The Puck Chase (Fairfield U #3)

23. Archer

T he next few days I feel like an addict trying to avoid seeking out my next fix, and as much as I’ve been a glutton for punishment when it comes to Daemon Forbes, even I can understand a punch to the face. I guess I should have listened all those times that he told me to stay the fuck away from him. Well, message received, loud and fucking clear. Yet after taunting him for years and texting him for weeks, going radio silent just feels fucking weird.

Thankfully, it’s winter break, and after having a meeting with Coach on Monday morning about the incident, I made it clear there won’t be any problems going forward. As far as I’m concerned, Daemon has got what he always wanted, and that’s for me to leave him the fuck alone. I’m still not sure what made him snap, or whatever the fuck went on with whoever that fucking Jasper dude is, but clearly it’s none of my business.

My focus now is on the holiday. Tomorrow is Christmas Eve, and I am heading to the city to spend a couple of days at home with my family, and hopefully forget all about my obsession with a certain broody fucker with an epic right hook.

I just have to make it through today first.

Apparently, Josh Peters has been teaching a class at the ice skating center in town, for some of the local kids, and today he’s holding a special session for one of the little girls. Maddie let it slip that she and Hallie were going to join him for the afternoon, which of course meant Nova would be going too, and when Alexander and I got wind of that we quickly insisted on tagging along, much to Josh’s dismay. Which is how I find myself on the ice at the center, being picked for teams after Josh named both his wife and a seven-year-old little girl, Penelope, as team captains.

The problem is, when Josh found out we were coming, he invited the rest of his roommates to join us. So I’m standing on the ice with Nova, Alexander, our roommate Jake, and then Josh, Daemon and their roommates Levi and Landon. I’m pointedly ignoring Daemon’s presence, just a few feet away where he stands beside his best friend, but I swear I can feel his stare on me like a phantom touch. I don’t know what the fuck his problem is, he’s the one who hit me, and I haven’t bothered him since, so shouldn’t he be happy? He got what he wanted after all, and that’s for me to leave him the hell alone.

Hallie calls his name as her first pick, pissing Josh off completely, but when she calls mine second, I silently curse, still not looking in Daemon’s direction. The girls go back and forth, until Penelope has nabbed Nova, Josh, Alexander, and Landon, and Hallie has taken Daemon, myself, Levi, and Jake. Again, I can feel Daemon watching me as we make our way to Hallie, but I can’t bring myself to look at him. Not when his very clear warning is still visible on my fucking face.

I hold my hand up for a high five from Hallie, glad to see her smiling so freely for once. Marriage looks good on her, even if it is to a moody prick like Peters. “I hope you’re ready to win, boys,” she throws down excitedly, her smile infectious, as we all listen intently.

“Come on, Hals, you really gonna make us try to win against them?” My teammate, Levi, groans, as he eyes the other team, and I laugh.

I’ve never liked the pathetic douche, especially now as he flicks his stare between Josh and Hallie angrily, and I can’t help but feel there is some underlying hate there. Which is weird, because I thought he and Peters were best friends.

“What's stumping you, Jones, is it the seven-year-old they’ve got?” I ask, and from the corner of my eye I see Daemon drop his head to hide a smirk, and it only pisses me off more. “Or are you still scared of Cap?” I add to Levi with a smile, and the prick scoffs at me, but before he can respond, Hallie beats him to it.

“I don’t care how we do it, just that we do. If Josh beats me, he will never let me live it down,” Hallie groans, eyeing Josh where he stands, leaning against one of the goal posts and watching us with a smirk.

With no reason not to piss him off, I skate beside Hallie and toss my arm around her. “Why don’t you kiss me again, Sanders, that will distract him,” I tease loudly, staring at Peters, before offering him a little wave of my fingers like the prick I am. Yet before he can even react, a firm hand lands on my shoulder.

I snap my head around and come face to face with Daemon, his body now dangerously close to mine, as he surprises me by warning, “Don’t even think about it.” His tone is just as dark and lethal as always when he’s talking to me, but it’s only when I meet his stare that I realize something.

Even though his face is the same blank mask as always, there’s something in his eyes, something that I also saw the other night. It’s not a warning, like I’ve always thought it is, it’s yearning. I think back over all our interactions, my heart beginning to race as I realize what they all had in common. He could have left the alley, he could have left the kitchen, he could have kicked me out of his room, but he didn’t, because he didn't want to. Instead, he slammed me against the wall and told me to kiss him, he dropped to his knees and worshipped me. Hell, I probably gave him the least experienced blow job he’s ever fucking had, and he still let me spend the night in his bed without kicking me out.

All the warnings, all the slamming me against lockers, and telling me to leave him the fuck alone, it was all about desire and dominance. He’s not angry, he’s jealous. The thought sends a thrill through me, as I realize that he isn’t protecting Hallie, he’s possessive of me.

“Why? Does your friend not like sharing his toys like you do?” I ask, pushing him in a way I’ve learned only I can. I’ve even got the black eye to prove it, and just like I knew he would, he snaps. He rips me away from Hallie, slamming me back against the plexi-glass by the fabric of my jersey, which only makes me smile wider. He’s not pissed off because he hates me, he’s pissed off because he wants me, and he hates that fact. A revelation that has my heart racing, as I toss back the words he once said when he had me in this very position. “Careful, Forbes, don’t poke the bear,” I smirk, leaning into his touch, and I see the moment his eyes scan the bruise on my face, and they instantly fill with regret.

