My breath caught in my throat at the harsh reminder of seeing Derrick, and I swallowed, searching for a bottle of water. There were a stack of them on a table in the corner, and I uncapped one and took a long swig, the uncomfortable feeling in my throat easing up.
Suddenly, my body sagged. I was tired. The fuzzy feeling from the beer started to wear off, and I wanted to wash my face and put on comfy clothes. It was already midnight, and if Jonah needed to let loose, he did a great job already. With my new mission, I went upstairs in search of him.
Michael walked past me on the stairs and put a hand on my shoulder. “Anyone get too flirty with you?”
“Jesus, no.” I rolled my eyes and shrugged his touch off. “I can take care of myself, bro.”
“I know. Just want to make sure. Guys get rowdy here.” He narrowed his eyes, but the irritation in them disappeared. “We have a bet going about J.D.”
My insides twisted at his tone. “What?”
He lowered his voice. “Does he sleep with a hockey stick in his bed?”
“Don’t be an asshole.” I scowled at my intoxicated brother, somehow wildly protective of Jonah. “He’s focused. More than any of you.”
“I’ll say.” He blew out a breath, the mixture of whiskey and beer making me gag. “I gave him the talk. You’re untouchable.”
My stomach sank, and I got pissed. “Michael, don’t do this shit. We talked about it. Nothing will happen. It’s not worth it, okay?”
“I know, Ry.” His face softened, and a sad, tortured look crossed his face. I recognized the grief. It hit me out of the blue, and my eyes welled up. “Ah shit, don’t cry,” he continued. “Sorry, you just…you had this face, your brows coming over your eyes, and it was so Mom.”
“Damn it, Michael. I’m at a party and a little tipsy. I’m emotional.” I sniffed before he pulled me into a tight hug. “Ugh, enough.”
“Love you, Ry.”
“You too.”
“Let me know if you want me to walk you home. I think J.D. is still here though. Can’t say I’m bothered by the fact you’re living with a guy who could beat the shit out of anyone who might threaten you. Makes me feel better than you at the dorms with all that nonsense.”
Nonsense. Drugs, alcohol, pills. “I’ll find you if he already left.”
“Cool. Might stop by the coffee shop tomorrow since it’s an off day.” He ruffled my hair before a leggy redhead said his name from the bottom of the stairs. “That’s my cue. I’ll wait ten minutes, and if I don’t hear from you, I’ll assume J.D. is walking you home.”
“Bye.” I snorted at the way he jumped down the last five steps. We didn’t talk about our sex lives, but it was clear he was active. He was single, decent looking, and a senior on the hockey team. My brother’s bed was not lonely. If that worked for him, then good for him.
I made my way back up toward the main floor as people got sloppy. Drinks spilled everywhere, two girls were crying, and a couple yelled at each other near the front door. My head pounded—it was definitely time to go. I found Jonah in the kitchen, pulling an overflowing trash bag out of a bin and looking so out of place it made me smile.
“Uh, whatcha doing?”
He flicked his gaze to me then back to the task. “It’s disgusting in here. I’m taking it outside.”
“You don’t need to clean up for them.” I frowned and moved under the sink to find an empty bag. “Are you heading back soon or staying awhile? It’s okay if you want to stay, so no pressure. I’m wiped and need to sleep.”
He stilled his movements, so quiet for a large guy, and I snuck a glance over my shoulder. Worry lines formed on his forehead. “This is my fault.”
“What?” I spun back around. “The mess? No it’s not.”
“You came here because of me. Come on, let’s drop this in the dumpster and we can go home together.” Home made me feel warm and tingly for reasons I wasn’t sure I wanted to figure out. He tied the top of it and picked it up with such ease, his arm muscles didn’t even bulge. I wordlessly followed him out the front door and waited as he hustled to the side of the house.
I hummed once he rejoined me, and we headed toward our place. We didn’t touch, but our hands were inches from each other, so when I stepped around a bump in the sidewalk, the backs of our hands brushed together, sending a tingle up my arm. He was just so tall and big.
