Total pages in book: 34
Estimated words: 31257 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 156(@200wpm)___ 125(@250wpm)___ 104(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 31257 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 156(@200wpm)___ 125(@250wpm)___ 104(@300wpm)
He hesitates for a long moment. "Is this you asking for permission to date my sister, Diamante?"
"This is me asking if you're going to have a problem with me dating your sister." I don't ask for permission. That's not his to give. It's her choice who she dates. But he's a friend. I owe him a heads-up, at the minimum. I don't want his approval to be one of the things standing between us when she's already suspicious of me. The last thing I need is one more obstacle standing in the way.
"Fucking hell," he growls. "I didn't ask you to watch her so you could get her into your bed."
"Give me a little credit here. You know me better than that." I don't fuck around. In fact, I've never fucked around. He's one of a handful of people who knows that. It's one of the reasons we bonded the few weeks we played together. He didn't party, and neither did I.
We were in the minority. Most of the guys on the team were more than happy to take a different bunny to bed every night. Nash and I were always the two who caught hell because we weren't fucking everything that moved. He had a sister to worry about, and I was busting ass trying to recover. Since then, I've been busting ass carving out a name for myself in the AHL. My NHL dreams may have gone up in smoke, but I'm still one of the highest-paid players in the AHL.
He laughs abruptly, a sound that makes me sweat a little. "Fine. You can try to get to know her if she'll let you," he says. "But good fucking luck with that."
"What does that mean?"
He laughs again instead of answering.
"What does that mean? Nash!"
The fucker hangs up on me.
"You're fucking Aspen?" Colter Bayliss, my best friend and teammate, gapes at me from the bench, a skate blade dangling from his hands. "Since fucking when?"
"That isn't remotely close to what I said," I mutter, shaking my head.
"He said she's the barista he wants to fuck."
I shoot a dirty scowl at Atlas, our goalie, who just smirks at me and continues strapping on his pads. Reid Lawless snickers, so I turn a scowl on him, too. I swear to God, whoever put together this roster stacked it with idiots.
"I didn't say that either," I growl. "I asked what you guys know about her."
"And the only reason you're asking is because you're interested." Miles Tempest doesn't even look up from his phone. "You want to sleep with her."
Well…obviously. But I'm not telling any of these morons that. They're less than helpful already. The last thing I need is for them to show up at the coffee shop every day to bug the shit out of her. She'll never give me the time of day then. Considering Nash's ominous warning and her less-than-enthusiastic response to spending time with me, I'm guessing bombarding her with these idiots will not help my case any.
"She's a badass."
I glance up at Jenson Sparks. Finally, someone helpful. "You know her?"
"Not much, but I've spent some time at the shop," he says, spearing me with an amused look. "You sure you want to pursue her?"
"Why do you ask?" I growl, feeling defensive.
"Because she does not take shit from anyone." He flicks his gaze up and down me, his smile growing. "Especially guys like you."
"What the fuck does that mean?" I demand, narrowing my eyes on him.
"He means pretty boys," Reid says through laughter.
I flip them both off. They've been calling me that shit for the last six weeks, thanks to some elderly lady in town who took one look at me and cooed, "Oh, he's a pretty one. I might just have to start watching this hockey business if they make them like him.".
The biker with her just shook his head and looked at me as if to say he wasn't responsible for the shit that comes out of her mouth.
"I mean charming motherfuckers," Jenson says. "Every once in a while, some suave motherfucker will try to flirt with her at the counter, but she shuts it down quickly and mercilessly. They end up with hurt feelings, even though everyone should know by now not to even try it." He gives me a pointed look.
"I haven't tried anything."
He snorts his disbelief.
"Nash asked me to look after her."
"My sister read that book before," Devlin Ramsey says from the far end of the bench. "It ends with fucking and the brother pissed."
"For fuck's sake," I growl, throwing up my hands. "I'm never asking you guys anything ever again. You're useless."
"I'm not useless," Reid protests. "I know Aspen."
I narrow my gaze on him, not sure if he's bullshitting me or not.
"I'm serious. She and my wife are friends."
"What do you know about her?" Jenson asks.