by Doyle, Dawn
‘No. After.’
I chewed the inside of my cheek, considering talking to him, but what good would that do? I’d get mad at his immaturity, he’d laugh, and I’d blow a fuse. ‘I don’t think that’s a wise decision right now, Maddoc.’
‘Bullshit.’
I stared down at my phone, ignoring the game, not hearing the scrapes of skates, sticks hitting each other, and the loud thwacks of the puck. Even the goal horn blaring didn’t phase me from seeing Maddoc’s text.
‘The sooner the better.’
I spun around and glared up at him, finding him watching me from under the peak in his cap. ‘You have some nerve.’ A quick Google search had me finding my answer. For speed, I picked the first one I found, and followed the actions. Turning, I replicated the sign language. Maddoc’s eyes widened, a smile spread across his face until he was grinning like an idiot, then laughed. His fingers worked over his phone, and his message came through right away.
‘Are you sure?’
I nodded my head. ‘Definitely.’
The ass laughed again, then pressed his hand to his well-defined chest that was hidden under his hoodie. The zip was open enough to make out a black collar underneath, maybe the polo shirt from his case, but whatever it was, it looked fantastic on him.
I looked down to my phone, but stopped when a figure sat beside me. “Uh, hey,” I said, seeing Willow staring at me. I cringed when I realized what I’d done.
She smiled sweetly, gently touched my arm, then held out her phone for me to see some text on the screen. ‘My brother is too much of a child to tell you that you signed that you wanna fuck him, and from the way you did it, you meant hard, too.’
My jaw dropped in shock. “I did?” The words barely passed my lips, the horror of what I’d attempted backfiring so, so bad that my throat tightened. My chest throbbed in panic as I frantically unlocked my screen again. I pulled up the site and, sure enough, the ASL I’d used was completely wrong. Served me right for being a smart ass. I sagged in my chair, covering my scorching face with my hands. “Shit.”
“Kaia!” my mom admonished while watching the game I hadn’t seen a minute of.
Willow giggled, the soft laughter sounding so much like Maddoc it was scary. She typed, showing me when she was done, and pointed behind her right ear where her long hair was covering. ‘I’m wearing my processor. I can hear you now.’
I covered my face with my hands. “I’m so sorry, I completely insulted you—”
Willow shook her head, held her hand up, and her light brows drew together. She typed quickly. ‘You didn’t, so don’t worry about it. Though, you should be more careful with your searches.” She playfully elbowed my side, humor evident in her expression.
I faced her, needing to clarify my intentions, or lack thereof. “Just to be clear, I do not want to do that to your brother.”
Liar liar, panties on fire. You so want to jump his bones.
Her phone vibrated, then mine pinged right after.
‘Can I have my sister back?’ Maddoc texted.
We looked at each other, then I glanced over my shoulder and smirked. “How would you like to stay here with me?” I asked, and Willow gripped my hands and nodded quickly. I typed another reply. ‘No, you can’t. We’re having fun right here. And, by the way, I meant you can go fuck yourself.’
We both turned and waved, satisfied when Maddoc scowled pointing two fingers to his eyes, then to the both of us. Then we turned around, got ourselves comfortable, and watched the game.
Willow joined me again after the breaks, with no mention of Maddoc at all, which I was grateful for. I’d managed to avoid him, even though he’d texted me to talk to him to ‘clear shit up’. I couldn’t face him after what I’d signed; I needed way more time for that.
It was when it was time to leave the arena, Willow leaned over, kissed my cheek, and walked up the stairs to where Maddoc was waiting. When Willow reached him, he paused, turned, and stared with such intensity that I swear he could see my heart pounding, and quite possibly hear my pulse throbbing in my veins. One corner of his full mouth curled up, and then the jerk winked, and left, leaving me to watch him go, failing to stop myself from ogling his ass in his black sweatpants.
Chapter 12
Kaia
‘Are we gonna clear the air today before we head back?’
I stared down at the text Maddoc had sent early in the morning. I was asleep at the time, and he’d been up for hours. Unable to close my eyes for most of the night had me finally getting some rest just as the sun was coming up, my mind going over the game, not that I saw much of it.
