Page 42 of The Game
He jolts back into his seat, brows drawing together. “No, but maybe you shouldn’t be seen with him alone out in public. What if someone saw you? What if our exes saw you? Our entire story might unravel.”
My hackles are rising. Is he trying to stop me from seeing my friends? Just like Darryl did? I really didn’t like that little thrill that raced up my spine when he mentioned our exes, either. Was he trying to scare me into not seeing Rob? “It was just a school thing. I’m allowed to have my own friends and my own life. You don’t get to tell me who I can and can’t see, Cole.”
His shoulders slump, and his tense grip on the steering wheel eases up. “Of course not. I’m sorry if I made you feel that way. I don’t even know what I was thinking. Just the thought of you with… never mind. Let’s not let this ruin our night. This is Halloween, after all. Best night of the year.”
I drag in a deep breath. “Not technically. It’s only the 29th.”
“True, but I don’t think we should wear our costumes to our Walk Safe shift on Monday, do you?”
A laugh ripples through me at the thought of him prancing around with a safety vest over his Charizard costume. “Probably not.”
Mabel squeals to a halt in front of the beautiful house the hockey players live in. I would love to sit on that porch swing wrapped in the fuzziest of blankets, with a steaming cup of coffee and a book. That’s my idea of a perfect day. Oddly enough, in this ideal picture in my head, someone is sitting next to me on that swing, arm wrapped around me, dark head resting on my shoulder.
I can’t even look him in the eyes when he opens the door for me, afraid he’ll guess the untoward thoughts that were traipsing around in my head just now.
He holds out his hand to help me up, and I have to smooth my tight skirt down and squirm out of the car awkwardly to avoid flashing him.
I’m stopped in my tracks by our attached arms when I start to move around the car. I glance over my shoulder to figure out why he’s not moving, and intensely aware of his calloused palm gripping mine.
“Before we go in, I just want to say something.”
My heart picks up its speed. Where is he going with this? I nod, swallowing hard.
“I don’t know what this party is going to be like. It could get wild. Whenever the hockey team throws a party, it draws a crowd. If you need to escape, we can sneak off and hide in my room. It is, in fact, one of my specialties. Maybe we should make up a safe word.”
My shoulders are shaking by this point in his speech, and I shake my head at him. “I’m sure I can handle a few college students at a party. You’ve seen the customers I occasionally get at work.” That makes me think of him rescuing me from the asshole. Worst customer of the year so far. That was only the first time he rescued me. Maybe what he’s trying to say is that he might need an escape route. “Cole, I’m sure I’ll be fine, but if you think it’ll get out of hand, we can do that.”
His inky lashes are impossibly thick, resting on his cheeks when he closes his eyes, nodding. “Good. What’s something that wouldn’t come up in regular conversation?”
“Umm, Lechonk?” The chonky little piggy is one of my new favorite Pokémon. Charizard is my ultimate fave, but obviously that wouldn’t work, given Cole’s costume.
He shakes his head at me. “That could totally come up in conversation. How about…” He taps a finger against his lip. “Snowball.”
My nose wrinkles up as I study him. “Snowball?”
“Right. It’s Halloween, so obviously we’re not going to be talking about Christmas. No snow on the ground yet. Plus… that was the name of my pet bunny when I was a kid.”
My laugh goes full-blown cackle. “You had a bunny named Snowball? Aren’t you from Florida?”
“Hey, she was fluffy and white, and my younger sister named her.”
I shake my head in a slow swing. “Sure, she did. Snowball it is. If I need to escape these silly little hockey boys and their friends, I’ll ask you if you’re up for a snowball fight.”
“Perfect. I think you’re ready.”
He hoists both bins up in his arms, twists the door handle, shoving it open with his hip. Too bad the Charizard costume isn’t the slightest bit more form fitting. I wouldn’t mind seeing all those muscles flexing with the effort.
Chapter 16
Feel The Heat
Cole
The guys seem determinedto prove me right when we walk through the front door, and I almost turn around and go right back out. Beau’s got JJ shoved up against the wall, one hand gripping the collar of his shirt. He looks extra menacing in his Negan costume. A shiver rips through me every time I see him casually swinging a barbed wire wrapped bat with his other arm.
“You keep my sister’s name out of your filthy mouth, asshole.”
JJ’s eyes are wide with terror, and he’s got his hands flung above his head as he dangles a few inches off the carpet. “I’m sorry, captain. I was just joking. I would never touch your sister. I swear.”