Chapter 22
Chapter Twenty-Two
Scout
It actually happened. After Silas fucked my brains out in a parking lot, I climbed into his bed and fell asleep in his arms. And then when I woke?
He was still there, though half-awake. A thousand questions flared to life. What did last night mean? Are we a thing? Should we be exclusive?
Silas didn't say a single word, which is rather infuriatingly him. None of my questions are answered. But he leans over and kisses me, ignoring my morning breath to light up all my neurons. It’s so good that I swear, I can still feel it when I press my fingertips to my lips.
After a long shower and dragging myself through the processes of getting dressed and making breakfast, I find Si gone. Pushing out a disappointed breath, I sigh. That was bound to happen, I guess.
My phone buzzes while I'm neck-deep in spreadsheets, tracking recovery metrics that all blur together after the third hour. A text from Silas lights up my screen.
Silas
Street hockey tonight. You're coming.
Not a question. A statement. My stomach does a little flip.
Me
Where?
Silas
West Seattle lot. 6pm. Bring water.
Me
Is this a date?
Silas
It's family.
The word family sits heavy in my chest. I stare at it for a long moment, trying to process what that means. He wants me there for something he does with his brothers, I guess? Choosing to see that as him bringing me into his inner circle could happen.
Scout
Okay. I'll be there.
Trying to focus on my spreadsheets after that proves difficult. Data flows in endless streams in front of me, but I can’t focus. On the best day, I struggle with data analysis. Now my mind keeps drifting back to that one word.
Family.
By six, I'm standing in a cracked asphalt lot in West Seattle that looks like it's seen significantly better days.
Battered hockey nets sit at either end, held together with duct tape and determination.
The surface is more pothole than pavement but being the first one to gripe about it won't happen.
The Huxley brothers are already there when I arrive.
Hunter strips down to a faded t-shirt, hockey stick in hand like an extension of his arm.
Jett winds tape around his blade with the focused precision of someone who's done this ritual a thousand times.
They all put on blacked-out rollerblades.
The corners of my mouth tip up at how seriously they seem to take their street hockey.
To my surprise, Juliet perches on the hood of Hunter's truck looking elegant in jeans and a cream sweater. She spots me first and waves. "Hey girl!"
"Look who actually showed," Jett calls out, eyes narrowing on me with curiosity. "Ice Man brought company?"
I wave awkwardly, suddenly feeling like I'm intruding on something sacred. "Hi. I'm, uh... here."
"Yes you are," Juliet supplies warmly, sliding off the hood to hug me like we're old friends. "I'm really glad you came."
Silas appears at my elbow before I can respond. His hand finds the small of my back, warm and possessive through my shirt. He doesn't say anything, just guides me back to the truck's tailgate. I look up at him, my breath visible in the night air.
"Hi."
One corner of his mouth turns up. "Hi. This looks good on you."
He tugs my hoodie, which is actually his. It's black and grey, Seattle Havoc colors, and enormous on me. The sleeves are pushed up and the hem hits my thighs. I bite my lip, unable to suppress a smile. "Thanks."
"Will you watch?" His gaze anchors me.
"Of course." My smile is meant to be soothing.
Jett whistles low, gaze flicking between us with knowing amusement. "Didn't know you were bringing a plus-one, Ice Man."
"She's wearing my hoodie," Silas says, loud enough for everyone to hear. "That should tell you everything you need to know."
Hunter groans from where he's stretching. "Christ. Here we go."
Juliet's smile is absolutely knowing. She pats the bench beside her. "Come sit with me. Let them posture and be ridiculous."
I sink down gratefully on the truck's gate.
Silas and his brothers take to the cracked asphalt lot like it's Madison Square Garden.
It seems like they have a loose game with no particular positions.
The only goal they seem to have is to be the one to score and they're utterly ruthless with each other, competitive in ways that should probably concern me.
When Hunter drives his elbow into Jett's side and leaves him doubled over while he swoops away, chasing the puck, I cringe.
"Don't worry." Juliet leans toward me. "They play hard but they know better than to do any lasting damage."
"Thanks." I bite my lip. "They're all grown ups, I guess."
"Ehh. Sometimes you wouldn't know it." She winks at me.
For his part, Silas looks lethal out there.He’s controlled aggression skating across cracked pavement like it's smooth ice.
