Daring the Defender (Wittmore U Hockey #3)

Chapter 7

7

S helby

As I tug at the mountain bike mounted to the wall, my arms strain against the stubborn weight. The thing seems to cling to the hooks like it’s afraid of the ground. Just as I’m about to give it another heave, a knock on the front door draws my attention away, and the door swings open.

Nadia and Twyler step in the living room, and I’m instantly struck by how the two girls look nothing alike. They’re both pretty and both have dark hair, but Twyler’s is pulled back in an efficient ponytail that matches her skinny jeans and worn Wittmore hoodie. Nadia’s cut is more stylish, bobbed at the shoulders with blunt bangs and her eye makeup is on point. The Wittmore hockey jersey she’s wearing over black leggings is knotted at the waist and stylish boots come up to her knees. I’d never pick these two as having anything in common, but according to my brother they’re actually best friends.

“A little help?” I call, my arms wobbling under the weight.

“Oh shit,” Nadia says, and they both rush over.

Moving to either side of me, we lift the bike off the rack and lower it to the ground.

“Thank you.” I brush back my hair. “I thought the guys may come home and find me trapped under a pile of metal.”

“What are you doing out here?” Twyler asks, looking around the tiny space.

"Just trying to clean up the porch a bit.” I look around the tiny space. “I thought I’d turn it into a temporary bedroom while I’m here." I give Nadia a small grin. “Give Axel back a little privacy.”

“That’s super sweet of you,” Nadia says. “I appreciate it. He will too.”

“You’d just rather sleep in his queen sized bed instead of your double,” Twyler jokes.

“He takes up too much room and he’s so hot at night.” She shakes her head. “Like a freaking furnace.”

I wince, not sure I want to know about my brother’s body heat, but I do notice the jersey she’s wearing has my brother’s name on the back. Twyler rests her hands on the handlebars of the bike. “I can go put this on the back porch. Is there anything else you need help moving?”

“No, I think I’m good. I’ll put my suitcase where the bikes were. I already vacuumed out the couch and a nest of spiders in the corner. I’ll just get some clean sheets and maybe a new comforter. But all in all, I think it’ll make an okay bed for the next few weeks.”

“You sure it won’t get too cold?”

“I can take it.” I sit on the arm of the couch. “What are you two doing here anyway? Don’t tell me Axel made you come check up on me.”

“No,” Nadia promises, “but we’re heading over to the Badger Den to watch the game and thought you may want to come.”

“What’s the Badger Den?”

“A hockey bar,” Twyler says.

“For hockey players or hockey fans?” I ask, not wanting to admit I’ve never been to a bar.

“Both.” Nadia tugs at the hem of her shirt. “They have on all the games and it’s the best way to catch the away ones.”

I haven’t left the Manor since I got here, having spent the first two days getting settled in and avoiding my phone. “I’m not twenty-one.”

“Good news! It’s eighteen and up,” Nadia replies cheerfully.

Okay, so this is happening. “Sure, yeah that sounds fun.”

“Although…” Nadia looks me up and down, taking in my sweats and dirty T-shirt.

Twyler mutters, “Oh boy, here we go…”

“What?” I ask, but Nadia thrusts her hand out at me and I grab it.

She yanks me up, saying, “The sweats look is great for moving furniture and cleaning up a nasty porch, but we’re going out, Shelby, and going out means dressing up.”

“Don’t listen to her.” Twyler gives me a sympathetic look. “You can wear whatever you want. I do.”

“Yes,” Nadia rolls her eyes at her friend, “and the whole student body is still trying to figure out how you won Reese Cain’s heart.”

“Because he’s into what’s under the clothes–”

“Yeah, I know, babe. We share a wall, remember.”

“That’s not what I meant! Reese and I connect on a different level. He’s into my brain and smarts, not my body.” A small smile curves the edges of her mouth. “Okay, he’s into my body too.”

“I’m not looking for anyone to get into my body,” I declare. “I already have a boyfriend.”

“Cool,” Nadia says, “but there’s one thing that’s mandatory if we’re going to the Badger Den.”

