Power Play (BTU Alumni #1)

by Alley Ciz

  “I thought you guys were supposed to be playing hockey.” Jordan said walking onto the rink.

  “Just taking a break,” Jase said.

  Jordan looked around at all the guys. “Yeah I see a lot of old faces, guess they can’t hack it anymore.”

  The guys gasped in mock offense. “JD, baby girl, such harsh words to say about old friends.” Seth one of the guys that had graduated two years prior said as he skated over to her picking her up in a hug.

  “Oh Seth, you know I love you but you guys have been out of practice for a few years so maybe you just can’t keep up.”

  Seth put his arm around Jordan and put her in a playful chokehold. “Oh JD, you always were a feisty one. You’re so lucky you’re cute.”

  Jake watched as Jordan wormed her way out of Seth’s grasp and punched him in the arm. She rolled her eyes and laughed at him. The camaraderie between them would seem funny to anyone else, but not Jake, his back teeth clenched irritated by Seth’s flirting. Calm down you don’t have any claim on her. You gotta take things slow if you even want to have a chance with things working out.

  Just when he thought smoke would be coming out of his ears, Jordan made her way over to him and instantly his mood brightened. She cocked her hip and hooked the thumb of her left hand through a belt loop. She had a cute smirk on her face and eyed him with purpose. “So Jake, you ready to show me what you got?”

  Her doubt of his abilities ignited his competitive nature and he couldn’t help but do a little trash talking of his own. “I was born ready, sweetheart.”

  Jordan chuckled and he loved it. He was impressed with how she stood her ground, in sneakers her head didn’t even reach his shoulders but in skates he practically towered over her. She stood there staring up at him, silently egging him on. He crossed his arms in front of his chest in response.

  During their staring contest everyone else broke off on their own. Luckily, Maddey and Skye easily captivated the other players’ attention. Jordan moved in closer to his personal space. “You talk a big game but I guess we’ll just have to wait and see if you measure up.”

  He glided toward her to close the last couple of inches that separated them. She had to tilt her head all the way back to see his face and he loved how petite she was. “Jordan, you have no idea just how well I measure up. Because, if given the chance I could totally shake things up for you.”

  Her cheeks bloomed with color as she blushed. She kept giving off signals that she was as interested in him as he was in her. All he had to do was find a way to get her to admit the way she felt. He had to get her alone so they could talk, he just needed to find his opening.

  “Well I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.” She placed a hand on his chest and pushed him so he rolled backwards.

  He called out to Jordan before she could go too far. “Hey still interested in seeing my mask?”

  Her face lit up with excitement. “You’re using the Optimus Prime one?”

  “Always.”

  “Hell yeah!”

  He laughed as she skipped over to join him at the net he rested his mask on. He handed the mask to her holding it so the eyes above the cage faced her. His gut tightened as he watched her stroke her thumb across the intricate detail of the design, imagining what it would feel like if she did it to him.

  “This is sick. The detail on this makes it look almost 3D.” She said in awe.

  “Yeah the artist did an amazing job.”

  “It is seriously badass.”

  Jordan was still holding his mask when they heard Pat call out to them. “Oh man, I forgot JD was a Transformer geek, too. Now our goalie will never get his mask back. Guess it’s time to call the game.”

  “Ha ha ha. Very funny. Come on let’s see if you can still hack it old man. Game on.”

  Jake watched the sway of her hips as she walked over to join her friends.

  WHEN JORDAN AND her friends arrived at the park it was later than they intended. From the look of the guys standing around the edge of the rink, it was obvious they had been playing for a while.

  Her gaze automatically homed in on Jake. Being a goalie he had to wear full protective gear but must have taken off his chest pads to get a break from the heat. He still wore the same gray t-shirt as earlier, the color now darkened by sweat. His hair was in disarray from his helmet, he still looked good to her.

  As she walked closer to the guys, she noticed a few familiar faces. “Seth? Pat?” She ran up to Ryan’s old teammates to hug them. “Oh my god I had no idea you guys were going to be here.”