“Sorry,” I mumbled.
“You’re alright.”
He kept his attention straight ahead, and while he gave no indication he’d had a bad time, his shoulders were tense.
“Was it awful?” I asked, chewing on the side of my lip and trying to read him.
“Was what?”
“The party? My brother’s chat with you? You seem really edgy, that’s all.”
He sighed and put his other hand in his pocket. “I had an okay time, and no, your brother…didn’t say anything I didn’t already know.”
“Care to share?”
His jaw tightened for a second. “No.”
“Alrighty then.” I yawned as we made our brisk walk back. Something felt off. Whatever comradery we had throughout the party was gone, and it was silly to miss it already. “Are you upset with me? I thought you’d enjoy the game of flipcup.”
“I’m not upset with you.” He looked down at me, his dark eyes scanning my face for a few beats. “I shouldn’t have made you come with me.”
“Do you think it was a hardship for me to have a few drinks, play games, and dance? Because it wasn’t, Jonah.”
His left cheek twitched before he seemed to walk faster. I matched his stride but had to take twice as many steps to catch up to him, and after thirty seconds, I reached my arm out to block him from moving. His very toned chest ran straight into my hand. It was the second time we touched that night, and it took every effort to not dig my nails into him to see how strong he really was.
“What are you doing?” he asked, his voice rising in panic.
“Stopping you. Something crawled up your ass, and I can’t keep up with your pace.” My breath came out ragged from the sprint-walk. “Any reason why you’re trying to ditch me?”
“I’m not…I’m sorry. I’m shit at this kinda thing.” He pressed his lips into a firm line and waited for me to meet his eyes. I let go of his shirt and nodded. “You said you were tired, and it’s my fault you came because I was nervous. You were helping me out and you ran into that guy, and I don’t want you being run down for work.”
“By this kinda thing do you mean being friends? Heading to a party because a friend is nervous is what you do. I had a good time. Don’t ruin it with your grumpiness, okay?” I smiled, hoping it would help him lose the ever-present frown. “You kicked my ass at flipcup. I thought for sure you’d be walking around all cocky.”
“I did beat you every time.”
“Yes, I just said that,” I fired back, my face flushing when his gaze warmed. “No, don’t get all happy now because we’re remembering. Unfair.”
“You’re adorable when flustered.”
My face heated, and my insides flipped over at his compliment, but I scoffed and started moving again. It was better to not think about it. Our shoulders touched a few times, and instead of recoiling, I leaned into it. It wasn’t so bad having Jonah with me.
After a few minutes, we arrived at the stairs, and he motioned for me to go first, keeping a hand on the rail as we ascended. The wood creaked, and I swore the staircase swayed. Maybe it was the alcohol, but stairs shouldn’t move like that. He reached out and gripped my arm, his fingers coming down around me as we waited for the sound to stop. The staircase kept moving, and the sound got louder.
“Shit,” I said, my blood roaring in my ears. Fear clawed its way up my throat.
“Get inside. Go.” He moved his hands to my lower back and pushed me up the rest of the way. He pulled the keys out of his pocket and opened the door. I bolted inside, exhaling at having my feet on solid ground.
“Uh, did those steps f
eel like they were going to fall?”
“I’m calling the landlord tomorrow. This is unacceptable.” His ragged breath matched mine, and he rubbed his forehead before pinning me with his stare. “We stay here until they can ensure they’re safe.”
I blinked. “I have to work tomorrow.”
He shook his head, the lines on his face sharpening. He ran one hand over his chest, right over his heart, and he glared at the front door. “Not with those fucking stairs like that. You’re not going down.”
“Are we sure it’s not the wind?”
“It’s not windy outside, Ryann.” He swallowed hard and moved toward the fridge to grab two bottles of water. “We have enough food for two days. Hopefully this can be fixed before then.”
“What about your routine?” I asked, unfiltered.
He handed me a bottle, and a moment of panic flooded his eyes. “I’ll survive.”
“Let me know when you call them in the morning. I want to be in the loop.”
