Chapter Six
Flynn
The Blackhawks won. I barely watched my brother play. Myles has really refined his skills over the years, and the way he was stickhandling the puck got me so hot and bothered. I kept picturing him stickhandling me with his cock.
I was thinking of how hot and sweaty he was, how angry he must be about getting checked into the boards, and how all I wanted him to do was work out that pent-up anger on me.
It doesn’t even make sense because my attraction to him just pisses me off. We are doomed. We can never be a couple. I repeat the mantra in my head. Then there’s that small detail of my brother disowning me and murdering Myles if we ever did hook up.
But there’s also a lot more to that story. Some things I just can’t forgive.
“Thanks so much for bringing me.” Sloane’s green eyes gleam with excitement. “Your brother is such a good player, and so hot.”
I frown.
“Sorry. I know he’s your brother but, um—Myles is a good player, too,” she says, giving me an apologetic look.
I groan at the mention of Myles’s name. “Don’t talk about him. It’s never going to happen.”
My words elicit a shriek from her. “I knew it. You like him. When you mentioned him in the past, you got this weird look on your face, and I didn’t know if it was sadness or want, but I see it now.”
A strangled laugh escapes me. “It’s both sadness and want. It’s a toxic mix. I need to stay the hell away from him.” I grind my jaw. My gut tells me staying away is proving harder than I first anticipated.
We head to the locker rooms, where a media circus has congregated. After I give the security guard my name, he lets Sloane and me through.
Leaning against a cement wall, I wait for my brother to leave the locker room, while Sloane stands off in the corner texting someone.
I’m not big on social media, but I can’t resist checking out Myles’s page. I don’t like what I see. There’s one girl who pops up more than any other.
I hear someone clear their throat, so I lift my eyes from my phone and almost choke on my own saliva when I see Myles standing in front of me in a suit and tie, his right eyebrow cocked.
Shit. I just got busted stalking him.
Chapter Seven
Myles
“What are you checking there, Tink?” My eyes roam over her phone. She’s got a deer in the headlights look.
“None of your business.” Her teeth dig into that plump, juicy lip of hers—a nervous gesture if I remember right. She slips her phone into the back pocket of her snug jeans. My eyes follow the movement, and a zap of electricity runs through my body. Funny how some things don’t change. I’m so fucked.
I shrug. “Okay. Whatever.” I try to play it cool even though my insides are churning. She turns away from me, and I drink in her long, slender legs, her conservative sweater that still shows off how full her breasts are, and the way her blond hair covers her shoulders in loose curls. What attracts me the most to Flynn Russell are her kind, baby-blue eyes and pink mouth. A mouth I spent too much time last night wondering how it would feel to kiss.
“Where’s Oli?” She looks past me, and I wonder if I still affect her the way she does me. It doesn’t matter. I try to bury the thought while willing my dick not to be so excited by her closeness.
“Should be out in a minute. Some hot reporter’s interviewing him about the game.” I wink. Her eyes narrow to slits.
“Will you ever grow up?” she huffs, looking me straight in the eyes.
“Me? You’re still holding a grudge, and I’m the one acting childish, Tink?” I shake my head. Why is it she can still push every single one of my buttons?
She tenses her jaw, and her cheeks redden. “Would you stop calling me that? I’m not a child anymore.” She crosses her arms and eyes the door behind me.
My eyes roam over her entire body. “I’m well aware you aren’t a child. Damn, I’m not blind.” Fuck. I practically have to adjust my cock in this suit. When she’s near, all my nerve endings buzz with a rawness I can’t describe.
She scowls at me, but her features soften when her brother saunters out of the locker room.
“Hey, Flynny. What’s with the heels?” His face contorts. “It’s a hockey game, not a fashion show.”
She rolls her eyes, and he reaches up to mess her hair.
“I was expecting you’d say that. Along with the fact that I’m not wearing a Blackhawks shirt.”
Oli’s brows furrow. “Where is your Blackhawks shirt?”
