Secret Puck (Campus Nights Book 1)

by Rebecca Jenshak

  I never considered that Heath would worry about his future when he has it mapped out. I don’t stress about life beyond college, only planning for it. I guess once you have it figured out, the only thing to worry about is how things might go wrong.

  “You just got here. Give yourself time to just be and let life happen. You don’t need to have the next three years or beyond all planned out. What fun would that be? Four months ago, I didn’t know you and now I do.” He steps into my space and places his hands on the mattress on either side of me. “Not knowing can be exciting.”

  A knock at the door is followed by Maverick’s voice. “Yo, Payne, let’s go.”

  Heath brings his mouth to mine and kisses me softly.

  “I think I’ll wait for you guys to leave,” I whisper.

  “How are you going to get to the dorm?”

  “I’ll walk.”

  “No.”

  “No?”

  He finds his keys on top of his desk and tosses them to me and then kisses me one last time before he heads out.

  26

  Heath

  We’re sitting around the apartment before we head to the arena for tonight’s game. Rauthruss is FaceTiming Carrie, and it doesn’t annoy me quite as much as usual. Mav’s sharing his pre-game peanut butter sandwich with Charli, and Adam’s staring at the TV with a look of hard concentration.

  I know he wears the weight of the world on his shoulders before games, worrying about how we’ll play. He takes a lot of that pressure on himself, most I think isn’t really necessary, but I guess that’s why he’s the captain.

  “Scott, what are you going to do after graduation?” I ask him, surprised I don’t know.

  Mav’s already signed with the Cats and Rauthruss’s family runs a hockey camp that he plans to take over.

  “I’m premed, man. Going to medical school.”

  “Really?”

  The other guys look to me with equally surprised faces.

  “I didn’t know.” Or maybe I did and forgot it already. I don’t spend a lot of time thinking past next week. Even my own future feels weird. Pro hockey is like this thing I’ve agreed to but doesn’t really feel like it’s going to happen. Two and a half years feels so far away.

  “We’re gonna be busting people up and he’s going to be putting them back together,” Mav says, mouth full of peanut butter.

  “I can see you being a team doctor or something; that’d be cool.”

  He laughs and says sarcastically, “Thanks. I hadn’t thought of that.”

  “I’m sorry. You probably mentioned it before, and I let it go in one ear and out the other. Making plans isn’t really my thing.”

  “Speaking of plans, is it okay if I crash here tonight?” Maverick asks. “I’m meeting up with that girl Holly later and I don’t want her to know where I live.”

  “Dude, gross, stop hooking up on our couch. You have your own apartment for that.” Adam’s laughing as he says it though, the mood light before we have to get serious and ready for the game.

  He looks to me. “What about you? I haven’t seen any girls running out in the mornings.”

  “You’re never here,” Rauthruss points out, somehow managing to follow two conversations—his with Carrie and ours.

  “Okay, well, fine, but I don’t see them zipping through to your room at night before I leave to go to Taryn’s either.”

  Mav’s smile is big and mocking. “Yeah, Heath, what’s up with that?”

  Well, now I know why I don’t try to make small talk with Adam.

  I stand and start toward my room. “Just focused on hockey.” I come back with my bag. It’s a little early, but I need out of this conversation. “You guys ready to head over?”

  None of them mention the time. They’re all just as ready to get out of here as I am.

  “Hey, can I catch a ride over to The Hideout?” Maverick asks after the game.

  I’m pulling on a shirt and jeans, but I glance over to make sure Adam is out of earshot before I answer. “I can drop you off, but I’m not going.”

  “Why not?”

  “Taking Ginny out.”

  “A date?” he asks, louder than I’d like.

  Adam’s still not paying us any attention, so I nod. “Yeah, a date, hanging out, whatever.”

  “Where are you going?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe Prickly Pear since all the guys will be at The Hideout.” The Prickly Pear is our second favorite local hangout, but on the weekends. It’s often taken over by townies, so we aren’t likely to run into anyone we know there.

