Chapter 8

By the grace of God, I had avoided being alone with Beck all week. Hopefully he had forgotten about my odd attitude, because Sebastian certainly hadn’t. My sporadic thoughts had faded in the sense that I could focus, but with Seb and my family’s advice, I’d started seeing a therapist once a week again. It was odd, I had to admit. It had been four years since I’d been to therapy and that might not be a lot but it felt like centuries.

Seb’s sudden urge to act as lord protector was the reason his attention was glued to me even as he flirted with the short blonde girl in front of him at the base of the stairs in the foyer of a frat house. Most of the hockey guys

Were part of this fraternity, making the party almost mandatory. After my episode last week alcohol wasn’t something I wanted to enjoy, so the comfort of just holding a cold bottle in my right hand and leaning against the railing of a staircase landing as I sat on the floor while talking to Axel was good enough for me.

“So that new guy you were talking about, hows that going?” I asked Axel suggestively with a smirk, taking my eyes away from Seb when his play thing looked behind her to see what he had been so transfixed on.

“He’s good in bed if that’s what you’re asking,” Axel laughed while running his fingers through his blonde hair. He sat against the wall on the other side of the staircase, our feet later out and ready to trip the first drunk and unsuspecting victim.

“Not everything is about sex,” I commented, tempted to take a sip of

Alcohol. The music was pounding in my ears as sweaty bodies danced and made out with others. It was crowded but Axel and I were isolated enough to be involved but not involved, if you know what I mean. Instinctively, my eyes flickered back to Seb as I thought about it. I was by no means addicted, but I had a hesitation to drink with Seb watching me. This happened last time too. It took months for me to feel comfortable drinking around Sebastian again.

Axel looked over his shoulder to see what I was looking at, realizing it was Seb again, and looking back at me. “What the hell is going on with you two? You’ve been acting weird all week.” In my defense, I had not been acting weird. I had just been avoiding being alone with Beck. I still talked to him, obviously; I kind of had to. Sebastian was the one that was that was watching me like a hawk. It’s like he thought I was going to spontaneously drop dead on the floor and by having his pupils glued to me he would save my life. I appreciate the sentiment but that’s not how this worked. I was fine. “Are you two sleeping together or something?”

“What?” I asked in disgust, being drawn from my thoughts again. “No. Sebastian and I have never and will never have sex. Let me make that very clear,” I spoke with a definitive tone, speaking loudly over the music.

“If you say so,” Axel laughed again before tipping the brown neck of his bottle at me and taking a sip. A small smile graced my lips from where I leaned against the railing of the stairs.

I was just about to tip the full bottle to my lips and finally take a sip, I locked eyes with a figure coming up the stairs. It took less than a second for me to recognize the dashing raven haired captain effortlessly taking two stairs at a time. Despite the nerves in my stomach, I nodded at him in a brotherly way. Beck’s hair looked like someone had just ran their fingers through the silky strands, looking incredibly sexy in an odd way. He tipped the neck of his own beer bottle at me before sitting down on the ground with me, my butt brushing his thigh.

Axel flashed his friend a smile before asking, “Where’s your sorry ass been?”

Beck shrugged his broad shoulders innocently, “Talking to some girl.”

“Talking?” Axel raised a suggestive lift toned eyebrow.

“Among other things,” he mused. “But then I found out she had a boyfriend so now I’m hiding to avoid getting into my second fight in less than a week, because I really don’t want to get suspended.” There’s the catch. I almost rolled my eyes at the thought of it.

“What? She was on her knees to fast

To get that price of information out?” I drawled sarcastically, giving Beck a mocking look.

“It’s not my fault the women I’m sleeping with seem to have a knack for lying to me,” Beck defended himself, working in a cheep shot as I scoffed and rolled my emerald eyes at him.

“Don’t act like its all my fault,” I bit back while narrowing my eyes playfully.

“Yeah,” Axel jumped in with a twinkle in his eyes. “You were both just too fucking eager to get inside each other to, I don’t know, exchange names.”

“I knew his name,” I protested. “Just not his entire name.”

“Yeah, I’m sorry you get a fucking police profile on everyone you blow, Axel,” Beck joked but the smile on his lips dulled a little when he noticed a red headed man with hair a little

Longer than Axel and Beck’s grab Seb’s shoulder in the foyer. I instantly recognized the shorter athlete as the schools quarterback. Quinnipaic was by no means known for football and it showed. Johnny Malthus wasn’t the type to win a fight, but he was one hundred percent the one to start one.

“You slept with Johnny’s girlfriend?” I asked incredulously, turning my attention back to the significantly stronger hockey captain. “I know you’re still relatively new here but you have to know he likes to start fights.”