“What’s that?”

She pulls at the jersey and grins. “You’ve gotta dress like a fan.”

“Finally,” I say, rushing out of the cold and into the brightly lit, crowded bar. Once inside Nadia peels off her jacket. “You’re from Florida aren’t you?” She nods. “How do you stand this cold?”

“You get used to it,” she says.

“And a lot is about clothing and just being prepared,” Twyler adds.

I should have taken the stained hoodie Nadia dug up from the floor of my brother’s closet. Instead, I picked the black women’s Wittmore v-neck buried in his T-shirt drawer that seemed logical if I was still in Texas, but we’re in the North East and I’m struggling to get used to that.

Unzipping my coat, I look down at my shirt, alarmed at the amount of boob showing. I tug up the V for coverage. “If this isn’t yours, then whose shirt is it?”

“I’m going to assume it belonged to a puck bunny.” She pushes through the crowd and heads straight to the bar. Not sure what to do, I follow and watch as she lifts her hand, getting the bartender’s attention.

“What’s a puck bunny?”

“You really don’t know anything about this world, do you?” Twyler asks, genuinely surprised.

I shake my head. “My father didn’t really approve of Axel’s interest in hockey. He let him do it, but never supported it. Plus, it’s Texas. Everyone is focused on football.”

“Puck bunnies are the girls that hang around hockey players. They go to the games and are at all of the parties.” Twyler nods at a group of girls decked out in Wittmore swag in a booth across the room. Curiously they’re all looking at us. “They’re omnipresent.”

“So like a fan club?”

The girls share a look and Nadia snorts. “I guess you could call them that.” Then she holds up her hands innocently. “And no shade, because although I wasn’t a puck bunny, I definitely was a jersey chaser, until your brother entrapped me.” She turns to the bartender. “Hey, Mike, it’s slammed tonight.”

“You know how it is. The better they do, the more fans come out of the woodwork. It doesn’t help that we’re short handed tonight.” He lifts his chin. “What can I get you?”

“Two seltzers and…” she looks at me, eyebrows raised.

“Just a Coke.”

“And one Coke.” Her head tilts in my direction. “This is Axel’s sister, Shelby. She’s visiting for a few weeks.”

“Ah, thought you looked a little familiar.” He busies himself getting the drinks and a moment later slides them over the bar. Nadia grabs them, handing the can to Twyler and a glass to me.

“Jesus,” she mutters as a guy bumps into her. “It’s freaking packed tonight. Do you see any free tables?”

“There’s one,” Twyler says, pointing to the back. I follow them, holding my drink to my chest, and darting through the crowd. The table is directly under the big screen and as we slide into the booth, I notice that the game has already started.

The girls are instantly drawn into the game, but all I see is chaos. Everything moves so fast, the guys swarming over the ice. Axel, I can find, since he’s the goalie and has on extra pads, but the girls get me up to date on everyone else.

“Reese is number fifteen–and is a forward. He’s on a line with Kirby and Emerson.”

I have a vague idea about how the game is played from playing the video version with Axel, but seeing it live is different. “He’s captain, and hellbent on getting to the playoffs to make up for last season’s fiasco.”

“What fiasco–” I start to ask, but Nadia continues.

“Jefferson and Reid are on defense…”

I perk up at Reid’s name.

“What are their numbers?” I ask, taking a casual sip of my soda. “So I can keep up.”

“Jefferson is number twenty-three and Reid number eight.” Eight. Like the tattoo on his arm. Twyler watches the screen and her face lights up. “Oh, there he is.”

His big frame zips across the ice and I see his last name, Wilder, printed across his shoulders. He plays hard–aggressively. And I watch with fascination as he battles another player for the puck. He wins the skirmish and slaps it up the ice to Reese who knocks it out of the air with his stick, then turns, accelerating in a burst of energy toward the goal.

What follows happens so fast I can’t follow it, but Twyler whispers under her breath, “You got it, babe,” and a light flicks on behind the goal.

Nadia jumps out of her seat and shouts, “Yes!”

“Did they score?” I ask after the girls settle back down.

