Forever Wild (Wildcat Hockey Book 5)

JACK

“She’s hot,” Brian says as we’re finishing up our workout.

“Who?” I ask like I don’t know. Like he hasn’t been checking her out at every opportunity. I know because I was trying very hard not to do the same.

I don’t like him looking at her and I especially don’t like him calling her hot. She’s not hot, she’s…Everly.

Brian motions with his head toward where the girl in question is stepping out of the pool. Today’s bikini is white and cuts up high on her hip bones. She’s adjusting the sides, inching them up higher and exposing a tan line that makes me imagine where else she has them.

Not that I care. Because she’s Everly. Off-limits for so many reasons. Not that my dick seems to have gotten the memo.

“Is she single?” Brian must be oblivious to the anger radiating off me. If he could read my thoughts, he’d know I’m imagining about a dozen different ways to dismember him. I’m not usually prone to violence off the ice, but my heart is pumping as my fingers curl into fists like I’m preparing to go at it with a member of the opposing team. It’s Brian. He’s the other team. I don’t want him or anyone else near her and I’m ready to throw down. It’s a startling realization that has me inhaling and forcing myself to chill the fuck out.

“As far as I know.” I make it a point not to look at her, but Brian has no such self-control.

“How do you know her?”

“Are we done here?” I ask him. My tone borders on rude but considering he’s checking out a girl while on the job, I don’t feel too bad.

“Yeah, yeah.” He manages to tear his gaze away from Everly and regain some of his professionalism. “Great workout, man. Same time tomorrow?”

I’d like to tell him to fuck right off, but he came highly recommended by the team doctor. He’s young, but already making a name for himself with other professional athletes. So, I ignore my better instincts and say, “See you then.”

While Brian packs up his bands and other miscellaneous workout gear, I head inside. I need a shower but settle for a clean shirt until I’m alone. Jerking off while I have company feels inhospitable and that’s exactly what I plan to do. Me and some soapy water. It’s sadly becoming a routine.

After I grab a Gatorade from the fridge, I head back out. Brian has moved from the patio where we were working out to a lounge chair next to Everly.

Annoyance prickles down my spine. He leans forward, talking and laughing. And she smiles back like she’s just as thrilled.

As I approach them, Everly shifts her attention from Brian to me. Her smile falters and then she inches back slowly.

“What’s going on?” I ask.

“I was just telling Everly about a new restaurant that opened. It has a great patio and the best sushi in the city.” He turns to her. “We should go sometime. I’d love to take you. Here, let me give you my number.”

Before she can agree or object, I cut in. “I think it’s time for you to go, Brian.”

“Oh.” He pulls his phone back and glances from me to Ev and then back. “Yeah, sure.”

He stands and pockets his phone.

“Maybe I’ll see you tomorrow,” he says to her.

“I’m not paying you to ask out my house guests.”

A flush creeps into his cheeks. “Of course not. Sorry, Jack.”

He murmurs a nice to meet you and goodbye to Everly, and then I walk him back into the house to make sure he doesn’t take another detour and ask out my house plants.

As I open the door for him, I say, “Don’t bother coming back tomorrow.”

He opens his mouth to protest, but then thinks better of it. “I’m sorry it didn’t work out. Give me a call if you change your mind.”

I let out a sigh of relief that he’s gone, but it’s short-lived when I get back outside and see Everly packing up as well.

“You don’t have to go,” I say.

“You don’t seem like you’re in a very good mood for company.”

“He asked you out,” I say as if that explains it.

“Yeah. So?” Her arms cross over her chest, pushing up her tits unintentionally. Or fuck, maybe it’s intentional. If so, she’s doing a fantastic job of pushing me toward the breaking point.

“It was unprofessional and rude.”

“I get the unprofessional part, but how exactly was it rude?”

“You’re my guest and he could have made you uncomfortable.”

She stares at me, disbelieving.

“Or fuck, maybe not. You can probably still catch him if you want to grab some sushi and listen to him talk about himself. Knock yourself out.”

She’s quiet as she studies me for so long I want to squirm under her scrutiny. No one makes me squirm. I go up against the fastest, biggest, meanest guys in the league. Yet, something about Everly’s gaze has my pulse kicking up a notch.

“As if you are going to let me go out with him,” she says with amusement lacing her tone.

“I don’t care who you go out with.” Lies.

“Right.” She laughs this time, and her pouty mouth pulls into a grin that sees right through me. “I get it. Ty isn’t here so you have to go all big brother on me.”

Wait. What? Did she just refer to me as her brother?

“It’s fine,” she says in a way that sounds like maybe it isn’t fine at all. “Knowing my track record, things would end weird, and then I’d have to worry about seeing him any time I want to come over and use your pool.”

