Page 21 of Ice Cold Heart
Even if I never saw her naked, I wanted to keep her.
Reece pounded on my door. “I’m coming in there. Cover your junk if you give a shit.”
I was still dressed from my shower after gym time this morning, but my sweats didn’t hide the perpetual chub I sported thanks to Avery crossing my mind every ten seconds. Reece would have to deal. He threw the door open as I propped myself up and glared at him.
“Shh. Henry’s sleeping. What do you want?”
Reece sent an apologetic glance at the quietly snoring duck and lowered his voice. “Come out tonight. We’re going to Johnny’s to mess with Eva’s football crew.”
“I can’t. Avery’s coming over.”
He reared back. “You’re seriously doing the tutoring thing? After last time, I thought you’d change your major before you’d try tackling a lit class again. Unless she’s coming over for another reason…”
I should have anticipated Reece jumping directly to sex even though I’d explained multiple times Avery was only helping me. He knew how messed up I’d gotten trying to keep up in that class the second time with my busy hockey schedule. The first time had been my freshman year when I’d still thought I’d be fine handling classes on my own.
The memory of my arrogance was enough to haul me out of bed. “She’s coming over because I’ll probably fail the class without her. If you want me skating next to you in the fall, I need to not fuck this up.”
He chuckled. “Definitely don’t get your dick involved then.”
Too late.
I shuffled past him to the bathroom in the hallway intending to wash my face. “You remember Coach’s threat, right? No one should be getting their dicks involved.”
Reece followed me, and when I glanced back, he raised a brow. “I was there when she walked through the weight room during conditioning today. I guarantee every player in there was dreaming of getting their dicks involved.”
I’d nearly dropped a weight on my foot when I saw her saunter through the double doors in tight jeans and a cropped sweater. All around me movement had stilled until Coach glared at the room. He hadn’t said anything, but word had gotten around about Coach’s hot daughter thanks to Reece. Probably not the message Coach had wanted him to spread.
She’d spoken quietly to him, then turned and left without acknowledging any of the guys staring at her. Not even me. After she’d left, Coach had told us in no uncertain terms she wasn’t to be fucked with. Sellers had whistled and shaken his head in disappointment, which earned us all an extra twenty minutes.
If I passed out while trying to read tonight, I blamed Sellers.
Reece cocked his head. “You think Coach’s daughter is the puck bunny type or the kind who avoids hockey at all costs?”
I finished washing my face and yanked the faucet harder than necessary to turn off the water. He wasn’t asking for himself—if he’d been interested, he would have made a move this afternoon—but I had to fight the urge to bang my chest and stake a claim. Instead, I brushed past him, burying the urge deep enough even Reece couldn’t find it.
“Why are you asking me?”
He gave me a pointed look as if it were obvious. “You’re the good guy, Cole. You make friends with everyone. It’s only a matter of time before she’s your new bestie. Find out for me, okay?”
Absolutely fucking not. No good could come from Reece wondering about Avery’s type. “Not happening. I’m not contributing to your delinquency.”
He pouted. “Since when? I thought I was your favorite roommate.”
“Since now.” I snatched up my phone, relieved to see a text from Avery saying she’d be at my house in an hour. Followed by a text reminding me to be wearing pants when she arrived.
A smile flitted across my face, and I grunted out a quick laugh. Reece gasped from the doorway where he’d stopped.
“No wonder you’re cranky. Did she turn you down or is your inner boy scout losing his shit at wanting someone he can’t have?”
I scowled at him. “Not everything is about sex.”
Reece chortled. “Oh, but this is. Does Coach know?” He shook his head. “No, of course not. He has no idea you’re panting after his baby girl.”
Henry popped her head up at the nickname we all used for her, then tucked it back down when no food materialized. I flipped on the overhead light and started cleaning the usual mess in my room, working around her improvised nest.
“I’m not panting after her.”
Reece propped his shoulder against my doorframe. “So you don’t want to fuck her?”