Page 56 of Cheap Shot
“Shut your fucking mouth, rookie,” I growl, my hands balling into fists, all the muscles in my arm clenching as I raise them, ready to knock him into next week.
But before I can even raise my arm, Sammy places a hand on my forearm, shaking his head slightly. “Not the best idea, Cole. I know you have some backup on the bench, but I don’t think it's a good idea to start a fight at the start of training camp.”
“Yeah, Hendrix. You aren’t too big and bad when your brother isn’t here to protect you,” Jensen taunts me with a smirk.
I want to lunge for him and smash my fist into his face repeatedly until his own mother wouldn’t recognize him. But as I move to get around Sammy, Michele steps back into the training room, her cheeks pink, and a box of plastic bags in her hands. “I needed to grab more bags before I could get your ice.”
She smiles at Sammy before she looks at me in concern, finally noticing the other people in the room. “Can I help you guys with anything?”
Jensen opens his mouth to respond, but his friend smacks him in the back of the head, silencing him and probably saving his life, given how I’m feeling. “We are good, just trying to get the lay of the land.”
Michele doesn’t say a word. She just levels them all with a look that could wither steel. “Sure thing. The locker room can be such a maze, with the training room, weight room, and showers being in the corners, and all the lockers in the middle.”
Sammy stifles a laugh as she pats his shoulder, motioning with her head for him to follow her. “Follow me, Sammy. I’ll get you squared away.”
“Thanks.” He eyes me warily before turning to follow behind her.
Once they are out of earshot, I step closer to Jensen and his lackeys. “Try using your brain next time, rookie,” I say coldly, looking him dead in the eyes. “She's off limits. Got it?”
“Whatever you say, man.” Jensen holds his hands up in surrender before slamming his shoulder into mine, causing me to wince slightly. “You might wanna get that taken care of before you get on the ice, Hendrix. I wouldn’t want anyone to get hurt.”
I turn, following him with my eyes as they all exit the training room. Once the door swings shut, I release a breath and groan loudly, reaching up to grab my shoulder. “How bad does it hurt?” Michele asks from beside me. “Have a seat so I can take a look.”
“I’m good, Trouble. Nothing to worry about.” I hiss when she presses on a tender part of my shoulder.
“I’m tempted to suggest you take tomorrow off, but I know you won’t listen.”
“You’re right, I won’t. We have a bet, after all.”
“That we do.” She smiles, her thumb rubbing across my incision before she takes a step away from me. “I’ll grab you some ice. You ice that shoulder for a minimum of twenty minutes, got it?”
I nod, watching as she walks toward the ice dispenser in the opposite corner.
“You good?” Sammy whispers, leaning toward me so I can hear him.
“No, I’m not. But thanks for stopping me from doing something stupid.”
And I mean it. I was a breath away from beating the living crap out of Jensen and both of his friends. Those three are going to be the first to go down when I get back on the ice full-time. Their ass-kicking can be disguised as a well-meaning check to the boards.
“Don’t mention it.” Sammy gives me a thumbs-up, his eyes flicking to where Michele is bent over, trying to fill a bag with ice. A growl bubbles from my throat, and his head jerks in my direction. “Don’t get the wrong idea, Cole. I’m the one who walked in on you two. I know she’s off limits. But a word of advice. Wait to rip your clothes off until you are someplace with a door that locks.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” I mutter, but even as I say it, I know things are a lot more complicated than that.
ChapterFourteen
Michele
“You seem a little distracted today.” I jump at the sound of Parker’s voice, knocking a large stack of folded towels onto the floor.
“Fuck, Parker,” I squeak. “You shouldn’t be sneaking up on people like that. It’s a surefire way to get punched in the eye.” I smack him hard on the shoulder, causing him to laugh.
“I would agree, hence why I called your name three times before coming anywhere near you. But you were too lost in thought to hear me, I guess.”
Parker bends down and grabs an armful of my once-folded towels, dropping them onto the bench in front of us. He grabs one and starts folding, his eyes flicking to mine before he picks up another one and starts the process again.
Parker is the last person I want to talk to about what’s going on with me, but he won’t let up until I tell him something. More than likely sent on a mission by his girlfriend and my best friend to get information out of me. Stacey wasn’t too thrilled when I came home last night, grabbed Imhotep, and went right into my room. I spent a fitful night dreaming about what could’ve happened if Sammy and the other players hadn’t walked into the training room when they did.
“Does your absent-mindedness have anything to do with you being late today?”
