The Puck Drop by Jaqueline Snowe
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Michael
“What are you doing for parents’ weekend?” Freddie asked me, three days later.
It was a simple question. A normal question for one roommate to ask another.
Yet, the impact of his words made me stumble. I dropped the glass I was drying into the sink, a loud clunk echoing in our place. “Shit.”
The glass broke, and I picked up the pieces and started carrying them to our trash. My heart thudded against my ribcage, and each foot felt a million pounds heavier. He had no idea about my past. Why would he? I kept that shit locked up.
“Dude, you alright?” He stood from the couch and entered the small kitchen. Our unit was simple with two sides of the place that we each took up—our own bathroom and room—then a shared living room and kitchen area. Comfortable. Clean. It reflected the life I imagined here, free of the messes I left back home.
“Yeah, sorry,” I said, my muscles tensing as I braced for him to ask the question again. I hated how I struggled with an answer. The truth wasn’t complicated, but saying it out loud felt personal. Too personal. The line I drew around myself to keep out emotions got blurry. Mainly due to Naomi, who still hadn’t called me, but I shoved the uncomfortable feelings about her away.
If I was going to ride the hot mess express today, I only wanted to deal with one issue at a time. “Slipped from my fingers,” I said, picking up the final pieces and rinsing off a little blood. “Hope that didn’t have sentimental value.”
“It was a hand-me-down from my sister when she went to school here. Zero value.” Freddie leaned against the kitchen wall and crossed his arms. “You okay?”
“Sure, it was a minor cut,” I said, forcing my face to relax. His lowered brows told me he saw right through my façade, and I barked out a laugh. “Thanks for checking on me though.”
“No, I meant about parents’ weekend. I don’t want to pry—”
“I’m fine,” I said, way too quickly. He raised his dark brows and pushed off the wall. He was the same height as me, just a little leaner, and I wasn’t sure if his proximity was supposed to make me feel caged in, but it did.
He held up his hands. “You have anyone coming into town?”
“My parents are dead.”
I did it again. The tone. The absolute talent of making the entire room fill with sadness and discomfort. Ryann had a gift of being able to talk about our past without alienating herself. I preferred being on the ice and the protection of the team, a shield from the emotions. Something I didn’t have any more. But Freddie’s reaction was like all the others. He paled, shifted his weight, and frowned.
The next question would be how, so I answered without being prompted, “From a car accident about four years ago.”
“Fuck.” He ran a hand over his face. “That’s horrible.”
“Yeah.”
“You want to attend any events with me and my folks? My dad is extra as hell. Has a full matching outfit with school colors and even dyes his hair.”
It felt like a hand reached into my chest and squeezed my heart hard. My voice stopped working, and he backtracked.
“If you want,” he said. “No pressure.”
I cleared my throat. “Thanks for the invite. I didn’t realize it was next weekend.”
I had a unique talent of blocking out anything that reminded me of home, my family, and their death. Now that he mentioned it, flyers around campus came to mind, but my brain protected me and blurred the words. Now it made sense. The extra energy around campus, the older people slowly showing up everywhere.
“Yeah, with the hockey game and the football team both at home, a lot of parents will be there in their orange and blue. They draw a bunch of fans,” Freddie said, clearly uncomfortable if his fidgeting and hand movements were any indication.
My face heated, and I focused on the ground, annoyed that I wasn’t like my sister. She brought out the best in people when she shared her grief while I brought out the cringey-awkward part.
“I should—” I said, gripping the back of my neck hard just as Freddie cleared his throat. “Go,” I finished.
He sighed, crossed his arms over his chest, and gave me a long look that reminded me of my old coach. Like he saw right through my bullshit and was going to raise the stakes. “I want to respect your walls, Michael, but you don’t have to shoulder all of this alone. I know we’re roommates, but I view you as a friend. If you want to chat, I’m here.”
Fuck, my throat got weird. I nodded. His face relaxed, and he pushed off the wall, leaving the silence not as uncomfortable as it was before. The idea of opening up to him about everything made me break out in hives, but the fact he knew now felt like a weight was lifted off my shoulders. A boulder-sized weight.
I finished picking up the pieces of glass and got a text from Coach—he wanted to grab a drink that night to discuss my classes. I responded right away and instantly thought about his dinner with Naomi. Did they have a good time? Was she happy about it? Did she talk with Cami yet?
I needed to run, to work out the feelings manifesting inside me. I grabbed headphones, put on running shorts, and headed out. It was still warm for an October day, part of the weather holding onto that summer humidity, and I took my shirt off after the first mile.
Pushing my body and making my muscles work hard distracted my thoughts. I focused on breathing. On each step forward. My lungs pumping to get oxygen.
