Ruthless Player: A College Hockey Romance (Westfall U Series)

by R. C. Stephens

  “I’m so glad to hear. That’s nice, Cole,” Granny Mae says.

  “I’ll be in touch soon, okay? I feel bad for sleeping in and not doing my part of the work,” I say.

  “I’m proud of you, Coley,” she says, using the nickname she gave me as a boy. “It’s nice to see you stepping up.”

  “I’m not really stepping up. I’ve got Holland and Rebel here helping too.”

  “It’s nice,” she sighs. “You go ahead and do what you have to do. Just shoot your father a text and let him know you’re okay.”

  “Will do,” I say. “Talk soon.”

  “Talk soon, love.”

  I end the call and shoot my father a quick text because I’m a man of my word. Then I quickly throw on a pair of boxers and shorts and a T-shirt. I head to the bathroom to piss and brush my teeth and head straight downstairs to see Holland and Rebel sitting at the kitchen table playing cards.

  I rub my eyes. “So sorry, I didn’t hear my alarm go off,” I apologize to the two of them. I open the fridge and take out the OJ.

  “You didn’t miss your alarm,” Holland says surprising me. “I snuck into your room and shut it off before it went off.”

  “Oh,” I say. “Wait a sec, you came into my room?” I sleep naked.

  “Yeah,” she says. “I think you were having a bad dream. You were screaming no, no. I thought about waking you but you were nice enough to let me sleep in yesterday. I wanted to repay the favor.”

  “You didn’t have to,” I say.

  “Aww. I love this little friendship you guys have going. I knew you guys had the potential to be good friends,” Rebel says.

  “Cheat,” Holland calls out.

  “Dammit,” Rebel curses.

  Holland’s phone buzzes. She looks at it and her brow furrows. “I need to take this,” she says and she takes her phone and leaves the inn.

  “Thanks for covering for me this morning,” I say to Rebel.

  “No worries, but maybe you and Holland can cover tomorrow. I think Wolfe said he’s going to go into the shop a little later. We’ve been so tired from working that. . .” She pauses.

  “Is this a TMI moment?” I ask.

  Rebel laughs and nods.

  “I’ve got breakfast tomorrow.” I wink.

  I take my OJ and head out to the front porch. There’s nothing like waking up to the sound of the ocean. It’s been so calming. I notice Holland in the distance pacing as she talks on the phone. I don’t want to intrude on her privacy so I am about to head back inside when Sylvia pulls up in her truck and honks the horn.

  I open the front door to the inn and shout, “I’ll take care of unloading,” so Rebel knows she doesn’t have to come and help.

  Sylvia greets me with her usual smile. “I’m going to miss having you guys here.”

  “Thanks, but we still have another week to go, even though sometimes it feels like we’ve been here a lot longer than that,” I say.

  She walks around to the back of the truck and passes me two brown boxes. “Cold cuts, fruits ,and vegetables for lunch, but just wait, dinner is something amazing tonight. I’ll come in and help you guys later.”

  “What is it?” I ask.

  “Fresh lobster,” she says. “Just heading over to the wharf to pick it up now.”

  I cringe.

  “What?” she asks furrowing her brow.

  “I literally just had a nightmare of a giant lobster chasing me down,” I admit.

  Sylvia laughs hard. “That’s just your subconscious trying to tell you something. What are you running from, boy?”

  “Nothing.” I shrug.

  “I don’t believe that. There’s always something,” Sylvia says. She helps me take the boxes of food into the inn. “There’s plastic platters in the boxes. You can roll the meat and make it look pretty.”

  “Will do,” I assure her.

  She leaves and I walk over to the refreshment table to refill the missing tea and coffee. I hear Holland’s voice in the kitchen.

  “You don’t have to come home,” she says. “Only if it’s time. . . You know he won’t come around. . . No, it’s not the same thing but I don’t even know what to say. . .I’ve had enough of his bullshit. If he wants to freeze me out too, then so be it. It’s not like anything I say will make a difference. . . What about school? You know there’s a good chance he’ll cut me off. . . No, I’m pretty sure it’s too late to get subsidized and Westfall doesn’t offer that much anyway from what I hear. . .”