Willow was so sweet, and for the forty minutes I spent with her, I found myself liking her a lot. It was clear she loved the thrill of ice hockey, was a fan of my brothers’ team, and I found myself enjoying her enthusiasm far more than the twins kicking ass on the ice. How they’d managed to get away with only one penalty point each and just two fights breaking out was a miracle. And, from what my mom said, they’d even had an altercation with one of their own in the locker rooms.
Her messages to me were fast, sometimes filled with expletives, and at pertinent parts, she stood and threw her arms up, resting her fingers under her chin and swiping them out in a quick motion, then pointed at the ref. She told me that I should’ve used that for Maddoc, and patted my shoulder to comfort me when I blushed all over again.
I told him I want to fuck. Hard.
I groaned again, rolling over and burying my head in my pillow. “I’m such an idiot!”
‘And are we just gonna ignore what you said you wanted to do to me?’
Oh, he didn’t just go there. ‘That was an accident and you know it.’
His reply was almost instant, like he was already on his phone. ‘Still hot as fuck, no matter how it was intended.’
I opened my camera and video’d myself doing the correct one this time, then sent it.
‘Wow, a visual too. Damn, now you got me thinking about it, cupcake.’
I yanked my pillow from under my head and screamed into it as loud as I could, until I had nothing left in my lungs to get out and my throat burned. ‘You know that wasn’t what I meant, you jerk.’
‘Still…’
“Oof!” I got out of bed and fixed the tank that had twisted around my body, the thin straps doing nothing to hold it in place. I made my way to my bathroom, placed my phone on the sink counter, and shedded my sleepwear before stepping into my shower stall. The moment the water hit me, I let out a long, sigh. “Oh, this is great,” I moaned, the heat soothing my face and tired eyes.
I’d begun shampooing my hair when my phone rang, and I blindly reached for it, answering without checking the caller ID. “Hello?”
“Cupcake,” Maddoc said, drawing out his stupid nickname for me.
“God, what is it, Maddoc? I’m a little busy right now.”
“Are you…in the shower?” he asked, his deep, rumbling tone raising at the end, and I didn’t miss the suggestiveness there. I could practically picture him pumping his eyebrows and biting his lip, the plump flesh between his teeth.
“Maybe.” I took a calming breath. “Look, Maddoc, I’m tired, hungry, and just want to get through my morning. Besides, I’m sure you have better things to do with your time.”
“Willow’s busy. The guy she’s dating showed up and they went out for the day.”
“Okay, so why don’t you do the same?”
“That’s why I’m calling,” he said as though I should’ve known that. “You’ve got some explaining to do, and we’ve got a lot of hours to go before we head back.”
“I don’t have to explain myself to you!”
“Yeah you do. Now, hurry up and get ready—I’m picking you up in fifteen minutes.”
The line went dead and I stared at my phone in bewilderment. If he thought I was going to just agree to his demand, then he was in for a rude… My thoughts trailed off when it occurred to me that he was coming here, to my parents’
house, in fifteen minutes! My brothers were still here, and if they saw Maddoc outside, they’d hunt him down.
“Shit, shit, shit!” I rushed through my shower, dried off in record time, and grabbed my clothes from my case.
***
“Are you fucking insane?” I whisper shouted when I reached his truck. He’d been idling at the curb where he’d dropped me, chuckling when he saw me darting to the end of the sidewalk in a panic. “Daryl and Sean are still here!”
That seemed to make him laugh harder. He rested a gray-covered elbow on the sill, revealing the sweater I’d held to my face. “You honestly thought I’d roll up to your house and honk the horn?” He beamed. “I might be deranged sometimes, but I’m not stupid, cupcake. I heard what happened after the game.”
He had? “Who from? And what were you told? My mom said it was an argument that got out of hand, but that was it.”
Maddoc shrugged a shoulder. “Get in and I’ll tell you.”
“Tell me first.”