  “That’s a lame date.”

  “Then I guess it isn’t a date.”

  “Yo, Scott,” Mav calls and I fight the urge to pummel him. “What’s the best spot in Valley to take a girl on a date?”

  “On a Friday night?” Adam asks, eyebrows drawn together in consideration. “The drive-in up on Mount Loken or pretty much anywhere downtown. Araceli’s has a nice outdoor patio and good food.”

  “Didn’t take you for the romantic type, Mav,” Jordan says.

  “People are surprising, aren’t they?” He chuckles. “Thanks, Scott, knew you’d come through for me.” Maverick closes his locker and turns to me with a smug look. “Ready?”

  I pick up Ginny at her dorm. She slides into the passenger seat in a short dress smelling like apples and cinnamon and I can’t help but kiss her while sitting in the no-parking zone. Someone honks and I reluctantly pull back and then guide the car back on the road.

  “Where are we going?” Ginny’s beaming at me and I’m suddenly glad I have some better suggestions than Prickly Pear.

  “You’ll see.” I rest a hand on her thigh and head out of town.

  I drive to the outskirts where the houses get bigger, set up on the base of the mountain, and are placed farther apart.

  The roads are mostly quiet with as many people biking and walking as cars driving along it. It’s still nice and warm in Arizona. A few trees have leaves that are changing colors, but mostly it’s the usual dull greens and browns—nothing like what I’m used to from growing up in Michigan.

  Even in the coldest part of the year, the days are too warm in Arizona to consider it real fall weather.

  It takes almost an hour to get up to the top of the mountain. The road curves through the trees, and we follow a long line of cars all with the same idea.

  I park and we get out to get food before the movie starts.

  “It’s so much cooler up here,” she says, wrapping her arms around her body as the wind whips through the lot.

  Ah, shit. Something I hadn’t thought of. I double back and grab a sweatshirt from my car. She pulls it on over her dress. It’s nearly as long and she looks freaking sexy as hell. I smooth her hair away from her face and drop a kiss to her lips. “Hungry?”

  She presses her mouth to mine and nods. I tug her behind me to the concession stand. We order hot dogs and popcorn, soda, and more candy than any two people should eat (Ginny’s words obviously) before walking back to the vehicle. The movie is just starting, and I open the back and help her into the cargo area of my SUV.

  “How do you of all people know about this place?”

  “Me of all people?”

  She grins. “I said what I said.”

  Chuckling, I admit, “Actually, from your brother.”

  Her nose wrinkles up. “My brother? Ewww. He brings dates up here, doesn’t he?”

  “It’s a good spot, gotta admit.” I lay out a blanket and we sit, her nestling into my side. “Come on, it’s gonna be fun.”

  We dive into the food while watching the first half hour or so. It’s some old Cary Grant movie that I’m not really into, but Ginny is smiling and practically in my lap, so I’m dealing just fine.

  When the movie fails to keep our attention any longer, we lie down flat in the bed of the SUV with our heads at the end so we can stare up at the stars.

  “It’s really nice up here,” she says.

  “Y
eah, I think I’ll start bringing more of my dates up here.”

  She turns her head to face me. We’re both smiling. “Jerk.”

  Her eyes are lit with humor and a contentedness fills my chest as I slowly bring my mouth to hers.

  Kissing Ginny is better than just about anything. She’s fun and sexy, and when we’re together, everything just feels good. Her nose is cold, and I pull the blanket around us and hug her tight against my chest.

  “What’s your major?”

  She chuckles a little, caught off guard by the question as my dick poking her tells her just how much I’d like to be inside her. “I haven’t decided yet. Why?”

  “Just curious. I realized today I’m not great at asking people about themselves. I didn’t even know your brother was premed.”

  “Adam’s weirdly quiet about that. He is about everything he does, really. He takes things on and just holds it in so no one else can feel responsibility for it. I know I gripe about him butting into my life, but he’s always looked out for me, always ready to save me from trouble. He’d do anything for me, no questions asked.”

