Page 79 of Until We Burn
“And why not?” I challenge.
“Because these twigs are expensive and not worth having his blood spilled all over it.”
“You can use mine!” Luke pipes up.
“And we can hide the murder weapon together,” Wallace offers.
Rowan glares at them. Wallace and Luke shrink back like little boys.
This is one of the reasons why he was appointed captain. Nothing ever rattles Rowan. He’s capable of keeping a steady head and reining us back in no matter how bad things get.
Rowan turns back to me. His glare softens into a frown. “Look, Kai, I know Diana is going through a rough time. But this was supposed to be casual sex.”
“Itiscasual.”
“Really?” Rowan nods at my phone. “Is that why you spend all your free time stalking her?”
“We’re hooking up,” I insist. “I gotta stay safe by keeping up with what she’s doing.”
“Because knowing Diana’s favorite ice cream flavor is going to save you.”
“You don’t know how aggressive she gets when she’s hungry.”
Luke croons out, “Oooo, he’s getting defensive! She’s got him whipped beyond repair.”
He and Wallace snicker and eagerly beat their fists together.
“Look, you’re getting too involved,” Rowan cuts in. “Especially with everything at stake for you. Don’t forget why you chose to be friends with benefits in the first place.”
I look around me at the DHU crest of the renowned griffin snarling back at me, at our names engraved on the cubby plaques, and the locker room stacked with everything we could possibly need to be the best hockey players in the NCAA.
Getting signed used to be the only thing I wanted.
But now, I’m starting to want one more thing and it’s something I know I can never have.
CHAPTER 34
KAI
The secondI get out of the locker room showers, I race through the orange tunnels to get to Mellonbaum’s class.
I check the time on my phone.“Putain!”
I’m already fifteen minutes late. I groan, hurrying towards the Schiefele building.
Someone suddenly barrels into me.
“Oh,shit–”
“—Aiya!”
I grind to a halt, my head snapping up from my phone. “Diana?”
My heart breaks when I see her standing there. Her face is washed in glowing orange light, yet she’s never looked more drained.
“Hi.” Diana’s dark eyes are wet with tears. She looks down and wraps her arms around herself. My hands twitch, desperate to hold her and crush her to my chest.
Keep your distance.