He grinned, then his tongue darted out, wetting his lower lip. “Do you know a guy called Ewan?” When I nodded, he chuckled. “Turns out, Ewan told your brothers you were looking fine and wanted them to introduce you.” His eyes roamed over me as if trying to see what Ewan had. “According to my source, he was more than interested in getting to know all of you.”
“Oh, God,” I groaned. I only knew Ewan as the Roosters’ center, and a friend of the twins. Well, it was clear that was now fractured; probably in more ways than one.
“Yeah, he was introduced to Daryl’s fist instead.”
“Damn neanderthals,” I complained. “Always acting before they think, treating me like a defenseless flower.” I nibbled on my lip for a second. “Who’s your source?”
“Colin Jones,” he explained. “We went to high school together, and he works at the arena. I saw the highlights on TV and the fight was mentioned. I called Colin, and he told me what he knew.”
“Oh.” I hadn’t watched. My parents had, as usual, and I’d gone to my room to wallow.
“He’s always got gossip to share about players.” Maddoc chuckled. “Well?” he asked, gesturing to the passenger seat.
I chewed the inside of my cheek. “Where are we going? I was supposed to go for a hike this morning.” He pushed the peak of his white cap back and brushed his hand through his hair, his eyes closing with the movement. The action caused his scent to waft out of the cab and over my face.
Sweet Jesus.
Maddoc leaned out of the window a little and looked down. “Breakfast.” His gaze traveled back up, causing me to feel self-conscious, then stared right at me with another devastating smile.
My growling stomach liked that idea a lot better than a hike. I rolled my eyes and walked around to the passenger side, and climbed in. Maddoc’s hand gripped the steering wheel, his arm extended, showcasing the shapely muscles under the fabric. “Yeah, let’s go before they wonder where I’ve rushed off to.”
“Sure thing, babe. I know just the place.”
Babe. I wasn’t his babe—somebody else was, and no matter how much I tried not to be, how much I denied it to myself, I was jealous. That made the guilt furl around my insides the more I was with him and she wasn’t. She was probably wondering, right then, where her boyfriend was. It didn’t matter that nothing was going on between us, and never would, he should’ve been with her.
“Don’t you have other places to be?” I asked out loud when I definitely hadn’t intended to.
Maddoc stared out of the windshield, not looking at me as he drove. “Nope. And before your mind works overtime, there’s nobody waiting for me, okay?”
I stared at the side of his already healing face for a good few minutes, his jaw ticking as I did, his fingers gripping the steering wheel, his arms bunching as he turned the corners… Had I gotten it wrong? Sure, Willow was one thing, but Bobby said those things about Maddoc, his girl… What Maddoc said didn’t fit.
He pulled up into a space and turned off the engine, then spun to face me. “Here we are, cupcake. Unless you’re going to stare at me some more, I suggest we go inside because I’m fucking starving.” Without waiting for my answer, he got out of the truck and walked around to my side as I opened the door, and I couldn’t help admiring the outline of his torso, the curves and ridges under his sweater, and the tiny bit of skin showing through the open collar of the white shirt underneath. Even the rounded hem sticking out the bottom of his sweater grabbed my attention, where it sat right over his zipper…He held out his hand, and I blinked a few times. “Don’t want you falling down again.” His eyes roamed the length of me, pausing at my bare legs, then back up to my face.
“That wasn’t funny.” I placed my hand in his, his large palm engulfing mine, the heat from him radiating into me, warming me in an instant. It continued upward, his touch continuing to send prickles tickling up my arm.
He walked beside me, stopping to hold the door open, then continued right behind. He let out a sigh, but the second I looked over my shoulder, he was looking out of the windows as we passed.
He held his hand out, gesturing for me to sit in the empty booth. “Here you go, cupcake, sit your cute ass down.”
“My what?” I snorted.
He leaned toward me, engulfing me in his aroma.“You heard me,” he replied, his voice so low it sent a shiver coursing down my spine and into my feet, the tremors catching me off guard, and I shot my hand out to steady myself on the high wooden back. He released an easy smile as his eyes dropped to my hand, then back up to study my now flaming face.
