2. Two
TWO
J ax
I scroll through KRU’s website on my phone. Harley Jules Thomas. Age twenty, born October 31st, 2003. She’s majoring in statistics and on track to receiving her PhD. A blonde bombshell born on my favorite fucking holiday. I grip my phone in my hand hard enough to crack the screen.
Where my father had to pay my way into Professor Gordon’s course, and not due to my lack of brains either, Harley Jules Thomas was requested to join the class. Professor Gordon definitely got her rocks off over this power play. Almost as if she knew that letting a new student into the course mid-semester would piss me off.
Didn’t help that she ended up being in every last one of my classes. And now she’s in the library, sitting two tables down from my spot. I can’t find any more information on this girl other than her name and birthdate, not for lack of trying either. I shoot off a text to Justin, telling him to dig up the dirt. The hacker, who just so happens to be one of my betas, will get me all the information I need.
I watch her pen skate across the page. She’s switched pens four different times and hummed the same song on a never-ending loop. It’s infuriatingly adorable, making me want to punish her for it.
There’s something about her that makes me irrationally angry. Whether it be the intrigue with her intelligence or the fact that she is the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen in my entire life, I can’t seem to think straight.
Tight blonde curls that are unruly and untamed. Rosy red lips that are plush and appear to be as soft as velvet. I couldn’t help but notice the small freckle trying to hide in the cupid's bow of her upper lip. Or the dusting of freckles only covering her perfectly straight nose. Not to mention her ocean blue eyes, swimming with her vivacious personality and challenge.
The challenge in her eyes is the most intriguing. Almost like she is daring me to torment her.
I can’t help but wonder what those pretty blue eyes would look like filling with tears while her delectable lips stretch around my cock.
I grit my teeth, forcing the muscle in my jaw to jump under the pressure of my clenched jaw. I inhale a steadying breath, only for my senses to be invaded by a sugary, vanilla-honey scent. She smells like a freshly baked fucking cookie.
Her pen stills in the air, the humming cut short. She slowly raises her chin, eyes meeting mine. Her nostrils flare briefly.
“What?” she asks quietly. There’s a small bite in her tone, but otherwise the word comes out timid.
I lift my shoulder. “Curious.” My voice comes out thick with my disdain.
“About?” She drags out the middle of the word, enunciating the T with her growing irritation.
“You, Davidson,” I drawl.
Something flashes in her eyes, too quickly for me to know what. She drops her pen, bringing both her hands to her lap. “My name isn’t Davidson,” she says sharply.
“Close enough,” I clip.
My phone vibrates with an incoming text. I open it, only glancing long enough to see the name that tells me everything I need to know about this girl.
“So, does Davidson really have the brains to back up Gordon’s reasoning, or did daddy’s checkbook get you into her class?”
She slams her textbook closed, swiftly shoving everything back into her backpack. “Clearly you’ve already made your assumptions about me thanks to my last name,” she snaps bitterly. “Therefore, I see no point in addressing where you’re wrong. If telling yourself that my father’s checkbook is the reason that I’m here helps you sleep better at night, then be my guest and believe it.”
I watch her rise from the chair, slinging the bag over her shoulder. Instead of responding, I raise an eyebrow at her. I can hear her pulse kick up just before she silently taunts me back. Her eyes narrow, a blonde eyebrow ticking up, daring me the same way she did in statistics this morning.
She turns around, shaking her head as she heads toward the exit. I force my eyes to stay glued to the mass of tight curls bobbing with each step she takes away from me. When she’s out of sight, I drop my attention back down to my phone.
Justin provided me with an airtight reason to do everything in my power to make her run as far away from the school as she can get. Not only did she transfer here from BCU, but I am well acquainted with who her father is. His name mocks me from where it stares at me from my phone screen.
Charles Thomas, CEO of Thomas Enterprises.
He’s a dirty businessman who’s been trying to poach my family’s company for years. A company that I have the privilege of running one day. I’ve busted my ass to get where I am and as soon as I get my degree, I’m guaranteed a position on the board of Stonewolf Corporations.
Harley Jules Thomas has just become the prey and I’m the fucking predator.
My skates touch the ice, and a sense of peace falls over me. I’m a few minutes late, meaning my entire team is already out here. They’ve started their pre-practice warm-up. Our goalie stands up from his position in front of the net, giving me a nod as his greeting.
Ross Ryan Randal, commonly known as Triple R or Trip on the ice, is our goalie. He’s one of the best in our division. He was wanted by several schools to play on their team, but we grew up together. He wanted to go where I went. Seeing as he’s my best friend and my number one beta in the pack, I have no problem with him staying by my side. He’s the brother I never had.
