Page 34 of Ice Cold Heart
Eva had offered to do a tree, but none of us had wanted to put in the extra work. Now I was wondering if we’d made the wrong decision. Christmas, Mase, the lit class—all my decisions felt like wrong decisions lately.
Coach trusted me, and if he ever found out about my deal with his daughter, he’d bench me, or worse. But I’d make the same choice again in a second if it meant getting closer to her. With so much wrong, the only thing that felt right was Avery.
14
Twilight was racing toward night when I pulled up in front of Cole’s house. I waved at Mrs. Lipnicki in the quickly fading light, and her curtain twitched closed. It was impossible to come here and not picture Cole mowing his elderly neighbor’s lawn while the thirsty housewives watched out their windows.
Cole and I practically lived in the same neighborhood, with the same mix of families, college students, and middle-aged people wishing they were still college students. I’d seen the way the single ladies stopped by to talk to Dad, bringing him food and flirting. Honestly, if Dad showed an iota of interest, I’d be all for it, but he was as oblivious as Cole probably was.
From the way Mom talked, I’d expected Dad to be entertaining a different puck bunny every other night. He certainly had the opportunity. When I’d approached him about moving in, he’d been on board without hesitation. Not the reaction of someone who expected the presence of his grown daughter to hinder his attempt to sleep his way through Addison.
I had a lot of skewed opinions thanks to my mom, and I needed time to sort the lies from the truth. For instance, she’d insisted Scott was a perfect match for me. Definitely a lie. Dad’s promiscuity was a lie too. The man hadn’t so much as looked at a woman in the weeks I’d been living in his guest room.
Cole answered the door in a tight Henley with the sleeves pushed up and waved at Mrs. Lipnicki just like I had. Well, not exactly the same. He smiled and flashed forearm porn to anyone in the neighborhood with eyeballs.
Damn Marco for pointing out those sexy cords of muscle. I’d spent the time between practice and now actively trying not to think of Cole or any parts of his body. A wasted effort when he turned his eyes on me.
“Come on in. Reece and Mase are still here, but they’re leaving in just a minute.” Cole turned to lead me into the big open room, and my gaze refused to move past his broad shoulders.
The living room could have been on fire, and I wouldn’t have noticed with the dimpled cotton following the play of Cole’s back muscles. I followed him inside, letting my gaze drop down past his waist. Hockey asses in gray sweatpants should be illegal.
He glanced my way and caught me staring, but I didn’t bother pretending I was doing anything else. No surprise I found him attractive—I’d asked for no-strings-attached sex at the first opportunity. Cole was more than a pretty body though, a fact which complicated things on my end quite a bit.
I took my time meeting his eyes. “Did I get in the way of manly bonding?”
“No, Reece is doing his usual rounds. Even if I’d planned to go with him, I’d rather be here with you.”
I raised a brow. “Even if all we do is read?”
Cole shrugged one shoulder. “Worth it to spend time with you.”
The smooth line struck me as genuine, but I viciously squelched the warmth trying to spread through my chest. No one wanted to spend time with me. They wanted something I could provide them. In Cole’s case, he thought he needed me in order to pass his class.
I wasn’t as convinced. He had a sharp mind, and he picked up on the themes right away. As long as we stopped to talk about the story every few minutes, he had the knowledge he needed to write his assignment and pass the test. I’d bet we could find the right audiobook situation to take out the need for a tutor altogether.
Not until after I’d gotten at least one night though. All this buildup was killing me. The irony of potentially dying from sexual frustration instead of being murdered by an unhinged local was not lost on me.
When I didn’t respond, Cole tugged on a strand of my hair. “If it makes you feel better, I’d probably just be watching TV with Henry if you hadn’t come over… but I’m glad you’re here.”
Despite my best efforts not to care, a tendril of happiness oozed into my belly. No, no, no. I wasn’t falling for the cute, wholesome schtick. I’d seen the rough side of Cole, and that was enough, thank you very much.
“Yeah, thank goodness I interrupted your binge watching. I’m sure Henry needs a break from all her screen time,” I deadpanned.
“Shh,” he whispered. “She’ll hear you and wreak havoc. When was the last time you checked the break lines on your car?”
I rolled my eyes, pretending I wasn’t fully invested in the banter. “My apologies. Henry should do whatever the hell she wants.”
Cole laughed quietly, and I sauntered past him to drop my messenger bag on the couch. The intense athlete from earlier was nowhere in sight, but the way he watched me said that side of him wasn’t far off. I couldn’t decide if I was glad or disappointed.
Probably from hearing her name so many times in quick succession, Henry peeked her head around the edge of the side table, so I crouched and held out my hand, thankful for the distraction. She took her time approaching, but she got close enough for me to pet her back right as Reece came down the stairs.
He was dressed in jeans and a long-sleeved shirt that stretched across his shoulders. A backward cap hid most of his dark blond hair, but it managed to show off his green eyes and chiseled jawline. Seriously, what did they feed these guys around here? The Easton hockey players weren’t nearly as attractive. Still, as hot as Reece was, he didn’t elicit any lady tingles.
“What’s up, Coach’s daughter?” He barely spared me a glance on his way to the basement door.
“I have a name.”
“I know,” he grinned at me over his shoulder. “It’s easier to remember you’re off limits if I don’t use it.”