Chapter 5
Cole
A woman.
Where in the hell was I going to come up with a woman if only to create the pretense that I was a well-rounded dude for the coach?
As I jumped from my truck, I thought about the gorgeous woman from the gym. While I wasn’t a hundred percent certain, I could swear she was the same one who’d sung the national anthem at the game. What were the odds? Maybe an angel had come to shine her light on me.
Hell, I was sounding more and more like Samantha.
But… what if I was right? At least I believed in karma, enough to convince her to go out on a date with me.
That would be a start. Fake dating I wasn’t into, and I could tell by the girl’s attitude she hadn’t been impressed in the least. What wasn’t there to be impressed about?
I raked my fingers through my hair, doing a little sidestep that was cocky as fuck as I headed down the street toward the house. My ridiculous self-stroking didn’t last long. No wonder I’d been forced to park a block away. The driveway and both sides of the street were filled with vehicles.
Well, shit. My roommates had decided to throw an impromptu party.
There was nothing worse than being the host. Between the trash and the stink of stale cigar smoke, stale beer, and in the case of two parties, piss, the sacrifice wasn’t worth the benefit.
Besides, the dudes were all crazy as fuck, chugging liquor as if a contest.
And it usually was.
Maybe I shouldn’t have taken that drive to clear my head after meeting with the coach.
What annoyed me more than what the coach had said was how I’d reacted when passing Jagger in the corridor.
We’d gotten into a pissing contest, which had turned into a few nasty words said.
We were just lucky our behavior hadn’t ended in blows.
As I opened the door and walked in, I was hit with thoughts about suspension and with the familiar fragrance of perfume.
They’d invited chicks to the party.
The music was booming, the bass loud enough the entire floor was vibrating. I appreciated hearing bands like Anthrax and Periphery like everyone else, but Christ, could they keep the volume down?
Every surface was covered with beer cans and red plastic Solo cups.
Apparently, someone had raided a grocery store for junk food.
There were open bags of chips and cookies everywhere.
I stood where I was, surveying the scene and wondering why I hadn’t decided to stay in my parents’ house.
Oh, yeah. Because I was a fully grown adult.
You couldn’t tell that by the condition of the house.
“There’s the man.” Darren was lounging on the couch, sandwiched between two women.
Yeah, they were hot blondes, which was exactly what turned him on, but I already sensed the evening becoming messy.
Somehow, I’d become the house janitor. “We were thinking we’d need to send a search party out for your sorry ass.
” He took a long pull on his beer while staring at me.
All while the women were rubbing their hands down his chest.
“I had some thinking to do. I’m going to grab a beer.”
“Get me another one, will ya? What were you saying, sweet Ginger?” He leaned over, kissing her crimson-stained lips and for whatever reason, his actions made me jealous. That wasn’t like me.
“I was saying you don’t have any Christmas decorations. Not one,” the girl cooed in return.
We were roommates and while we enjoyed each other’s company most of the time, we weren’t some big happy family.
The place was more like a frat house instead of a three-story dwelling in the middle of the suburbs graciously rented to us by a nice, older gentleman with way too much money and an adoration for all things hockey.
Still, it suited us perfectly with enough rooms to accommodate our needs, including when chicks dropped by and a big-ass man’s cave on the bottom floor complete with pool and foosball tables, a dartboard, and a long bar always filled with enough liquor for every impromptu party.
While Darren was actively trying to think of a plausible reason why none of us were in the holiday mood, I headed to the kitchen. I grabbed a few cups along the way for the trash. The main events of debauchery were likely occurring downstairs.
When I walked in, I noticed Hudson standing with both Zane and Finn, Hudson holding court with going over what to expect from the Reno team.
I wasn’t interested in talking shop any longer, but listened in anyway.
Maybe I was a little louder than need be, but there was just as much unnecessary junk on every inch of counter space as there’d been on the table.
Bottles clinked together as I tossed them into the trash, one or more obviously cracking under the force. Hudson gave me a frustrated look.
While I didn’t mind the occasional party, I was tired of being the hired help.
Plus, the make-out sessions were getting entirely too old.
