A Puck Between Friends (Gods Versus Monsters Hockey #3)

Prologue

ARCHANGEL

Ever been in love with a guy who’s in love with someone else? And to make matters much worse, she’s a bitch…and my sister.

“I love you, baby.” Wolfe stands facing the bathroom mirror in our shared apartment, and I half think he’s talking to himself, but then I see my sister on his screen.

“Can you go ten minutes without talking to her?” I hold back a gag. “We’re going to be late for practice. You’ll see her later.”

“Shit. I’ll be there in a second,” he calls out before dropping his voice to say goodbye to my sister.

He spent more time at my house than his for most of high school until being kicked out our junior year. His mother’s new boyfriend couldn’t stand him, and his dad moved out of state when he was little, so if he wanted to finish high school here, he couldn’t go live with him.

My parents let him move in because he was the son they wished they had, and after living with us for a couple of weeks, he and my sister decided they were in love.

So I’ve had to endure my sister and my best friend acting like this for two fucking years.

All the while, I’ve been painfully fucking in love with him.

I thought if I just left it alone, they’d break up.

She doesn’t deserve to be happy after bullying me for half my life, but he deserves all the happiness. I just wish it wasn’t with her.

This shouldn’t even be a thing. Who ends up with their high school sweetheart? But here we are months into our first year in college, and he’s still with her. It seems impossible, but they’ve been making it work long-distance since she went to school in Boston.

“Hurry up. I’m going to get Morgan!” I call out before leaving the dorm, so I don’t have to listen to it, not even stopping to grab my coat. I know it shouldn’t hurt, but it fucking does.

I spend the next five minutes putting down the top on the four-seater Morgan 4/4 my grandfather gave me, because I know it will annoy Wolfe.

The car was my grandfather’s pride and joy, and we’d worked on it together when I was a kid.

He’d even let me pick out the color, so when I left for college, I was shocked when he told me to take it.

He loved that car as much as he loved me.

I told him I couldn’t, but he insisted. Said he really shouldn’t be driving anymore anyway, which was true.

It meant the world to me, and I’d rather have it than any new car.

Not that we had much use for a car in the city, but I drove him as much as I could.

Practice is a nice excuse, since we live in the dorm furthest away from the practice facility.

Wolfe still isn’t down when I finish with the top, so I hop in and start Morgan up, then pull out of the public garage to sit in front of our building. The sun isn’t up, and I hate being out in the dark.

That is one thing I miss about the south if nothing else.

I check my watch. That mother fucker is going to make us late, and that’s the last thing we need to be doing coming up to our first game as freshmen. Not that Wolfe has to worry. He’ll be the starting goalie, no problem. He was made to play hockey, but not all of us are that lucky.

Should I be happy for my best friend? Probably, but the thing is, I’m a petty gay, and watching my best friend date my sister, who is worse than Satan, sucks.

But I can’t say anything. He’s so happy.

In fact, I’ve never seen him this happy.

Sure, there is some first girl who’s touched my dick glow, but I know him so well, and it seems like he’s really in love with her.

And even if they broke up, he wouldn’t be interested in me. He’s straight and my best friend. So what would breaking them up even do? Not like he’ll come running to me.

I need to break myself out of my delusion now that we’re in college. It wasn’t going to do either of us any good. I shove back down my petty inclination for another day and force on a smile while I wait outside our dorm in my car.

“Can I catch a ride?” Seaborn asks, a backpack on one shoulder and still in the sweats he slept in the night before.

Wolfe and I ended up in a three-person suite, and he is our other roommate.

He seems like a cool guy. I’m just glad they tried to pair hockey players with other players. Makes everything easier.

“Always. We’re about to make Wolfe walk.” I want to honk, but I don’t want to wake up the whole dorm at five am, so I give it another minute.

“If he’s late, does that mean I get shotgun?”

“Fair is fair.” I shrug.

Seaborn gets in the front, and Wolfe finally bounds out of the door like the overgrown golden retriever he is, all six-foot-fucking-six of him in a tight tee that shows off every single sculpted goalie muscle.

He doesn’t open the door; instead, he hops over the side into the back seat, settling in with his knees nearly to his chest. “You have the top down in this weather?” he asks, looking up at the sky.

October in New York is lovely. I’d never gotten a real fall until moving here. In Georgia, October is still sticky.

“Are you really complaining about the free ride?” I say, like I’d not drive him.