  Am I trouble he’d try to save her from? The pit in my gut tells me yes.

  Her hair blows into my face and she tries to tame it.

  “The way you talk about Adam reminds me a lot of Nathan. Always looking out for me even when I didn’t want him to.”

  “Maybe we’re just good at giving them reasons to worry about us.”

  “That’s probably accurate.” I think back to all the times I gave Nathan reason to worry.

  “What about you? You’re going to be a big hockey star when college is over. Is it weird to have your future all mapped out?”

  “Feels so far away it doesn’t seem real yet, I guess.”

  “Will you get me tickets so I can come cheer you on?”

  I like the vision of her being there even if it’s unlikely to happen. “We might be able to work out some sort of barter system.”

  “Oh yeah? What’d you have in mind?” That sexy glint is back in her eyes.

  “Nothing appropriate for the kids sitting in that minivan next to us,” I tell her and sit up. I take her hand and pull her up next to me, drop a kiss to her forehead, and say, “We can discuss it back at my place.”

  27

  Ginny

  On Sunday, I drag Heath over to my dorm to hang out. Ava’s still gone, so we sit on my bed and watch TV, make out, watch TV, nap, make out—it’s the perfect ending to a great weekend.

  “You could stay the night,” I offer as he’s getting dressed to go.

  “I wish I could, but I promised Maverick we’d work on Shakespeare. His test is tomorrow.”

  I let out a sigh. “I should probably do some homework too. Someone distracted me all weekend.”

  He leans down to kiss me. “You didn’t seem to mind so much when you were riding my face.”

  Fresh desire blooms, and he must read it all over my expression because the next thing I know, I’m flat on my back and he’s on top of me kissing me like the world will end if he doesn’t.

  A squeak and the slamming of a door breaks us apart.

  I give Ava an apologetic smile. No matter how many times she sees Adam or Heath, she still gets shy around them.

  “Hey, Ava,” he says to my roommate and then slowly rises off me, but not without another quick kiss. “Bye, baby. See you at the dining hall tomorrow?”

  “Umm… yeah.” I think through my schedule. “Only for breakfast, though, I’m working at the Hall of Fame in the afternoon.”

  “Too bad.” He winks and then heads out.

  Monday afternoon I have three tours in a row. It’s only my second time working by myself. Usually we do them in pairs, but today, I’m the only one available.

  I have a junior high class, a soccer recruit, and then finally a hockey recruit. Knowing I might see Heath before or after the last tour makes the time go by at a snail’s pace. It’s nice out today, though. Perfect Arizona weather with blue skies and a light fall breeze. I take Andi, the soccer chick, over to the practice field and we sit while I let her ask me questions and soak up the experience.

  We return just in time for my last tour. I hand her off to a girl on the Valley team as Rauthruss and Maverick walk in the hockey recruit, Tom.

  “Genevieve!” Maverick calls, his voice echoing in the big, open space.

  I wave and step forward. “Hey, nice to meet you.” I smile and extend my hand to Tom.

  “You’re in good hands,” Mav assures him. “Ginny is Adam’s sister and Heath’s—” He catches himself in time, but my blood pressure still rises. Mav coughs. “Friend.”

  “Thanks, guys.” I bypass the weirdness by stepping away and inviting Tom to follow me with a head tilt in the opposite direction.

  Tom is a quiet guy who doesn’t say a lot as I show him around. We go by all the usual places on the tour, but I still can’t get a read on him until we get to the last stop.

  “And this is the hype room.” I do my best Vanna White as he stares into the darkened room with wide eyes and an excited smile. Upbeat music already pumps into the space, and with the press of a button, the TVs come to life with the standard Welcome to Valley message splashed across the entire room.

  Tom walks in, slowly giving it the appropriate amount of awe. “This is so dope.”

  “Right?” I follow behind him and close us inside.

