Total pages in book: 34
Estimated words: 30715 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 154(@200wpm)___ 123(@250wpm)___ 102(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 30715 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 154(@200wpm)___ 123(@250wpm)___ 102(@300wpm)
She stares at me for a moment before turning to answer Gray's question. "Only until Thursday." Her shoulder brushes mine again. "Sorry," she whispers again, turning back to me. "Um, there isn't much room on the bench." Her bright eyes eat up the sight of me, making my dick throb.
I stand abruptly, my teeth gritted.
Everyone turns to look at me.
"Going to the bar," I growl.
"Good. Bring nachos!" Jonas demands.
"And beer," Wes orders.
I grunt an acknowledgment and squeeze out of the booth, making a beeline for the bar. Fuck my life. My dick feels like it's about to break off. I haven't been this hard in…ever, actually. It's been three years since I even went on a date. It's been longer than that since I slept with anyone. Nothing interests me. At least nothing did until Parker Michaud waltzed her gorgeous ass into the bar tonight.
"We need nachos and beer," I tell the bartender, who stops halfway through pouring a drink to take my order. When you play professional sports, you tend to jump to the front of the line. Especially when your team is the reason the bar is packed.
He jerks his chin in a nod, letting me know he'll take care of it.
I settle in at the bar to wait, in no hurry to return to the booth.
I smell Parker before I see her. My entire body reacts to that sugary scent.
"Hey," she says, sliding onto the barstool beside me.
I ignore her, hoping she'll take the hint and move along. Jonas will kick my ass if he finds out I was rude to her, but he'll be more pissed if he finds out my dick hasn't gone down since I set eyes on her.
"You don't say much, do you?"
"I talk when I want to talk."
"Ah, so you just don't want to talk to me," she guesses.
"Didn't say that." I stare straight ahead, trying not to look at her. If I look at her, I'll think about how soft her skin is. If I think about that, I'll want to touch her. If I think about touching her, my dick is never going down.
"You don't have to say something for it to be true."
"And not saying it doesn't make it true."
"Has anyone ever told you that you're very prickly?"
"Yes."
"Good because it's true."
I fight the urge to smile. She's a bundle of contradictions. She looks like an angel but has a little devil in her. Her mouth and temper run as hot as the rest of her. I'm not sure why that's so sexy to me, but it is.
"Did you come over here for a reason, Parker? Or was it just to insult me?"
"I came over because my brother talks about you a lot, and I was curious about you. I decided to insult you after I sat down," she mutters. "Your fault, by the way. You made it easy. You're kind of a jerk."
Fuck. Why did she have to be Jonas's baby sister?
"Curiosity killed the cat, Parker." I climb to my feet, deciding to beat a hasty retreat before I say to hell with the fact that she's off-limits. "Maybe you should remember that next time you decide to chase after a man."
"Chase after a…?" She splutters in outrage. "I did not chase after you! I came over to say hi, you arrogant jerk."
"And now you've said it. Goodnight, Parker."
She actually growls at me as she hops to her feet, glowering at me. "You know what? An actual hockey puck has more social skills than you do. Maybe you should apply for that position instead of playing hockey."
I open my mouth to respond and then think better of it. I've pissed her off enough for one night. That's not what I intended to do at all, but it's too late to take it back now. Maybe that's for the best. At least this way, she'll keep her distance, and I won't find an excuse to put my hands all over her soft little body. Because the fact that she's Jonas's sister seems less and less like a problem the longer she's in my general vicinity, spitting venom at me.
I like it a little too much. I like her a little too much.
Fuck my life.
I snap my mouth closed and stride away, putting distance between us before I lose the ability to do it at all.
Chapter One
Kellan
Six Months Later
"I need you."
I stop running on the treadmill as Jonas Michaud's declaration drops from the speakers set up around the team gym. Bad idea. The treadmill keeps going even though I don't. I shoot off the end like a goddamn cork popping from a bottle of champagne. Thank God for the wall that stops my momentum. Also…fuck that wall.
I hit the damn thing like a sledgehammer, crumpling to the floor with a pained oof.