Frozen Heat

3. Jade

The first dayof the new semester was off to a fan-fucking-tastic start. I woke up late, feeling completely disoriented. I had some crazy sex dreams last night about Noah, and I was embarrassed that I had told them all that I found hockey players hot. Most people would find that a harmless comment, but I had my own issues. I shouldn’t be giving more information than what I was asked for. I trusted Noah because he was family, but maybe I shouldn’t. Oli was like another surrogate brother. I didn’t know Callum, but I didn’t really have much of a choice though. I would be staying with them until another living situation came up, so I needed to try my hardest not to cause any problems in the house.

Since I woke up late, I couldn’t make breakfast like I wanted to, and I had to throw on the first clothes I could find. My mouth tasted weird, so I brushed my teeth and rinsed twice before heading out of the room I shared with Noah. When I heard voices in the kitchen, it clued me in that all the guys were still home. They were sitting down and eating, which was a weird show of domesticity. They obviously knew how to cook—how else would they take care of themselves. It was just odd to see massive hockey players eating bacon, eggs, and toast around the dining table.

“Jade, hey, was wondering when you were gonna wake up. Come, eat some breakfast,” Oli offered.

That was when I saw the empty plate and silverware sitting on the table, waiting for me. I felt a surge of gratitude they’d thought of me. Sitting down, I looked at Oli.

“Thanks. I woke up late, so I was worried I wouldn’t have time to do anything.”

“We got you covered for breakfast, but you will probably be on your own for dinner often. We have practice at night, and it’s time-consuming to make dinner,” Callum added, which surprised me because this was the most I”d heard him say, especially directed at me.

I took a bite of bacon and swallowed it. “I can cook. If you guys are gonna feed me breakfast, the least I can do is help and do dinner. Make it easier.” I smiled at them all.

Surprisingly, Noah was the first to speak. “Sure, Jade. You don’t have to if you don’t want to. I mean, we do have certain things we have to eat.” He shrugged.

I knew there was no pressure, but I really wanted to do this to help them. I shook my head. “I wouldn’t offer it if I didn’t want to help, and I remember the stuff you ate at our parents’ house. It’s just healthy stuff, so it’s not like I won’t benefit from eating better. I will make dinner. What time do you all have to leave?”

“Practice is usually at 5:30,” Noah answered.

I nodded and gave him a bright smile. “Awesome.” Looking at my watch, I shoved the rest of my eggs into my mouth and grabbed my two strips of bacon to eat on the go. “Gotta go. I will have dinner ready at 4:30 ish. See you guys later.” Rising from my chair, I grabbed my plate and, after depositing it in the sink, I took my jacket from one of the hooks in the kitchen, then I headed toward the front door.

I was stopped by Oliver’s hands on my shoulders. “Wait, wait. Where are your classes today? We have the primo parking pass, so if it would help, you can ride with us.”

Pulling my phone out of my jacket pocket, I pulled up my class schedule. I handed it to him. While he read the information, Noah and Callum grabbed their plates and stood, bringing them to the sink. Noah looked over Oliver’s shoulder to see my schedule.

“Fuck, Jade. How are you taking 200 and 300-level courses?” Noah asked while all three of them looked at me in surprise.

“I walked out of my high school with what was basically an associate”s degree. Most of my junior and senior year classes were concurrent credit courses. Luckily, all my credits transferred over,” I explained, still kinda reeling from all the attention from them.

When we moved to Chicago, I decided to take my studies more seriously. There wasn’t much more for me to do, and I didn’t want anything to do with guys.

“Sweet. Well, you’re riding with us,” Oli announced.

“Guys, really, it’s sweet, but I can drive myself, and how am I gonna get home?” I asked.

I didn’t really want to wait around or rely on anyone to get home. I tried not to depend on anyone but my mom, and even that was a necessity rather than a want. It seemed easier to just worry about myself.

“Your last class is over at the same time as mine, and then we are all done for the day. We can meet at the coffee shop on campus,” Oli stated.

”How are we all gonna fit in one vehicle?”

To my surprise, it was Callum who answered. ”That”s easy, we don”t. I usually take my bike.”

I wasn”t really surprised. I had seen a motorcycle in the garage, and while he wouldn’t have been my first guess, it made sense.

Oli chuckled. “Plus, we use the SUV.”

“I’m not getting out of this, am I?” I knew the answer before I asked.