  “It’s my favorite Donnelly sibling.” Seth said returning her hug.

  Skye took over introductions and Jordan used the opportunity to talk to Jake. Up close she got a whiff of his clean scent she remembered from the night in the hammock, mixed with sweat from playing. The combination was like catnip to her.

  She went to join her friends in the bleachers when it was time for the guys to resume playing. Along the way she passed a group of what looked like puck bunnies, noting the looks they shot her way. Used to dealing with the nasty bitches she ignored them, her focus on the other cluster of girls gathered on the bleachers.

  “Jordan, girl, aren’t you a sight for sore eyes.” Cara, Wade’s girlfriend, called to her.

  “Cara,” she pulled her into a hug. “I can’t believe you’re still putting up with Wade after all these years.”

  Cara and Wade were the classic story of jock falling for his non-sports minded tutor. The two started dating around the same time as Jordan and Tommy, so the two grew close. Jordan helped teach Cara all she needed to know about hockey.

  “Yeah well like I tell him all the time, he’s lucky he’s cute,” Cara joked. “So we met your old roommates. Man your friend Maddey could be your sister.”

  “Yeah it’s a running joke with us.”

  “Anyway this is Kim, Michelle, and Beth.” Cara pointed to the other girls in her group. “Beth is dating Seth.”

  “Seth and Beth. Seriously?”

  “Yeah I know.” Beth confirmed reluctantly.

  She spent a few minutes catching up with Cara and getting to know her friends, the whole time she felt the burn of angry stares on her skin. Finally she had enough.

  “Puck Bunnies?” She pointed a thumb at the group above.

  “Oh yeah. The worst of the bunch too. Usually we just have to deal with them during the season but these few are the most persistent and are around year round,” Cara confirmed.

  “I know the type.”

  “Looks like you caught the attention of Tabby and Christine.”

  “Which one is Tabby?” Jordan asked, curious to check out someone Jake dated.

  “The one with the shoulder length brown hair. The chick with the black bob is Christine, she has a thing for your brother.”

  “Which one?”

  “Ryan.”

  The puck bunnies continued to stare daggers at them. “Can I help you?” Jordan asked, not intimidated at all.

  “Yeah. Stay away from our guys,” Tabby sneered.

  “Your guys?” She raised a brow.

  “Yeah I saw you hugging all up on Ryan. Back off,” Christine said.

  Jordan and the girls burst out laughing, their reaction earning more evil looks. “You do know I’m his sister, right?”

  Her statement shocked them into silence, obviously not what they expected.

  “Stay away from Jake, we’re dating,” Tabby spat.

  “That’s not what I heard.”

  “Excuse me!”

  “Nothing.” Having enough with the drama, she turned her back on the puck bunnies and went to join her friends.

  “Puck bunnies?” Skye asked knowingly.

  “Puck bunnies,” she brushed off.

  She settled in to watch the guys play, a sense of peace enveloping her like a blanket.

  Ryan scored a goal and she was reminded of how much talent he possessed. Maddey leaned in close to her left ear. “Ryan is really good,
he could totally go pro.”

  The comment made her smile. It was one thing for her to think Ryan could make it in the big leagues but it was completely different when a non-family member thought the same thing. He commanded the rink with natural ease as the captain. Realization dawned on her, this was Ryan’s last season and she was lucky enough to be able to witness his possible rise to stardom.

  Seth, who had been another forward on the team before he graduated, stole the puck from Jase and was on a breakaway for the net Jake was the goalie of. He got off a very impressive shot but Jake snapped his hand out lighting fast and caught the puck with his glove.

  Skye caught her smiling at Jake’s save. “So what’s going on with you and the hot shot goalie?”

  Jordan whipped her head around so fast her neck cracked. “Skye!” She hesitated. “Besides, nothing is going on.” She turned to face the game again.

  “Bullshit. I’ve known you since we were five Jor, I know when you’re lying and when you’re keeping something from me, so spill.”