“Okay, whatever,” I said, shrugging it off… Unconvincingly. I slid into the booth and sat on the black seat. I adjusted my position to get comfortable, but the tough cushioning made it almost impossible.
As Maddoc moved to sit opposite, I caught a glimpse of thick, muscular thighs encased in dark denim, with a perfectly shaped ass above. The only thing stopping me from getting a full view was the bottom of his shirt fashionably hanging from under his sweater. Once seated, he removed his cap, and placed it beside him on the table. His ruffled hair stuck up in places, but instead of him looking disheveled, he had the appearance of a fitness model, styled purposely that way. And I sat there looking out of place with him, my still-wet braid falling over my shoulder, creating a damp patch on my checkered shirt.
A server came over to the table, taking her pen and notepad out of her black apron pocket as she did. She smoothed down the top of her apron covering her chest, and stopped by the table. She clicked the pen, then hovered over the pad. “Can I take your order?” she asked, then looked up. Her eyes widened when she saw Maddoc, interest dilating her pupils and tinting her cheeks. Her tongue darted out over her bottom lip, and I almost laughed when she exaggerated her pout.
“Yeah,” Maddoc replied, ignoring the way she pushed her hip to the side, accentuating her curves under her white servers dress. “I’ll take the pancakes and some coffee, please.” He replaced the menu on the orange table cloth and waited for me to speak.
I looked from the server to Maddoc, who was still staring. “I’ll have the same, thanks,” I said, and the server did a double take when she saw me sitting there.
“Oh, uh, sure,” she rushed out, her gaze bouncing between us, but lingered on Maddoc. “Coming right up.” She turned and walked away, swinging her hips as she left.
“So,” Maddoc began as though nothing had happened, leaning forward on his elbows, one hand cupping the other.
“Can we please not do this?” I asked, feeling the familiar swarming in my stomach, and burst of heat rising from my chest.
“Do what?” His brows pulled together a little, forming a tiny crease between his eyes, and the small healing cut to pucker. “Discuss the fact that you’ve hated me for years because you thought I was a cheater and didn’t care who knew?”
“Oh, so you’re just gonna put that all out there, huh?” I asked sarcastically. I flicked my hand out. “Not even gonna ease me into th
e interrogation, just dump that whole thing right on my head.” That’s exactly what it felt like. If I wasn’t uncomfortable to begin with, he’d made sure I couldn’t feel any worse right off the bat.
“When I’m the one that’s under fire, yeah.” He looked around, then shuffled closer in his seat. “I wondered why you acted like that, and now that I know, I wanted to set the record straight, cupcake.”
I rubbed my face, stopping myself from yelling at him in a busy diner. “I told you, I’m not a dessert, Maddoc, so stop calling me that.”
The corner of his mouth tilted, but the half-smile didn’t reach his eyes. “You’ve been calling me names for years, and they weren’t exactly nice.”
“Point taken,” I agreed.
“So, I’m gonna hit you with a little knowledge.” He lifted his hands so they were by his chin, his sole focus on me. I shivered under his attention, my nervousness evident in my shaking hands. “I’ve never cheated on anyone in my entire life.” He watched me, waiting for a reaction, his green irises moving side-to-side as he studied me. “I don’t have a girlfriend, Kaia, and I never have.”
My brows shot up, just like my heart rate, the thundering beats echoing in my ears. “Never?” Maddoc shook his head. “But that doesn’t make sense, why would Bobby say Trent talked shit about your girl?” I came clean as to what I’d heard, along with the others not surprised at what he’d said.
His stern look dropped, his brows relaxing and his eyes widening. He licked his lips and settled back against his seat. He shrugged. “Some guys try to use Willow as a weapon against me—making comments. That’s why I don’t talk about her in public all that much. The less they know, the less fuel they have to make me lose my temper.”
That made so much more sense. “Oh, I’m sorry,” I said, deflated. “That must be awful for you.” I placed my palm over my stomach when it churned, the hunger replaced by regret. I’d judged Maddoc for years, and all he’d done was protect himself and his sister from assholes.
He shrugged again. “Last night, I finally realized that’s why you got the wrong idea about her.”