Jersey Girl (Sticks & Hearts #1) (24 page)

BRANTLEY

Only two minutes are left in the game with the score tied at 2-2. Vickers circles the net and passes off to Masterson, directing the play away from GL territory. The puck is intercepted by Owens and carried back into our offensive zone, and he fires a shot that goes wide and to the right of the net. It's picked up by a Boston forward, who weaves between our D-men as if they're standing still. He passes it off to Owens, but we've got him surrounded and it goes loose. Davis is on it in a flash and on a breakaway carries the puck across the red line just as I leave the bench and hustle after him to cover the play.

Mitchell comes out of nowhere and body checks me from behind, and I'm slammed against the boards. "Give it up, pretty boy," he grimaces.

"Fuck you," I growl and ram my stick in his gut. The pain in my back is intense from where his shoulder connected, but I'm the first to skate away.

The entire game has played out this way. Mitchell stepped on the ice looking for a fight, and tonight he found one. Normally, I'm the level-headed player on the ice. I let my skating and stick handling do the talking, not my fists. But today my head isn't in the game, and I've allowed him to get to me. Between the two of us, we've spent more time in the sin bin than anyone else. Any other game it's the last place I want to be, but this guy's an asshole and Coach knows it. Though that doesn't stop him from reaming my ass out every time I'm on the bench.

We're on Boston's ice today, and so far it's been a tight game. We've skated our asses off; we're tired and looking to finish with a much needed win. I look to my left and see Davis skating toward the net. Once again, Mitchell is behind me as we follow every move Nelson makes. Mitchell is bulky, and it slows him down. I'm tall but lean, and I'm fast. Lightning fast. Nelson passes me the puck and I circle behind the net and pass off to Davis, who tips it in through the five hole, scoring us the winning goal.

"Fuck, yeah, that was awesome!" I shout, gathering the back of his helmet in my gloved hands. Nelson skates over, and I flash him a winning smile. "Great setup, Nelson."

Our celebration is cut short by Coach ushering us off the ice. We have to shower and catch a bus back to Ann Arbor, and we're on a tight schedule. I've just finished pulling off my skates when the sound of Coach's voice silences the celebratory chatter in the locker room. I look up just in time to see a clipboard whizzing past my left shoulder. It's a good thing Masterson just headed for the showers, or else he'd have taken a hit to the back of the head.

"That victory is hardly worth celebrating. You may have won, but you were sloppy out there. At this point in the game, I expect more from all of you." He focuses his anger on me as he approaches. "Especially you, Cage. You are the assistant captain; these guys look for you to be an example. What the hell were you doing out there? We almost lost that one because you couldn't keep your temper in check." Coach Bishop is normally a level-headed guy, but he has a low tolerance for penalties taken for fighting.

"Coach, that guy was an asshole. You should have heard the shit he was throwing at me," I argue.

"I've told you boys time and again you need to be the bigger man. You're a damn good player, Brantley. You shouldn't waste your time polishing the pine. You want to fight and spend half the game in the penalty box, that's fine. But save it for when you're on someone else's bench. Until then, your ass belongs to me, and I want you on the ice and doing the job you were recruited to do. Remember that next time some dickhead tries to get under your skin." And with that, he storms off, leaving his clipboard on the floor behind me.

"Hey, man, Mitchell's a giant D-bag. He deserved everything you dished out, and then some," Rivers declares, clapping me on the shoulder on his way to the showers.

When we board the bus I look for a quiet seat near the front so I can be alone and reflect on today's game. Even though we won, my mood is sour. Coach was right. I never should've let him get to me like that. I'd gone in there with my head somewhere else. I blame Cassie and the fact that sex with her has taken over my life. That girl is a total sex maniac. And I'm not complaining, but there have been a few nights this week where I didn't fall asleep until well past three in the morning. That's what happens when you have roommates and one of them just happens to be an overprotective brother you're lying to.

I lose myself on social media, checking for posts about the game. The game was televised, so it's no surprise to find my pages littered with comments about how I kicked ass, or nearly lost it for the team. Some praised my actions while others called me a selfish asshole. I skim through a few posts and feel a jolt of pride when I find Cassie has bitched out one of my attackers. Poor asshole has no clue he just had his ass handed to him by a pixie with the sexiest dimples ever. I pull up her contact and shoot her a quick text.

