Rival Darling: A Young Adult Hockey Romance (The Darling Devils Series)

WHAT THE HELL JUST HAPPENED?

One moment Violet was telling me I had absolutely no hope with her, the next she was kissing me and pretending to be my girlfriend. My arms were still wrapped snugly around her body as the two of us watched Hoffman march away. I felt a familiar urge to punch the guy in the face. But there was a time and a place, and with Violet between us, it was definitely not the time.

I wasn’t quite sure how I’d ended up in this position or at what point I’d decided I was going to go along with Violet’s charade and pretend we were together. Now that I thought about it, I realized I hadn’t really considered it at all. It just seemed like the natural thing to do. I certainly didn’t regret it. When Jeremy had questioned her and insulted her and I saw the panic in her eyes, I would have done just about anything to help her. Pissing off Hoffman was just a bonus.

It was obvious she’d only kissed me to make him jealous, and yet it had been impossible not to get caught up in the moment when her lips were against mine. I could still feel the lingering warmth of our kiss. It had ignited a fire within me that had been dormant for far longer than I cared to admit. Even now I could feel the sparks and embers crackling contently because Violet remained within my grasp.

“I’m really sorry you got caught up in that,” Violet murmured. I reluctantly allowed her to disentangle herself from my arms, but I couldn’t stop myself from touching her altogether, so I took hold of her hand.

She glanced down at our interlocked fingers in confusion.

“Got to keep up appearances, right?” I said, lowering my voice. The eyes of the entire party still seemed to be on us.

“Maybe we should get out of here, babe,” I added a little louder.

Violet frowned at the nickname but didn’t complain as I steered her away from the fire in the direction of the track that cut through the snow and led back to my truck. I had no intention of staying at the party now. Especially not when Hoffman was clearly itching for a fight. He’d probably gone to gather a posse of his Saints teammates to back him up. He’d never had the balls to take me on himself.

I sent my brothers a message as we walked, suggesting they call it a night too. Even though fights were off-limits at bonfire parties, I couldn’t be sure Hoffman wouldn’t try to take out his anger on Grayson and Parker if he saw them there. The dude was a loose cannon.

It was only once we reached my truck that Violet let go of my hand. She dropped it abruptly, as if it had given her an electric jolt, and she seemed lost in thought as she stared down at her fingers.

“Want me to drop you home?” I suggested since I knew she still didn’t have her car.

She nodded slowly, but I could see she wasn’t listening closely. Her attention had turned back to the bonfire behind us. The rhythmic beat of the music and the soft sounds of laughter and cheerful chatter echoed across the field but felt as though they were drifting to us from another world. It was cold and dark standing on the side of the road by my truck, yet I felt far more comfortable here with Violet than I had at the party.

I went to open the passenger door for her, but she started to pace. “Oh god. Oh god,” she muttered to herself. “This is such a mess.”

‘It’s going to be okay, Sunshine.”

“Okay?” She spun to face me. “No, it’s not going to be okay. Everyone thinks we’re dating.”

I scratched the back of my neck. “Yeah, well, I’m sure there are worse things in life, right?”

She clearly didn’t agree because her head dropped into her hands. “This is a total disaster.”

“I’m trying really hard not to take that personally.” I laughed but only to hide the fact that her reaction to the concept of dating me had genuinely hurt.

She didn’t seem to hear me as she’d returned to her pacing. She was also muttering things under her breath, but I couldn’t hear them clearly. I caught the odd swear word, so I was fairly certain she was still just freaking out. In my experience, girls generally reacted better than this after kissing me.

“So, are you getting in?” I asked, gesturing toward the open door of my truck. I had a bad feeling Violet would be out here muttering like a crazy person all night if I didn’t do something.

She kept pacing like she hadn’t heard me but then suddenly stopped and looked my way. “Why did you help me out back there?”

“That’s what you’re worried about right now?”

“It’s one of many things,” she replied. “Why did you do it?”

“Why don’t we talk about this in the truck where it’s a little warmer.”

She looked ready to argue but then realized I was right. Probably because she was shaking and her lips were practically blue. It was a whole lot colder now we were away from the fire, and while it didn’t bother me much, it was clearly getting to Violet.

“Okay, fine,” she replied as she quickly climbed into the passenger seat.

I closed the door behind her before I made my way around to the other side of the truck. I moved slowly, giving myself as much time as possible to come up with an answer to Violet’s question. The truth was, while we’d only just met, I’d never felt this way about any girl before. I barely knew her, but already I wanted to do anything I could to make her smile. And anything to stop her feeling sad. Swooping in to save Violet from her cheating ex was a no-brainer for me. I couldn’t tell her any of that though. She’d think I was some lovesick sap, and I knew she didn’t feel the same way about me.

“So…” She pushed me for an answer the moment I sat in the driver’s seat.

I’d barely had a chance to close the door behind me. “So…” I turned on the ignition and cranked the heat, continuing my delay tactics.