His shirt's already damp with sweat, clinging to his broad shoulders and defined chest. Dirty blond hair under a backwards black baseball cap that should honestly be illegal.
It shows off the sharp angles of his very-kissable jaw.
Those blue-gray eyes are focused and intense as he tracks the puck.
Massive thighs power him across the asphalt with explosive speed.
Every line of his body radiates controlled violence barely leashed.
Watching him check Hunter hard enough to rattle teeth, I see the raw power in his frame.
The way his muscles coil and release with killer precision.
He glances over at the truck occasionally, making sure I'm still there and watching.
My heart does this stupid flip-and-squeeze thing every single time.
"So," Juliet says quietly beside me. “It finally happened?”
I’m blushing too hard to meet her eyes, so I just keep watching the boys. "What happened?"
"You two got together." Juliet's eyes are kind when she looks at me.
"I've known the Huxleys for a while now.
And Silas? He doesn't let people in. He keeps everyone at arm's length.
People call him Ice Man for a reason. Cold and unapproachable, locked down tight.
But he let you in somehow. He thawed for you. "
My lips curve into a soft smile. "I don't know if I'd say that."
"I'd say it." Juliet squeezes my hand. "And I'm glad he found you. He needs someone like you in his life."
I don't know what to say to that. How do I explain that being terrified of being too much for him consumes me? Enzo spent five years telling me I smother people. Now I keep waiting for the moment when Silas realizes I'm not worth the effort because that feels inevitable.
I just paste on a smile and watch as Silas bodies Jett against the low wall, clean and brutal, then looks back at me immediately after. He's making sure I saw, that I'm paying attention.
I did see. God, I saw everything. I shouldn’t find the way he's throwing his weight around and trouncing both his brothers so attractive, but I definitely do. Something about a sweaty alpha male dominating the field just makes me hot and tingly.
They play for another half hour. By the time they finish, all three brothers are drenched in sweat and grinning like idiots. Hunter scores the final goal and Jett throws his stick down in mock outrage.
"Rematch next week," Jett demands. "I can't let Silas win."
"You'll lose again," Hunter says cheerfully. “He’s the best at hockey and we all know it.”
"Fuck off."
Silas skates over to where I'm sitting, breathing hard. "You cold?"
"A little."
He immediately strips off his outer shirt, leaving him in just a damp undershirt. He wraps the other one around my shoulders even though it's sweaty. "Better?"
I tip my face up to him, trying to suppress a grin. "You're disgusting."
"You like it."
He's not wrong. I do like it. The smell of him, being wrapped in another piece of clothing that's unmistakably his. I like the casual way he takes care of me without making it a big deal.
After they clean up, we pile into the corner booth of a greasy spoon diner I've never been to called Ria's Bluebird Café.
The place has cracked vinyl seats, a U-shaped counter with worn barstools, and laminated menus sticky with decades of use.
A waitress with gray hair and tired eyes calls everyone hon without discrimination.
She shoos us toward a huge round booth at the back.
Hunter drapes an arm around Juliet's shoulders, as easy as breathing.
She leans into him automatically, fitting against his side like she was designed for that exact space.
Jett keeps ordering chocolate milkshakes just to irritate the waitress.
She keeps shooting him dirty looks every time he asks for another.
Silas slides into the booth and I follow. He immediately presses against me, thigh to thigh, massive and warm and silent.
"So," Jett says, lifting his coffee mug. "You're really living with this grump? On purpose?"
"Temporarily," I say, then feel Silas tense beside me. "I think?"
"Temporarily?" Silas echoes. But his hand finds mine under the table and squeezes it. "Or maybe not."
My pulse jumps hard.
"Be nice to her," Hunter mutters around a mouthful of fries. "She's brave for putting up with you."
"Or completely insane," Jett adds, a teasing smirk on his lips. "There's really no in-between."
"Seriously, shut up." Juliet reaches across the table to swat Jett's arm. "Stop terrorizing her. They're sweet together."
"Sweet," Jett repeats like he's never heard the word before. He shakes his head in wonder. "Silas Huxley. Sweet. I never thought I'd live to see the day."
Silas glares at him with zero real heat. Jett just grins wider, completely unfazed.
The banter flows easy after that, comfortable in the way that only comes from years of knowing. They tease each other mercilessly and share stories I only half understand because I wasn't there for the context. Silas interrupts several times to explain inside jokes when I look confused.