Jersey Girl (Sticks & Hearts #1) (3 page)

Technically, I've already broken two codes, but in my defense, I had no idea who she was.
Note to self, always get a name before you shove your tongue down a girl's throat
. It's also obvious girls are completely ignorant to the whole friendship code guys have established. Maybe that's why guys with sisters are so quick to enforce it when they meet new friends. Me, I don't have any sisters, but if I did, I know I would lay that shit down within the first ten minutes of meeting a guy.

"What's wrong?" I choke out. "Rivers is my best friend. There are rules guys live by, and I just broke two of them in less than five minutes. And I would have broken another if I hadn't asked how you got in here." I drag my fingers through my hair and give it a yank as I pace the room. "Shit. He's going to kill me." Reaching for my pants, I pull them on and tuck myself inside, leaving the buttons undone.

Meanwhile, she remains in a kneeling position. Her hair is tousled a bit more from me burying my hands in those silky strands, and her nipples peek at me through the scrap of material covering them. I can feel her staring, and no matter how hard I fight it, I turn to face her. Her legs are slightly parted, and my eyes rake down her body, coming to rest on the juncture between her thighs.
Fuck, is that moisture on her shorts?
Suddenly, my hand is in my mouth, and I'm biting down hard on my fingers to keep from screaming.

"No, he won't. He doesn't have to know about this. It can be our little secret. Come back over here and join me." She grins devilishly, revealing two beautiful dimples, and it's all I can do to swallow the knot forming in my throat. Girls with dimples drive me absolutely wild, though this girl managed to do that all on her own. I can tell she's turned on by the breathless sounds that fall past her perfect lips and her pert breasts rise and fall with each labored breath. Like an idiot, I remain rooted, unable to turn away. I stand there, my erection thickening, and stare as she slowly draws her hand between her legs and begins touching herself.

I practically choke on my next words as I fight for control over my own body. "Can you
please
stop doing that?"

"Why? Doesn't this turn you on?" The devilish gleam in her eyes tells me she knows exactly how her little show is affecting me, both mentally
and
physically.

"Why?" My eyes squeeze shut and it's all I can do not to scream as I answer her insane question. "Because your brother is an early riser and these walls are paper thin." I stomp into the bathroom and close the door on the entire scene.

"That's ridiculous," she scoffs, and as if on cue I hear Rivers' voice outside the outer door. I button my jeans as my mind scrambles for a way to talk myself out of this.

"Cass? You up yet?" he calls out, before knocking once and throwing open the door. This is his trademark entry. However, I don't see what happens because I've made the decision to dive into the tub and feign sleep.

CASSIE

Even though my insides are shaking with laughter, I do my best to put on a calm front when I face Scotty. My girly bits are still tingly, but his friend's words ring loud and clear in my head when I see the look on my brother's face. It's quite clear he barged in expecting to find something going on between the sheets. I'm guessing he saw this guy's car outside and put two and two together. I'm thankful he didn't barge in five minutes ago when I was rubbing on his teammate like a stripper grinding up against a pole. It appears in my haste to get over Justin, I've bypassed kissing and jumped right into trying to have sex with a stranger. A stranger who just happens to be my brother's best friend.

"Hey, what were you doing in here? I thought I heard voices." His eyes scan the small space just as he turns to the closed bathroom door. My heart thumps wildly beneath my tank, and I pray to God he doesn't hear it.

"What are you talking about? I just woke up." I swing my legs over the side of the bed and stretch my arms up over my head. "Boy, I sure slept like a baby. This bed is so comfortable. I'm sure after this, the dorm beds are going to be a huge disappointment." I fake a yawn.

"Yeah," Scotty replies distractedly, then opens the bathroom door. I cringe inwardly, prepared to lie if necessary. Without warning, he starts laughing his ass off. "Cage, what the hell are you doing sleeping in the bathtub?"

"What?" my handsome stranger asks, groggily. "Oh, hey, man. Why am I sleeping in the tub? Maybe because you gave away my bed."