Me: Thinking about u...

Her: Oh yeah? Sexy thoughts I hope...

Me: R there any other kind?

Her: For u? No way. I saw the game. How r u?

Me: Mad as hell. Wish I were there 2 hold u.

Her: You'll see me tomorrow night.

Me: Sweet dreams, Dimples.

Either the guys know I need some time to myself, or they're too tired to notice, but no one bothers to fill the empty seat next to me. The bus is quiet. Too quiet after a win. Coach's outburst in the locker room seems to have us all thinking about our performance tonight. Sure, we won, but Coach had been right, it was a sloppy win. The two goals that had slipped past Rivers were the same shots he's stopped a thousand times before. We lost Thompson during the second period after a concussion left him unable to continue, and that loss had been hard to recover from. He's one of our best forwards, and coach had to send in one of the rookies to take his spot on the line.

I end up dozing off while scrolling through photos of Cassie. My favorite is one I took two mornings ago when she was in my bed. The sun was streaming through the window, landing on the pillow beside me where her head rested. She was staring up at me with this smoldering gaze. She looked so beautiful I had to take a photo. Her pink lips are parted to speak, but I've forgotten what she even said, because the look in her eyes said she wanted me, and those had been the words I'd listened to right before burying myself balls deep inside her warmth.

"Wake up, sleepyhead." I crack open one heavy eyelid and find Rivers sitting beside me.

"Hey. What time is it?" I ask through a yawn.

"After eleven. Coach says we should be home around midnight. I don't know about you but I'm looking forward to sleeping in my own bed." I nod my head in agreement as I have every intention of falling into bed and staying there for the next eight hours. "Who's Candy?" he asks, squinting at the phone he's holding.

I love my roommates, but they're nosey as hell, which is precisely why I never changed Candy's name to Cassie once I found out who she really was. I figured this would be safer. Turns out I'd been right. I reach over and snag it from his hand, discreetly closing out the photo as I do, and read the text she sent while I was sleeping. Six words are all it takes to make me hard.

They're sweeter when I'm with u
.

"Just a girl I met."

"Judging from what I read I take it you've been
properly
introduced," he gives me a wink and a jab to the ribs and my heart pounds in my chest. This is the first time we've been alone since Cassie and I started fucking around, and I hope like hell I don't look as guilty as I feel. "Where does one meet a girl named Candy anyhow?"

"She's a performer at the um... the Landing Strip." The lie slips easily past my lips. "She was in town and I ran into her. We've hooked up a few times."

"Dude, you're banging a stripper? That's hot as hell. Way to go, man." We bump fists.

"Yeah, pretty hot," I laugh and turn to look out the window, wondering when I became someone who lies to his best friend without blinking an eye. "So, how are things with Ash?"

"Shit, man. I don't know anymore. Most of the time it seems like things are great, but lately I've been getting this weird vibe from her."

"What kind of vibe?" I ask, eager to shift the focus away from my guilt-laden sex life.

"Like I'm not giving her enough," he answers flatly.

"Wow, that's... That's rough dude." I hold it together for all of five seconds before I'm doubled over in laughter.

"No, that's not what I'm implying. Asshole. I've got plenty to offer her in
that
department. I'm talking about marriage. She wants us to get married, have kids and all that shit," he states, giving me a frustrated scowl.

"I take it that's not on
your
radar?"

"Yeah, in five years. Maybe. But I'm heading to the pros next summer. I guess I expected to be going there alone. The way she sees it, we should be looking at apartments together." He drops his head, looking defeated.

I'm the last person to give advice on relationships, but this is my best friend and his future may be in jeopardy. "What'd you expect, Scott? You've been together for two years. For a woman, that's practically a lifetime. I hate to say I told you so, but I did. I warned you this would happen when you started spending every waking moment with her. Give a woman that kind of power over you and the next thing you know they're moving in and picking out china patterns, and you're left wondering where the fuck your life went."

"Christ, that bitch really did a number on you," he says quietly.

"Yeah, I guess she did."