  I shouldn’t be listening in on Holland’s conversation but I can’t help myself, and holy fuck, what if her father cuts her off and she can’t finish her degree?

  “I just feel bad that I can’t send you any more money. I don’t even think I can go home. . . I’m leaving next week. . . Say hi to Max for me and give him kisses. . .No, I didn’t think you were being serious about that. . .What does Tobias want?. . . Really? Okay, I mean I’ve never met Max, I can’t wait. . . Next month?. . . How will you get here?. . . Seriously?. . .Just take care of you. Love you. Bye.”

  Holland ends the call and I panic. Shit! Where should I go?

  “Hi there, Cole?” A woman’s voice causes me to spin around.

  “Oh, hello there, Mrs. Monroe, can I offer you a cookie or cup of tea?” I say and then have a WTF moment. Why am I offering this woman a drink? I’m panicking and now for sure Holland will know I was on the other side of the wall.

  “I’m good, dear, I just had a refreshing lemonade on the boardwalk. It’s a lovely day today, not too hot. You should really get outdoors a little. You kids are doing a great job running the place, but you deserve a break.”

  “Thanks, I was planning on going for a walk,” I say.

  Mrs. Monroe strolls off and I am still panicking. Do I walk out the front door? Do I head up to my room? Before I can decide, Holland walks into the hall with her arms crossed over her chest. Her hair is in a messy bun on her head and she is wearing a pair of cutoff jeans that always make her look good enough to eat. Her brows are raised and she watches me expectantly.

  “It’s not my fault. I didn’t mean to eavesdrop. You went outside and I came to fill the refreshment stand. If you were so worried about someone listening in, you should have stayed outside.

  She shakes her head. “Whatever you think you heard, erase it from your mind.”

  “That’s kind of impossible. Do you think your dad is going to basically disown you and not pay for school?”

  She blows out a breath. “Dammit, Cole, that was private.”

  I take a step toward her. “Maybe I was supposed to hear that convo.”

  She snickers. “Why would that be?”

  I shrug. “Don’t know. So you have a sister?”

  “Yeah, her name is Paris, she’s two years older than me.”

  “And she has a kid named Max?” I ask.

  Her eyes turn so wide they bulge. “Would you be quiet?”

  Recognition strikes. “Wait a minute. Does Rebel not know you have a sister or does she not know your sister has a kid?”

  “Why are you so damn nosy?” She scrunches her nose.

  “Did it ever dawn on you that I may want to help you?” I say, even though I have no clue how I would help her.

  “What are you talking about?” she asks, not hiding the irritation from her tone one bit, which is why I like talking to Holland because she is real and doesn’t look at me like I’m a snack. Hell, I wish she did, but she just gives me attitude all the time and it makes me horny as fuck.

  “Honestly, I don’t know. Maybe I can lend an ear. I’m a good listener,” I say with a nod.

  “Says who?” she asks, still holding on to that attitude.

  “Says my friends. Look, Rebel is busy enjoying her time with Wolfe and I’m happy for them being all lovey-dovey, but you have a lot weighing on you so talk to me, beautiful, I’m not just a pretty face.” I bat my lashes for effect.

  Holland laughs, it’s throaty and raw and so damn sexy. “Are you
always this cocky?”

  “We’ve already established that I am and I got you to laugh, so two birds one stone. Come on, there’s more to me than my spot on Westfall’s hockey team,” I say.

  Holland’s tone lowers and she says. “I’m starting to realize that.”

  “So lay it on me. All of it. Unload. I already heard the whole conversation and the chances of me erasing it from my mind are nil. So just spill. You’d be surprised how good it feels to unload your worries.”

  “And you have someone you unload to?” she asks with disbelief in her tone.

  “I unload all the damn time. Granny Mae is my go-to person,” I say.

  Holland looks at me and I can’t tell what she is thinking, but she has a warm smile and something in her eyes softens. “You’re very unexpected.”

  I look at her feet. “Go get some flip-flops. We could both use the fresh air and you can tell me about all your problems.”