We weren’t in college any longer. No one liked to talk about the ugly truth, but we were all at an age where if we weren’t picked up by an NHL team within the next year and a half, we should shift to our alternate careers.
For me that meant working in my family’s sawmill. Not a bad occupation by any means and one day, I’d be part owner of an extremely successful business, but it certainly wasn’t what I wanted.
Although there were times I wasn’t entirely certain what I wanted. Even hockey hadn’t been my first choice like it had been with my older brothers. Every day it felt as if I was moving farther away from grasping anything about my wants and needs.
“So you really think they are unbeatable?” Finn asked. He was much more demure than when on the ice, his wild, unpredictable behavior on skates giving him the name of Cujo. Plus, he’d been known to growl at our opponents any time he was given the opportunity.
“Just check their stats, man,” Hudson commented, tiling his head toward me in a nod.
Zane was ferociously shaking his head. “They have shit for defense. I’m telling you that if Jagger will keep his friggin’ act together, it’ll be a landslide.”
“If. That’s the big question.” Nope. I shouldn’t have joined the conversation. I could tell all three were ready to jump all over what I’d just said.
“Now, why would you say that?” Finn asked, his grin more shit-eating than usual.
“Call it a guess,” I answered. With my reaction to being asked to be co-captain being so cold, I could only imagine what his would be.
“He’s not so bad. Just wound up like you are.” Zane laughed, winking as he did. Always teasing me. The bastard.
I pulled the bottle to my lips. “Yeah, he’s wound up alright.”
Hudson’s frown was almost amusing. He knew me better than anyone, which meant he was about to grill me to find out why the surly attitude.
Finn and Zane exchanged glances, both waggling their eyebrows. Okay, so I got on my soapbox from time to time, but I was usually right.
“How about a game of pool?” Finn asked Zane, both already headed to the kitchen doorway.
“Yeah, man,” Zane commented. “Sounds like it’ll hit the spot right now.”
Hudson snorted. “Way to clear a room, buddy.”
“Only speaking the truth as I see it.”
He settled onto the corner of the counter, eyeing me suspiciously. “What did the coach say?”
“Let’s see. That management wanted to suspend me. That I needed to get a hobby, or at minimum a girlfriend to take the edge off. Oh, and that he was making me co-captain of the team.”
“That’s fantastic.” His eyes lit up, but only briefly. “Wait a minute. What do you mean co-captain?”
“You heard me. Three guesses about who the other co-captain is and the first two don’t count.” Being the captain meant a whole lot of babysitting.
“You’re fucking kidding me. Jagger?”
I glanced out the passthrough into the living room, double checking I didn’t see his ugly face. “Yes, Jagger. Now how in the hell am I supposed to deal with that shit?”
He almost doubled over with laughter. “That is going to be so fun to watch.”
“Very funny.”
Darren skidded into the room. “Hey. Do either of you know if the old man kept any Christmas decorations here? The girls would love to see some festive light.” The poor guy who’d rented us the house could soon reconsider his decision.
My buddy was more than half drunk. I rolled my eyes, nodding toward the set of stairs I could see from where I was standing. “I think there are some in the attic.”
“Oh, hell, yeah. Come on, girls. Let’s go create an uptown party.”
Were they really going to do a dance up the stairs? If only alcohol had that kind of effect on me, enough to blur out reality for a little while. That wasn’t possible given my wolf’s metabolism.
While the girls squealed, Hudson moved so we were standing shoulder to shoulder, even tilting our heads as we gawked at their antics.
Darren was the practical joker of our group.
“Are there really decorations in the attic?” Hudson asked, trying to curtail his laughter.
“How the hell would I know?”
We both burst out laughing. Darren was also one gullible son of a bitch.
“That’s shit about Jagger, but who knows. Maybe you’ll learn to get along.”
“You really don’t think he’s such a bad guy?” I was curious as to his answer.
He shrugged and pitched his empty bottle into the already overflowing trash. “I’ve talked to him a couple of times. Honestly, I think he’s going through some shit just like all of us. Maybe give him a chance to prove your theory wrong.”
“Yeah, I don’t think I have a choice.”
