Pucking Only (Night Hawks Hockey #2)

Chapter Eight Sexiest Alfred

CHAPTER EIGHT: SEXIEST ALFRED

SKYLER

Arriving at the bar with Zander feels a little strange. I know what people are going to assume about us. Not that I really mind, or should mind anyway. Zander is sexy, smart, fun and honestly seems like the perfect guy for me. Yet, for some reason, the thought of people assuming that we’re together bothers me a bit. I decide to ignore that nagging feeling in the back of my mind. I’m determined to have a good time and enjoy Zander’s company, as well as everyone else’s.

As we step inside, the buzz of conversation and the dim lights envelop us. This seems like it’d be a perfect place for the Night Hawks to hang out. There’s hockey memorabilia and posters displayed all over the walls. There are pool tables to the right and a dance floor to the left as we walk through the door.

I immediately spot Carson, his tall frame leaning casually against the bar. He's surrounded by a few of his teammates as well as several women. When he catches sight of me, a weird expression crosses his face. He looks almost… sad. Before I can try to interpret what that could possibly mean, he scowls, looks away, and chugs the bottle of beer he’s holding .

Shaking my head, I turn my gaze away from him as well, not noticing until it’s too late that Zander is leading me over toward Carson. That is the part of the bar where most of his teammates are hanging out. Wilder, Cruz, and Jayce are among the group and they wave us over. Carson gives Zander a chin jerk greeting, then looks away from us and gives his attention to a blonde with big boobs in a tiny crop top.

“Hey you two,” Cruz grins as Zander and I draw near. “You’re looking awfully cozy together.”

Zander gives Cruz a light shove and I can see pink tinging the top of his cheeks.

“I’m just helping the lady out,” Zander insists, shooting me a grin.

“You’re doing more than helping me,” I smirk, touching his arm and giving him an appreciative smile. “I would be absolutely lost if it weren’t for you. You are the Alfred to my Batman.”

“Oooph, Alfred?” Wilder laughs. “When was Alfred ever sexy?”

“Hey, Michael Caine had a certain charm,” Zander defends while smiling down at me.

“What about Jeremy Irons?” Jayce chimes in. “The glasses? The vest? Hot.”

I gaze at all these big, muscled men with a baffled grin. Are we seriously having a debate about who the hottest Alfred is?

“You gotta go with Andy Serkis,” Cruz argues. “Sexiest Alfred in arguably the best Batman movie.”

“Woah, woah, woah!” Wilder, Jayce, and Zander all object at once, waving their hands and shaking their heads.

“Do not disrespect The Dark Knight like that,” Jayce declares. “Christian Bale and Heath Ledger cannot be outdone.”

I can’t help myself and let out a loud laugh .

“Holy shit!” I exclaim. “Are you all nerds?”

All four turn to look at me with varying expressions of amusement.

“None of us are as nerdy as Zander,” Wilder explains, wrapping his arm around Zander’s shoulder. “But who can resist the occasional cinematic mastery of a superhero movie?”

“Especially Batman,” Cruz specifies.

“Okay, I think I’ve had enough of this nerd talk,” Jayce declares, turning to the bar. “Let’s get shots. Then I’m going to find a girl who wants to put my dick in her mouth.”

“Jesus Christ, Jayce,” Zander groans, wincing with embarrassment as he glances my way. “Sorry about him.”

I wave my hand, dismissing his concerns. “Don’t worry about it. I’ve heard worse, trust me. I’m a female gamer. Now line up those shots!”

Jayce orders five tequila shots and we all throw them back. I slam the shot glass on the bartop and order another round.

As I start to hand out the shots, I meet eyes with Carson. He’s just a few stools down from us. His brow furrows and he scowls, but we continue to gaze at each other for another second. Then, a beautiful woman with long black hair wearing a skin-tight black dress moves up next to him. She puts her lips next to his ear and whispers something to him as she trails her fingers down his torso, feeling his abs through his shirt. Carson smirks and gives her his attention, ignoring me again. I don’t even have a clue where the blond went that he was talking to when I came in.

Gritting my teeth, I tear my eyes away from him and focus my attention back on Zander and the other guys.

“I knew I liked you,” Wilder declares when I hand him his shot.

“What’s not to like?” I tease, giving him a sassy wink before turning back to Zander. We clink shot glasses, then we drink them in one gulp. He grins down at me and I giggle. As we lean against the bar, we face each other and separate ourselves a bit from the rest of the guys who are starting to become more interested in the scantily-clad women surrounding us.

"So," I say, leaning in a little closer, "tell me more about that power play strategy we talked about. I'm curious how you'd set it up in real life."

Zander's eyes light up as he starts explaining. His enthusiasm draws me in. I laugh at his jokes, touch his arm occasionally, and really get my flirt on. It isn’t hard, especially because of how Zander responds. He gives me a wide smile and his gaze lingers on me.

He finishes his beer and says, “I need to hit the head. You good?”

“Totally fine,” I tell him with a grin.

He moves past me and weaves his way to the bathroom. Once he’s out of sight, I release a long breath and lean against the bar. I try to get the bartender’s attention again to order another drink.

Just as I start to relax, a figure moves to stand next to me. He’s a little too close for comfort. Turning my gaze up, I open my mouth to tell the guy to back off. The words die in my throat when I meet Carson’s icy gaze.

“Having fun?” he snaps.

“As a matter of fact, I am,” I hiss.

“So glad to hear that,” he grumbles.

“What’s your problem?” I demand to know, turning so I’m facing him fully. “Why are you bugging me?”