“I didn’t sleep with his girlfriend,” Beck threw out there before before continuing with a slightly more guilty tone. “She’s the one that blew me.”

“Like that makes it better,” Axel rolled his eyes.

“Looks like we’re going to be captain-less,” I sing sing-songed as Seb shook his head at Johnny, shrugging

Innocently before the red head looked around before heading in our direction when he realized there was no where else to look.

“Hey Danny?”

“Yeah?” I asked while glancing back at Beck.

“Do me a favor and don’t kill me.”

“What are you talking ab-“ I didn’t even get the rest of my question out before the beer bottle dropped to the ground with a thud just as loud as the dropping beat. Beck’s warm hand moved with his other one to my sharp jaw, cupping my face as he pressed his lips to mine. He kissed me aggressively like the first time we had sex, feeling all the hunger and forcing me to move my lips back.

My hands flew to Beck’s broad shoulders to push him back, but I ended up clinging to his frame when Beck’s hand guided the back of my

Thighs around his waist, a gasp leaving my lips in surprise as he pulled me from my seat so I was straddling him. The hesitation gave Beck the opportunity to speak as our lips separated, my mind still buzzing from the shock of his suddenness. “Danny, I swear to God I’m going to get in another fight if you don’t help hide,” he murmured in my ears.

As much as I didn’t want to be sucking my captain’s face off, this would be his second fight in a week. Thomas Jones might be too ashamed to go to the reporters but Jonny Weston had so such class nor shame. He lived for the drama and the hype, even if it would embarrass him when Beck inevitably beat his ass.

“You owe me one hell of an apology after this,” I spoke over the music while moving my hands to the side of his face.

“Deal.” I might have been a fool but

I kissed Beck’s delectable lips, not caring that Seb or Axel were probably watching me. We were friends. So what? I kissed him in a place where everyone was too drunk to remember their own names, let alone get a non-blurry picture of us.

I hid Beck’s face with my arms while my fingers tangled in his silky black hair. His large hands cupped my ass, holding my body close to his as my breasts brushed his chest. We looked exactly like any other couple too drunk to realize they were in public. It seemed like our charade took place just in time, because Johnny’s heavy footsteps filled my ears as he stopped in front of Axel less than a foot away.

“Hey! Hernandez! Where is he? I know he fucked my girlfriend!” The voice growled from behind me.

“I don’t know, Johnny. Beck doesn’t want anything to do with your girlfriend. Trust me when I say she is

Not his type,” Axel spoke confidently and loud enough for me to hear. So Beck didn’t have a thing for skinny blondes with light eyes? That made me feel great, Axel. It’s not like I have dirty blonde hair or green iris’. Then again, I wasn’t supposed to care about Beck’s type.

“If you find Sampson, you tell me,” Johnny growled at Axel. I could have sworn Beck scoffed against my lips but I wasn’t sure. My heart was beating in sync with the music, my head lost due concentrating on Johnny’s words and not on my kiss with Beck or his hands on my body, despite the tingling in my veins.

“I wouldn’t tell you if a bolt of lightning was about to strike you, Malthus. Get out of here before I make you leave with your tail between your legs,” Axel retorted like it was nothing as Beck nipped my bottom lip. I resisted the urge to moan as I kissed him back, sticking my tongue in his mouth.

Maybe he was into me for my body not my face. I don’t think that made me feel any better.

“Fuck you god damn hockey players,” Johnny abstained before I heard him bump shoulders with the now standing Axel before stalking off. I pulled my mouth away from Beck’s soft lips, panting for breath from our passionate and theatrical kiss.

I looked down at him from where he held me and shook my head. “You just wanted an excuse to grab my ass.”

Beck was just as breathless, the heat of his body radiating onto my skin. “It is a nice ass,” he joked pervertedly, not moving his grip on said my body. “I may have gotten lucky with Jones but I wouldn’t of have gotten nearly as fortunate with Johnny. I’m sorry...I know we agreed not to get involved like this. It won’t happen again.”

I couldn’t help but smirk a little. “You

“I may have gotten lucky with Jones but I wouldn’t of have gotten nearly as fortunate with Johnny. I’m sorry...I know we agreed not to get involved like this. It won’t happen again.”

I couldn’t help but smirk a little. “You might want to start by removing your hands from my ass.”

There was a conniving glint in Beck’s ocean eyes before I felt his hands let go of me completely, leaving my body cold with the loss of his touch. Like a disgraced hooker, I climbed off of his lap and sat my butt down on the wood floor again, slumping slightly against Beck’s large bicep. “More of a warning would be nice next time.”

“You’re the loser goalie that’s stuck with me and my ways, Riley. Deal with it.”

Asshole.