  “Fine,” she agrees and heads up the stairs. I’m seriously unsure if she is going to come back, but then she does one minute later. “All ready.”

  She smiles at me and I feel it right in the center of my chest.

  Fifteen

  Holland

  “So you’re saying that you think your dad is going to cut you off,” he says.

  “He hasn’t returned my messages or my calls. I know him, Cole, and he’s going to freeze me out just like he did Paris,” I say, feeling the panic building inside me.

  “You need a backup plan. There’s no way you can risk your education. You’re meant to be a doctor,” he says.

  “You really believe that,” I say softly.

  “You saved my life but it’s not just that. You were calm and under control, and the fact that you were calm chilled me out because that shit was scary. My throat felt like it was closing in on me,” he says of the night he had an allergic reaction to eggplant and almost died. “I could see the passion in your eyes that night. You really care about helping people.”

  “I do,” I admit. “Even though it makes me sad that Paris quit school. She’s been working all kinds of jobs in Philly. Back in high school she was so dedicated to getting good grades and she volunteered in the hospital and taught disabled children how to swim. She was my role model, other than my mother. And she lost it all because one night she drank too much and her boyfriend forgot to use a condom,” I say. “Even though Max is great. Getting pregnant derailed her life.”

  “Have you ever met your nephew in person?” Cole asks.

  I shake my head. “Sadly, no. Dad was pretty strict about me not going out to Philly and I don’t know why I always listened to him. I was his puppet and he pulled my strings. Maybe that’s why I felt like I was in jail because it’s always been his way or the highway, and I don’t want that for myself anymore.”

  “You can’t be blamed for that. You’re your own person. You need to live life on your terms. I’m far from having life figured out. What I feel toward my dad is anger, maybe even abandonment. Truth is, I got into Westfall on a hockey scholarship, which Dad hated. He never supported me playing hockey. Felt like it was a game and not real life or something that a real man does,” Cole says, and I hear the hurt he feels through his tone and his words.

  “But you’re not on any team. You’re on the Westfall hockey team. Most of the guys get drafted to the NHL. That’s huge. It takes dedication and skill to be that good,” I say to him.

  “My dad doesn’t see it that way. It’s a time burn to him,” Cole says. “But enough about me. It’s messed up that you haven’t seen your nephew or sister in like four years.”

  “Five, actually, if you count the time she was pregnant. Dad wanted her out before her belly began to show. She was about six months pregnant when she left. We couldn’t hide it anymore at that point,” I explain, remembering the past with sadness. After saying goodbye to Mom I never dreamed I’d have to say goodbye to Paris too.

  Cole hisses, “That’s cruel. I don’t know how a parent can be that way. Granny Mae is always on my case about finding a girlfriend. She doesn’t mean for me to get married tomorrow or anything, but I know great-grandchildren are something she dreams of often and I am her only grandchild.”

  “So you want to settle down one day? I thought I overheard you say that you didn’t believe in happily ever after,” I say, because the night of that party we went to in Nantucket I overheard Cole use those exact words.

  “Honestly, it’s how I feel. I know it’s messed up and I hate disappointing Granny Mae. I really do. I just don’t. . .” He bites his lower lip and looks out to the water.

  “You don’t trust people. You don’t think they’ll be there for the long haul,” I say. His head snaps to mine, and he exhales so softly I only notice it because his shoulders deflate in the slightest.

  “Yeah.”

  His forest green eyes narrow in on me and I don’t know what he’s thinking, but all I can think is I get you, Cole Davis.

  “For me it’s more of being scared of heartbreak. I don’t think I ever healed from losing my mom. I think my dad totally lost his mind after she died,” I say sadly and then I look up to Cole, he’s stopped walking. “I just don’t have time to put myself out there and put my heart on the line. What’s the point? I just want to work and. . .” I realize I’ve been so obsessed with getting into med school that I’ve never thought of what my life would look like past that stage.

  “What?” Cole asks, and he tilts his head to the side.

  “Nothing,” I shake my head. This convo is deep enough.

  “Just spill it, Donovan,” he says.

  “So now we are on a last name basis,” I giggle.

