Chapter Ten
BECKETT
If someone put a shotgun to my head, I might have admitted that Caden had had a point.
Hanging out as a team became something of a mandatory occurrence in the weeks that followed.
Gathering the majority of guys on a night off to celebrate a victory or mourn a loss had been a more important tradition than I had realized.
Before, Riley had been doing just that, but I’d been too busy taking advantage of our weekly outings to notice.
Our Saturdays were no longer quiet evenings in the team house for all of us to focus on college work and getting the rest our bodies needed.
That attempt had failed and my new goal was to ensure that behavior in bars didn’t affect our overall performance.
The quickest discovery of my life was a bit of a bummer.
Our overall performance improved within two weeks.
Most of my guys were responsible and committed enough not to let themselves be hungover afterward.
And I enjoyed the freedom to flirt around like everyone else.
After all, if Caden could walk up to the bar and strike up a conversation with another random dude, why the hell shouldn’t I hook up with all the girls vying for my attention?
That last bit ended up being a problem.
The pressure of leading the team, combined with the never-ending friendship act, had me so distracted that I stumbled around like a fool, failing to spark a girl’s interest as much as I was failing to get interested myself. And slowly but surely, frustrations began to bubble.
So was the case on another Saturday when the October air carried the mist that dampened my hair and the chilly breeze had us all flocking inside the Thirsty Thinker.
We had joined four tables in one corner, but our party spread and thinned after a round of drinks.
Jordan and I sat on one side while a few other guys sat grouped on the other.
Among them, Asher pursed his lips and focused on whatever Sebastian was saying.
Every once in a while, he glanced at us.
Specifically, he glanced at Jordan. My best friend gritted his teeth each time so loudly that I cringed.
“What’s going on?” I asked in a low voice, directing my attention away from Asher. For all he knew, I was asking for Jordan’s opinion on the shitty weather.
“Nothing new, Beck.” Jordan closed his fist and cracked his knuckles. “Same old shitshow, ya know?”
“Right. And you’re extra annoyed because…
?” I glanced around the tavern. Paxton was hanging onto Avery, explaining something in excruciating detail.
Sawyer brought his tutor-turned-boyfriend for a few drinks and the two snickered.
Caden did whatever he wanted, laughing at some guy’s joke, touching his hair, pinching the soft spot of his ear, and licking his annoyingly full lips.
We’d been conditioning together for the sake of the team for a few weeks now.
Once or twice a week only, but it was enough to make me hyper-aware of his curious gaze.
He had low self-control when it came to checking guys out and I finally had proof that I was not bothered by it.
He’d shamelessly undressed me with his eyes a dozen times per workout and the only thing I remotely felt was flattered.
Jordan sighed next to me, pulling me back to the present. I tore my gaze off of Caden’s glowing face. “He accused me of acting like a big brother whenever I criticized him, but acting like a stranger whenever he did something right. And it rubbed me the wrong way, so I…”
“…criticized him like a big brother would,” I concluded. Truly, all was quiet on the Western front. “How did that even come up?”
Jordan winced. “I may have chosen a bad moment to bring his technique into question.”
“Oh, you mean the way Asher switches his entire act to match yours?” I asked.
I’d noticed that and meant to talk to Asher about it, but I’d never gotten a chance.
In drills, Asher played well. He had his style.
It wasn’t the most unpredictable style I’d ever witnessed, but the kid had potential.
Until he and Jordan happened to be on the ice at the same time.
Asher’s entire routine would crumble and he would rush to copy Jordan’s act, confusing them both in the process.
“Sometimes I think he just wants to be more like you. Then I remember that he hates you. It’s weird. ”
“Hate’s a strong word,” Jordan said. “Besides, he’s not a factor. I don’t even know why I got involved in the first place. He’s welcome to shoot himself in the foot all he likes.” Jordan crossed his arms and leaned back.
It gave me another moment to scan the room.
A couple of girls I’d seen in the crowds for the last few games were at the bar.
One made eye contact with me and tucked a stray lock of sun-kissed hair behind her ear.
Just as I cocked one side of my lips up into a half-grin, Caden, three paces to the left, threw his head back and laughed out loud.
