Chapter 12 #2
I toss up my middle finger at him. “At least I own a set of wheels.”
Ashton shifts in his seat. “I own a bike. It has a set of wheels.”
Nova glances at him, and I’m biting my lip, trying not to laugh. “You never told me you owned a motorcycle. That’s hot!” she squeals.
I hate to burst her little fantasy, but that isn’t what he means. “He owns a bicycle.”
“Oh,” Nova says and giggles. “That’s cute, too.”
Ashton huffs under his breath and glances out the window.
“You were just dying to ruin it for him, weren’t you?” Bristol asks.
I laugh under my breath. “You think you know everything about me.” I want to tell her how wrong she is, but she did hit the mark on that one.
Reaching out for Bristol, my hand grazes her thigh, my fingers caressing over her jeans, wishing she were wearing a lot less right now.
I glance at her, and her tongue darts out, striking the corner of her lips.
Damn, she looks hot.
I adjust myself in my seat, doing my best not to get a hard-on while driving her back to my place. That can happen later, assuming we’re on good terms.
Honestly, I don’t know where we stand.
We probably need to talk after the little spat this evening, with her threatening to break up with me if I showed up on campus.
Well, guess who didn’t listen?
My firebreather sure has a mouth on her, one I’d love to teach a little lesson to.
We arrive back at the house, and Luca and Harper are lounging on the couch watching a movie. They pause it when we come inside.
“How is everyone?” Luca untangles from Harper, standing up to greet us. He breathes a sigh of relief when he lays eyes on my sister, Sophia.
Luca pulls her in for a hug and I can’t help but watch the exchange a little too closely. “Remember who you’re married to,” I grumble at him.
He raises an eyebrow. “I can’t be relieved your sister is safe?”
Something has always struck me as odd with those two. For the longest time, Luca and Sophia would hang out when she’d visit on weekends. Then, one day, it was like they couldn’t even look at one another.
I know he wasn’t stupid enough to sleep with my twin sister.
They’re like two magnets pushing away from each other.
Magnetic repulsion.
But what the hell would have caused that?
I always chalked it up to him making some lame dick joke and her being too sophisticated to deal with his antics.
But now, the sudden concern has the hairs on my arms standing on end.
Luca hurries over to give Bristol a hug as well. This one looks far more forced. “I’m so glad you’re safe.” Like he’s trying to explain away his rushing over to Sophia to embrace her.
I glance at Harper and raise an eyebrow. “You don’t find this,” I gesture at Luca, “a bit odd?”
“My husband is always a bit odd,” Harper says with a wide smile.
If she does find it unsettling, she doesn’t let on.
She’s certainly better at hiding things than I am. I mean, she had a kid, and no one knew for the longest time.
Women and their damn secrets.
“Tell us what happened,” Harper says, her hands running down Luca’s arm as she gently coaxes him back to the sofa to sit with her.
He pulls her onto his lap, making room on the sofa for others to sit.
Bristol exhales a heavy sigh and points to the kitchen. “Do you mind if I grab a glass of water?”
“I’ll get it for you,” I offer. “Anyone else want anything?”
I grab Bristol a bottle of water from the fridge and myself one as well.
Ashton and Nova grab the loveseat in the living room.
Sophia collapses into the giant beanbag chair on the floor. “I could use some weed,” she says, glancing around. “I forgot my pen back at the dorm.”
“We don’t have any, sorry. Just beer and some wine coolers in the fridge,” Harper says.
I toss a bottle of water at Bristol and she catches it.
“Since when do you vape?” I glance at my twin. This is news to me. Hell, I didn’t even know she touched weed until thirty seconds ago.
Me? Zero chance I’d try that stuff. We get drug tested regularly on the team. If I had any of that stuff in my system, I’d be punished.
I love hockey way too much to take any chances.
Sophia glares at me; she can tell I’m silently judging her. Maybe I shouldn’t be. She has been through hell, but I still don’t think her using drugs is going to help her right now or in the long run.
“I only use it when I’m stressed and right now—” She gives me a look that says for me to shut the hell up.
Harper offers a faint smile and tries to stifle a yawn. “Do you want to talk about what happened?”
Sophia tugs her bottom lip between her teeth. “Not particularly.”
Bristol motions for me to come sit with her on the sofa.
I grab a seat next to her, stretching my arm along the back of the couch. We’re making progress if she still wants me around.
“So, what happened earlier tonight, with the reporters?” I ask, glancing from Bristol to Sophia, trying to change the subject.