Her face scrunches up, and I don’t know if she wants to laugh or cry. “These are the only shoes I have until I get things moved from the condo. Okay?”
Oli’s nods his head, and his lips turn down. “Sorry! Shouldn’t have said anything.”
“It’s fine.” She waves him off.
Oli swivels his head to look at me. “Don’t tell me you two are arguing?”
We both shrug innocently.
After a long moment, Oli shrugs and with a defeated tone, says, “’Kay, let’s head out. There’s a car waiting outside.”
“Sloane’s here. Let me grab her,” Flynn says, and I watch her ass in those tight jeans like a fucking stalker as she walks over to her friend. This girl was once my everything. I need to rein in my galloping heart because it feels like it just kick-started back to life. I was once a broken boy, and Flynn was there to make sure all my pieces stayed intact. A part of me wants to just fuck all repercussions and go up to her and say, hey, let’s hash shit out. But that isn’t how Flynn works. I don’t need to scare her off or get a beating from Oli.
I swipe a hand over my mouth. If we’re going to all hang together, I’ve got to push my feelings aside and focus on being her friend.
This isn’t going to be easy. I’m so damn screwed when it comes to her.
Chapter Eight
Flynn
I walk over to Sloane, who has her face buried in her phone.
“Someone special?” I ask.
“Maybe, a doctor. Met him at Starbucks.” She’s always meeting men at Starbucks.
“The guys are ready to go. The night hasn’t even begun, and I feel like strangling Myles,” I say.
“Is that code for something else?” she jokes.
“That’s code for it’s going to be a long night.” I loop my arm with hers, and we walk toward the guys. “You look smoking hot tonight,” I tell her.
“I had to put in an effort. Don’t worry, I remember hottie number two is yours. Even though I’m disappointed.” She juts out her bottom lip. “I liked how overprotective he was of you last night. It was hot,” she purrs.
Oli walks over to us. “Hey, shorty. Long time no see.” He winks.
“Very funny, Oliver,” she says, and he winces. He doesn’t like it when people call him Oliver.
Oli reaches down and embraces her in a big hug, lifting her off the ground. They were always friendly to each other back in New York. When I met Sloane, I was in my dark and depressed stage after my parents died, and Oli was in bad shape, too. He was focused on playing hard for the Rangers to establish himself. When Sloane came over, she always had a way of lightening things up.
I lift my finger to stop him. “Oli, no! She’s my only friend in Chicago. Put her down.” I practically whine. So maybe hanging out with my twin does bring out the child in me.
He places her back on her feet, and she needs to straighten out her shirt, which has risen above her naval. “I’m just being nice to your friend, Flynny.” He tosses his hands up in surrender. “You gotta relax.”
I roll my eyes. In middle school, Oli and I made a pact to never date each other’s friends, so it wouldn’t put our relationship at risk. It was a sibling oath that we’ve always stuck to over the years.
Myles cuts in, reintroducing himself. “Hey, Myles Sanders. Sorry for my bad manners last night. I’m not so great when I get woken up by incredibly drunk girls in the middle of the night.” His gaze narrows on me as t
he words leave his mouth, then he looks back at Sloane. “It’s nice to meet you.” He grins widely, and I hate that she’s probably weak in the knees.
My brother then coughs into his hand as he watches me cringe.
“Can we get going? We have a win to celebrate.” Oli waves to the black SUV parked alongside the curb. My brother always uses a driver when he’s in the mood to drink.
The four of us pile into the back and head to the bar. There’s tension crackling throughout the car. I don’t know if it’s because of me and Myles, or the fact that my brother can’t take his eyes off Sloane long enough to make a coherent sentence.
I’m not sure how I feel about that.
“Nice win tonight.” It’s Sloane who breaks the silence. She’s staring at Oli a little googly-eyed, and my brother seems just as enthralled. He and Sloane break off into an easy conversation.
Myles leans into my ear, and his breath along the sensitive skin of my neck causes goose bumps to ripple down my arm. “We need to talk. You can’t stay mad at me forever. As it is, I feel like complete and total shit about what happened.”