"Sorry about that, buddy. You've gotta be stiff as hell. Here, let me help you up." I hear movement, then the sounds of someone stumbling, before they come out of the bathroom together. "Cassie, I hope you're seeing this. My buddies love me so much they'd choose a tub over climbing in bed with my little sister." He slings an arm around his buddy's shoulder. "Sis, I'd like you to meet my best friend, Brantley Cage."

"Hey, Cassie. Nice to meet you." Brantley raises his hand shyly but refuses to make eye contact.

"Hi," I wiggle my fingers at him, trying my best not to let my facial expression reveal what I'm thinking. "It's nice to meet you as well."

Then our eyes connect, and it's as if little jolts of electricity are firing inside me. His gaze lingers for a few seconds before my brother rudely interrupts our connection.

"Cass, you have to see this guy on the ice. I swear watching him skate is a thing of beauty. One of the best damn defensemen to ever grace this campus." Scotty grins broadly while Brantley remains silent. "Go on, tell her about your big play last season."

"Nah. She probably doesn't want to hear about that," he replies all too quietly.

"Oh, I don't know about that. I think I'd enjoy hearing more about your moves." I give him a quick wink as I move to step in front of him. It may be just my imagination, but I swear I hear a noise when I get close. He swallows hard, and I watch as his Adam's apple bobs nervously up and down.

"Holy shit, Cass, what are you wearing? Put some clothes on and I'll take you out to breakfast." Scotty steps in front of me, trying to prevent Brantley from seeing me, and I almost laugh. I'm beginning to get a clearer picture of what it's going to be like having my big brother nearby.

"Get a grip, Scotty. I'm dressed perfectly fine." I flip my hair over my shoulder and give him a challenging stare.

"Please, your ass is practically hanging out of your shorts, and I can see right through your shirt. And if I can see it, I know Cage can see it too." At this, Brantley's eyes fall to my chest and he snickers. Scotty snaps his head around. "You got something to say, Cage?"

Brantley's lip curls between his teeth as his eyes dart between me and my angry brother. "Not at all. I'll just step out, so you can get dressed. It was a pleasure meeting you, Cassie." His tone is far too serious when he says this. A few minutes ago, we were flirting and about to have sex. Now, we've been reduced to casual formalities all because of some 'friend code.' Screw that. I like where we were headed better than where we've ended up.

"Trust me, the pleasure was all mine." I'm trying to sound flirty, but it comes out sounding breathy and full of sexual undertones. Brantley visibly slows, clutching the doorframe before he walks out without looking back.

"Stop that," Scotty growls. "I know what you're doing and it's not going to work."

"Yeah? And what is that?"

"You're flirting with him just to push my buttons. Well, knock it off. These guys aren't just my roommates. They're my teammates, and we don't need any shit between us. We need to be a unified team. I don't need to be worrying about one of them trying to screw my kid sister behind my back."

I grind the heels of my hands over my eyes as I shake my head at him. "Scotty, I'm not a little girl anymore. I'm a woman now. And I have needs, just like you do. I can't have you scaring off all of my prospects. It's not fair."

"Cass, as much as it pains me to say this, it's not the other guys I'm worried about. I just need you to stay away from my friends. Okay? They're not your prospects. You can hang around us and shit, but don't go acting all girly and dressing like this around them." He waves his hand in front of my shirt.

"They're called breasts, Scotty. I have them. Ashley has them. All women have them. I'm not going to hide them under a sack just to make you feel better. I can't help that I have them, nor can I help it that your friends can't stop looking at them. They're pretty spectacular." I glance down at my chest and rotate my shoulders back and forth.

"You did
not
just shake your tits at me. That was so uncalled for. I can never un-see that. That was so wrong." He throws up his hands, muttering as he walks out the door. "Be downstairs in twenty minutes and I'll take you to Angelo's."

***

After waiting in a very long line, we are finally seated at a small table in the center of the room. One by one, heaping plates of food are delivered to surrounding tables. The first thing I notice are the thick slices of homemade bread topped with powdered sugar and served with a side of warm maple syrup. My mouth practically salivates when a plate of it is placed on the table next to ours. I love French toast. Allow me to rephrase that. I am addicted to French toast. But this restaurant takes it to a whole new level by deep-frying it. By the time our waitress comes to take our order, I'm already speaking before she has a chance to ask what I want. When my breakfast is placed in front of me, and I take my first bite, it's clear it has been worth the wait.