  She took a deep breath to calm her down. “Alright I give, but I’ll tell you guys later, not here.”

  “Okay deal.”

  Jake tried his best to keep his concentration on the game but every now and then his gaze went to where Jordan and her friends sat in the stands. It was easy to see that she loved watching her brothers play hockey and the thought of her limiting the games she attended in the past two years bothered him.

  The girls cheered from the stands and occasionally Jordan would yell down and talk some trash if one of the older guys messed up. Her brothers were right when they said she was vicious if the team didn’t play well. If she was like this for a pick up game he could only imagine what she was like during a real game. The thought of her tiny self getting in the face of some of the alumni he met made him laugh.

  His team was up two to one after Ryan’s last goal. Luckily the other team scored before Jordan arrived. He wanted desperately to show her how good of a goalie he was, almost as badly as proving to her how good they could be together.

  The teams were picked randomly but he lucked out that he had Ryan and Jase on his team.

  Just then he watched as Seth stole the puck from Jase and headed straight for him. He knew this was the moment of truth for his skills and when he caught the puck in his glove Jordan cheered for him. He noticed she was smiling and looked thoroughly impressed. Good, one obstacle down.

  A few minutes after his big save he glanced Jordan’s way again and saw her avoiding Skye’s gaze. He wondered what they were talking about and that's when it hit him— Skye could be an ally in helping him be with Jordan.

  He was such an idiot, why hadn't he thought of it sooner. Jordan told him Skye told her about him. Who knew Tucker’s “relationship” with a girl could work out in his favor. He had to find a way to talk to her. He was almost positive she would approve of him dating Jordan so why wouldn't she help in the matchmaking?

  After playing for twenty more minutes the guys decided to take another break. Jake was taking off his mask to place it on top of the net to take a sip of Gatorade when Ryan skated over to his side. "Hey bro, nice save." He said with a jab to the shoulder.

  Jake smiled. "Thanks, man." He looked at his friend and caught the wistful expression on his face. "Something on your mind?"

  Ryan waited so long he was beginning to think he wasn't going to answer. "Yeah... Have you ever wanted someone you weren't supposed to want?"

  Jake stood stone still. Oh no has he figured out I’m interested in Jordan as more than a friend? Crap how should I handle this? "I'm not quite sure I know what you mean."

  "Well you know JD’s friend Maddey?" He nodded in the girls' direction.

  "Yeah." Confusion laced his tone until it dawned on him. "Oh, you have the hots for her?"

  Ryan nodded. "But it's more than that."

  “What do you mean?"

  "Well the few times Jase and I visited JD at school, Maddey was usually there, and every time we're near something sparks between us."

  Jake took a moment to think. How he responded could very well effect how Ryan reacted to his admission of feelings for his sister. "Have you talked to Jordan about it?"

  "Yeah and that's what's so weird."

  "How so?"

  "When I told her I liked Maddey and I thought we had a connection she wasn't mad. Instead she looked like she felt sorry for me and then told me to tread carefully where Maddey was concerned because she's head over heels for one of her older brother's friends. The strangest part was she sounded like she liked the idea of us together but she just didn't see it happening."

  Jake took another pause to think. After standing next to each other in comfortable silence he had an idea. "Hey why don't you invite them to the house tomorrow, it’s been a while since we’ve had a party.”

  Ryan smiled. "You know dude that's a good idea. Thanks." He said as he clamped a hand down on his shoulder.

  The guys skated over to where the others were standing. "Hey, JD, what are you guys doing tomorrow night?" Ryan asked.

  "Umm no plans right now."

  "You guys should come over to the house, we're having a party."

  "Sounds like a plan." She turned to Maddey. "You should come too, do you have to be home?"

  Jackpot!

  "No I could totally stay. You know I always over pack so I have enough clothes and stuff, I'll just call my mom and let her know when we get back to your house later."

  Jordan smiled. "Awesome."