Which is only made worse when Hallie skates up beside him, gently placing her hand on his shoulder. “Come on, Daemon, Penelope is watching,” she whispers, and I can tell from the look they share, that they must have struck up a friendship since she married his best friend.

He releases me instantly, looking between me and the little girl, who is thankfully being distracted by Nova, with nothing but shame. Josh is glaring at him, no doubt making him feel even worse, and his stare drops to the ice, as he moves to skate away, but Hallie steps in his path.

“Leaving will only make it worse,” she tells him softly. “We all make mistakes, it’s how we fix them that counts,” she adds, his stare meeting mine again briefly, before he nods, and the look now in his eyes guts me completely.

There is nothing but grief and heartbreak there, and all I want to do is grab him and scream at him, to make him tell me what happened to make him feel this way. I know he wants me, but for some reason he won’t let himself be happy. Whatever happened to him, wherever his scars came from, they’ve damaged him beyond repair, and I fucking hate it. Why can’t he just let himself be happy? Why can’t he let me try and make him happy?

It’s a thought that plagues me through the entire game, hating how quiet and withdrawn he becomes after our interaction, even after we win. A mood that doesn’t improve when we all head to the diner, where Penelope’s mom works, to grab some lunch in celebration. He purposely sits himself on the end, interacting with no one, and I can see both Josh and Hallie exchanging worried looks. Yet they are so preoccupied with Penelope, that they don’t notice when he slips away and heads toward the bathroom, but I do.

I’m on my feet before I can stop myself, following him as he makes his way down the hall, and silently slips out the back door. I don’t even hesitate to take the same steps, trailing after him and out the door into an alleyway. Daemon has his hands braced against the brick wall with his head down, as if trying to catch his breath. He doesn’t even look up, yet when the door slams behind me he sighs, no doubt sensing my menacing presence.

“You really do have a pain kink, don’t you, Gray?” he asks, looking up at me, but not meeting my stare, like he can’t bring himself to face me.

“No, just a Forbes one apparently, even your right hook couldn’t deter me,” I joke, and he recoils slightly, his glare once again zeroing in on the bruise beneath my eye. “Is everything okay?” I add, tentatively taking a step toward him, and he turns, pressing his back into the wall, as if stopping himself from running away.

“Everything’s fine, I just needed some fresh air,” he lies, and I roll my eyes, coming to a stop beside him.

“Do you ever get sick of lying to yourself?” I question, leaning back against the wall and tipping my head up to the sky, feeling his eyes on me. “I mean, aren’t you tired of being alone all the time?” I add, glancing sideways and meeting his stare, and something flashes across it.

“I’m tired of a lot of things, Archer, but that doesn’t mean I want to change them,” he replies carefully, before dropping his eyes back to the ground. “Sometimes, being alone is better than losing someone.” His words are like a knife to my gut, and despite knowing better, I can’t help but push up off the wall and stand in front of him.

My hand reaches out, tipping his chin back until his eyes collide with mine. “Or what if you let someone in, let me in,” I plead, unsure why the connection with him feels as strong as it does, but I know I can’t ignore it any longer.

“I told you I don’t want you, why can’t you just listen to me?” He exhales, but still doesn’t pull away from my touch, and all I want to do is hold him.

“Because your mouth says one thing, but your body says another,” I tell him softly, and then I hold my breath, as his thumb comes up and brushes against the mark he left on my eye.

“I’m sorry for hurting you,” he whispers, like even the memory of it causes him pain, and I smile.

“Don’t worry, Forbes, you’re not as strong as you look. I think your cock left a bigger bruise on the back of my throat,” I muse, thinking it might make him smile, but it has the opposite effect.

Instead, he rips himself out of my hold, pushing me away, and shaking his head. “I’m going to say this one last time, Gray, stay the fuck away from me, I don’t want you,” he spits angrily, and all it does is piss me off.

“You can say it until you’re blue in the fucking face, Daemon, but it doesn’t make it true, so why not just admit you want me?” I snap back, and he shakes his head again, no longer meeting my stare. “Or maybe it’s not me at all, maybe it’s someone else, Jasper perhaps?” I add in question, remembering the few times I have seen his name on his phone and how he reacted to it.

When we left the ice the day he punched me, there was someone waiting there for him. Was that Jasper?

When he doesn’t respond, it hits me that I’ve discovered the reason for always fighting against this thing. “It’s him, isn’t it?” I sigh, feeling slightly stupid, and when he still remains silent, I nod slowly with a forced smile. “Well, okay then.” I turn on my heel, heading back towards the door and ripping it open.

“Jasper is my brother,” he calls out to my back, and I pause on the threshold, turning toward him slightly. “I haven’t seen him in a long time, and I’ve been ignoring his calls and messages, that’s why he was at the rink the other day,” he adds slowly, and I can see his mind turning, as if he wants to say more, so for once I remain silent. “We don’t have the best relationship because of….” he trails off, stopping himself. “Well, because of a lot of things, so when I saw him I lost my temper, and I’m sorry.” He closes the distance between us, his eyes once again staring at the bruise he left. “But that doesn’t change anything. I’m not looking for more than whatever it is we’ve already done. Just because I enjoy you, doesn’t mean I want you.”

Then he brushes past me and heads back inside, and all I can do is stare after him wordlessly, wondering what the fuck made him so cynical. I want him, and I know he wants me, but I’m not sure that’s enough, and by the time I make it back into the diner, Daemon is nowhere to be seen, and Josh is staring at me in silent wonder about his best friend.

Yeah, you and me both, buddy.