I’m surprised he’s apologizing like this. I don’t want to talk about the past because it’s too painful. When I look at Myles, I remember my parents. It’s hard to breathe. As much as I’m attracted to him, there are greater forces telling me he isn’t right for me. Not even as a friend.
When I don’t respond, he continues. “You and Oli have always been family to me. You’re back in town. Can’t things go back to the way they were?” he asks with a dopey, hopeful grin. His words get under my skin.
“Don’t.” I lift my hand to stop the conversation. I don’t want to talk about the good old days, no matter how immature I sound.
He shakes his head and backs off. Out of the corner of my eye, I notice him exchange a look with my brother. I wonder if Oli was playing peacemaker again and put him up to apologizing. Lucky for me the SUV gets caught in a typical downtown traffic jam meaning we are stuck together for longer than I’d like.
“Don’t do that,” he whispers again. I turn my head to look at him because I don’t have a clue what he’s talking about.
“Do what?” I furrow my brows and try not to let his close proximity affect me.
“Your brother didn’t put me up to fixing things between us. I’ve wanted this for a long time. I just know, or at least expect, you’ll push me away. Only now you can’t because you’re living next door,” he says, reminding me of my twisted fate.
Jeez.
“Don’t remind me.” I press my hand to my forehead.
“You’ve made promises you haven’t kept, too,” he says, and my breath hitches, and my gaze pulls to his, wanting further explanation. “The summer before high school, when we’d gone up to the lake to camp with your father,” he continues, and my heart feels like it has a noose around it.
Why does he have to bring up memories that burn through my soul?
“I was terrified of getting drafted to the OHL and ending up in a different town than Oli. I was afraid I’d lose you and your family.”
His words are filled with so much emotion my heart aches. “Dammit, Flynn. Look at me.” He sounds exasperated, but how can I look at him when he’s forcing me to remember a past I’ve tried hard to forget? Oli stops speaking with Sloane, and they stare at us. Myles runs a hand through his hair. “Sorry man. Go back to talking. I need your sister’s attention another minute.”
Satisfied with Myles’s explanation, my brother nods.
I can’t take my eyes off Myles. I take in the contours of his face, staring deep into his eyes. It seems like he’s sad, and something inside me clicks, reminding me how much I once cared for him. I swallow hard, not sure what to make of the emotions surging through me like a tsunami.
“Thank you. I didn’t mean to yell, but you are so stubborn.” He shakes his head, and a smile curves his lips. That small gesture again tugs at a deep memory. I’ve always been stubborn, but where Matt found it annoying, Myles used to think it was endearing.
He looks me in the eye, and I see strong emotions unfurling in the depths of his dark irises. “You said, ‘Go and conquer hockey, and we Russells will be hot on your trail.’ Do you remember that? You promised. You promised to always be in my life. You told me you had my back.”
I clench my jaw so tight, I fear it may crack, but it’s the only thing I can do to stop the tears from flowing.
“Why are you doing this now?” I ask. “You haven’t been in my life for seven years. You can’t expect me to let go of everything that happened and pick up where we left off.” My voice trails off. He isn’t playing fair. I’m a mess from the breakup with Matt, and Myles pressuring me now doesn’t help my emotional state.
The SUV stops. I need out.
Myles’s words remind me how close we once were. He came from a broken family, so he was basically like a third child for my parents. He took family trips with us.
Myles, my broken Peter Pan. Only he isn’t mine. He never truly was.
Chapter Nine
Myles
As we enter the club, the bouncer shakes Oli’s hand.
“Good game tonight,” he says as he lets us through past the long line out the door. Sloane looks back at Flynn and giggles. I can’t take my eyes off Flynn, even though I wish I could.
We reach our destination—a long table set up with a lot of our teammates. I take a seat at one end and watch Oli introduce Flynn and Sloane. His tone sounds like a hands-off warning, and I breathe easy.