“Will do.” He nodded at me, no emotion on his face, and I made my escape to my room. I wiped off my makeup, tossed my hair up in a bun, and put on my comfiest shorts and tank top. After sending a quick text to Hannah to let her know I couldn’t make it, begging her to forgive me, I closed my eyes and was asleep before I took my first breath.
The loudest beeping I ever heard jarred me from a much needed sleep. It was repetitive, high pitched, and sounded like construction, which made no sense. Why would there be construction going on at… seven in the morning? I groaned at my phone and wiped my hands over my face as an engine roared right outside my window.
I bolted up, not even bothering to go to the bathroom before marching into the living room and almost running into Jonah. “S’what’s going on?” I asked, my sleep-fogged brain not quite computing it would be rude to stare because holy shiittt.
He was shirtless. Bare skin and muscles and hard lines greeted me. Pectorals that weren’t too bulky, trapezoids formed from hours at the gym, and his stomach. Mamma mia.
Something like a groan and a grunt escaped my lips, and he cleared his throat, making me halt my blatant perusal of his body.
“Been a minute since I’ve seen a chest. Yours is nice. Forgive me.”
He blinked, and his cheeks had the slightest tint to them. “They’re working on our stairs. I called the landlord at six.”
“That’s fast,” I said, glad my voice sounded normal and not all breathless because damn, seeing Jonah Daniels in the flesh was a lot to handle. “How did you get someone out here so fast?”
He almost smiled. One side of his mouth quirked up, and he scratched the back of his head, showcasing his very toned biceps. Jonah shrugged. “He knew I played on the team.”
“Ah, you used your name. Good for you.” I jutted my chin toward the door. “Can we see what’s going on?”
He furrowed his brows and followed my gaze. “Don’t see why not.”
I marched past him and carefully opened the front door, the cool morning breeze hitting me. “Shit.” I rubbed my hands over my arms, but it didn’t do any good. My urge to see them working outweighed the temporary coldness, so I held onto the frame and leaned a hair over the edge.
Jonah joined me, his shoulder touching mine when he adjusted his position to see, and it was so not sensual. There was no reason for my skin to prickle with awareness or for my heart to skip a beat. He smelled like laundry, which wasn’t that exciting, but I breathed him in a little deeper.
“Never seen stairs fixed before,” he said.
“Yeah, me neither. It looks like they’re securing the foundation? Making sure we don’t fall and bust ass or die.”
He slid me an amused look but didn’t respond. We watched in silence for a few seconds as a couple of guys hoisted up long planks of wood, nailing them on the outer side of the staircase. The culprit of the awful beeping noise was a mini lift. A guy in a yellow helmet raised a hand. “You two live here?”
“Yes,” I said, nodding and trying to prevent my teeth from chattering. “Thanks for fixing this.”
He smiled. “Should be done by midafternoon. If not, we’ll bring you both down with this lift so you can find somewhere else to go for the night.”
“Thanks.” I crossed my arms again and darted inside, the warmth and still air soothing my chilled skin. “D-damn, I’m cold.”
“You’re hardly wearing any clothing.” His voice was closer than I thought. When I got into the living room, I turned and held out my arms. His gaze moved from my face to my legs, up my stomach to my chest, where he sucked in a breath.
“I like to be cold when I sleep, plus, I’m covered everywhere that matters,” I said, looking down to make sure I didn’t lose my shorts or anything. Then I saw it. What caught his attention and had him focused on my chest.
My nipples were pointed, freezing cold and sharp enough to cut glass, and they strained against my thin tank top. He swallowed so hard I heard it. That little sound had the same impact of a bull crashing into a window, and every part of my body was attuned to what he did. His quick breath, how he wet his bottom lip with his tongue, and the way his fist curled against his leg.
Oh my.
Our eyes met, and in that moment, I really wanted to know how Jonah Daniels’s chest felt under my hands, and I was pretty sure he wanted the same from me. He took a step toward me as my phone blasted from where I left it on my nightstand. Sam Hunt’s sexy drawl snapped me out of the moment, and I darted into my bedroom, shutting the door and answering my phone.
