control. Marshall seemed relieved to find out I take it religiously. And I was just as relieved to learn he got a clean bill of health.

  With Maddie and Shaw visiting, we didn’t get to spend the night together in the same bed, but we’ll be alone again tonight.

  As much as I’m glad Maddie and Shaw left, it was nice to spend time with my best friend. I got to share all the details of what happened at the beach house with Kent. She was pissed that she didn’t find out right away. She and Shaw returned to the Cape house to grab all our stuff and make sure everything was clean. She said had she known, she would’ve junk punched him. If anyone’s going to junk punch him, it’s me. But I have no plans to return there. Kent’s ruined the Cape for me, which is a shame because there are so many beautiful areas to check out.

  Opening the oven, I check the lasagna I’ve got baking. Marshall wanted to go for a run, so I’m surprising him with a home cooked meal for an early dinner.

  I’m cutting vegetables for the salad when he returns.

  “How did your run go?”

  He holds up a finger and grabs a bottle of water from the fridge, guzzling the entire thing down. “God, I needed that. It’s hot as hell out there.” Drops of perspiration trickle down his forehead and along his bare chest. “My run was good but I cut it shorter than I wanted to. What smells so delicious?”

  “I’m making lasagna and garlic bread for dinner.”

  “You’re a goddess on earth. I should be kissing your feet to keep you happy.”

  “Kissing my feet would be gross. You stick to kissing the areas you've been kissing.” I wink.

  “Do I have time to swim some laps and take a quick shower?” he asks.

  “Yep. Everything will be ready in about thirty minutes.”

  “I’ll be right on time,” he promises.

  * * *

  When Marshall comes to the table for dinner, I can tell something’s wrong. Hoping he’ll mention what it is, I don’t say anything.

  Spearing a large chunk of lasagna into his mouth, he chews a few times and releases a moan. “This is the best lasagna I’ve eaten.”

  “I’m glad you’re enjoying it so much. Have some garlic bread.” I pass him the basket.

  “What did I do to deserve this meal?” he asks.

  “I wanted to thank you for bringing me here. It’s been so much fun. Do you think tomorrow we can laze around the pool all day?”

  He clears his throat. “About that… I just got a call from my hockey coach. He’s calling for a special workout and meeting tomorrow afternoon. That means we need to leave tonight.”

  “Tonight? Why not in the morning?”

  “Clover, I don’t want to go at all, but I have no choice. And I’d rather sleep late in my own bed so I’m well rested.”

  “Okay, that mak
es sense.” I try not to look too disappointed. It’s not his fault. He’s not responsible for what his coach does.

  “Clover.” My eyes raise from my plate to meet his. “I’m sad to leave too,” he confesses. “Maybe we can sneak back here before school starts.”

  “I’d like that.” I smile.

  * * *

  We’re both quiet on the ride home. I’m stuck in my head, musing about what’s going to happen now that we’re returning to our normal lives.

  Are we going to continue to spend time together?

  What about sex? I just started having the best sex of my life, I don’t want it to end. But as amazing as the sex is, it’s not the most important part of our developing relationship. I just want to spend as much time with him as possible. Once school begins, our time will be much more limited.

  “What’s got you thinking so deeply?” he asks.

  I’m not sharing my worries about us with him. I won’t be the insecure girl who clings to him.

  I sigh. “I’m stressing over the summer ending and school beginning. Ever since I was little, I’ve dreaded the start of the school year. It’s like signing nine out of every twelve months of your life over for like eighteen years straight.”

  “Well, fuck. That’s depressing as hell,” he replies.

  “Right? I keep telling myself to hang in there for two more years, but it feels like a mountain I need to get over looming in front of me.”

  “I’ll have to make sure you enjoy yourself then. I’ll make it my responsibility to keep you from overworking.” He flicks his gaze to me and back to the highway.

  I shake my head. “You’ll be busy with your own commitments. You don’t need me adding to them.”

  “Clover, you’re a priority to me. I know we’ve just begun whatever this is, but I plan to see plenty of you, and I plan to see you plenty.” He grins.

  “I’d like to keep seeing you too. But no pressure if you have a change of heart,” I reassure him.

  “Why would I? Last night I told you how I feel and nothing’s changed.”

  “Sometimes people have the best of intentions but things don’t work out. I never want you to be pressured to spend time with me.”

  “That’s not a concern at all. Stop worrying. We’ll find a way to make this work, and we’ll figure out how to tell my sister.”

  “That second part of that statement might be the most concerning part of all.” I grimace.

  “She wants you to be happy, and if I’m the person putting a permanent smile on your face, she’ll be fine with us dating.”

  “If you say so. I remember you not being so understanding about Shaw dating your sister.”

  “That’s like comparing apples and oranges. Brothers are protective of their little sisters. We don’t want anyone to date them.”

  All too soon, we reach my parents’ house and they’re home. Grrr. Marshall walks me to the door. His lips whisper over mine in a fleeting kiss, leaving me disappointed and wanting more.

  “I’ll talk to you soon.” He skims the back of his fingers down my cheek and walks away.

  My eyes greedily drink him in all the way to his Jeep, storing memories to carry me through the busy times. He drives off with a beep of his horn and a quick wave.

  Spinning back around, I unlock the door and step inside. “Hey, I’m home,” I call out, in case my parents are naked or in the middle of something I don’t want to see.

  “In here,” my mom yells.

  Walking toward the kitchen, I smell food cooking. When I see the fresh tacos and fajitas, I let out a whoop of joy. My mom’s cooking is the best part of being home for the summer.