“Why did you help me?” She folded her arms across her chest, and there was an unimpressed look on her face. I was starting to think she should be a little more grateful.

“You mean why did I save you from embarrassing yourself in front of your ex? I believe the words you’re looking for are thank you.”

“I’m serious, Reed. Why would you do that?” Her eyes were narrowed as if she was certain I had some ulterior motive. “You didn’t have to.”

“Maybe I just did it out of the goodness of my heart?”

“Maybe,” she murmured. “But that seems highly unlikely…”

“Well, maybe I’ve got a question for you,” I shot back. “Why did you kiss me?”

I knew the answer, but I wanted to hear it from her. Her plan to make Hoffman jealous had clearly worked, but given her reaction and the way she was freaking out, a small part of me wondered if perhaps she’d been just as affected by the kiss as me.

“And, if I remember correctly, you were the one who concocted the whole story about us dating,” I continued. ‘After you attacked me with your lips, that is.”

“It was hardly an attack, and I didn’t hear you complaining.”

“Oh, I wasn’t complaining. The kiss was great. Maybe we should do it again.”

Violet’s lips twitched as though she was struggling to withhold a smile. But any look of amusement was quickly gone as her eyes filled with concern once again. “Let’s just forget about that entirely and focus on the real problem.”

“Which is?”

“How people are going to react when they find out the truth.”

“That you’re a great kisser?”

“No, Reed.” She was starting to sound exasperated. “That we’re not really dating, and it was all a lie.”

“Ah.” That terrible truth.

‘I’m sorry I kissed you,” she started. “But I wasn’t thinking straight at the time. I just wanted Jeremy to see I was moving on. He wants to get back together, and he won’t take no for answer, so I had to do something.”

As much as I hated Jeremy, I didn’t blame him for not wanting to give Violet up without a fight.

“I didn’t realize he’d storm over and confront us,” she continued. “I just figured he’d see us together and finally realize I was done with him.” She let out a heavy sigh. “But once he finds out we weren’t really kissing. Aren’t really dating. He’s going to think he still has a chance.”

She groaned and placed her head in her hands. “Then there’s the whole puck bunny thing. I don’t want people thinking that about me.”

As Violet spoke, I was struggling to stop myself from interrupting her so I could tell her that I wasn’t sorry she’d kissed me. That it felt one hundred percent real to me. With every word, this girl was shattering my heart but making it beat harder at the same time.

“There might be a way we can avoid all of that,” I said. An idea was forming in my mind, and I couldn’t stop it from bursting out.

“What? How?” Her hands fell away from her face, and a glimmer of hope shone in her eyes.

“It should be quite easy really. Just date me.” I shrugged like it was no big deal, but my heart was on tenterhooks as I waited for her response.

Her shoulders slouched, and she slowly exhaled like my response hadn’t been the one she was hoping for. Again, it was the reaction I expected but not the one I wanted. “I already told you, Reed, I’m done with hockey players.”

“You can’t be that done with hockey players. You just kissed one…”

“Yes, but that was a mistake.”

Ouch. Another punch to the gut. I was taking some serious punishment here, but I was still standing. Had I really been the only one to feel fireworks exploding when we’d kissed? Apparently, so.

“Besides, I’m not ready for another boyfriend,” she continued. “Not after Jeremy…”

“Yeah, I know that. Obviously. I’m not looking for a relationship either.” That was actually the truth. At least, it had been until I’d met Violet. “We’d only be pretending to date.’ From the casual way I said it, you’d think it was a totally obvious and totally normal thing to do. “We just have to live the lie for a little while.”

“Pretend to date?” She let out an uncomfortable laugh.

“Yeah. We can just act like we’re together until Jeremy gets the picture. Technically you won’t be breaking your rule because we’re not really dating.” The more I thought about it, the more appealing the idea became. I got to date Violet without the risk of heartbreak that came with a real relationship.

She still didn’t look convinced, so I continued. “Seeing us together clearly drives Hoffman crazy. Isn’t there a small part of you that wants to make him pay for what he did to you?”

“No, of course not.”

“Really?”

“Okay, maybe a small part,” she admitted. “But what do you get out of pretending to date me?’

The simple truth: I wanted to help her. Plus, I’d also get to spend more time with her, and hopefully, I’d have a chance to show her I wasn’t the arrogant jock she thought I was. Of course, I couldn’t tell her that, so I racked my brains for a believable excuse.

“Being your friend isn’t reason enough?”

“We’ve met three times,” she replied. “We’re acquaintances, at best.”

I’d never hated a word so much in my life.

“You know you’d have to stop hooking up with other girls, right?” she said.

“You say that like I’m some kind of animal with no restraint.”

She lifted one shoulder like she thought perhaps I was. Maybe it was going to take even more work than I first thought to shed my bad reputation in Violet’s eyes. I glanced out the window as I tried to think of how I was going to dig my way out of the hole I’d been shoveling myself into so enthusiastically. Violet wasn’t going to accept I was doing this out of pure kindness, and I could hardly admit something as crazy as the truth—that I liked her and wanted to date her for real. She’d been more than clear she didn’t see me that way. No, if she was going to buy into this fake relationship, I was going to have to give her an answer she’d believe. She was already so convinced I was a serial womanizer. Perhaps I needed to use that to my advantage.

