Pucking Only (Night Hawks Hockey #2)

Chapter Four Cute Little Nerd

CHAPTER FOUR: CUTE LITTLE NERD

CARSON

I knew something was up when I saw Jensen walking into my apartment building. He and Grace spend most of their time at his place, so it was weird when I pulled up to the building in my truck and saw him going inside by himself. Since it was on my way up to my apartment anyway, I decided to stop by Grace’s to say hi, and make sure everything is okay.

I was not prepared to come face-to-face with Skyler McKenzie when my sister’s door opened. I’m not sure what I expected to happen when I saw Skyler again after so many years, but getting an immediate erection wasn’t anywhere near at the top of my list.

Grace had told me Skyler was coming, but she’d failed to mention the exact time and day she’d get here. I hadn’t expected to find her in Grace’s apartment. Now, though, I can’t tear my eyes away from the woman in front of me.

In this moment, it fully hits me how long it’s been since I’ve seen her in person. Going to college in different states and having busy schedules made it too easy to not notice how much time has actually passed. It’s not like a plane ticket from Florida to Michigan is cheap. Grace hates long car rides, so what motivation would Skyler have ever had to come visit me? Grace and I had already gone months without seeing each other during our college years…but Skyler and I would go years without running into each other.

Gazing down at her now, she’s both exactly as I remember her and totally different in so many noticeable ways. Skyler had always been the cute, nerdy type.

Somehow, she’s turned into a freaking wet dream.

Her dirty blonde hair is pulled back in a clip at the back of her head, but tendrils have come loose and are falling in whisps around her face. Her brown eyes are wide as she stares back up at me. The glasses she’s wearing are sleek and stylish. She’s lush and curvy and, fuck, I need to stop oggling her right now. Grace and Jensen are right behind her in the apartment, watching us.

“Uh…hey, Skyler,” I murmur, breaking the strained silence between us. “Nice to… see you.”

She blinks, seeming to come out of a daze.

“Oh, it’s you,” she says in a dry tone before slamming the door shut in my face.

What the hell? I blink, stunned. I snap out of my baffled state and bang my fist on the door.

“Hey!” I shout. “Open up! I pay for this damn apartment! Let me in!”

The door is opened again, but it’s Grace standing in front of me, looking exasperated. Skyler is standing behind her, holding up both her hands, flipping me off.

“Oh, don’t be like that, Star,” I tease as I stroll into the apartment, giving her a smug smile.

“It’s Skyler, asshole!” she snaps.

Shaking my head, I reply, “Nope, you’re still too small to be the sky. ”

She glares up at me and I feel a pressure low in my stomach. Actually, lower. Like, really low.

Like almost dick-level low.

On one side, the physical distance between us clearly did nothing to tamper down our mutual desire to always be at each other's throats. On the other hand, I realize it’s doing something to me that keeps my cock stirring in my pants. Fuck, I can’t be hard the entire time I’m with my sister.

“That’s just the warm greeting I was hoping for,” I sigh, shaking my head and pretending to be aggravated. The words are out of my mouth before I can stop them. I know I promised Grace I would behave. Unfortunately, Skyler has the uncanny ability to rile me with just a few words.

Her eyes narrow. “Oh, I’m sorry. Did you want trumpets and fanfare? Should I roll the red carpet out for you?”

I roll my eyes in irritation. “I mean, if you’re asking….”

Her nostrils flare and my blood seems to pump faster and faster through my veins. Bickering with her always gives me a weird rush that I’ve never been able to understand. It makes me want to push her even more. Getting her riled up will make it easier for me to remember why she gets on my nerves so I’ll be able to ignore whatever the fuck it is I’m feeling right now

I open my mouth to say something else snarky and clever. She suddenly bites her lip and my brain short circuits. My eyes lock in on the small movement and the thought of her nibbling on something else entirely toys with my mind…

“Well, good to know that some things never change,” she snaps. “You’re still an arrogant asshole.”

Her words snap me out of my inner thoughts. I quickly reply, “And you’re still a pain in the ass.”

“Okay, okay, that’s enough,” Grace declares, stomping forward and elbowing her way past Skyler. She glares at both of us before giving me her full attention. “You can come in if you can behave. I’m not taking sides. You are both acting like children. Just remember, this is going to be Skyler’s apartment for the next few weeks. You need to be nice, otherwise, get lost.”

I open my mouth to reply, but movement in the hallway to my right startles me. I turn and find a food delivery man watching us with a frown and a plastic bag filled with Chinese food containers in his hand.

“Uhhhh, I have a delivery for Grace?” he says.

“Right here,” Grace replies, shooting him a friendly smile.

The guy glances at me before handing her the bag. She gives him cash and he turns to leave. Once he’s out of sight, Grace turns her gaze to me once more.

“Well? What’s it going to be?” she demands to know.

I sigh. “I’ll behave.”

She gives me a firm nod. “Good. You can come in then.”

Grace turns and walks back into the apartment, hooking her arms with Skyler to pull her further inside as well. I follow them, shutting the door behind me.

The girls go into the kitchen with the food. I make my way to Jensen, who’s standing in the living room. Jensen is grinning at me as I reach his side.