Oli had a mischievous smile lifting his lips and was shaking his head. “Not a chance.” He clapped his hands and rubbed them together. ”All right, now it”s time to get that education your parents are paying for,” he lectured as he steered me toward the door.

I just laughed as I let him push me along.

Cora sat down nextto me in class, and I smiled at her. She was really my only friend. Before all the stuff happened with my ex, I had an easier time getting along with guys because I found girls too catty and high-maintenance. Now, for the most part, I was uncomfortable around new people in general, never knowing anyone”s true motives. Cora had a calm demeanor, and she was stable, not flighty. She was also not so girly. We both wore makeup, but it was minimal, and while I liked shoes and clothes—she did too—it wasn’t the main focus of my life. She didn’t beg me to go shopping or want to scour for hookups at parties. We also understood each other’s issues.

“So, how is living with those hot hockey players? Have you gotten lucky yet?” she asked, waggling her eyebrows.

“It’s been less than twenty-four hours. Plus, it’s not like that, Cor. One of them is my stepbrother. The other is like a brother to me too, and Callum has his own complicated relationship.”

She nodded and popped her tongue. “Yeah, complicated is right. Callum was a super player before they dated. His girlfriend, Ruby, is not only beautiful, but apparently, smart and talented. She’s an artist like you. And stepbrother doesn’t mean anything. You say that like it automatically means you don’t want each other.” She smiled slyly.

“Um . . . it usually does deter people,” I said, trying to act nonchalant. “Plus, how do you know all this?”

“I talk to people, sweetie. You should try it sometime. Like most girls on this campus, I know you think Noah is attractive too, and don’t you read? There are all types of stories out there of stepbrothers doing all sorts of filthy things with their stepsisters.” She laughed.

“Okay. I do think he is attractive, and yeah, years ago when our parents first got married, I did kind of have a crush on him. But he doesn’t feel that way about me, believe me.” I shrugged. “I have long since squashed down those feelings. I just want a safe place to live, and if Noah and I can build some type of friendship in the meantime, then great.”

She looked at me like she was unsure of my sincerity. Luckily, before she could voice that, the teacher came into the class and started the task of going through the syllabus and major assignments. It was what every teacher did on the first day of class, so today and tomorrow were going to be boring for the most part.

After class, Cora and I parted ways. I was glad when I walked into the coffee shop, needing the caffeine and sugar rush. Plus, I had agreed to meet the guys there. The smell of coffee and pastries brought a smile to my face. Walking up to the counter, I eagerly ordered a small coffee and blueberry muffin.

“Hey. Jade, right?” I heard a deep voice ask.

I turned around and saw a good-looking guy standing there. He had that type of generic attractiveness. Short, dark hair styled just so and hazel eyes that were a perfect mix between green and blue. He was tall, but most guys were taller than me.

“Um, yes?” I said, my alarms rising, unsure how this guy knew my name. He seemed harmless enough, but then again, I’d been fooled before. I paid the cashier and moved out of the line to wait for my order.

“We have econ together. I’m Jacob,” he explained, offering his hand to me to shake.

I took his hand and gave it a firm shake, still wary. “Oh, I’m sorry. I’m terrible with names.”

“No worries.”

My name was called, and Jacob gave the cashier his order while I walked to grab mine. Jacob walked over to me as he waited for his stuff.

“So, are you a business major or just really into economics?” he asked, seeming to want to prolong our encounter.

I laughed, taking a drink of my coffee. “I’m actually a business minor, art major.”

He nodded and smiled. “Oh, that’s cool. Do you have a specific medium?”

I opened my mouth to respond when I felt an arm wrap around my waist and then breath ghosting across my neck and ear.

“There you are, Jade. I was wondering where you wandered off to,” Noah said, his voice dripping with a seductive tone I’d never heard him use before. He turned his attention to Jacob.

Jacob looked a little gobsmacked. He glanced at me and then over at Noah. “You know Noah Smith?”

And there it was. My stepbrother was an NHL hopeful who signed with the Chicago Kings when he was still in high school. Last year would have been his final year in college, but he broke his leg during freshman year, so he needed more development because of that injury.

“Yep. I sure do,” I said, my desire to continue this conversation dwindling.

“Everyone is waiting, so let’s go,” Noah said, and with a tip of his head to Jacob, he gripped my forearm and pulled me along behind him.

