Chapter Two
Jovian
It is early, and I can’t sleep. I can’t get her out of my mind.
It pisses me off that I can’t stop thinking about her.
Usually, we guys have a game night, but Hunter, Connor, Kip, and Mateo all spent their evening helping her.
It’s just like them to kiss ass, though.
I think what pisses me off the most is the fact that her stepfather got her the job.
Ray is a good guy, but he’s a fucking pushover.
The last assistant we had in here nearly broke up the team.
She was a gold-digging puck bunny and turned us all against each other.
Elijah and I have never fought until her, and we will be damned if that happens again.
Eli hasn’t said much, but we seem to stay on the same wavelength with this shit.
He and I have known each other since middle school and have done everything together.
We played hockey from the moment we met.
We’ve done everything together, including college.
I step into shorts before walking downstairs. As I am walking past the bathroom, Elijah steps out. “Morning,” he says. “Going to get breakfast?”
“Mhmm,” I say. I wave and walk down the stairs, and hear noise coming from the kitchen.
“God. She’s a fucking morning person,” I say, rolling my eyes. “We’ve got to get rid of her. We don’t need a fucking assistant.”
“Whatcha thinking?” Elijah asks.
“Just make her life hell,” I say. “Push it as far as we can, and she will run away.”
When we walk into the kitchen, Ari is at the counter beside the stove, looking at her laptop.
Her long, dark blonde hair is down today, falling in curls down her back.
She has loose-fitting shorts and a simple black tank top on.
We watch her for a second. Elijah drops his phone on the island, and she yelps as she nearly jumps out of her skin.
That panicked look in her eyes makes me smile.
What better way to get rid of the bitch than to scare her away?
“No one eats turkey bacon,” I say, nodding to the stove.
“Then starve,” she snaps and turns around.
“Well, maybe you’re not a morning person.
” I laugh. As I’m watching her type, I cock my head to the side when I notice she’s missing her pinky finger.
What level of hell do you go to for making fun of someone for the sake of getting them the fuck out of your house?
I walk up behind her, and her entire body stiffens, and she stops typing.
“Jovi,” I say, reaching past her to point at her screen. “I go by Jovi.”
“Good to know,” she says simply. “I assume Eli?” I heard Kip call him that yesterday.
“Yep,” Elijah says.
“A smart puck bunny. How rare,” I say, running my fingers through a curl. She spins around just to stare at me, and if looks could kill, I would be six feet under right now.
“Will you back the fuck up?” she scolds. I narrow my eyes at her before leaning in closer. Her breath catches beautifully in her throat when I reach up to open the cabinet behind her. I take my time grabbing a coffee cup for Elijah and me before shutting it back and stepping away.
“You’re awfully jumpy,” I say.
“Are you always an asshole?” she asks.
“Are you always so defensive?” I counter. “You come into our house, and suddenly you think you belong here? You are a fucking Titan.”
“I do belong here because it’s my fucking job.” She stands her ground and props her hands on her hips.
“Not for long,” Elijah says.
“Maybe that head injury of yours made you forget a few things, but Titans don’t make it for very long around here,” I say, my tone laced with venom.
“Did you just threaten me?” she asks.
“And if I did?” I ask. “Not like you are in any condition to fight back.” Fear flashes in her eyes, and I chuckle. This is going to be easier than I thought.
“Morning!” Kip says happily as he walks into the kitchen. “Why the frown?”
“Just not a morning person,” she says with a meek voice. I smirk at Elijah, and he chuckles to himself as he shakes his head at me.
“Is that turkey bacon?” Hunter asks.
“Yeah,” she says. “I can make something else if y’all don’t…”
“Nah. It’s okay,” Hunter says. “Thank you.”
“No problem. Thank you, guys, for helping me. Even though I didn’t need the help.”
“You did, but that’s okay,” Mateo laughs.
“Help with what?” I ask.
“Unpacking,” she says simply.
“If you needed help unpacking, how the fuck are you supposed to do your job?” Elijah asks.
“You’ve known her for all of twenty-four hours, and you are already being an asshole,” Connor says. “Can you at least try not to be mean?”
“It’s fine,” Ari says as she takes the pan off the stove and picks up her laptop. “I’m going to go back upstairs. Everything is on a tray in the oven.”
“Aren’t you going to eat?” Hunter asks.
“I already ate,” she says with a forced smile. “I’ll meet you guys at practice. I’ll share the calendar with everyone, also.”
I shrug when she scurries out of the room and turn to the full coffee pot. “What the fuck is your problem?” Kip snaps at Elijah.
“Just because you want to fuck everything that moves doesn’t mean we do,” Elijah says simply. “She looks desperate enough. I’ll give it two days, and she’ll give it up.”
I turn around just in time to see Kip grab Elijah and shove him back against the counter. “Hey. Knock it off,” I say harshly. “The last thing we need is a goddamn repeat of last season. If you four want to do all of that over again with her, fine. We aren’t required to like her.”
“You aren’t required to be so fucking mean either,” Hunter says.
“I haven’t done shit,” I say.
“Oh? So, you didn’t just intentionally scare her?” Connor asks me.
“Not my fault, she is jumpy,” I say. “If she can’t handle it, she shouldn’t be here.”
“Whatever,” Connor says. “Fuck off someplace else.”
“Okay.” I shrug, grab my coffee, and go back upstairs.
As I get to my bedroom door, I hear sniffling in Ari’s room.
I step over and quietly push her door open more to find her with her head between her hands, with her elbows on her knees, as she sits cross-legged on the bed.
I lean against the doorframe and sip on my coffee while I watch her.
She is rocking herself back and forth, and I wonder if she is crazy or if I really did scare her.
Should I feel bad about that? I want to check on her, because I’m not a fucking monster, but I am also not going to give the impression that I give a fuck, because I don’t.
The quicker she is gone, the less likely we are to all fight again.
After a few minutes, I turn to leave. “If my choice is getting hurt again or leaving, I’ll leave,” she says before I can get more than a step out of the door.
I turn back and step into the room to see that she is standing now.
Her eyes are red and puffy. I set my cup on the table by the door before walking toward her.
She automatically steps back against the wall but keeps eye contact with me.
“I’ll scream if you put your hands on me. ”
She presses herself back against the wall as I place my hands on either side of her so that we are inches apart. Her beautiful blue eyes sparkle from the unshed tears. When one breaks free and rolls down her cheek, I gently swipe it away with my thumb.
“If you are looking for fear, you won’t find any,” she says quietly. “I’m not afraid of you.”
“You should be,” I say. “This is going to go one of two ways, Ari. Either you pack your shit and run back to the Titans, or I’ll have you on your knees for me.”
“I don’t beg,” she says bitterly.
“Oh, but you will,” I say softly. “They all do.”
“Get out of my room,” she demands.
“You look so brave with tears in your eyes, Ari. Will you cry for me when I have my cock down your throat?” I ask, leaning in to whisper in her ear. When I pull back, she slaps me across the face. Fire sears my skin, and I grin. She has a hell of a hit for being so tiny.
“Get out,” she growls. “Now.”
“See you at practice,” I say as I scan her body. I make note of how her legs are pressed together and grin. “You should take care of how turned on you are. I’d hate for you to be distracted from your job.”
“Out,” she says again, pointing to the door.
The anger in her eyes lacks fear, and that just won’t do. She is tougher than I gave her credit for, but everyone breaks if you bend them far enough.