The hilarious guy with dazzling eyes was shaking his shoulders, too.
I forgot all about the hair-tucking blond and drained the little beer I had left in my glass. “Another round?” I asked Jordan.
“Sure,” he replied, finishing his and handing me the glass.
I walked up to the bar and positioned myself behind Caden.
He hadn’t even noticed me, the fucker. I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but was close enough to hear the other guy’s voice.
There was no way he was that funny. But I couldn’t check that out over the chatter of the crowd, making the hotshot’s words unintelligible.
I ordered another round for Jordan and myself, then leaned against the bar and pretended I hadn’t noticed Caden two feet to my right.
I still watched him in the mirror on the other side of the bar, but he was too busy to notice me.
The shiny teeth flashed when he smiled at his flirtatious date.
His eyes had a glint of interest I hadn’t been able to spark in any of my dates in ages.
His body was all relaxed, gestures flowing like water. He was handsome, alright.
The whole sight made me purse my lips and refrain from scowling.
Maybe it was simply jealousy, this nasty thing I was feeling.
I envied him with his freedom to do whatever he wanted.
All my instincts had always been to chase the thrills I cared for.
And now that I was crowned, my responsibilities were too great to let me relax.
But Caden, despite what he wanted, carried no responsibilities. He could indulge all he liked.
Yeah. I was jealous of Caden Goddamn Jones. I was jealous of how easily he could flirt the night away and never worry about the consequences. His actions wouldn’t let the rest of the team slip and slide. His actions were the same as everyone else’s. He was nobody’s role model.
God. We might have all made a big mistake, huh? I didn’t truly believe it, but the thought wormed into my mind. It wasn’t even a complete, coherent thought. It was a question. Was it worth it? Was any of it worth it?
Caden chuckled at something and reached over, touching the seam of the guy’s shirt sleeve.
He plucked an invisible thread, then used the excuse to rest his hand on the guy’s shoulder.
My beers touched the bar and I went for them at the exact moment when the guy seized the opportunity to touch Caden’s hip.
It was all very smoothly done. I couldn’t give either of them any notes for better execution.
And yet, as the guy leaned in and pushed Caden back, blinding rage filled me.
Their mouths smashed against one another. Caden moved back, bumping into my beer.
I saved most of it, although my right hand was wet when some of the foam flowed over the edge and trickled down the back of my fingers.
“Christ,” I muttered. I looked at the love birds.
The guy was so intent on kissing Caden that he didn’t even look.
Rude. Caden, however, peeled his eyes open, his dark, thick eyelashes framing the bright emeralds of his eyes, and the coolness of his hateful gaze would have killed me on the spot if it hadn’t riled me up so much. “Real fucking classy, dude,” I spat.
Caden let the eye contact linger as he pushed the guy away. “Got a problem?” he demanded softly.
I glanced at the other guy, who was frowning, then back at Caden. “As a matter of fact, yeah, I do. But not with you looking at me while you were making out. You spilled my beer.” I tried for a neutral voice, but I got more annoyed with each passing second.
“Do you know this guy?” the stranger asked.
Caden scoffed. “Don’t worry. We’re friends.”
“Oh, now we’re friends,” I said, voice flat and dripping with contempt.
Somewhere in the distance, a sliver of self-awareness told me to find a peaceful way of exiting this situation.
Just because I was too busy, tired, and distracted to have fun, I didn’t actually have to ruin it for Caden.
But that spark in his deep green eyes when he was making out with a stranger, rubbed me in all the wrong ways.
“Don’t think I don’t see what you’re trying to do, Jones.
” My tone soured as anger bubbled and surfaced.
Caden snorted. “What am I trying to do?”
He knew damn well. I gritted my teeth to tell him plainly, but the fuckboy intruded yet again. “This is too much drama for me, guys.” He shot Caden a disappointed look. “See you ‘round.” He grabbed his drink and then blended into the crowd.
A hand slapped my shoulder, startling me. I stiffened and jerked back to look at Jordan. “Maybe take this shit outside,” he growled. “You’re getting looks.”
“That’s not the worst idea,” Caden agreed. He never took his eyes off of me. “Come on. I’m dying to know what I’ve done wrong this time.”