“They saved my life, I guess,” Bristol says and folds her hands together in her lap, glancing down, her voice barely above a whisper. “Otherwise, I’d have been in the student center with Sophia.”
There’s hesitation on her part, and I catch Harper yawning and trying to try stay awake. She’s got dark circles under her eyes, fighting sleep.
Luca whispers something into Harper’s ear, probably telling her to go to bed. They turn off the television and Harper stands. “I’m going to retire for the night. Zeke is going to wake up in a couple of hours anyhow.”
“Good luck,” I say. “Have a good night.”
They head toward their bedroom, leaving the five of us hanging out in the living room.
“And the reporters?” I ask again. “What was all that about? Why were they attacking you?”
Sophia raises an eyebrow. “I’m not sure attacking is the right word. They were bombarding her with questions about the Ice Dragons and other stuff.” Sophia and Bristol exchange a silent look.
“Why?” I don’t understand.
“Remember how Dad was going to make the announcement about the team moving at the end of the season to Montana? Well, I guess they’re blaming it on me.” Bristol exhales a breath and glances at the television, which is off.
She’s avoiding making eye contact with me.
“Why would they blame it on you?” I pull her against me, dropping a kiss to the side of her forehead. “You’re not responsible for your father’s actions.”
Bristol shuffles on the sofa, leaning back against my chest as she stretches her legs out. My arm wraps around her waist, embracing her.
“Enough about me,” Bristol glances at Sophia. “You were smart, hiding in the bathroom.”
“I literally had to go pee. I just happened to be in there when the shooting happened.” She fiddles with her fingers, picking at her nails anxiously.
Nova glances at Sophia, her voice soft. “I heard the assailant didn’t come to the student center with the intent to shoot up the school. There was an altercation between two students—”
Sophia nods slowly. “Yeah, I heard the fight on the way to the bathroom. Two guys were screaming at each other over a girl. Apparently, one of them brought a loaded gun.”
“That’s terrible,” Nova says, shaking her head. “Do we know how many injuries?”
We’d seen the police cars blocking the area and ambulances, but I hadn’t seen anyone being driven away. By the time we arrived, it was over. I didn’t know if the gunman had been apprehended or killed.
“Three people were shot,” Bristol says. “I saw it on the news in my dorm.”
“The two who were fighting and then a bystander who tried to intervene,” Sophia says.
While I’m relieved that it hadn’t been a madman who’d gone in shooting, intending to cause the most amount of harm and deaths as possible, there were still three people shot. “Any word on if they survived the shooting?” I ask.
Bristol and Sophia shake their heads.
“I haven’t heard anything yet,” Sophia says, glancing at her phone.
Bristol shifts off me, and already I miss her warmth. I reach out for her, my hand grazing her hip. “I’m going to head to bed,” she whispers. “Should I make up the couch or can I sleep with you?”
“You’re in my bed tonight.” I stand and grab her bag, bringing it into my bedroom for her to sort through and get ready for bed.
I leave Bristol alone while I head out to the hall closet and pull out an extra pillow and blanket for Sophia, leaving the items for her on the couch. “If you need anything—”
“Not my first slumber party,” Sophia says. “I know where everything is. Thanks, Liam.”
“Goodnight, sis.” I nod toward Ashton and Nova. “Night,” I say and head for my bedroom. The door is closed, and I give a quiet knock.
“Come in,” Bristol answers.
She’s already in my bed, the sheets pulled up as she’s leaning on the wall, propped up with pillows, reading a book.
“Anything good?” I ask, glancing at the book title.
“It’s a paranormal romance about a tarot reading card witch and—”
Chuckling, I hold up a hand, cutting her off. “Why am I not surprised?”
“What?” She stares at me, a faint smile on her lips.
I lean forward, capturing her mouth, stealing a taste before pulling back. “I thought you were tired?”
“I was tired of talking about what happened tonight.” Bristol stares at me and puts the book down while I get undressed.
“Now, you decide to stop reading?” I ask, noticing her attention is entirely on me while I strip out of my clothes.
“Trust me, this book pales in comparison to your naked ass.” She gestures for me to do a twirl, and she whistles at me suggestively.
I’m glad to know she isn’t mad about earlier.
Personally, I’m not too thrilled about her threatening to break up with me, but I’m not sure bringing it up now, after the night she just had, is the best idea either.
Timing is everything.
I don’t want to push her away or lose her. I change into a fresh pair of boxers and glance her over. All I can see is a t-shirt that she’s wearing, and as I get closer to the bed, I realize it’s my t-shirt.