“Plus, there’s only a few more weeks that I’m going to be able to have the top down, so let me enjoy it.” I glare over at him and pull away from the curb.

“It’s only a half-mile walk.” Wolfe shrugs, giving me back just as much snark. “What are we doing this weekend? The team has some surprise, don’t they?”

“Is Steph not coming?” I need to know if I have to vacate our suite and find somewhere else to sleep, so I don’t have to listen to the two of them.

“She said she can’t. Got some big project to work on. It’s nearly midterms. Plus all the team stuff.” Wolfe shrugs like he’s not about to let it bother him.

Win for me.

It felt like she’d been here every weekend since we’d started school. Not like he can go there with hockey.

But his unbothered state doesn’t last.

After practice, Wolfe is restless, like I’ve never seen him before. He’s like a big bowl of vibrating jello and won’t sit down.

“What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know where Steph is.” He doesn’t look at me or stop his pacing.

I glance at my phone. “Studying?”

It’s not that late.

“She’s usually called me by now.”

“She probably just lost track of time working on her project.” I don’t know why I’m defending her.

“I have a bad feeling.”

I frown. He’s not usually doom and gloom, actually, he’s usually happy all the time. “What do you mean?”

“I don’t know.” He wrings his hands. “Can I borrow your car?”

My head snaps up. “You’re kidding, right?”

“Why not? It’s only like four hours.”

“We have that team bonding initiation tomorrow. The captain said we can’t miss it…” In theory, I don’t have an issue with it, but this sounds like a horrid idea.

“It’s not until tomorrow night. I’ll be back before it. I’ll get there before ten and leave after lunch.” Wolfe pleads with his eyes, and I can’t say no to him.

He’s my fucking weakness, and I’d do anything to make him happy.

“Okay.”

I went out with the team. I couldn’t spend the night thinking about Wolfe and my sister. Seaborn and Solace were there. Most of us are too young to drink, but it didn’t seem to be a problem in the city, given enough money. No one cards us out with the team.

After a few drinks, I’m contemplating my whole existence.

I’m not in the closet. That would be impossible, but I’d always toned myself down, or did gay the “Southern way,” which basically means to keep it out of polite society’s view.

Being gay isn’t that way here. No one seemed to care.

There are guys making out in a booth not too far from us.

I can’t help but stare.

I need a distraction, and it’s time to get over Wolfe. And it’s not like I’m inexperienced or anything. I’ve had lots of secret boyfriends.

It doesn’t take me long to find a guy willing, and not only that, but this guy is willing to make out with me in the open, right in the bar. It’s exhilarating.

He’s all over me, and I’m not mad. Maybe I can erase all my feelings from high school and accept that Wolfe and I are just meant to be friends.

The guy shoves his hands under my shirt, face pressed into my neck, while he kisses and sucks on my skin.

My phone rings. I awkwardly shift the guy pressing against me, trying to get a hand in my pocket to ignore the call, when I realize I silenced my phone.

The only person who gets through my ‘do not disturb’ is Wolfe.

I pull my phone out and whisper, “Hold on.”

“You’re really going to answer a call while we’re making out?” the guy asks, aghast.

“For my best friend, I sure as fuck am.” I answer and put the phone to my ear. “Hello?”

The guy scoffs, and I ignore him.

“Where are you?” Wolfe asks. His voice sounds raspy, like he’s been in a fight.

“At The Library.”

“Don’t fucking lie—you’re not at the library at this hour!” Wolfe huffs.

“The bar The Library. I’m not at the actual library.” I exhale my frustration. “You’re not coming home already, are you?”

“I’m home. It’s fine. We can talk tomorrow.”

“What the fuck? Why?” I glance at the time. It’s barely two am.

How is he already back?

“It doesn’t matter. I’m going to bed.” He sounds defeated, and it breaks my heart.

I detangle myself from the guy and Irish goodbye, making it home fairly quickly. I find him face down in bed.

Had I not known him for years, I’d think he was asleep. But the man sleeps like he’s in a coffin, on his back with arms crossed cover his chest. It was a little unnerving at first, but I’d gotten used to it.

Something must have happened.

I shouldn’t have let him go. It’s my fault. Steph had been acting weird for at least a month. I should have put it all together.

I sit on the edge of his bed, my hip brushing his arm, since he took up the entire twin mattress. He grunts, probably guessing it’s me.

“What happened?” I ask, reaching out to touch him, but hesitating.

He shakes his head. “You didn’t have to leave the bar.”