I don't like to think about all the shit that went down between Vanessa and I, but every so often it happens and I'm reminded why I've avoided falling in love. I'd rather stick to random sex. Over the years, there've been a few girls I've gone back to for a repeat hook-up. Cassie is one of those girls. When I'm with her, I forget about all the other shit that fills my head and we just have fun. Today's been a shit-filled day, and I really need to lose myself in someone. Thanksgiving break is this week, which means everyone I know will be heading home, while I sit in an empty apartment, watching football and eating a frozen turkey dinner. This may be our last opportunity to meet up before she boards a train to Chicago. I'm not sure why, but tonight, that bothers me.

Me: U awake?

Her: Umm hmm. And u interrupted me.

This peaks my curiosity a little bit.

Me: What r u doing?

Her: Thinking of u. Touching myself...

Now I'm curious
and
hard
.

Me: The bus pulls in around midnight. U alone?

Her: Roni's here, but she's a heavy sleeper.

Me: R u DTF?

Her: My fingers are soaked. Does that answer your question?

Fuck if that's not a sexy image to have stuck in my head. I adjust my junk and look out the window to gage how close we are to campus.

Me: I want to be the one who makes you come.

Her: Then get your ass over here.

"Can you catch a ride with Davis?" I check with Rivers as we're getting off the bus. "I've got someplace I need to be."

"No problem, buddy. Have a good time." He winks and gives me a slap on the back before leaving to find Davis.

I shoot a quick text to let her know I'm at her door, and she answers immediately and pulls me in for a sloppy, wet kiss. She's dressed for bed, and I slip my calloused hands under her shirt just to feel her. I'm dying to get her naked and on the bed, but she's pressed up against me, fucking my mouth with her tongue. My dick is so hard it's already cresting the band of my sweatpants. I walk her to the bed, where she lies back and stretches out an arm to draw me to her. The mattress dips when I rest one knee beside her and lower my face to hers.

"Hi," she greets in a breathy whisper that shoots straight to my crotchal region, "what took you so long?" My arm extends behind my head to remove my shirt while Cassie slides my sweatpants down my thighs. This position puts her at eye level with my dick, and when her tongue sneaks out to moisten her lips, it jerks in response. Forming a circle with her fingers, she lowers her hand down the entire length of my shaft then tightens her grip and reverses the motion. I blow out a shuddery groan as she runs the flat of her thumb in a small circle and coats the tip in precum. Taking pity on my throbbing shaft, she opens her mouth, and I watch through half-lidded eyes as the crown disappears between her soft lips. I cup the back of her head in my hand, loving the sleepy look her eyes get whenever she goes down on me, and it takes every ounce of willpower I have not to take over and jam my dick against the back of her throat. When her warm tongue slices through my slit, I have to clamp my ass cheeks to keep from blowing my load.

"Slow down, baby." She releases me with a pop and stares up with those sleepy eyes. I jerk my head in the direction of her roommate's sleeping form. "You sure she's out cold?"

"Positive," she drawls and lifts her top to reveal two beautiful nipples that beckon my mouth. "Now get down here and fuck me already," she commands, and my ass clenches again.

Climbing under the blankets, I cover her body with mine and capture her mouth in a kiss. "Since when are you so bossy in bed?" I chuckle, sucking her lower lip between my teeth before resuming the kiss.

"Since you interrupted my private party with promises of making me come." She gives my lip a playful nip and whimpers. "I'm dying here."

"Oh, that's right. Why don't you show me where you left off?" I rasp, drawing a nipple into my mouth as she guides my hand to the heated flesh between her legs. Christ, she wasn't kidding. She's soaking wet. I circle her opening with my thumb then trace up her slit, slowly spreading her arousal over the swollen bud. I ease a finger inside and give my hand a few lazy strokes. When she moans, I bring my lips to her ear and whisper, "Is this where you left off?"

She squirms beneath me with parted lips and eyes half-closed. "Almost," she coos, and I add a second finger inside and tease my thumb over her clit. The breathy sound she releases makes me horny as fuck, and I respond by pumping my hand faster. I drag my thumb over her opening to get it nice and wet then work the tiny bud into a frenzy. Her pussy grinds against my hand while I lavish her tits with soft, open-mouthed kisses that leave her a whimpering mess.