The way my housemate rubbed his jaw meant something was stewing in that twisted brain of his. “The coach is right about one thing. You do need to get laid.”
“Very funny. That’s not what he was talking about.”
“Then what?”
“He really thinks I should have a girlfriend. To ground me. To take the edge off.”
He continued stroking his stubble while nodding. “That could work. Just imagine how cool it would be to come home from every game and have her waiting for you in a skimpy negligee.”
“Like hell I’d allow that to happen. Not in this freaking house!”
“Please,” he chided, tilting his head from side to side. “Yeah, maybe you’re right. Are you going to take the coach’s advice?”
A few sizzling images popped into my mind, all about the sultry woman from the gym. Her dazzling sea-green eyes glittering with flecks of gold, the way the sunlight coming in through the frosted glass highlighted her copper hair and her voluptuous body when pressed against mine… “Maybe.”
Hudson was way too thoughtful, which meant he was about to do something stupid that could easily get us into trouble.
“What?”
“Maybe we need to resort to something unusual to find your perfect mate.”
Mate. Maybe my buddy didn’t understand the term held an entirely different meaning than he was thinking. Then again, knowing my buddy, the man who would volunteer to become a shifter if possible, that’s exactly what he was thinking.
“I might have someone in mind.” I knew instantly when I’d opened my mouth, Hudson would jump all over it.
“Who?” The grin following the question was followed by him acting like a total jerk, his suave expression only working with the ladies. “Well, fuck. The girl who sang the national anthem.”
A guest stumbled into the kitchen, acting as if he lived in the house, checking every cabinet until he found a shot glass then stealing the tequila bottle.
“She had the voice of an angel, but as your girlfriend?” Hudson didn’t bother waiting until the dude left.
“Don’t say it. She’s way out of my league. It’s all crap anyway. Having a girlfriend isn’t going to calm me down.”
“Maybe not, but it might appease the coach for a little while until you can check yourself.”
Check myself. I knew exactly what the coach was worried about. Additional notoriety by having yet another shifter on his team. He’d already taken his share of crap because of my brother Ford being on the roster. “I’ll think about it.”
His eyes lit up seconds later as if a firecracker had been shoved up his ass, which prompted him to smack his hand on the counter. “I have the perfect solution.”
I winced visibly. “Do I want to know?”
“We’ll hold auditions.”
“Are you crazy?” I wagged my finger in front of his face. “Not a chance in hell.”
He backed away, laughing as he threw his hands up. Yeah, the dude needed to protect his handsome mug because if he wasn’t careful, I’d rearrange his chiseled European nose. “It’s perfect. Me and the guys will do all the hard work and you can swoop in and grade them on a scale of one to five.”
“You asshole.” I punched his arm. “You just want the leftovers.”
“Hey, I don’t have any issues getting a girl.” His eyebrows suddenly furrowed. “What the hell?”
“What?” I followed his line of sight to where he was staring out the window. We both leaned over the counter. “Are those Christmas lights on the ground?”
Hudson snorted. “I think so. What the hell is the crazy son of a bitch doing?”
We both rushed to the front door, completely aware Darren was one crazy son of a bitch when he had a couple of shots of tequila in him.
Backing away, I glanced at the third-floor deck, hoping that was the location where he dropped the lights. Nope. The two girls from before were coaching him, actively pointing to an area on the very steep sloped roof where he should place the lights.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I mumbled the words while I grew angry. What a stupid, reckless thing to do.
“What the fuck?” Hudson yelled, which of course drew Darren’s attention. “What are you doing?”
“What does it look like I’m doing?” Darren was slurring his words. This wasn’t going to turn out well. “Can you toss me those lights?”
“Darren. Get down. The roof might be slick.” I knew instantly my tempered warning would do just the opposite.
As a few more guys gathered around, Darren decided to do the unthinkable and sway his hips while doing a little dance.
Not the thing to do. Unfortunately, he was just about to learn a lesson in gravity.
The hard way.
As he flew off the roof, I closed my eyes even as his body slammed against the ground, his anguished grunt cutting through the night sky.
There wasn’t a single one of us who didn’t groan just before Hudson’s announcement.
“Someone call 9-1-1.”