“Yep,” Twyler grins.

The ref calls intermission and the channel flips to a commercial. I’m taking another swallow of my drink when Nadia turns to me and tosses out, “So, Shelby, what was going on with you and Reid on Valentine’s Day?” Surprised at the question, I choke on the liquid, sputtering into a cough. Her eyes widen. “Twy, help her!”

Twyler rests her hand on my back. “Are you okay? Can you breathe?”

“I’m fine,” I say weakly, patting my chest. “Just went down the wrong way.”

“Are you sure?” Twyler asks, eyes taking me in. “Do you need some water?”

“No really, I’m fine.” And embarrassed. I can’t even drink a soda and not embarrass myself.

“Thank god.” Nadia exhales. “Your brother will kill me if he found out I took you to a bar and let you choke to death.”

“He’s just overprotective.”

“Tell me about it. Overprotective is his entire personality.” She reaches for my hand and squeezes. “By the way, whatever you say about Reid, or anything else, I won’t tell him.”

“You may as well tell her,” Twyler says, “because she’s not going to drop it.”

“Nothing was going on. I showed up unannounced, and when I told him I was looking for Axel, he invited me in and one thing led to another.” I say this calmly. Casually. Like climbing onto a strange man’s lap is something I do regularly. “It looked worse than it was.”

“It usually does,” Nadia snorts. “Reid’s really sweet and has excellent taste in true crime documentaries, but he recently broke up with his girlfriend and has gone a little wild.”

“She would know,” Twyler adds. “Nadia totally had a lady boner for Reid last fall.”

“ Before your brother.” Nadia clarifies, noticing my surprise. “And it wasn’t a boner. He just seemed nice and I was testing the water with hockey guys.”

“So you guys dated?”

Nadia’s eyes widen again. “Oh god no. We went on a date. Here, actually, and it went absolutely nowhere. He wasn’t over his ex, and I was unfortunately involved in my own toxic situation at the time. We both moved on quickly and just stayed friends.”

“Well, that sounds like a story,” I say, swirling the ice in my glass. “The toxic relationship part.”

“Oh, it is.” She nods vigorously but adds, “Unfortunately, due to legal proceedings I’m not supposed to talk about it.”

Some of my father’s concerns about Axel’s dating situation are starting to make a little more sense. But Nadia seems like a good person and it’s obvious my brother loves her. Anyway, I have more questions about something, well, someone else. “So Reid had a serious girlfriend?”

“Darla. They’ve dated since freshman year,” she says, resting her empty can on the table.

“Reese says they’ve always been kind of off and on,” Twyler adds, “but this one seems permanent.”

“She broke up with him,” Nadia confides, “and I think that’s why he’s drowning himself in puck bunnies and sorority girls.”

“Total rebound, fuck-boy behavior.” I try not to react to Twyler’s language, but it’s impossible. No girls I know talk like this. She adds, “It’s pretty common with these guys. There are a lot of girls around, willing to have no-strings relationships. Reese and I ended up together after his own spiral after a breakup.”

“These men do best with a support system,” Nadia agrees. “And a lot of pussy. I’m here to provide both.”

“Nadia!” Twyler admonishes, but this time my cheeks don’t turn pink. I can feel it. I’m full red.

Awkwardly, I slide off my chair and croak. “Bathroom?”

“Back corner.” Nadia points behind the bar. “I’m going to get another drink. You guys want one?”

“I’m good. The team has an early workout tomorrow,” Twyler says, eyes back on the game. “Kirby keeps favoring his left side. I wonder what’s going on?”

Nadia follows me as I try to escape, chattering the whole way. “Twyler was the hockey trainer-intern until she and Reese got serious, then she switched over to work with the basketball team. She’s very focused on injuries.”

“Ah, okay.” I nod my head and hustle forward, trying to get some distance between us. “I’ll, um, meet you back at the table.”

Although a bar bathroom isn’t the ideal place to try to calm my nerves, I do my best. Corralled in a stall with marked up metal doors, I take a deep breath. I’m not a prude. I’m not. I’m just… who talks like that? Is that how college women speak? Fuckboys and the p-word. Gosh, maybe I am a prude.