“God, Hannah, I’m so sorry. Our stairs, it’s a disaster. We can’t leave, and I might have to take a lift down.” I threw myself on my bed face first, my brain an absolute mess. “Am I fired?”
She laughed and let out a long sigh. “No. Not even a little bit. I’m glad nothing happened before if the stairs were so old. You could’ve been hurt, so don’t even worry about the shift. I practically live here anyway.”
“I was so excited to come in too.” I rolled onto my back and stared at the blank ceiling. “Everything alright with your little man?”
“Yup. He’s good. I think we’ve figured out a custody agreement that works. He’ll still have a couple days away from me which I hate but… it’ll solve the battle.”
“Well, if you need me to hang with him again, let me know. I owe you, since I bailed on what was supposed to be your first weekend off!”
“Be safe, don’t worry. Keep me updated about tomorrow when you know more, okay?”
“You got it.”
She hung up, and I took a second to collect myself. Sure, that moment was weird. There was attraction. Probably two-sided. Definitely two-sided. But he was my brother’s teammate, and I told Michael nothing would happen. Plus, he said he would never go for me. Two strikes didn’t necessarily equate no attraction though.
Thinking someone else was hot was fine. Healthy. Normal. It was our actions that mattered. I could control my desire for him. For sure.
I put on my largest sweatshirt, an old hockey one from our high school’s team, and used the bathroom. My face was puffy from not sleeping enough, and I yawned. Caffeine. If that damn beeping was going to continue, I needed coffee. With a shaky breath, I went back into the living room and booked it for the kitchen. Music and grunts came from the TV, and my mouth literally fell open at what I saw.
Jonah was working out. Shirtless. Ten feet away from me.
Shit.
8
Jonah
My arms burned from the push-ups, but they were necessary. I straightened my forearms, held myself in a planking position, and did another set of twenty before flipping over to do sit-ups. Not going to the gym left me restless. Uneasy. Like there was a current inside my body that needed to find release and physical outlets were all I knew.
My skin had a layer of sweat as I worked my abs. I welcomed the familiar burn of my muscles and went harder. My pulse raced, and my head hurt a little from the couple beers the night before, but I powered th
rough. Something clinked in the kitchen, and I froze, torn between wanting to see if she put a goddamn bra on or not. Even when I closed my eyes, the image of her pebbled nipples poking out of her thin shirt was there. Her breasts were the perfect size, lush and curvy, and shit. My mouth dried up, and awareness of how attractive she really was had my blood heading south without my permission.
“Why’d you stop?” she said, making me look over at her. She sat at the kitchen table, her knees up to her chest and a coffee mug in her hands. She wore a large navy sweatshirt, and disappointment hit me hard.
“Hmm?” I sat up and rested my arms on my knees. I couldn’t stop myself from staring at her long bare legs. Her shorts were so short there was no way she wore anything underneath them.
“Your workout. You were going hard, and bam, you stopped. I was enjoying the show,” she said, smirking over the rim of her mug. She said it with so much ease there was no way she was blatantly flirting with me. “Don’t look so affronted. I’m sure people check you out when you’re at the gym, too.”
“You were checking me out?”
God, why did I have to say it? Heat flooded my face, and I closed my eyes, repeating Michael’s words in my head. She was my teammate’s little sister. He warned me against this. There was too much at risk, even if I wanted to kiss that goddamn toothy smile and know how she felt underneath my hands.
“Absolutely.” She laughed, making me open my eyes. She set her feet on the ground, crossing one leg over the other. “Obviously you’re good-looking. That can’t be news to you.” She waved her free hand in the air. “But I was admiring the way your muscles move when you do push-ups. Every line is toned and hard-earned. Makes me want to drag a finger over your back and trace them.”
Her words muddled my brain so bad I couldn’t think. She wanted to touch me. She thought I was attractive. She didn’t care that I played hockey. She laughed a lot and smelled so damn good, and her body…I swallowed hard, the air in the room shifting.
Holdout: A Moo U Hockey Romance Page 7