Chapter Fifteen
KAYDEN
The bass from the living room speakers vibrated through the kitchen island, but the headache pounding behind my eyes had nothing to do with the music.
Dylan and I were talking about the scout that had come to practice and Garcia had to interrupt with his big mouth.
If there was anyone on this earth that could piss me off, it was him.
Well, him and Ivy, who I fucked on a regular basis until she got too clingy and suggested I meet her parents.
At that point, I cut her off. She didn’t like that.
Across the kitchen, Broadie and Torin came into the room. Their bodies stiffened, feeling the tension. Two other bodies filled in beside them, my heart doing a sudden, violent flip against my ribs.
There she is. Torin dragged her and Hazel in by the hand, but Lexi looked like she wanted the floor to swallow her whole.
Her shoulders were tense, her eyes wide as she took in the crowded room.
She hated house parties, and part of me felt bad for bringing her into this, but the other part was selfish because I wanted her here.
Her eyes locked onto mine.
“Look who we found,” Torin said. “Kellan was about to get them involved in a round of beer pong.”
Hazel mumbled, “I hate beer pong.”
I noticed Dylan stood up a little straighter with her in the room, and it made me curious if something was going on there.”
My jaw was tight, trying to fight off the urge to physically remove a woman who had her hands all on me. Lexi kept her gaze on me, her eyes moving to Ivy’s hands. Should I move her or see how this plays out? It looked like Lexi was about to tear her head off.
I stiffened when she let go of Hazel’s hand, her eyes turned to slits. Damn, there was some of that fire I’d seen growing up. Pissed off, Lexi was hot. “I need you to kindly remove your hand from my boyfriend’s chest.”
Flinching back, Ivy looked at me and then her, mouth dropping. Her hand left my chest, but she didn’t leave my side. “You’re kidding, right? Kayden doesn’t have girlfriends.”
No one said a word, and Ivy was trying really hard to put two and two together.
“You’re dating your dead friend’s sister?
Is it out of some obligation? You don’t need to take care of her, you know.
You can’t help that she’s a nobody. Jake was your brother, he wouldn’t damn you to a life of misery with her. ”
My hands curled into fists. I didn’t believe in hitting women, but this bitch was about to receive the other end of my fist if she didn’t shut her fucking mouth. I moved my gaze to Lexi, who was barely holding it together.
I waited to make a move. Dylan and the guys would be back up if needed, so would Hazel. My eyes landed on Garcia, who was watching us closely. Any signs of weakness and he would use it against me. Any signs of a lie, and he’d destroy me.
I remained still, trying to let her handle it. She was stronger than anyone gave her credit for. “I know you think you own Kayden and any other hockey player who walks on this campus, but you need a reality check. No one wants you.”
Broadie’s eyes widened and he put his fingers in his mouth and let out a whistle. “Fuck, that was the best burn I’ve seen in a long time.” His gaze met mine, “You chose right when you picked her.” He winked, and I rolled my eyes.
Apart from her standing up to her mom the other night, I’d never seen her like this. She wasn’t very outspoken, so this was completely out of character for her.
Ivy moved away from me, and into her space.
“Listen here, you little bitch. Kayden is mine. Do you hear me? There’s no fucking way he wants a useless waste of space that’s a has been figure skater.
You weren’t even that good when you were competing.
You’ll never make it anywhere, let alone into Kayden’s pants. ”
I straightened my posture, getting bored of the conversation. “That’s enough.”
“No, this is getting interesting.” Garcia moved away from the fridge and came closer to the island. “I didn’t even know you had a girlfriend.”
You’re a guy. Why the fuck does it matter to you?
My gaze narrowed, “I don’t need to share the details of my personal life with you.”
“Since when do you have a girlfriend? You used to flaunt me all over campus. What...are you ashamed of her? That would make more sense. Since she’s a walking, talking disaster.”
I never flaunted her across campus. She tagged around like a dog chasing after their owner.
Dylan piped up, “You do realize this is our house, right? We can ban you for insulting the captain’s girlfriend.”
She scoffed, “And? You think that’s going to make me stay clear of her?”
I’d had enough. I moved between the two, putting distance between them. “You need to leave.”
She put her hands on her hips. “No.”
That’s when Dylan came from behind and scooped her up, taking her out of the kitchen. I didn’t care what he did with her after; I needed the drama to stop.
Broadie grinned, “Well, we got rid of one piece of trash.” We all looked over at Garcia, whose brown eyes were darker than their normal color. His ploy to distract me, to get under my skin, failed. Again.
“Fuck off.” He left the room, and hopefully the house, shortly after.
My gaze went to Lexi, who had this wild, frantic look in her eyes. Too much for her. I reached for her hand and pulled her from the room, taking her through the wild throngs of people and up the stairs.
We passed people who were dancing, playing beer pong among other games, and making out. When we finally made it to my room, I pulled out my key, and unlocked the door. When it was open, I shoved her inside and locked it once I’d gotten in the room.
“I need to get back down to Hazel. We promised to not leave each other’s side.” She rubbed a hand over her face, her body as stiff as a board.
“Breathe.”
She moved her hands away from her face and placed them on her waist, her blue gaze, heated. “Who all knows about this?”
“Dylan, you and Hazel. Everyone else thinks it’s real.”
She stood near the center of the room, looking tiny against the backdrop of my messy hockey gear and unmade bed. Her chest was heaving as she took in a deep, shaky breath. Her arms wrapped tight around her middle as if she were trying to hold herself together.
"Hey," I said, and my voice dropped. "You're okay.”
"I'm sorry," she whispered, her voice cracked as she looked down at her shoes. "I thought I could walk in. But it’s... too much."
Seeing her like this, exposed and vulnerable, sent an unfamiliar ache straight through my chest. There was a sudden, fierce wave of protectiveness that had absolutely nothing to do with our deal or our parents.
I closed the distance between us and wrapped her in my arms. This is a bad idea, a very bad idea. I pulled back, her blue eyes looking into mine, her tongue wetting her lips. Fuck, me. I had no fucking control around her. My arms dropped and I shook my head.
Snap out of it Kayden. This isn’t you. Don’t fall for her charm. This is a means to an end.
I walked over to my closet and started tossing hangers aside until I found exactly what I was looking for. I pulled my dark green home jersey off the rack. The fabric was heavy, broken-in, and smelling faintly of laundry detergent.
I tossed it to her. "Put this on."
She looked at the jersey, then up me, her eyes wide. "Kayden, I can't wear your jersey. That's... everyone downstairs will see it."
"Exactly," I said, a slow edge back in my voice. "Garcia thinks he can get under my skin. Ivy thinks she owns me.”
I stepped closer, taking the jersey from her, draping the oversized fabric over her shoulders.
She hesitated for a split second before sliding her arms into the massive sleeves.
As she pulled it over her head, her tangled hair spilled out over the collar, and she looked up at me through her lashes.
The jersey swallowed her completely, the hem falling halfway down her thighs, covering her blue jean shorts.
My last name, DANIEL, stretched across her shoulders.
The sight of her wearing my name and number hit me like a hard check against the boards. My breath caught in my throat, the air suddenly a lot thicker than it was a second ago.
"How do I look?" she asked, raising her brow.
I swallowed, forcing my voice to remain unfazed. "Like you belong.”
I’m fucked.