Page 80 of Hot Ice, Tennessee

“You are too nice for your own good. Who’s going to watch the horses?”

“Going to pay Finn extra to check them twice a day.”

I pulled in a breath, stepping out of the shower. “Well, while you’re in Atlanta, make sure to tell their state hockey team they suck, for me.”

He snorted. “I’ll get right on that.”

We made it to my room and he scooped up his clothes, putting on the fancy shirt and pants again. Within another five minutes he had called a cab, and I walked him downstairs, taking him out to see him safely get in the car.

I gave him a kiss goodnight. “I’ve decided I hate pumpkins,” I told him.

He smiled. “It was a lot of fun tonight, Jesse. Have a good night.”

I gave him a little salute and watched the cab drive off.

No strings attached, just like I should’ve wanted. So why do I just want you back here?

Nothing felt right for the rest of the night. I joined the guys downstairs, and other than Robbie tossing me a fist bump and waggling his eyebrows, nobody commented on the fact that I’d brought a guy over.

It was like nothing had happened at all.

And honestly, I didn’t know if I liked that.

I lay back on a big bean bag chair, tossing a little tennis ball into the air repeatedly and catching it as it came down. The get-together went on all around me, with a few guys playing beer pong and others just drinking and shooting the shit. Elliot was sitting across the room on a sofa, next to two of his buddies. Occasionally, he looked my way, and I caught his eyes glancing over my torso. I was still shirtless, only wearing sweatpants.

I should have gone full lone-wolf and just headed back up to my room, but for the first time in a long while, Ididn’twant to be alone. Something about my room felt empty now that Mason had to leave so soon.

But I also didn’t want to be down here.

I peeled myself off of the bean bag chair and got up, heading for the kitchen. Before I left, I saw Elliot stand up in my peripheral vision. He strode over to me, giving me a nod.

“What’s that?” he asked. His eyes landed just above my hips. I could smell cheap beer on his breath, which wasn’t a scent I missed.

I looked down and saw faint red scratch marks there.

Mason’s handiwork.

“What’s it to you?” I said.

“Curious. Can’t a guy ask his teammate a simple—”

I rolled my eyes, walking off. “Night, Elliot.”

“A simple question,” he continued, “like who the hell he’s bringing up to fuck in my frat house?”

“The answer isanybody I fucking want.”

“Didn’t know you liked older guys, Jesse,” Elliot taunted me now, following me down the narrow hallway and into the kitchen. A few girls and guys were hanging out in there, but when they saw the look on my face, they grabbed their drinks and filed out.

“You would have known that, if you ever listened to me. But you were a bad friend, Elliot.”

“Hey, hey,” I heard from behind me. Robbie appeared a moment later, clapping me on the back. “This isn’t the ice, bro. Chill.”

Elliot had a stupid smile on his face, though.

“Guess I’m not the only one who likes dirty blondes.”

I took a step past Robbie and shoved my hands forward, pushing Elliot and catching him off guard. He put a handbackward onto the kitchen table and a couple of empty two-liters and a beer bottle clattered to the floor.

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