Page 97 of Off The Ice

I can’t take her to the gala. Not when every man in the room would be staring at her the way I was right now. Not when she wasn’t mine.

“Not every girl,” I said, feeling in a daze.

But for tonight, I could pretend. Tonight, she was mine, and I could remind every bastard who stared at her exactly that.

“Oh.” She raised a blond brow. “Mostgirls being in love with you isn’t enough for you? You need every single one?”

Actually, I just need one.

“Cassie,” I said, prepared to let everything tumble out of me. To get on my knees and beg her to be my date for real, not for some made-up, stupid event.

But her phone buzzed, and her attention went to the screen.

“They’re here!” A noise of excitement erupted from her, cutting off the deluge of emotional word vomit I’d just been prepared to release on her.

Jesus Christ, I would’ve ruinedeverything.

“Great,” I responded, wishing more than anything it was just the two of us driving there together, but knowing it was probably safer for me that it wasn’t, considering that I was apparently a fucking liability when it came to this girl.

We’d agreed, or should I say,Cassiehad agreed that we should carpool with Maggie and Brody, who had apparently worked through their shit and finally were getting out there for a first date.

I was happy for Brody. I really was. But on the other hand, I had the lingering fear that Maggie was going to break his heart.

Maybe it was just in our blood to hurt people the way our dad had hurt us. It was part of the reason why I never bothered seriously with any relationships before. When you looked at the statistics, what was even the point of trying?

I think Maggie guarded herself the same way, though we went about it in drastically different manners. She was fine withhanging out with someone for a while and bolting before it got too serious. But me? I felt like something was broken inside of me because I knew how many beautiful women were out there. Hell, I’d had themthrowthemselves at me, but none of them—not a single one, had ever appealed to me.

Until now.

Cassie opened the front door, welcoming Brody and Maggie inside. I loved the sight of it. I could almost imagine it all being real. Being permanent.

Cassie being here, with me, for good. The two of us having our friends and family over.

I shook the thought out of my head. Cassie and I might not be anything real, but it looked like Maggie and Brody were definitely entering into that territory.

They stood side by side, so close their whole bodies touched as they walked in. He had a hand resting on her back, and what shocked me more than any of it—Maggie didn’t pull away.

As happy as I was for them, I was jealous as hell. Brody got to touch her, to bewiththe girl he wanted in front of everyone, no pretenses. Meanwhile, I had to stand next to Cassie and pretend I wasn’t losing my fucking mind.

They looked good together, though. Maggie was wearing a sleek black dress with a slit down the leg, her hair done up with a few dark strands framing her face.

“What the f-, Cass. You lookso beautiful,” Maggie gushed, circling around Cassie, examining every inch of her the way I wished I could.

“Stop.” Cassie hid her face, embarrassed by Maggie’s attention. “Youlook stunning. You both do.” She looked over to Brody with a knowing smirk.

Brody beamed with pride.

“Look at all of us here together, going to an event. Who would’ve thought?” He said the last part, looking over to me with a knowing look of his own.

Maggie and Brody both knew the deal about why Cassie was going with me tonight, but apparently Brody thought I hadotherintentions.

I rolled my eyes at him, he wiggled his brows, glancing between me and Cassie. I shot him a scathing look, demanding he shut up before Cassie noticed, when Maggie’s words had my head whipping in her direction.

“We’re totally going to find you the cutest guy to flirt with tonight.”

I stiffened. “What the hell, Mags. Did you forget the point of this evening?”

“Yeah, yeah. Cassie’s your secret cover story.” Maggie rolled her eyes dramatically. “But is that really more important than her landing a cute hockey boy?”

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