My teammates are all polite except for fucking Nils Karlsson, the new Swedish player. His eyes drop to Flynn’s breasts before returning to her face, and I grit my teeth. He brings her hand to his mouth and kisses it, and it takes everything in me not to get up from this chair and charge toward him like a jealous lunatic.
“Would you like to have a seat?” Nils asks her with that heavy accent of his. The dude picks up different girls every night. Flynn takes a seat beside him, and I’m seeing red. He doesn’t seem like her type, with all his tattoos and bad-boy image. I realize I’m no different, except for the sleeve of tattoos—mine are a scattered few here and there.
A waitress comes up to me to take my order. I want to throw back whiskey if I have to suffer through Flynn talking to Nils. The way her lips curve when he speaks… Jealousy courses through me. I turn to the waitress. “Just a sparkling water with lemon please.” I smile. I don’t drink during the season, even though some of the guys do. I just don’t like dealing with a hangover.
Flynn’s friend comes to sit on the other side of Nils, and she rakes her fingers up his sleeve of tattoos, asking questions. It brings me some relief, thinking that if her friend is interested, Flynn won’t be. Only Flynn’s head falls back as she laughs at something Nils said, and then she touches his arm, too. I remind myself I stayed away from her by choice. Our past is just messed up.
A waitress places a margarita in front of Flynn’s friend while Flynn drinks a glass of white wine. At least she isn’t drinking the hard stuff after last night. My gaze lingers on her, despite my efforts to look around and remain nonchalant. I’m also being antisocial, but I can’t help my one-track mind when she’s in my line of sight.
Nils is talking, and both women laugh. He says something, and they all stand up and walk away. Fuck. Where is she going with him? The need to protect her overwhelms me. They walk over to the dance floor, and sweat breaks loose on my forehead at the thought of Nils touching her. His hands caressing her slender hips. I’m going to lose it.
I shift my chair to get a better view of the dance floor. I notice my friend Dave watching me out of the corner of his eye, but he doesn’t say anything. Then Jamie shouts, “Myles, what the fuck you sitting there by yourself for?” He’s at the other end of the table with a girl on each arm.
I give him a side glance, unable to pull myself away from watching Flynn. Fuck, I’m glad Oli is nowhere in sight because I’m not sure how I would explain my behavior. Sloane
and Flynn dance around Nils. Nils’s hands need to be cut off. I turn around and look for Oli. Why isn’t he doing anything to stop this?
I don’t know how much more I can take. The only thought I have is that he shouldn’t be touching her that way. If I can’t have her, then he definitely shouldn’t. I push my chair back and stalk over to the dance floor. When I reach Flynn, I lay a heavy hand on her shoulder. She turns and says Oli’s name, but when she sees it’s me, her mouth drops open.
“What the hell are you doing?” she shouts over the music. I want to tell her that I don’t know. That I just need her away from Nils. He looks confused by my interruption, but I don’t care.
“Stop it. Where are you taking me?” she continues to shout. I hold on to her arm and guide her across the dance floor. She struggles to pull herself from my grip. I don’t budge, unfazed by her tantrum. I pull her into the cool night air as we leave the club and walk to the side of the entrance where there is a little nook in the building. She has a sheen of sweat on her face. She lifts her hair off her neck and allows the cold air to cool her damp skin.
“You should stay away from Nils. He isn’t a good guy,” I begin, although I don’t know the purpose of my warning. She’s a grown woman. I clearly can’t tell her what to do.
She laughs.
“You’re laughing?” I ask. “That guy sleeps with a different girl every night. He has nothing to offer you.”
“So what? Maybe I’m looking to have a little fun. You aren’t my brother. I have a brother. I don’t need another one.” She shoots daggers at me with her eyes.
“That’s what you think?” I pause, raking my fingers through my hair. “I definitely don’t think of you as my sister.”
As I say the words, her eyes fix on my lips, and her blue eyes dilate. I don’t know what happens next. I blink, trying to get my bearings, only I drift toward her.
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