Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 83676 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 418(@200wpm)___ 335(@250wpm)___ 279(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83676 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 418(@200wpm)___ 335(@250wpm)___ 279(@300wpm)
“Just out,” I answer, dancing around the elephant in the room.
It’s way easier when it’s just her and me. We’ve fallen into an easy routine. When I’d left to go work out after the first night, I had packed a small bag without really packing it. It was mainly my toiletries from my locker, so not enough to cause concern about what I was bringing over. While she worked, I read in my chair, and we’d talk in between customers or things she had to do. I got her lunch, and she cooked me dinner. We’ve done the same thing all weekend, and it’s been easy. Louisa makes it easy.
Fuck, I like her a lot.
“Just out? You haven’t been home in three days.”
I glance up at him. He is wearing all his gear, his helmet down and over his eyes, but it can’t hide his curiosity or his hurt that I haven’t been there. “Miss me?”
He scoffs, loudly and obviously. “Not at all. I can walk around completely naked, and no one bitches.”
“Oh, was it too much for me to bitch about your dick swinging all over the fucking place?”
Cruz gives me a look. The kind of look I know he gives our opponent before he blocks their attempt at scoring. “Don’t hate ’cause your dick is smaller than mine.”
Asshole, but then, Louisa loves my dick, so really, who’s winning? Not that I am saying that. Instead, I try to throw him off. “The ladies don’t complain.”
“’Cause you got a beer-bottle dick, you freak,” he throws at me, shaking his head. “And we both know it’s not ladies. It’s a lady. Who is she?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“So, you mean to tell me that you are hiding your lady friend from your best friend.”
“Best friend is pushing it, don’t you think?” I ask him, and he actually looks hurt.
“You are my best friend.”
Shit, I did hurt his feelings.
“Because I’m awesome.”
Not that I’m going to apologize. The dude is a dick, and he doesn’t even really like me. He just doesn’t want to be alone.
“Whatever,” he says over his shoulder. “Who is she?” he repeats as if my answer might change.
“Don’t worry about it.”
“Is she ugly?” he laughs, and I glare.
“Fuck right the fuck off,” I seethe, and he laughs harder.
“Oh, you like her. Interesting.”
I watch as he lines up, and I’m tempted to throw a puck right between his legs. Bastard would probably block it, though. Neither of us says another word as I start to shoot. I work on my breakaway, my penalty shots, and even some bank shots, where I try to get the puck to go in by hitting the goalie in the back from the far corner. Cruz isn’t a fan of those, but I’m pretty damn good at them, so he deals with my shit. I enjoy doing them with the hope the pucks sting a bit because he assumed Louisa was ugly.
Jackass.
When we go for a water break, Cruz leans on the boards while he squirts a bottle of Powerade, his favorite, into his mouth as I down my Gatorade. “Is she your girlfriend?”
I promptly choke on my drink. “What the hell?” I ask around my coughing. “I just met her.” But even saying the words, I know the truth. She is my girlfriend, not that either of us has put a label on it, but she’s mine just as much as I’m hers. I not telling Cruz that, though. I’d never hear the end of it.
“And you’ve slept at her place for the last three nights. That tells me she’s important, because even if it was just sex, you wouldn’t stay with her.”
I spit the mouthful of water I just sipped to clean my mouth onto the ice before reaching for my Gatorade again. I don’t answer him, and he laughs.
“So, you’re free for frolicking? I’m going out with a girl tonight, and she wants to bring her twin. Twins, Carter. Twins. Double the pleasure, double the fun.”
The thought of touching someone else isn’t appealing. Not even in the least. “I’m good.”
“’Cause you’re staying with her tonight?”
I side-eye him and shrug. “Maybe.”
“Why are you being so secretive about this? You don’t hold back your exploits, and I know all about Mikayla.”
Why am I tight-lipped? I’m not sure. Is it the fear of talking too soon? Of putting too much pressure on something that is still fragile? Fuck, four days ago, I tried to call it off between Louisa and me. How can I stand on this ice and call her my girlfriend when I haven’t discussed it with her? I don’t even know if she wants to date me. We know there is something here, but we said we were taking this day by day, and I was fine with that. Now, though, I’m not. I just got offered a night out with twins. I don’t want that, obviously, but what if some dude walks into the shop, saying he wants to read Louisa like a book?