Page 32 of Crazy Pucking Love
I typed a reply, thinking it was innocent enough since we were just friends and all. Ah, denial. Always there when I was about to make an iffy decision.
Me:I look like I’m in trouble.
Megan:The Midgard serpent’s coils can crush the earth, it even says so. So good luck with that.
I laughed.
Me:Not scared. I always win in the end.
While I was shoveling myself a hole, I figured I’d dig it nice and deep.
Me:So, I was thinking I’d make up for being lame all week by taking you to your #1 Boston spot tomorrow. Pick you up at noon?
Megan:Ok, but just so you know, I’ve decided you owe me food for making me wait so long.
Most of the girls I’d dated since Jaz—okay, calling the mostly shallow hookups “dating” was generous, but referring to them as booty calls only deepened the guilt. Anyway, those girls always bent over backward to do whatever I wanted to, from music to movies, and they certainly wouldn’t call me out on acting like a jerk. Well, until the crying incident with Taylor…
Don’t think about that.
The point I’d been trying to make was that for some odd reason, I liked Megan more for not putting up with my shit. That’s how far gone I was. On ourfriendship.
Sure. Just keep telling yourself that.
Me:You got it. Just pick a place.
Hudson nudged me and I frowned at him, quickly pocketing my phone when I saw Beck had approached.
“Hey, since Coach was busy with the conditioning fun, we didn’t talk plays much,” Beck said. “That first game against Colorado College made it clear that without you, Kowalski, our usual offensive plays go to shit. We need you.”
The compliment might make me a little prouder if my phone with Megan’s texts wasn’t practically burning a hole in my pocket.
Ox joined us as we talked strategies for the upcoming game. “You’ve seen footage of their center?” Beck asked him. “How he does that fake out move all the time and shakes his defenders?”
Ox nodded. “I’ve seen it. He’s not getting by me.”
“Good. It’ll be a tough game, but as long as we’re all focusing on making our plays count and stopping them from scoring, we’ll win. Don’t forget they play dirty, too. They’ll egg us on and try to get us to take a swing and rack up penalties, I guarantee it.” As the team captain, this wasn’t an unusual strategy session, but this one hit me harder.
In other words, no distractions. No getting into stupid fights. Usually those comments were aimed more at Hudson, but I had a feeling they were aimed more at me this time.
“I’m not going to risk getting benched this game,” I said. “I’m on it.”
“Cool. See you boys on the ice.” Beck clapped me on the back, and then bumped fists with Hudson and Ox. Lately I hadn’t been feeling that strong team bond as much, but it rose now, bringing a ton of guilt along with it.
All week I managed to avoid thinking about everything Megan had told me about her family. But with the guy standing right in front of me, I couldn’t help wondering how he managed to hold it together so well while he was going through everything last year. I knew firsthand how crushing overwhelming responsibility could be, that feeling that people were now depending on you and you couldn’t screw it up—it was what drove me to change my major, to call my ex and let her yell at me. It must’ve been hard for Beck, balancing the pressure of what to do about his father’s company, going from brother to the only family member in his sister’s life, as well as hockey and school.
I completely understood his urge to protect his sister at all costs. I’d always admired the guy, and now I respected him even more. And I’d stood there and told him I understood when he said his sister was off-limits.
Great. Like I didn’t already have enough working against me when it came to my complicated relationship with Megan.
For someone who decided to avoid drama this semester, I’ve sure landed myself waist deep in it.
Chapter Sixteen
Dane
When Megan opened her door wearing a little dress with tiny straps, her hair pulled up in a half-braid, half-messy bun, all-sexy whatever-it-was, friendship was the last thing on my mind. I wanted to run my hands up those smooth legs and kiss those bright pink lips before taking a detour to suck on her exposed neck.
If you don’t stop with those kind of thoughts, we’re going to have another rather-obvious situation, like the one we had in bed the other morning.