Scotty watches with great interest as I enjoy my food. With each bite I savor, his smile grows deeper before turning into full-on laughter once I start moaning my appreciation.

"I've missed this," he says, moving his fork between us. "It's going to be great having you close by. We have a lot to catch up on."

"I'm looking forward to that. Things were never the same at the house after you left for school, then last year at Minnesota was a joke."

"Yeah? I was going to ask you about that. Did something happen between you and Justin? I mean, I know you followed him there," he asks, pausing to take another bite of his omelette. "Why the sudden need for change?"

"We grew apart," I answer, trying to avoid further explanation. I know those two remained close, despite the distance. Their love of the game keeps them in contact, especially during the off-season when they don't have to play against one another. "I just needed a change, and Great Lakes has an amazing music department." He gives me a look that says he knows there's more to it than I'm letting on. "Can't a girl miss her big brother?"

"Please tell me you didn't transfer here to be close to me." He pushes back his plate and lets out a frustrated groan. "Cass, I'm going to be really busy with hockey, and Ashley and I spend a lot of time together. She's pretty demanding."

I can't hide the disappointed look on my face. It's true; I did need to get away from Minnesota, but he was the real reason for my transfer. I know he doesn't intend to hurt my feelings, and it's probably wrong of me to expect him to change his life just because I showed up. But it would have made me feel better to hear him say he missed me too.

"That's fine. I don't expect you to drop everything for me. That's not what I'm implying. I just know your life is about to drastically change and this may be the last time we have to reconnect." I nervously chew the inside of my cheek as I push the last few bites of my breakfast around in a syrupy puddle.

"Hey," he leans forward and covers the back of my hand with his. "I don't care how far away my job takes me, or how busy I get, I'll always be your big brother and I'm always here for you. I just meant I might not be the same Scotty you remember from growing up. Things have changed. Time's changed me." He fidgets as he tries to explain himself. "I mean, my priorities are different than what they were when we were younger and you were trailing around after me."

"No they haven't. Your priorities are still the same. It's just now you have the freedom to pursue them without anyone hovering over you," I tease. "You think I didn't know what you were doing in your room when you were seventeen? I was fifteen. I may have been naïve, but I wasn't stupid." I laugh, watching as he turns three shades of red.

"And here I thought you were all sweet and innocent." His lip quirks as he eyes me warily. "So, you and Fairfax? I'm assuming you two..."

"Yes," I answer his unspoken question. "For nearly two years. See, I'm not sweet and innocent anymore."

"You'll always be my little sister, Cassie. I don't like thinking about some guy putting his hands on you."

"I know, Scotty, and I love you for that. But you have to know there are going to be other guys, regardless if you're ready to accept it or not."

"I suppose," he replies, giving me a half-hearted shrug.

"So tell me more about Brantley." His eyes narrow, and instantly I can tell he assumes I'm interested. Even though I
am
interested, I'm asking more out of curiosity. I want to know more about the sexy man who boldly stared into my eyes while touching himself. I have a feeling that image will remain frozen in my brain for months to come. "And before you ask, I'm not after him. I'm just curious to know more about the guy you call your best friend."

His shoulders visibly relax as he leans back, spreading his arms wide across the back of the booth. "For the most part, we're complete opposites. He's a planner, whereas I tend to jump right in without thinking. I'm a sucker for love, and he can't run away from it fast enough. But on the ice we're both driven and really fucking good at our job. He's just always been there for me. All of the guys are like that, but I know no matter what, Cage will have my back. He's the one friend I trust to be loyal until the end. There are not many people you come across who you can say that about, you know?"

As I listen, I find myself remembering the look on Brantley's face when he learned who I was, and now I understand. What scares me is the way his kisses left me longing for more. But what terrifies me even more is the fact that given all Scotty just told me, I'm fairly certain it won't stop me from wanting him. In fact, I think it makes me want him even more.