Not anymore since he’s never coming back. I stay quiet as she slides her sunglasses onto the top of her head.

“Well, thanks for letting me hang by the pool today,” she says. “I guess I’ll see you around.”

Does that mean she’s coming back tomorrow? It’s been a few days since she invaded my space, and it isn’t that I missed her because that would be weird. I just want to know when she’ll be here. I like having a plan.

The uncertainty has me doing something I would never do. Not with her, anyway.

I clear my throat and say, “If you don’t have plans, we could grab dinner.”

The surprise plays over her face like a slideshow. Mouth agape, eyes wide, cheeks flushed.

When she recovers, she asks, “Dinner with you?”

“Do you see anyone else here?” I ask dryly.

I’m already regretting asking. It was a dumb idea. I should go inside, shower, and call someone else to come over. I’m healed enough that fucking someone into next week is no longer a concern.

“All right. Sure.”

I hesitate. I’m not at all confident I heard her right. She’s never this agreeable.

“What do you want to eat?” she asks.

There’s a sudden rush of lust and anticipation thrumming through me. It’s too late to rescind the offer. But I don’t really want to either. And it’s just Everly. We’re friends. Nothing more.

Nothing more.

“I don’t care,” I say. “You pick. I’m gonna grab a shower quick.”

“This is better than sushi.” Ev grins before taking another bite. Each time she does, her eyes close and she hums as she chews.

I’m going to need another shower.

With all the food places to pick from, Ev chose pizza from a little shop she claims “has the nicest people that work there.”

A strange way to choose dinner for sure, but we order delivery, and the pizza ends up being great. It’s so good that it reminds me I need to get back on a better eating routine.

After I finish eating, I start to stand to take my plate to the kitchen, but Everly jumps up from where she’s seated in front of my chair. Yes, she’s sitting on the floor like a child whose parents relegated her there with orders not to get grease on the furniture.

And no, I didn’t say that to her. I just shoved a bunch of napkins at her just in case.

“I got these,” she says, taking my plate from me.

“I’m perfectly capable of walking to the kitchen,” I grumble as she bounces along to throw away our trash and put the dishes in the sink.

“I know.” She rolls her eyes. “But you should be resting more. Bridget said that was really important for your recovery.”

My brows inch higher on my face. “Talking about me with your friends?”

Her cheeks are stained a light pink, but her response is all sass. “More like ranting to them about you.”

A small laugh rumbles in my chest. “Now that I believe.”

With a hand on the freezer door, she asks, “Need ice?”

“Yeah.”

She grabs an ice pack and comes to the living room. She drops the cold pack in my lap, narrowly missing my balls.

“Thanks,” I say dryly.

“Sorry. Gotta work on those reflexes.” She reclaims her spot on the floor in front of me. The vision of her at my feet does weird things to me. I’m starting to think there aren’t enough showers to erase my dirty thoughts of her.

“What happened with Will?” I ask. Mostly because I’m curious and a little because I need to remind myself that this isn’t happening. Not now. Not ever.

“We went out last night.” Her tone is casual, but she struggles to meet my gaze. Interesting.

“Was it everything you hoped?”

Maybe if she tells me how great he was, it’ll stop the thoughts swirling around in my head. Thoughts of her but not of him.

“No,” she admits. Then her hazel eyes flick to me. “You were right.”

I don’t remember what I said about him, but it pleases me to hear her say it anyway.

“I’m sorry.”

“No, you’re not.” She laughs.

“No, I’m not.” But for different reasons than she thinks.

“It doesn’t matter.”

“Because you’re leaving at the end of the summer?”

“That and other reasons.” She sits taller. “What about you?”

“What about me?” I ask carefully, unsure what to make of the question. Does she mean…no, she can’t mean that.

“I’ve not seen a single woman traipsing in or out of your house.” She gets a contemplative look on her face then. “Actually, I don’t think I’ve seen you with anyone in a while. Dry spell?”

“I’m not exactly in any shape to date right now.”

“I wasn’t talking about dating.” She laughs again, but there’s a tightening in my groin that makes it hard to reciprocate.

I need to change the conversation.

“Briar Lake is a cool town. You’ll like it there.”

Whatever expression I expected to get out of her by bringing up her internship, the one she flashes me isn’t it.

“Yeah,” she says finally. “That’s what everyone tells me.”

“You haven’t been?”

“No, I have. A couple of times with Grace. Her parents have a place there, but we mostly stayed at their house or were out on the lake. I haven’t really seen the town.”

“You will,” I say. “It’s got a certain charm I think you’ll like.”

“Yeah, I’m sure I will.”