I stay in the stall until a couple of girls come in talking loud and laughing.

“Oh my god, did you see Jeremy?” one says, the rest of her words drowned out by the flush of the toilet. I head to the sink. Two girls duck into the empty stalls but continue to talk.

“You said you weren’t going to hook up with him again?”

“I know but…”

“You’re weak, Mallory. W.E.A.K.”

“His personality is lacking,” she admits, “but he’s really good in bed. He does this thing with–”

I bolt out the door before I hear what Jeremy does with whatever he does it with. The bar is still loud and from the sound of the cheers, Wittmore is still leading. The noise, the volume, the alcohol and language… it’s starting to get to me. I’m planning on finding the girls and telling them I’m going to head back to the manor when a figure steps between me and the exit. It’s a guy with tousled reddish hair and a lazy grin.

“Excuse me,” I say, attempting to pass.

“Not so fast,” he sidesteps, blocking my way. In the darkened hallway, I feel more than see his gaze drag over my body, head to toe. “I haven’t seen you here before.”

“That’s because I’m just visiting.” I peer over his shoulder, hoping to catch Nadia, but I see her head disappear back into the crowd.

“Well, let me be the first to welcome you to the Badger Den.” He thrusts out his hand. “I’m Adam.”

I stare down at the hand, unsure of what to do. It would be polite to shake it, introduce myself and move on. But there’s something about him that feels weird. Off. But then again, everything about this night feels off to me. I’m out of my depth socially.

“Nice to meet you Adam,” I say, giving him a quick smile. I make a second attempt to get past him, but he adjusts with me.

“How about I get you a drink, so we can get to know one another better?”

“I can’t.”

“Why not?”

I swallow. “I have a boyfriend.”

“Ah.” His eyebrow raises. “Is he here?”

I feel like I should lie, but I was raised to be better than that. “No,” I admit.

He moves closer, inching into my space. I take a step back and I’m crowded into the wall.

“A girl as cute as you are surely knows you’re going to get hit on,” he says, lifting his hand to place his palm flat against the wall next to my head. My heartbeat quickens and that feeling of being trapped lunges into my throat. “You’ve got an innocent vibe going on, but that shirt…” his eyes dip down to my cleavage. “Maybe you’re looking to get corrupted a little, huh? I’m happy to volunteer for the job.”

Panic rips through me, but I’m not frozen. I duck under his arm. In my hurry to get back to the bar, I nearly slam into Mike holding a bag of trash as he exits the space behind the bar.

“Oh gosh, I’m sorry!” I look behind me, and then to the side, ducking out of sight.

“Slow down.” Mike narrows his eyes, the divots of his crows feet becoming more pronounced. He looks down the hallway and back at me. “Is he bothering you?”

“No,” I reply out of habit. I don’t want to be a bother but… I swallow. “Kind of. He’s just a little pushy.”

He jerks his head. “Stay here.”

“O-okay.”

He drops the bag of trash, and strides in the direction toward the bathrooms. A moment later his voice echoes off the hallway walls. “What have I told you about making our female customers uncomfortable? I’ve given you a warning, Adam, but I can’t have you harassing people.”

I strain to hear Adam’s protests over the loud noise in the bar, but then he shouts, “Whatever. This place has shitty service and shittier beer!”

“Good, then you’ll be okay with being banned.” Mike returns, picks up the bag of trash and says, “Sorry about that. He’s been hounding women in here for a while. He’s got a radar for sweet girls. I’d given him a warning before, but tonight’s the final straw.” He looks at me. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’m sure.” I nod. “Thank you.”

“Hey, your brother is a legend around here and it’s better I caught that kid being a dick than him.” He snorts. “Can you imagine?”

I laugh. “Axel would peel his skin off.”

Trash in hand, he continues toward the back door. I make my way back to the table across the bar with the distinct feeling that if tonight has taught me anything, I’m not prepared for college bars, and as nice as they are, college women like Nadia and Twyler, but most of all I’m definitely not ready for college men.