I swallowed and tried to withhold a grimace as I played my hand. “Maybe you’re right about the girls…”

“What do you mean?”

I slowly turned back to face her. “Well, this is going to sound a little conceited, but being captain of the hockey team comes with its fair share of… Uh, let’s call them distractions.”

She tilted her head at me. “A little conceited?”

“Okay, a lot.” I scratched the stubble on the side of my face as I tried to figure out how I could make this more plausible. “It’s true though,” I started. “And it’s been worse lately because we have our winter formal coming up at school. I haven’t asked anyone yet, so I can’t walk ten feet around Ransom without girls coming up and asking me who I’m going with or doing everything they can to get asked.”

“That doesn’t really sound like a problem. Just ask someone and it will stop.”

“If only it were that easy,” I continued. “This is my senior year. My final season playing high-school hockey. That needs to be my one and only focus right now, so I don’t have the time for girls, dating, or dances. Plus, the winter formal’s a big deal for some people; I wouldn’t want to lead anyone on.”

If my ultimate goal was to change Violet’s perception of me, I wasn’t making a very good start. In my desperate efforts to keep her invested in this fake relationship, I was portraying myself as everything she despised—a hockey-obsessed manwhore. Whether I liked it or not, it seemed to be working. Violet was nodding along with my explanation like it all made perfect sense.

“So, you’re saying you’d take me to the winter formal?”

“Uh, yeah.” I liked the sound of that. “I know you’re not interested in me that way and I’m the last guy you’d want to date, so I won’t have to worry about you getting the wrong idea.”

“I suppose that’s true.” She laughed. “So, when is this dance?”

“Last weekend of November, so just a few weeks away.”

“Just a few weeks…” she murmured to herself as she considered it.

“Long enough to show Jeremy you’ve moved on but not so long you get sick of my face.”

She let out an easy laugh. “I’m sure that won’t happen.”

My heart leaped up like an overeager puppy. Down, boy, that doesn’t mean she likes us. It seemed she was beginning to come around to the whole idea though.

“So, what do you say? Want to be my fake girlfriend?”

She glanced into her open hands as if they held the answer to my question. “I can’t believe I’m even considering this.”

“That’s not a no.”

“It’s not,” she replied, finally lifting her eyes to meet mine. “Okay, let’s do this.”

“Really?” It was almost impossible to keep the shock from my voice, and I spluttered out a cough to try to hide the emotion “I mean, this is really going to help us both, I’m sure of it.”

She nodded in agreement, but her eyes held a hint of suspicion. “I hope so,” she said. “But after your winter formal, we’re ‘breaking up.’” She emphasized her point by making quotation marks in the air with her fingers. “And then you can return to being distracted by puck bunnies.”

“Sounds good to me,” I lied. I was already well and truly distracted by Violet, and a few weeks in a fake relationship with her was only going to cement that fact.

I was pleased I’d managed to get Violet to agree to a fake relationship and that I’d get to spend more time with her despite her reservations about me. But I was seriously concerned about the way I’d persuaded her.

If she hadn’t been completely convinced I was a player before this, surely there would be no doubt in her mind now. The whole reason I wanted this fake relationship was so she could see the real me, beyond hockey and the Darling Devils’ infamous reputation. She’d never give me a genuine chance if she thought I was anything like her ex.

“We should probably figure out how this is all going to work,” she said. “Like a game plan. I’m working tomorrow at Hug in a Mug, and it’s usually quiet on a Sunday morning. Why don’t you come by, and we can discuss the logistics.”

“Logistics? That doesn’t sound very romantic.” I was usually a big fan of having a well-thought-out game plan, but I much preferred how things had been working with Violet so far: kiss first and figure out the rest later.

“It’s not supposed to be romantic,” she replied with a smile. “Obviously.”

I was growing more and more concerned it was going to be impossible to swing this situation around in my favor. What if our fake relationship ended up putting me thoroughly in the friend zone. That would be even worse than Violet thinking I was a conceited arrogant jock.

“So, tomorrow morning?” she asked.

“Sure. I have something first thing, but I’ll come by after that.”

“Okay, great.” She reached for the door handle.

“Wait, I thought I was giving you a ride?”

“No need,” she replied, holding up her phone. “My cousin just sent me a message. She’s leaving now. Thanks anyway.

“Hold on a minute, Sunshine,” I said as she jumped from the truck. “One more thing. Weren’t you supposed to bring my jacket tonight?”

She shrugged, and a wry smile pulled at her lips. “I’m your girlfriend now, aren’t I? I think that means I get to keep it.”

With that, she closed the door and hurried off into the darkness. And I was left trying to ignore how much I’d enjoyed it when she called herself my girlfriend.