  Jake caught Ryan’s gaze over the heads of everyone else and he understood more than Ryan knew how happy he was the girls would be at the hockey house the upcoming night. The girls said their goodbyes and left and the guys packed their gear to go back to the hockey house.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Jake pulled into his driveway the same time he saw Skye exit her car. Perfect. Now he could see if he could get her to help him out with his Jordan situation.

  She pulled two bottles of Patron Silver out of her car as he approached. “Hey Skye.” He flashed her his most charming smile, making sure to reveal his dimples.

  Skye shut her car door and faced him fully. “Hey Jake, good game today.”

  His smile deepened at the compliment. “Thanks.” He paused and looked in the direction of Jordan’s house. “So, hey, listen… I was wondering if I could talk to you about something.”

  She leaned against her car. “Sure what’s up?”

  He ran a hand along the back of his neck, unsure how he should proceed. “Um well it’s about Jordan.”

  Skye’s eyebrows shot up and her eyes lit up.

  Interesting.

  “What about Jordan?” She placed the tequila bottles on the ground and crossed her arms over her chest.

  It was time to bite the bullet on this one and come out with it. “I like Jordan.”

  “Of course you like Jordan, everyone does, she’s awesome.” Skye played dumb.

  He made a noise in the back of his throat, she was not making things easy for him. “Skye, you know what I mean.”

  “Yes I do, it’s kind of obvious.” She said with a coy smile.

  “It is?” Oh my god I’m a dead man.

  Finally she took pity on him. “Well to someone who pays attention to people it is… I’m a bartender I know how to read people. Sure all the time I’ve spent around you has been limited to a few interactions when I would work at Rookies, but even I was able to pick up on how you act around her and it’s different from how you act around other girls.” She reached out and put a hand on his arm. “But don’t worry, just because I noticed doesn’t mean Ry and Jase have, they’re not that bright.” She said with a wink.

  He took a moment to process what Skye said. He sure hoped she was right about Ryan and Jase.

  “So why don’t you tell me the real reason you’re admitting your feelings about my best friend to me.”

  “Because I need your help,” he blurted out.

  He cou
ld tell his admission piqued Skye’s interest. It was one thing for a guy to admit they needed a girl’s help but Jordan’s history with the hockey team and her brothers made the situation as tricky as a mine field. “Why and how?”

  “The reason why is I like her and I think we could be really good together. The how is you can help me get around her not being able to date anyone on the hockey team, all while getting Ry and Jase’s approval.” He took a deep breath and waited for Skye to hopefully shed some light on Jordan’s mystifying situation.

  Skye stood there in silence. “You know about that stupid promise they made her make?” She answered his question with a question trying to gauge how much he already knew about the Tommy situation without giving away anything she was sworn to secrecy to keep.

  “Yeah she told me it was because of what happened with Tommy Bradford.”

  “She told you what happened with Tommy?”

  “Yeah.”

  “When?”

  “The other night.”

  Skye had a funny look on her face as she questioned him. “Wow she must really like you.”

  Happiness bloomed inside him at the revealing statement.

  He took another deep breath, the situation seemed more complex than he thought. “Ryan and Jase are two of my closest friends and you’ve gotten to know me a little over the past month, you all know that I’m a good guy and that I’m not into flings.”

  “It’s not that any of us think you’re not a good guy or that we think you’re not good for her. Personally, I think you guys would be great together.”

  He jumped at the admission. “So you’ll help me?”

  She bent down and picked up the tequila bottles. “I’ll think about it.” She gave him a wink before she walked away.

  He was not happy with that answer. It was time to utilize his best friend as well. He pulled out his phone to text Tucker.

  Girls night was officially underway. It was going to be a Mexican themed night. Mrs. Donnelly was so excited to have the girls over that she had started setting up for the evening while everyone was out. The tiki torches in the backyard were already lit and all the pickings for fajitas were on the counter. The blender was out with the margarita mix next to it, and she had already prepared five margarita glasses with salt. It was going to be one hell of a night.