Page 159 of Wicked Minds
“Mmhmm. The real one, but I like your world better.”
Her responding smile is bright and hopeful, and I fall head-first into it.
“I don’t know if Grayson and I can ever be friends or what… but I’m willing to put our past to bed and form an amicable alliance with him—for Aurora. She deserves to know her brother if that’s something Grayson wants.”
“I still find it insane that he’s her brother.”
She chuckles, and I take her hand, pulling her into the library.
“Yo, Logan! Over here!” Jonas, a freshman rookie on the team, calls out when he spots us crossing the library. I wave but don’t head toward them.
“You can go sit with your team, Logan,” Riley murmurs, keeping her voice respectfully low.
“And miss sitting with you? Not a chance, Shortcake.”
She rolls her eyes but smiles. “Well, we can go sit with them—if you want. I mean, if you want me to sit with you. Maybe you don’t want that. You know what, just ignore me. Let’s go find?—”
She’s cut off as I change direction, my arm tightening around her shoulders as we head toward the two tables shoved together that my teammates are crowded around.
Seeing me approach, seats are shuffled over, creating a space for us.
“Guys, you remember Riley.”
“The not-so-make-believe girlfriend,” Gavin quips with a friendly grin. “Nice to see you again. I’m Gavin.”
“I’m Jonas. I’ve seen you at some of our home games.”
The guys go around the table, introducing themselves and making Riley feel right at home. I freaking love my teammates. We’ve always been a pretty tight group, which can be hard to do when people leave and new ones join every year. With the exception of a few dickheads, everyone gets along, though.
I lift my chin in greeting to Nico when he quietly introduces himself, offering no more than his name to Riley before he buries his nose back in his textbook. It’s not out of rudeness, he’s just the quiet type. Honestly, I’m shocked to see him here with the rest of the team. He’s thekeep to himselfkinda guy. As a first-round draft pick for the Springview Timberwolves, he chose to get a degree before beginning his hockey career. Being only a junior, he’s already the best damn goalie I’ve ever seen, and despite the fact I don’t think I’ve heard him utter more than a handful of words, I like the guy. He reminds me of Royce—all dark and broody. He’s got the same build and a fuckton of tattoos that he keeps hidden underneath all his goalie gear.
“So you’re the reason Logan’s stopped coming out with us,” Jacob, another first-line forward teases, drawing my attention.
“Just cause I’d rather hang out with my girl than you all,” I smirk, throwing an arm around Riley.
After peppering Riley with questions—where she’s from, her degree, what the hell she’s doing with me—did I mention myteammates are assholes?—we all settle down to get some work done.
“Ugh, I can’t take in another word until I get some food in me,” Gavin groans an hour later, sagging back in his seat. It’s a miracle we managed more than fifteen minutes before one of us caved to hunger. We’re all growing boys. We need our sustenance.
A murmur of agreement goes up around the table.
“You ready to grab some lunch?” I ask Riley.
She nods, and we pack away our things, following behind the guys as we leave the library. I tuck her under my arm as we walk through the quad, letting the team walk on ahead. Riley chuckles quietly as we watch Gavin get Jonas in a headlock, the rest of the team egging them on.
“I like them,” Riley says quietly. “They seem like a good team.”
“Yeah, they are.”
Looking down at her, I find her already gazing up at me. “You shouldn’t pull away from them because of me. They’re your team, and you’re their captain. You should make an effort to hang out with them.”
Pressing a kiss to the crown of her head, I say, “I know. It’s just so hard to peel myself away from you.”
Her smile is endearing. “I’ll be here when you get back.”
My grin brightens. “You mean I can crawl into your bed afterward?”
“Mm, only if you promise to do that thing with your tongue.”