“Hey, man,” he says, his tone teasing. “How’s it going?”

“Couldn’t have given me a heads-up, huh?” I grumble quietly. “Let me know that Skyler was in town?”

Jensen chuckles and shrugs. “How was I supposed to know Grace hadn’t told you that Skyler was arriving today? I’m just an innocent bystander in this little drama.”

“Please,” I scoff. “You and Grace tell each other everything. It’s fucking nauseating how open you are with each other. Grace told you to keep your mouth shut, didn’t she?”

Jensen’s smile widens. The bastard isn’t even sorry .

“Gotta keep my lady happy,” he says as if that’s an excuse for leaving his bro flailing out in the wind.

“I will make you pay for this,” I grumble.

He slaps me on the shoulder. “Hey, she’s your sister! I promised you I’d make her happy, right? Just keeping my promise.”

Grace appears next to me and holds out a beer.

“Here you go,” she says with a little smirk. “I know you don’t like wine.”

“Thanks,” I say, taking the bottle. I crack it open and take a long drink.

“Let’s eat,” Grace declares. She waves her hand toward the kitchen where Skyler is busying herself getting the food out of its containers and putting it all out onto serving plates. She’s keeping her head ducked, as if she is intentionally avoiding looking up at me.

Her glasses slide down her nose a bit. She pushes them up with her middle finger and brushes her hair over her shoulder, revealing her long, graceful neck.

I take another drink.

We all sit down around Grace’s kitchen table and dig into the food.

“Look at you, being all sweet and domesticated,” I tease Skyler as she hands me a plate of orange chicken. “Preparing me a plate like a good little wifey.”

She scowls and stabs one of her chopsticks into a piece of chicken, stealing it from the plate.

“I would need to be lobotomized before I became your wifey,” she replies, waving the piece of chicken in front of me before popping it into her mouth.

I grin and wink at her. She pretends to retch.

“Play nice, you two,” Grace orders, exasperated. Jensen chuckles and lifts her hand to press his lips against her knuckles.

Skyler gives me a final, arched-brow look, then turns her gaze away. She doesn’t look at me again for the rest of the meal. She gives her full attention to my sister and Jensen.

I stuff my face while I watch the girls interact. Actually, I’m mostly watching Skyler. As she chatters away with Grace, her eyes are bright and her easy smile lights up her face. She seems happy and is quick to laugh while she all but ignores me.

I feel a strange sense of frustration. Once upon a time, our banter and teasing was fun and good-natured. I’d treat her the same way I treated Grace. Even if I was picking on her, I was careful never to go too far because I didn’t actually want to be mean. Somewhere around the beginning of high school, that all changed. Skyler pulled away and our interactions went from light-hearted to more hostile and real. I thought maybe she’d have mellowed out in our years apart. It’s clear I was very wrong.

Shit, I don’t know anymore. She’s got me so confused. I don’t know which way is up when I’m around her. Any hope I had that I could act like a normal person around her after so much time apart has already gone up in smoke. Now I really don’t know what to do.

“Anyone need more wine? Beer?” Grace asks once we finish eating.

I nod. “Sure.”

“I’d take some more wine,” Skyler says at almost the same time.

We look at each other and lock eyes for a moment before she tears her gaze away.

Grace moves to stand, but Jensen beats her to it while smiling down at her, “I’ll get the drinks, babe. You relax. ”

He kisses the top of her head as he walks by her toward the kitchen. Grace gazes after him for a moment with a soft expression, then looks back at me and Skyler.

“Let’s go to the living room,” she suggests. “We’ll be more comfortable.”

We get up to follow her. As Skyler stands up, she removes the clip from her hair and lets it fall loose down her back. I stare, mesmerized as she shakes her head back and forth and runs her fingers through her dark blonde locks. For a moment, I’m frozen, staring at the way the light catches in her hair and imagine what it would look like wrapped around my fist.

“Hey, you good, man?”

Startled, I turn to find Jensen standing next to me with a wine bottle in one hand and two bottles of beer in the other. His brow is arched and he’s frowning in curiosity.

“Uhh…I’m good,” I assure him. “Just spaced out a moment.”

Narrowing his eyes, he mutters, “Huh…sure. Whatever you say.”

Then he moves past me to join Grace in the living room. They settle on the couch together. Skyler takes the small rocking chair across from me and I slide onto the floor with my back against the wall.

“So, how’s the season going?” Skyler asks, looking mostly at Jensen but sparing me a glance.

“Not too bad,” Jensen says. “We’ve got a winning record so far. I’m pretty sure that it’s only going to get better because Carson’s been killing it lately.”

“Oh, yeah?” Skyler finally looks fully at me.

Shrugging, I say, “That’s what they keep telling me.”

Her brows knit together. “Got it. Cool.” Her gaze goes back to Jensen. “Grace sent me your game schedule and it looks like you’ve got one against Utah coming up?”

“Yeah,” he grins. “It’ll be a tough one, but I’m confident we’ll pull it off.”

“I can’t wait for you to see the guys play,” Grace says, giving Jensen goo-goo eyes. “It’s really something to see them in action.”