We made it outside where I saw the other guys waiting, along with Ryder and Finn.

“Fucking ow. That is still attached, asshole,” I said, wrenching my arm from his grip, which had tightened, rubbing the spot he had held. “What the hell was that?”

“What are you talking about?” Noah said defensively, but I could see that he was trying to act nonchalant.

“I mean that guy I was talking to that you thoroughly and rudely shut down for no reason. Since when do you put your arm around my waist, or talk like that, Noah?”

I was so thoroughly confused and a little turned on. I mean, of course, he was hot, but it was so wrong. Like I told Cora earlier, I had squashed that crush down years ago, and it was weird to start feeling them all over again. He didn’t know the full extent of what had happened with my ex, but he knew enough to understand why we moved.

“There is nothing wrong with trying to protect you, Jade. Guys around here are all thinking of one thing most of the time.” His words were spoken with an air of indifference that was starting to piss me off.

“Well, you already banned that from the house. Do you want to control who I talk to as well? I’m not a child anymore.”

“Whoa, what’s going on?” Oliver asked, coming to stand behind me and Noah.

We were kind of causing a scene, but I didn’t care.

“Nothing, man. Can we just go already? I have some reading to do before practice,” Noah said.

I scoffed. “I’m not getting in the car with you. At this point, I’d rather get an Uber.” I pulled out my phone and ordered a ride, then walked over to Ryder.

Noah pushed in between me and Ryder. “Not happening. Stop acting like a brat.”

“You can’t seriously be telling me what to do, Noah. I am an adult now, not a child. You know what, screw this,” I said, stalking away from the guys and where they all stood grouped together.

I hated that Noah was trying to pull this control crap. He had no idea that I’d had enough of men dominating me to last a lifetime. I ducked into the closest school building, so they couldn’t come looking for me, and waited until I saw the car that had been assigned to me. As I made my way to the vehicle, I was glad the school day was over for now.

I made it home before the guys did and sketched in the office until it was time to make dinner for everyone. There wasn’t much commotion in the house, and when I walked out to the kitchen, Oli was there, book in hand, wearing reading glasses I’d never seen before. He looked at me and smiled. I chuckled, causing him to place a bookmark in his book and prop his chin on his hand.

“What’s so funny, Jade?”

“You just look very studious with those glasses. I didn’t know you wore them.”

He shook his head, still smiling. “I only use them sometimes for reading. Especially books like this where the writing is so tiny.” He held up the book, and I noticed it was Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare.

“Yeah, I’ve actually read that before so if you need help, let me know.”

“You’ve read this before? Interesting,” he said, looking at me with a searching expression.

I shook my head and started pulling out ingredients from the pantry and refrigerator for what I was going to make for dinner.

Oliver got up from the table and came to stand next to me. “What are you making?”

“Chicken, rice, and veggie casserole with the cook”s best friend, cream of chicken soup, and cheese to help with flavor.” Showing him the can of soup, I waved it with a flourish.

He nodded his head. “Sounds good. I’m gonna help.”

I looked at him in surprise. I’d known Oli for years, but we’d never hung out, and the most we’d talked had been since I moved in. Hadn’t I told Cora earlier though that he was like a surrogate brother? I wasn’t sure what to think.

“Are you sure? Don’t you need to do homework or get ready for practice?”

“It’s the first day back, Jade. I don’t have any of that. If you don’t want me to help though, I don’t have to,” he said, shrugging. His body language showed me he wasn’t offended or angry, though judging by the expression on his face, he was confused.

“No, that’s fine. I’d like help.”

I walked him through what we were doing, and we both looked at the recipe every step so we could make sure we were on the same page. Soon, we had our casserole ready to put in the oven. As he did that and turned on the timer, I started to clean up and load the dishwasher while he finished wiping off the counters. I smiled at him.

“Thanks, Oli.”

“No problem, Jadey.” He smiled.

“Jadey?” I asked him, wondering why he was making my name sound so juvenile, but I kinda liked it. It was like when a brother or sister called you something cute and they were the only ones who could call you that.

“Too much?” he asked, grimacing.

I shook my head and smiled brightly at him. “No, I think it works.”

We talked until the food was ready, and as I set the table, he got the guys rounded up for dinner. I was still miffed at Noah so there wasn’t much talking while we ate. He and Callum did thank me for the food before they all headed off to practice. Once the house was silent once more, I went back to drawing.