Total pages in book: 53
Estimated words: 50620 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 253(@200wpm)___ 202(@250wpm)___ 169(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 50620 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 253(@200wpm)___ 202(@250wpm)___ 169(@300wpm)
She held up her left hand and showed me the script scrawled on the side of her middle finger.
“Vox populi?” I asked as I appraised her skin. “What does this one mean?”
“Voice of the people.” She raised both of her middle fingers in the air. “This is my way of giving the finger to the corrupt people who try to hide the truth from the public.”
My laughter shook through me. “I wouldn’t expect anything less from you.”
She smiled. “How about we order a pizza?”
“Yeah, I could eat.”
Chapter Fifteen
WILL
After I ordered a pizza, we moved our night into the living room, where I setup my PlayStation 5 in front of the massive flat screen television. Clarke wanted to watch the news, but I suggested we play a video game together instead.
We were midway through the second period in NHL 21. I let Clarke’s team win the first period just to soften her up, but she had seriously underestimated me. She thought because I showed her mercy that I would continue to let her get over me.
“You’re cheating,” she yelled as I scored on her goalie.
“How? I took the shot, and you failed to block it.”
She threw the remote control on the couch. “I’m not playing video games with you anymore.”
“Hey, girl, don’t hate the player, hate the game.”
She groaned. “Oh, my God. You’re so annoying.”
“So you’ve said at least a hundred times tonight.”
Clarke snickered. “I won the first round fair and square.”
“It’s called a period, not a round.”
“Whatever. I don’t know shit about hockey.”
I leaned in closer, dipping my head down so close our lips almost touched. “I can teach you.”
“I don’t take pointers from cheaters,” she said in a sardonic tone.
“I’m not a cheater.”
She pursed her lips. “You want me to believe your sudden winning steak is an accident?”
“Ever hear of beginner’s luck? That’s how you made the first two goals.”
“Or maybe I’m just better than you, Romeo.”
I caught a flicker of desire in her eyes. She held my gaze for a moment, long enough that I thought she might not pull away if I kissed her.
Our staring contest ended with the doorbell blaring throughout the apartment. Her eyes dropped to her lap, disappointed in herself for not being the first to pull away.
God forbid the ice queen shows her feelings.
“I’ll get it,” I offered and slid off the couch.
“I’ll grab the plates,” she said as she headed into the kitchen. “You want another beer?”
“Yeah, sounds good.”
I watched the gentle shake of Clarke’s ass as she hurried into the kitchen. “I hate to see you go,” I joked, “but I love to watch you leave.”
“Idiot,” she groaned with her back to me.
Reaching on the balls of her toes, she grabbed two plates from the cabinet, giving me an even better view of her magnificent backside.
The doorbell rang again, snapping me out of my stupor. I raced across the living room and swung open the front door. A young man handed me the pizza boxes, and I shoved a wad of money into his palm. He thanked me repeatedly, a smile in place before he took off down the hallway like he’d won the lottery.
I didn’t grow up with money like Clarke, and I knew how much it sucked to bust my ass at a shitty job for little pay. Before I got drafted into the NHL, I worked a shit ton of bullshit jobs, everything from answering phones at a local pizza place to delivering newspapers. When I saw my first paycheck from the Flyers, I damn near passed out. My heart felt as if it were about to plow through my chest.
I hoped the check would clear and that the team wouldn’t change their mind and send me packing. Luckily, that did not happen. I’d been with the Flyers from the start, seven glorious years with the same Stanley Cup winning team. And if I could keep my ass out of the papers, I would remain with my team until I retired.
At least that was the plan until I started getting into trouble with Liam West. He was on the warpath to destroy himself and everyone around him. Losing the love of his life ruined him. Some days, he looked so fucked up and deflated, I didn’t even know how to talk to him. He was one of my closest friends, apart from Ethan, and I wanted to be there for him. But by helping a friend, I almost lost my place on the team.
I set the pizza boxes on the island in the kitchen and took the plates from Clarke’s hand. “Sit. Let me feed you.”
She giggled. “Please don’t feed me. It only looked cute in Lady and the Tramp.”
I plated slices for each of us, handing one to Clarke before I sat beside her. “Haven’t seen it.”
“It’s a classic. How haven’t you seen the animated Disney version?”