Hockey With Benefits

“We gotta party Saturday night.”

I shot Atwater a look. “Dude. It’s too early to start talking about that shit.” I was giving him and Wes a ride to the rink for our six am practice. Wes was yawning. I was pissy, and AJ was bouncing in the truck. Which was making me even pissier.

“He’s going to rough you up in practice if you don’t stop fucking moving.”

“We should. After our game on Saturday. It’s been so long since we’ve had a party. If Adam is game, then we’re doing it.”

Wes and I shared a look. I was pretty sure it’d not been that long ago when we had a party, but AJ seemed worked up about it.

“I’m going to pitch it to the guys.”

I said, “Wait till after practice, and don’t let Coach hear you.”

Wes grunted his agreement.

“I’m going to invite Daniels too.”

Wes started laughing. “Now he’s for sure going to rough you up.”

AJ didn’t seem bothered, glancing my way. “That cool with you? It was fun with her at laser tag.”

I just growled because I had nothing else to say. Why he wanted to invite my very much not-friends with benefits chick, I had no clue. But he did. And I was remembering how it felt sliding into her last night. How sweet she felt, clutched around me.

“Why are you inviting Daniels? She’s not yours to invite, man. She got a friend you’re into or something?”

AJ frowned, his head cocking to the side. “I don’t know.”

Both Wes and I groaned because that answer was definitely not the one we expected. No one was out driving, but I still hit the turn signal, heading toward the parking lot for our entrance.

“Now you have to tell us the real reason.”

I was enjoying that Wes was speaking for me.

AJ shrugged. “She’s not partied with us in a while. I think it’s time.”

“We’re in the middle of our season. We can’t have a big party.” I pointed out, pulling into a parking slot, and turning the engine off.

As we unloaded and began heading in, AJ shrugged again. “Ryerson made a comment. That’s why.”

I frowned, remembering the connection between Ryerson to his girlfriend, to who her brother was, and to Mara. I paused. “Wait.”

Both did.

“What did he say?”

He shrugged again. “Just that Taz was asking how she was doing.”

What the fuck? The phone call I overheard between Mara and Race’s girlfriend had not ended on a good note. “You need to say more than that. I know a little about Mara’s deal with Ryerson’s girlfriend. She won’t come if you invite her. I have to be the one to do it.”

“She’ll come if her friends come.”

Maybe. Probably not.

Wes’s eyes narrowed. “Atwater, be straight. What are you doing?”

AJ studied us for a beat before his shoulders deflated. “Okay. I’m into one of Taz’s friends, and she’s too scared to come to our house unless there’s other people. I was thinking a small—” He emphasized the word because we all knew Labrowski would not be down for a big event, not until after our season was done. “—thing where she’d feel more comfortable. Ryerson’s cool, but sometimes his girlfriend doesn’t always come. She’s always talking about Daniels, so I was thinking we could invite Daniels and her usual crowd. Taz would show up, and then my girl would definitely come.”

I had no clue which point to handle first.

“One, your logic is asinine. It’s a party, most girls aren’t scared to come to the hockey house.”

“This girl is.”

I ignored him. “Secondly, just ask Race’s girlfriend to come. She’ll come. She has in the past.”

“You think?”

“Third, Mara’s usual crowd is Gaynor and Miller. If Miller comes, he might bring some of his brothers and that shit’s no longer a small thing anymore.”

Atwater stared at me, considering. He switched to Barclay, who held his hands up. “I’m not a part of this. This whole thing has come out of your ass, but I agree with everything Cruz said. Also, you need Labrowski and Keys to okay this or our asses are in a sling.”

“That girl’s been hanging around the house more. The one whose brother died, that was Adam’s best friend. I think Labrowski wants her to meet more girls. Make friends.”

And Atwater just figured out how to get Labrowski to agree with the party.

If Labrowski said yes, then Keys was more likely to sign on. I shared a look with Wes. We both knew that we were going to be having a party Saturday night.

I sighed. “I’ll mention it to Mara.”

“Yes!”

“But you and I are doing some one-on-one in practice to pay for it.”

He groaned, then coughed. “I mean, bring it on.”

Since realizing Mara was in my same anthropology class, I’d stayed away. It was part of the thing with us, but today I dropped down in the seat on her other side, letting my hand graze her arm. Mara’s head had been folded over her book, but she snapped up, her eyes wide as she glanced at her arm. We had a few minutes before Miller would grab the seat on her other side.

“What are you doing?”

I tried to gauge her attitude. She hadn’t hissed that question at me, though I was breaking our rules. But she’d been extra hot last night. Fuck. We both were. I was starting not to like the no-texting rule between us. Which was an admission of surprise to myself because I liked what we had during the first semester. First semester and the first week, but things started to slide. We were trying to right the course again, but I don’t know.

A part of me was enjoying that I had an excuse to sit here.

That I could shift to the side, could run a finger down her leg, loving how it’d make her eyes glaze over, the same look I was rewarded when I was in her honey spot.

That I had an excuse to break our agreement, or bend it.

Bend her…

“Cruz.”

Right. “We’re doing a party Saturday night. The guys want you to come.”

She didn’t show any reaction. That wasn’t altogether surprising because since her breakdown that night, it’s like she caught herself and was making up for her slip of control. She’d been locked down, and the only time she let herself go was in bed with me. Like she gave herself permission, not that I was complaining. My dick was already hard, all the different positions we’d not tried yet playing out in my head.

But last night, man. How I stood, how she turned around, how she backed up—okay. My dick was rock hard. Christ.

“Why?”

I glanced back, seeing Wes staring at us. He raised an eyebrow, indicating the empty chair beside him. I gave him a slight nod, and right then, Bianca tried to drop into my usual seat. He stopped her, nodding my way.

She looked our way, but I focused back on Mara. “Because, I don’t know. AJ wants you there and you know how he is when he gets something in his head. Just show up, or he’ll pester you all week until you say you’ll come.”

“Are you serious? But, we have—”

Miller was coming, along with two of his frat brothers.

“It was either me asking or him harassing you all week.” I stood up, grabbing my bag, and because I was itching to touch her, my leg brushed against her as I went by. I ignored her small gasp. “Just come, okay?”

Miller’s eyebrows pulled together, a small frown on his face as I passed him. “Styles.”

“Miller.” I kept going, dropping into my seat.

He paused until he went to sit by Mara.

“She coming?”

I shook my head, before I shrugged. “Not a fucking clue.”

And now I had to sit through class with a raging hard-on.