  I cue up the hockey team video and scoot to the back to let him enjoy the five-minute segment in as much privacy as I can.

  The hype room is still my favorite part of this job. I could sit in here all day. Even I feel like a badass after watching the videos and I did not inherit the athleticism my brother did.

  I wait for the bits with Heath in them, having practically memorized when his face or an action clip appear.

  Things have been great. While I don’t love keeping it from my brother, it’s been nice to spend time with Heath without the judgment or questions from anyone. I love my brother and I understand why he wants to protect me, but I don’t need it in this scenario, and I’m not willing to gamble that he’ll be cool with it. Heath and I are having fun. A lot of it. And yes, maybe my feelings have gone beyond that, but I refuse to get swept up in analyzing it. But as Heath’s face displays on the screen, flashing a cocky and disarming smile, my body melts.

  Fine, I like him a lot. Who knew dating could be so much fun? I’ve never laughed so much or felt so wanted. And I don’t mean his obvious appreciation for my body. We spend a lot of time together and only half of that is naked. Seventy percent tops.

  As it gets to the end sequencing, I step closer and get my tablet ready. It’s the last tour of the day, and there’s a whole different set of steps for shutting down for the night that I haven’t done before. Dakota’s shown me a few times and she texted me instructions earlier today as a backup.

  This room is worth a very pretty penny to the university and I don’t want to break anything.

  When it finally freezes on the end frame, Tom turns to me.

  “Awesome, right?” I ask at his captivated grin. I’ve seen this look before. He’s totally sold. “Let me just shut everything down and some of the guys should be waiting at the desk outside to take you over to the arena.”

  I tap the screen and begin to shut things down. I’m sweating a little with Tom staring at me while I try to juggle my phone and the tablet. “Sorry, it’s my first time closing it out for the night.”

  “No problem.” He shoves his hands in his pockets, and I turn slightly and walk toward the door. It isn’t pitch dark in here, but it isn’t exactly a comfortable light level either. Dakota is much better at sequencing everything, so it happens seamlessly.

  “Okay, I think I got it,” I say as I tap the final button. Except instead of opening the door it shuts off all the TVs and now we really are in the pitch black.

  Shit. I forgot to open the door before shutting down.

  No problem. I’ve got this. With trembling
hands, I try to turn on the TVs, but they won’t come back on until the system’s reset. I search for another button hoping to find one labeled lights.

  Oh shit. Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit.

  “One second. I’m so sorry.” My breaths come in quick, short gulps as I text Dakota and then press buttons at random on the tablet hoping I get lucky. I’m sure there is a very simple solution, but I’m panicking. Oh my god.

  “Are you okay?” Tom asks.

  I think I nod, but it isn’t exactly believable because I cower against the wall retreating into myself.

  One, two, three…

  28

  Heath

  When Adam and I get over to the Hall of Fame, it’s chaos. There’s a crowd hanging out in the back of the main area, and a couple of security guards stand outside of the hype room.

  “What the hell?” Adam asks.

  My pulse accelerates and adrenaline swells as we head toward the commotion.

  “What’s going on?” I ask one of the football guys hanging out watching the security guards talk into their walkie talkies.

  “Two people got trapped in the hype room.”

  At that moment, the doors open and a frazzled Ginny pushes out. Her breathing is so labored I can see the rise and fall of her chest, eyes wild, clutching the tablet to her stomach. Adam and I move to her, and when she sees us, her pace quickens.

  “Oh, fuck,” I hear Adam mutter quietly under his breath.

  He’s a step ahead of me and I’m so thankful he’s here because she looks like she needs him. She’s on the brink of a complete meltdown. But when we finally get to her, it isn’t him she throws her arms around. It’s me.

  Her body is limp as she sucks in air with ragged breaths. My throat is tight, and my chest cracks open, letting her slip inside. I feel her fear with the force of a Mack truck slamming into me and then dragging me a mile down the road. I can’t find the oxygen to speak, so I wrap my arms around her and pull her head under my chin.