Page 55 of Puck Lust

I turn, jerked from thoughts of Jack’s fictional demise, to find my old junior hockey coach smiling at me.

“Coach Dalton,” I say, holding out my hand. “It’s great to see you.”

But my old junior hockey coach just slaps my hand away. “Cut that handshake shit out and get in here.” He brings me in for a quick bro hug. “Been a long time, huh?”

“Yeah, how’s everything?” I furrow my brow. “I didn’t expect to see you tonight. Congratulations on landing that head coach job with the New Jersey Titans. That must be exciting.”

He smiles and drops his eyes to his drink. “Yeah, it’s been a ride. And for you, too, yeah? Oakland is lucky to have you. Imagine you and Larson playing for the same team, huh?”

I laugh thinly. What a choice of words. “Yeah, I guess we really came full circle. And now here we all are together to help underprivileged kids.”

Coach Dalton clears his throat and casts a quick look in Jack’s direction before flashing a quick grin at me. “Yep, anything to give back, right?” A tight smile appears on his face and he brings a hand to the back of his neck.

I narrow my eyes slightly.

Is it just me or does he suddenly look…nervous?

“So are any of the Titans planning to play in the first charity hockey game?” I ask, pulling his attention from Jack. Maybe he thinks I missed that second glance, but I definitely caught it.

“Yeah, they’re not here tonight because we’ve got a game tomorrow but they’ll, ah, they’ll definitely make it for the exhibition.”

Coach’s eyes keep darting back to Jack, but he hasn’t noticed us yet. He and Sam have their heads bent together, and a tiny flicker of jealousy flares deep in my chest.

It’s stupid, I know. Sam is madly in love with Brixton.

But they still share a past. There’s an intimacy between them that?—

Goosebumps assault my skin when Jack suddenly twists around, his gaze icing over when he sees me and Coach standing together.

Out of the corner of my eye, Coach Dalton stiffens, his lips twisting as he pins Jack with a threatening glare.

Coach doesn’t look nervous anymore.

Something else infiltrates his hardened expression,and the air around us becomes heavy with foreboding to the point where I can choke on it.

And judging from the look on Jack’s face, he feels it, too.

His words from the other night bounce between my ears like pinballs.

“…I did shit I can’t undo…it was wrong, and I knew it. But I had to…I needed?—”

I thought he was talking about the kiss.

As I look between Jack and Coach, realization bitch slaps me.

I was wrong.

And Coach Dalton seems to know exactly what I don’t.

NINETEEN

jack

When my eyeslock onto Coach Dalton, dread simmers in my blood.

What the hell is he doing here?

I’ve avoided all of his emails because acknowledging any bit of my past will just tear open everything I’ve tried to forget.

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