“I’m bugging you?” He lets out a humorless laugh. “That’s rich, considering that you’re like a canker sore I can’t seem to shake. ”

“You’re infuriating,” I declare, waving my hand dismissively as I begin to turn away from him.

Before I can take a full step, he grabs my arm and yanks me away from the bar. I gasp, stumbling as I'm pulled through the crowded bar. Carson's grip is firm, his face a mask of fury.

“What the fuck are you doing?” I snap, but he ignores me. He’s too strong to resist and I don’t want to cause a scene. I go with him without fighting his hold. He drags me to the back door of the bar, out into the alley behind the building.

"What the hell are you doing, Skyler?" he hisses.

"Carson, let go!" I snap, no longer worried about causing a scene since we’re alone.

Releasing my arm, he backs me up against the brick wall of the building. "Messing with my teammates now, huh? Is that your game?"

My heart is pounding, partly from the suddenness of it all and partly from the intensity in his eyes.

"Jesus Christ, Carson!” I snap. “Are you serious? I knew you were going to do this! It’s like high school all over again, you asshat! You can’t tell me who I can and can’t talk to!”

"Talking? That's what you call it?" he scoffs, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Looked like you were doing a lot more than talking."

I glare at him, anger bubbling up. "Why do you even care? It's none of your business who I talk to or how I do it. And why does it matter if I flirt with Zander? He’s nice, he likes me, and we’re grown adults! What the fuck has gotten into you?"

His eyes narrow, and he steps closer, his presence overwhelming. "It is my business when you're messing with my team. You think I don't see what you're doing? Flirting with Zander just to get back at me."

"Get back at you? For what? You're the one acting like a jealous ex, Carson. Newsflash: you are not my brother, you are not the boss of me, and you are not my ex! We’ve never kissed, held hands, and honestly, we barely have any contact with each other, so where do you get off thinking you can tell me what to do?"

Unbelievable! When we were in high school, he was always pulling this bullshit with Grace and me. He’d throw a hissy fit whenever we even glanced at one of his teammates. It wasn’t such a problem for Grace, since she’d sworn off dating hockey players. I didn’t have the same hang-ups as she did. I liked to flirt, and most of the guys on his team were hot.

I hadn’t expected him to act like an overprotective big brother again. Since we’re adults, I foolishly believed he’d realize I was a woman with wants and needs that were none of his business. Frustration burns through me. Why can’t he see me as anything other than the little girl who’s a nuisance that gets in his way and annoys him at every turn.

“Stay away from my teammates, Skyler,” he hisses, his eyes flashing.

I glare up at him and growl, “You can’t tell me who I can and can’t hang out with! It’s none of your goddamn business!”

“None of my business?” he snarls. “You messing with my life is none of my business?”

“I’m not messing with anything!” I insist, stomping my foot in frustration. “Jesus Christ, Carson, do you really think I spend all my time just thinking about how I can make you miserable?”

He slaps his hands on the wall on either side of me, trapping me in place.

“You don’t even have to try,” he hisses. “You just do it naturally.”

My jaw drops as I stare up at him.

“Carson, you’re not making any sense.”

“Nothing makes sense when it comes to you,” he murmurs. His face is flushed and his eyes are flashing as he looks down at me. I’ve never seen him like this before. I’ve never seen him look so… intense.

Before I can respond, he cups the side of my face and yanks me in for a sudden kiss. I gasp, stunned. What is happening? What is he doing?

It crosses my mind that I should push him away, but for some reason, I don’t. His lips against mine feel… good.

More than good.

I find myself melting against him, my hands sliding up his chest and slipping around his neck. I brush my fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck.

His tongue pushes past my lips and his kiss turns more demanding. More dominating.

“Star…” he whispers, his voice layered with desire.

I feel a sudden jolt of panic. No…no, this isn’t right. I can’t let this happen.

Jerking my mouth from his, I push against him. I catch him off guard and he steps back.

“Skyler…what…?”

“Don’t follow me!” I snap as I slip away from him and rush back inside the bar. My heart is hammering in my chest and I feel panic surging through me.

Carson just kissed me. Carson! Why? Why would he do that? He’s not interested in me. I’m nothing but an unattractive nerd to him. No more than a little sister.

He made that very clear when we were fifteen and I stupidly confessed my feelings for him. I still remember how painful it was when he told me he preferred girly girls. That I wasn’t his type. That pretty girls like Elizabeth Norris, that bitch, were more his type.

That we could still be friends.

The worst part? I’m not sure he even remembers saying any of that to me. My confession to him was so insignificant to him, he’s completely pushed it from his mind.

What could he possibly be thinking, kissing me like that? Is he just messing with me? Trying to keep me in my place?

Whatever his motivation, I’m not going to let him shake me. I’m not going to let him play with my emotions and throw me off balance. I’m not a child anymore, blinded by a foolish crush.

Carson Monroe is not going to keep me from getting what I want.

When I get back inside the bar, I head straight for Zander, who’s back where we’d been standing earlier. He sees me coming and grins. “There you are,” he says.

I force a smile and grab his hand. “I’m ready to go home.”

His brows shoot up and he hurriedly mumbles, “Oh, yeah! Yeah, for sure… let’s head out.”

Turning, I march toward the bar’s entrance, my grip on Zander’s hand never lessening. I don’t know if Carson comes back into the bar or not, but I tell myself I don’t care.

Like I told him earlier, he can’t tell me what to do or who I can hang out with. There are a million guys in the world so much better for me than Carson is, including Zander. So, I’m not going to stand around and let Carson play with my feelings and confuse me. I’m going to hang on to the nice guy I’m dragging behind me and pray that he has what it takes to make me forget about that kiss.