Skyler chuckles. “This coming from the girl who always declared that she hated hockey and its players? Now I’m really excited to watch you guys play.”

Grace laughs and nods. “Yeah, I’m reformed. It’s hard not to be a fan when you hang around the team as much as I do. They’re all a bunch of giant teddy bears. Don’t be intimidated when you meet the others.”

“Noted,” Skyler replies.

Thinking of Skyler interacting with my teammates makes my stomach twist in a way I don’t particularly like. They’re all going to trip over themselves trying to impress her and get her attention. I don’t really like the idea of those animals drooling after her. Just like I wouldn’t like them drooling over Grace…right? I’m protective of Skyler. She’s like a sister to me. A sister I keep checking out. What the fuck’s wrong with me.

That’s it. She is like a sister. That’s the only reason I don’t like it.

The evening progresses and Grace and Skyler have a few more glasses of wine. Jensen and I each have another beer. I feel warm and more relaxed, but I’m far from buzzed. The girls on the other hand are more than tipsy.

“Sky, isn’t Jensen so handsome?” Grace asks, flinging her arms around Jensen’s neck while gazing up at him in adoration. “Isn’t he the most handsome guy you’ve ever seen?”

“He’s a hottie,” Skyler agrees with a giggle. “But he’s no Austin Butler. ”

“Austin Butler?” Grace gasps, scrunching up her nose. “He’s pretty…Jensen is handsome. Rugged. Manly.”

Skyler tilts her head back and her lips curl into a goofy grin. “Austin Butler is handsome and pretty. I could stare at his face all day.”

I scowl. “Since when have you been into pretty boys?”

She turns her gaze to me and presses her lips together. “I’ve always been into pretty boys. Why? Should I be into hulking muscle heads like you?”

“Hey, I work hard for this sexy-ass physique,” I snap. “Plenty of other women appreciate what I’m packing.”

Skyler blows a raspberry. “And you just love the attention, don’t you?”

Before I can retort, Jensen clears his throat.

“I think I should get Grace home,” he says in a strained voice. Grace is all over him, kissing his neck and rubbing her hand across his chest. I wince and gag.

“Grace, knock it off!” I bark. “You’re being gross.”

She gives me the finger but doesn’t stop trying to climb on top of Jensen. He manages to stand up and drags her with him. With a grunt, he hauls her up and over his shoulder. She giggles and reaches down to smack his ass.

I gag again.

“We’re going to take off,” Jensen says as Grace starts tugging at his shirt. “Skyler, it was good to meet you again. Carson, I’ll see you at practice.”

I give him a salute and he turns, strolling to the door. Grace waves at us with both hands, a big, idiot grin on her face.

Once the door closes behind them, Skyler lets out a whistle as she pulls her knees to her chest and plants her feet on the seat of her chair. “Someone’s getting laid.”

I wince, stretching one leg out in front of me and bending the knee of the other so I can rest my arm on it. “Don’t go there. I already feel like I’m going to throw up.”

She arches her brows at me. “What’s the matter? Can’t stand the thought of your sister going to pound-town?”

“No!” I groan. “I can’t stand the thought at all!”

She cackles. “News flash, she’s a grown-ass woman. She can do what she wants.”

Rolling my eyes, I push to my feet. “I’m well aware, Skyler.”

She hops up as well and tilts her head back to stare up at me. “You can be a man-whore but she can’t get the big O from her loving boyfriend? A bit hypocritical, dude.”

I frown down at her. “Why are we talking about this? And who told you I’m a man-whore?”

She shrugs and crosses her arms. “You’ve always been a man-whore and a cheetah doesn’t change its spots… stripes? No, spots. Cheetahs definitely have spots.”

“I haven’t always been a man-whore,” I counter. “I had a girlfriend in high school, remember? Elizabeth.”

Skyler makes a gagging noise and rolls her eyes. “Ugh, Elizabeth Norris. She was such a cliche, all popular and pretty and cheerleader-y, and you were a cliche for dating her.”

I almost chuckle at that but shake my head and grumble, “You’re ridiculous.”

“But I’m not wrong,” she counters, tilting her head back and locking eyes with me.

Gazing down at her for several moments I stare into her bright brown eyes which seem to darken as we stand there. I’m overwhelmed by a strange mixture of emotions. Irritation, amusement, frustration…lust.

Raging, fiery lust.

I clench my hands into fists at my side, baffled. There’s no way I could want her like that…no way! Not Skyler. Not annoying, intelligent, sexy Skyler …

Startled, I step back from her and stammer, “I…I need to go.”

She blinks. “Huh?”

“Yeah.” I push past her and rush for the door. “See you later, Skyler.”

“Carson?”

I ignore her confused tone and hurry out of the apartment, shutting the door firmly behind me. I need to get away from her and the conflicting feelings rushing through me. Skyler is Grace’s best friend…she’s my frenemy...like family to me. I can’t think of her as anything else! Yeah, okay, my best friend is currently dating my sister, but it’s different. Jensen and Grace don’t have the same history that Skyler and I do. There is no woman in the world more off-limits than Skyler McKenzie. I need to make sure I don’t forget that fact.