It felt freeing. The music blasted in my ears, and I matched my stride to the rhythm for twenty minutes. My emotions were still everywhere, my anxiety lingering past its welcome.
“Hey!” a voice shouted at me, and I stopped mid-stride, my stomach doing a swoop thing that it had no business doing. Naomi sat on the quad with short black shorts, a bright blue tank top, and a navy hat. She sat criss-cross with some books spread around her, and goddamn, the sun hit her face just right.
She was so pretty, and she smiled up at me with a slight pink tinge spreading over her cheeks and down her neck.
“Hey,” I said back, removing my headphones. My chest heaved, and Naomi dropped her gaze to my pecs. Her teeth covered her bottom lip, and she took her sweet time dragging her gaze back up to my face. “Eyes up here, Fletcher.”
“Mm,” she said with a coy smile. “You’re all sweaty.”
“Yes, that happens when you run.” I placed my hands on my hips and tried to catch my breath, not at all focusing on how tight her tank top was. How it hugged her perfect tits and made me replay the other day in my mind. For the millionth time.
“I’ve been thinking about you,” she said, causing all the blood rush down my body. I had to be careful, or it’d be uncomfortable with a boner in my running shorts.
“Uh, yeah, me too,” I said, losing my confidence and sounding like a teenage boy crushing on the homecoming queen. I wasn’t awkward. I was charming. “Is there anything in particular you’re thinking about, or did my naked chest distract you?”
“Oh, it distracted me for sure.” She laughed, and it came out all throaty. Not a helpful sound to hear. She changed her position so she leaned back onto her arms, thrusting her chest out in the air, and I let my gaze linger on her tits and the little sliver of stomach that teased me.
“You look hungry.”
“I am.” Shit, I almost growled at her and cleared my throat. Safe. I needed a safe topic that took us away from the fact we still hadn’t talked about our potential arrangement. I should choose an easy topic. A better one to settle down the almost out of control lust I had for her.
Rubbing the back of my neck, I looked at the sky as I asked, “How did your dinner with your dad go?”
She let out a little sigh that took root in my gut. Then, she pushed her hair out of her eyes, and I swore the brown dulled. She chewed on the side of her lip and focused on something in the distance. “He cancelled on me after I started walking there.”
“No fucking way.” I scratched my chest as irritation at Coach Simpson flared inside me. “Why? Was there an emergency?”
She shrugged her slender shoulders and held her hand over her eyes to shield herself from the sun. It cast a shadow over her. “No idea. I asked if everything was okay, and he said rain check.”
“Maybe it was serious,” I said, really needing her dad to not be an asshole.
“Who knows? Him and Cami got lunch yesterday so…” She shrugged again, and I made a fist at my sides. “It’s hard when he does this and doesn’t respond to my email with another profile. I’m not trying to lay all my shit on you, but sometimes… what’s the point?”
“I’m sorry.” I meant it too. She met my eyes for a beat, a comfortable silence passing between us where I wasn’t sure what to say. I knew she’d been excited about that dinner with her dad badly, and for him to pull this shit? I couldn’t fix it for her, but I wanted to. I was still thinking of a response when her expression shifted from sad to amused. “Why are you smiling like that?”
“Honestly? You’re so hot I can’t stand it.”
“I feel the same way,” I replied, laughing at her candor. “I’ve had to redirect my thoughts a million times since we were at your place.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t reach out to you,” she said, her voice small and her attention moving toward the ground. Without thinking, I sat next to her, leaving an inch between our bodies. Her shorts showed so much skin, and she’d definitely have little tan lines on her shoulders from her tank top. What I wouldn’t give to touch her there and run my finger along her smooth skin.
Fuck, my skin felt too hot for my body.
She said something though, and I should respond. Not ogle her and fantasize about her shoulders. Not when she was still upset about her dad. If flirting with me made it easier for her, then I could stifle my need to fuck her. For now, at least.
“Why are you sorry? You should only do what makes you comfortable.” My lips turned down at her hesitation. I didn’t want us almost hooking up to cause her any issue. I could deal with my attraction to her without hurting her.
“It’s not that.” She spun to look at me. “You confuse me.”
“Ah, yes, I understand that completely.” I hit her shoulder with mine. She took a deep breath, her tongue wetting her bottom lip, and I followed the movement as my stomach tightened with an aggressive need.
I’d gone running to take my mind off my parents and ended up next to the other part of my life that I wasn’t sure how to handle. How ironic. I snorted to myself, but it caused her to frown.
“I’m being annoying, aren’t I?”