  “You don’t like beautiful, I needed to come up with something and we are definitely in the friend zone now. Hell, I know shit Rebel doesn’t know. That makes us super tight,” he says and motions for us to walk.

  I laugh. He’s cocky but his personality is sweet and endearing.

  “Don’t think that I didn’t notice you didn’t elaborate, but I’ll let it slide,” he smirks.

  “Gee thanks,” I roll my eyes playfully.

  “So I can’t believe you have a sister you haven’t seen in years,” he says. “Growing up I always wanted a brother. I would have settled for a sister, but I seriously dreamed of a brother. If I had a brother, I’d imagine we’d be tight. It must be hard for you not seeing her all the time.”

  “Paris is planning on coming home next month. She said she has enough money to rent a place in Westfall and her boyfriend, Tobias, secured a job in construction,” I share.

  “That’s amazing,” Cole beams.

  “It is exciting. I’ve missed her so much. And I can’t wait to spend time with my nephew. You don’t really get to know someone on FaceTime, at least not a kid.” I frown thinking of all the time we’ve lost. Time I could have had with Paris and her son. My family. I had been so lonely for years.

  “That sounds cool. I can teach him to stick handle,” Cole offers.

  I cock a brow. “You want to spend time with my nephew?”

  “I like kids,” Cole says. “In high school I helped coach a peewee hockey league, and now some of the guys from the team head out to the triple A division teams in Boston and help out too.”

  “That’s nice.”

  “Hockey gave me a family when I felt like I didn’t have one,” Cole explains.

  My heart thumps a little differently at those words. Or maybe it’s because Cole Davis isn’t a ruthless player after all. Boy, I had him pegged wrong.

  “It’s nice that you had that. I have Rebel and my nanny, Mary. Although if my dad freezes me out it may be a while before I see Mary,” I laugh sardonically.

  “About that. . . my dad offers an award scholarship program to students who can’t afford Westfall every year. I can give you the info and you could apply. You know, just in case your dad cuts you off,” he says, and my heart goes from thumping quickly to a weird pace I don’t understand.

 
; “Cole. . .I couldn’t possibly take a handout from your family,” I counter.

  “Not a handout, Donovan. It’s an application process. Not a guarantee. Students apply and go through a vetting process. My family owns a pharmaceutical company, so they sponsor students who show promise in the medical field. It’s pretty competitive and two winners get a free ride at Westfall every year,” Cole explains.

  “But he would’ve already chosen the winners for this year and it sounds like he takes high school students. Not college students,” I say.

  “I was just throwing an idea out there. Like I said, you need a plan B,” Cole says. “Let me talk to my dad and see where they are at in the application process.”

  “Okay, thanks. That would be amazing. Thanks, Cole. . .for everything.”

  “I haven’t done anything.” He shrugs.

  “This talk has been really nice. Even if that scholarship doesn’t come through, you were right. It’s good to unload,” I confess and Cole pauses again. He watches me and his green eyes look so bright in the sunlight. It feels like he can see right through me.

  “I told you,” he says. “Granny Mae is never wrong.” His gaze drops to my lips and we stand there briefly. My mouth waters at the thought of his lips on mine. No alcohol infused in our veins making us brave. Just me and Cole lip-locked together, feeling each other, real, raw, and natural.

  He clears his throat and it takes me a moment to get my bearings. Right. We can’t go there. Cole doesn’t believe in happy ever after and I don’t want my heart torn to pieces. It just isn’t worth it. Or is it?

  Sixteen

  Holland

  I lie in bed in a spare room in Rebel and Blossom’s house and replay the whole scene of me arriving back home after Cape Cod in my head. Cole helped me unload my two suitcases and brought them to the front door of my father’s house. He insisted on waiting until he was sure I would be let into the house.

  It was evening when we arrived and Dad was home. I used my key and made it just past the threshold when Dad left his office. He didn’t say much at first, so I broke the silence with hello. Dad responded in the coldest tone I’ve ever heard and said, “Leave your suitcases outside and come talk to me in my office.” Even though bile rose in my throat, I still held out hope that this situation was different. I didn’t come home pregnant. I just flaked on an internship. But then the dreaded words came. “It’s best if you move out.”