  Mom gives a whoop of her own and hugs me. “How was New Hampshire?”

  “It was wonderful. It’s so beautiful there.”

  “Hey, honey.” Dad stands from his place at the table and kisses me on the top of my head. “It’s good to have you back home while we can.”

  “If Mom makes tacos and fajitas more often, I promise to visit,” I negotiate.

  My mom smiles. “I’ll see what I can do. This fall might be tough because you’re dad’s and my schedule is packed with traveling and speaking engagements.”

  “That’s great in terms of money, though,” I point out the positive.

  “It is, and we like to travel, but we miss you when you’re at school. Maybe sometime you can come on one of our trips and see what we do.” Her tone is wistful.

  “I’d like that.” I might not want to follow in their shoes with the motivational speaking, but I wouldn’t mind seeing them in action now that I’m an adult.

  * * *

  Classes begin in a few days, and Maddie and I have moved into our new apartment. Shaw and Marshall had a couple other hockey team members help them move all our furniture in. Aside from clothes, towels, and bedding, I didn’t have to bring anything else. Maddie’s dad let us have his old couch, which is still in great condition. We found a coffee table online for cheap and split the cost. My parents had a small kitchen table and chairs delivered for an apartment warming present.

  Once the furniture is in place, there’s not that much left to do. I catch Marshall alone and give him a quick but passionate kiss. “Thank you for helping.”

  “Don’t thank me. I’m happy to help out.”

  “How are your practices going?” I ask.

  “Coach has been worse than usual. He’s been making us practice twice a day.” Yawning, he covers his mouth. “I’m sorry. Just talking about it makes me tired.”

  “I bet. I feel like I’ve barely seen you,” I say.

  “That’s because our schedules haven’t been lining up. But we’ll be back to school in a week and things will settle down,” he reassures.

  “I hope so. I miss spending time with you.”

  “I know the feeling, Lucky.”

  We quickly part when we hear heavy footsteps approaching and Marshall acts like he’s helping me move boxes.

  Shaw peeks inside my room. “You ready to go?” he asks.”

  “Yeah, I think we’re all set here.” He touches my arm. “We’ll talk later.”

  “Okay.” I smile, pretending I’m not concerned about the lack of time we’ve spent together. I keep telling myself to hang on, things will improve once classes start, but I’m lying to myself. If he doesn’t have room in his schedule for me now, how will he when he adds all his classes and study time?

  Chapter Fifteen

  Marshall

  I haven’t seen Clover in a week. Between classes starting and hockey practices, I haven’t had enough free time or leftover energy to do anything besides eat and sleep.

  But I miss her.

  I miss her smile and her laugh. I miss her sense of humor and how she loves to give me shit. I miss her challenging me and keeping me on my toes. I miss everything about her more than I was prepared to.

  Whatever we are to one another hasn’t been defined. We never labeled ourselves while we were in New Hampshire, and we haven’t had any time alone since beyond a couple of stolen moments. And the chain of texts and brief phone calls haven’t been nearly enough for me. And they haven’t been the right place to have a conversation about defining what we are to each other. However, I plan to change that tonight. There’s a party at the frat, and it’s time she and I work out some details. I want her to be my girlfriend, and it’s well past time I told her.

  Glancing at my phone, I notice my class is about to end and shut my laptop. Shoving it into my backpack, I’m on my feet as soon as the professor dismisses us. If I hurry, I can grab a coffee and a donut at Dunks before my next class.

  Once I’m outside in the sunshine, I tug my cap lower on my head, shielding my eyes. Weaving between the other pedestrians crowding the sidewalk, I hurry along for the two blocks it takes me to get to Dunks.

  Entering, I inhale the phenomenal scent of donuts and coffee. That has to be one of the greatest smells in existence. I get into the line and hope it goes quickly. My stomach growls,
reminding me how hungry I am. While I wait, my eyes scan around the interior and come to a screeching halt when I see Clover having coffee with her ex-boyfriend.

  What the hell is up with that?

  Is she back together with him?

  We didn’t speak yesterday, but two days ago, everything seemed fine.

  Facing forward, I place my order as planned, then peer over at them once more. He has his hand on top of hers and she’s not pulling away. That’s all I need to see. I clench my fists at my sides and grit my teeth so tightly I’m concerned they might crack. But it’s the only way I can hold in the angry words I want to shout at her.

  Drawing in a harsh breath through my nose, I remind myself to calm down. As much as I’d like to rush over and drag Clover’s ex from his chair, I need to remain levelheaded. If I put my hands on him at all, I’ll get suspended from the hockey team. There’s a no fighting clause we have to abide by. Ironically, the only time we can fight is on the ice.

  “Here you go.” The server pushes my coffee and bag toward me. Handing money over, I grab my stuff and head to the exit. I tell myself I won’t look their way again, but there’s no resisting the temptation. I don’t just want to know what’s going on—I need to know. But when my gaze jumps their way, I don’t find any clear answers for my many questions. Clover is sipping her coffee and dude is watching her like she’s the last piece of bacon on earth. I can’t blame him. I’m sure it’s the same way I look at her.

  Returning the two blocks back to school should be quick, but I drag my feet like it’s too much effort to pick them up. Seeing Clover with her ex sucked the happiness out of me along with all my energy. I feel like I went a round with a dementor from the Harry Potter book series.

  When I reach the building my class is in, I pause outside. Slipping my phone from the pocket on my shorts, I type a text to Clover.

  Me: Want to meet up for a coffee?