“Wait, no.” I grinned and melted a bit when she returned the smile with that little scrunched nose. “I chuckled because I went running to clear my head, and here I am, next to you. I can’t seem to get you out of my mind.”
“Are you always so honest?” Her voice came out all throaty and husky, and she leaned closer to me. I wasn’t sure she knew what she was doing, but I liked it.
“Yes. I try to be.” I stared at her lips. “I’m thinking about your mouth again.”
She sucked in a breath and looked at the sky, stretching out her smooth neck and not helping my growing attraction to her. “I can’t catch feelings for you.”
“I’m not trying to throw them at you.”
I wasn’t. Not really. I didn’t want my heart involved either. Emotions were messy and made my chest feel tight, and I had enough sadness in my life. Light and easy was best, with only a small handful of people getting into that inner circle. Like Ryann. Like the team back east.
Like Naomi.
Nope. I slammed my eyes shut and mentally tossed her from that inner circle. When I opened them again, she looked stressed.
She pinched the bridge of her nose and steadied her gaze with me, a moment passing between us that felt heavier than just sitting and relaxing in the sun. Students were all around the quad, enjoying the Tuesday afternoon and the gorgeous weather. Music blared from a group of people a few yards away, and someone mowed the lawn on the south side. But that all faded into the background when Naomi looked at me with her brown eyes, like she could see into me.
There were a million reasons why I should’ve been freaked out, but I wasn’t. She already knew most things about me. I didn't put on the show around her that I did with everyone else, and instead of running from it, I liked it.
“Do you live far from here?” she asked, her chest flushing. She chewed that lip again, and when her nostrils flared and she eyed my body, I got the message.
Fuck, I wanted to bite that lip until she came.
“Ten minute walk. Shorter if we run.”
“I’m not running, but let’s walk fast.”
My blood pumped like it was working overtime as she picked up her books. My fingers itched to peel that tight tank off her body and remind her how good I was with my mouth. I’d start on the couch, then my bed. I’d take her hair down so I could see it all over my pillow. Shit. My cock hardened in my running shorts. She was taking too damn long, so I hoisted the rest of the books and shoved them into her bag, not bothering to zip it all the way.
“Wow, look at you being gentlemanly,” she said, a mischievous grin on her lips.
“We both know that’s not why I did that.”
Her eyes flashed with understanding, and she pulled on the hem of her shirt like she was nervous. “Lead the way, Reiner.”
She spoke with confidence, and I held out my hand, just to make sure she didn’t change her mind. It had nothing to do with connecting with her and everything to do with how badly I wanted to see her body. Saturday was just a tease, and maybe I’d get over this insane need for her after sleeping with her.
A fuck her out of my head plan. That always worked well.
She placed her palm against mine, sending a ripple of electricity up my arm. Just from her skin on mine. We stood there, her backpack on my arm and her hand in mine, and every cell on my body burned with need, want, desire.
We took two steps toward my place when Cami fucking Simpson walked into view from the south end of the quad. She wore a tiny outfit that I could only describe as an overall dress and little else. She eyed our hands and looked at Naomi, her eyes wide and nervous. Of all the fucking times she could’ve appeared. Right now? When I was minutes away from tasting Naomi again? My dick was hard as fuck, and my left eye twitched with irritation.
What a cockblock.
God. My jaw clenched, and I could feel Naomi pulling away. Not just physically, but emotionally. Her eyes got misty, and she stilled.
“Hey,” she said, the emotion in her voice almost too much to hear. Her grip on my hand tightened, like my fingers held the answer.
Cami’s attention moved to my chest for a beat before she grinned. “I can see you’re busy.”
“No, no.” Naomi almost jumped away from me. Rationally, I knew it wasn’t personal. This was Coach’s other fucking daughter. The second most dangerous person to see us holding hands. Fuck.
I didn’t want Naomi to be in a worse situation because of me, so I handed her the bag. She eyed me with want and regret, and I squeezed her shoulder.
“This is more important. I’ll be fine.”
She looked down at my waist, and for one second, my dick twitched. She took the bag from me and sighed. “I’ll call you to talk about the project.”
I nodded, unable to be upset with her when I could feel the hurt pouring from her sister. My goddamn libido was out of control, and I wanted nothing more than to have Naomi naked in my bed for a full day, but her family mattered. With a small wave, I winked and took off in the other direction. I raced home and didn’t do more than grunt in greeting at Freddie before going straight to my shower.
I had my cock in my hand a second after the water turned on, and I pictured Naomi’s perky tits and the way her skin felt against mine. Her sounds, the way she sucked my tongue and kissed me back. Yes. I pumped harder and felt the familiar pleasure start at my spine and work its way up. I came hard just thinking about her.
How was I going to survive once I had her?