The rest of my first line are also my beta’s. Quinton Pierce and Declan Jameson are the two first line defensemen. On the ice, they are steadfast, aggressive, and skate together in harmony. Then there’s Thing One and Thing Two, Jace and Justin Mathews. Identical twin brothers who have been skating since the day they could walk. They are the right and left wingers.
“Cap is here,” Quinton announces.
I kick off with a sharp blade, launching myself to the neutral zone. Ross meets me out in the center of the rink with the rest of the guys. His goalie pads make him appear three times larger than he already is, causing him to look like he stepped straight off Jack's beanstalk. But protection is vital when standing in front of that goal.
“You meet Harley?” he asks.
His question startles me, considering she has only been here one day. And despite not wanting to have any sort of feelings toward the menace at all, a sick twist of jealousy curls in my spine.
“How do you know her?” I snap out.
“Ran into her this morning. She was lost on her way to your statistics class,” he explains, his eyebrows raised from my response.
“Oh. Yeah, I met her.” My tone is clipped, but I force a lightness to it. And then my lips twist into a smug smirk.
“Uh oh,” Jace says.
“Oof. What did you do to that poor girl?” Justin starts.
“I haven’t done anything to her,” I admit. “Yet.”
They all stare at me in disbelief. Rolling my eyes, I cross my arms over my chest, waiting for someone to speak up.
“Not a single thing?” Justin asks, as if knowing there had to be something.
“I maybe gave her a nickname. But otherwise, I have done nothing.” I shrug nonchalantly.
Ross’s eyebrows raise more, disappearing into the hair under his helmet. “A nickname?”
Rubbing my jaw, I mumble, “Davidson.”
“Jesus, man,” Ross groans. “She’s not a bike.”
“Yeah, well, she’s crazy smart. Even Professor Gordon bragged about her in front of the entire class.” I point a gloved finger at my chest. “I’m supposed to be the crazy smart one.”
Quinton chuckles, “Poor Caps ego is taking a big hit.”
Jace leans his chin on the tip of his hockey stick. “What’s she look like?”
Before I can answer, Ross says, “Short. Blonde. Hot.”
That sick wave of jealousy wraps around me again.
“Watch it,” I growl.
All five of them stare at me, and Declan finally speaks up, muttering, “Cap also thinks she’s hot.”
“I do not,” I argue. Backtracking, I add, “I just don’t need any of you fuckers trying to give her a reason to stay.”
Declan scoffs, “Yeah, okay. Tell me, Jax, did you look at her all day? Think about her every second?”
“No,” I lie.
“Liar,” all of them say in unison.
“Fuck off. Are we here to play, or are we here to gossip?”
Jace looks around at the other four. “Our captain has a crush on the super nerd, so…” he trails off.
And together they all say, “Gossip.”
Assholes .
“Look.” I take my glove off, running my hand through my hair. “Do I think she’s hot? Absolutely. That doesn’t change the fact that she’s the daughter of Charles Thomas. And if you need a refresher, that’s the sleazebag who treats all his employees like garbage and has been actively trying to poach my family’s company for years. It doesn’t matter if she’s hot or how fucking good she might smell.”
Ross shakes his head. Declan rolls his eyes. Quinton’s eyebrows raise. The twins just give me the same bored expression.
Then Quinton questions, “She smells good, ay?”
The five of them burst into laughter. I skate backwards, placing my helmet on just as the rest of the team joins us on the ice.
“I hate you guys,” I call out.
“Nah, Cap. You love us!” Jace says, securing his own helmet.
The assistant coach steps out onto the ice. Penelope Anderson is the newest addition to our team. She’s a complete hard-ass when it comes to drills. Her whistle blows loudly in the arena.
“Alright boys, go ahead and play a practice game to start. Stone, I want you to run the plays for both teams. Call them out to each team. And keep it clean,” she instructs.
“Yes coach,” everyone says clearly.
Hockey sticks hit the ice. Players scatter to their positions. Coach drops the puck in the neutral zone, and we set off. I love it when practice starts out with a practice game. It gives me and the coaches an idea about what needs to be worked on throughout the week before a game.
“Alright Wolves,” I shout, getting us ready for a solid start.
Practice goes by fast. My calculus homework takes me an hour to finish later that night. And the entire time I’m doing it, I can hear Harley softly humming.
She’s a distraction.
That much is clear.
Meaning she has definitely got to go.