Page 88 of Stick It
A threat. A promise. A warning.
My throat burns. Ice solidifies in my veins.
He keeps walking like nothing passed between us, meanwhile, I’m frozen in place. Unable to move. To breathe. To think.
Pressure lands on my shoulders, firm but gentle. “Dylan.”
Jax’s voice grounds me back in the present, sending the fear from Kyle’s presence skittering into the shadows.
I blink, dragging in a sharp breath as I focus on the deepbrown of his eyes. They aren’t as dark as I’d initially assumed. This close, I see tiny flecks of amber sparking within, like fireflies dancing in the night, calling to me.
His touch is steady but not confining as he guides me to the sofa, his hands light on my arms like he’s afraid I’ll break. Fuck, if he lets me go, maybe I will. It’s been a long time since I’ve felt this fragile. Weak. Helpless.
I practically fall onto the couch cushions, still in a bit of a daze. Finn is watching me closely, his expression tight with something that looks like concern. Confusion flickers in his gaze, too. Doubt. I can’t look at him for more than a second before tearing my gaze away.
He makes some excuse to the others before pushing to his feet, and I hear him disappearing up the stairs. To think or to apologize to Kyle, who fucking knows.
“Here.” Kneeling in front of me, Ethan presses a ceramic mug into my hands. The heat seeps into my fingers but does little to ease the faint tremble. “Drink this.”
I take a small sip, savoring the calming flavor of the chamomile tea. It works, a little. At least until Griffin shifts forward to the edge of his seat and clears his throat. “We think you should switch rooms with one of the guys at my house.”
I don’t meet his gaze for another moment, taking another sip of my drink before looking around at the group of men gathered around me. They’d been arguing about this before Kyle arrived. Jax had opposed his idea, but now, he’s oddly silent. Is he in agreement?
My focus shifts to Ethan. He typically gives the orders, but he doesn’t pipe up, lettingmemake the decision.
What doIwant?
I don’t want to sleep under the same roof as Kyle.
But if I leave, Kyle wins.
First, he runs me out of my house, then he runs me off the team, and finally, he chases me out of BSU.
I already let Lucas take everything from me once.
I won’t do it again.
Setting the mug down on the coffee table, I lift my chin, meeting each of their gazes. “No.”
“Hurricane—”
“I’mnotleaving,” I say firmly, cutting Griffin off. “This ismyhouse, too. I won’t let him scare me off.”
The guys exchange looks, and I canfeel Ethan watching me, his stare burning. But I don’t waver. If Kyle wants me out of the house, off the team, then he’s going to have to do a hell of a lot better than that.
Because I’m not giving up without a fight.
27
DYLAN
I’m backat practice the next morning, despite my body’s protests. But it’s miserable. I’m stuck on the bench, watching. Watching my teammates fly across the rink, watching the first-line practice plays I should be a part of, watching Kyle fucking Reed skate like he’s not the reason I’m sitting on this stupid fucking bench in the first place.
My fingers dig into my thighs as I glare at him. He shouldn’t even be on the team. Shouldn’t get to walk away from what he did like it was nothing. I suck in a sharp breath and force my gaze away before anyone notices.
It clashes instead with Griffin across the ice. He stands tall, a force of padded gear in the crease, but his focus is pinned on me more than the puck. Thankfully, he’s the only one who seems to have noticed the way I scowl at Kyle while I envision ripping his head from his shoulders every time he rushes past.
Jax skates by, slowing just enough to glance my way. His gaze rakes over my skin assessingly, as though checking there is no new damage. “You good?”
