Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 82651 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 413(@200wpm)___ 331(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82651 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 413(@200wpm)___ 331(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
“I don’t intend to hurt her,” I promise him.
“No, I don’t suppose you do,” he says glumly. “But while I can’t say I know you all that great, Van, I can say what I do know I don’t like. Not for my sister. You’re closed off and emotionally withdrawn. I want her to have love and marriage and babies.”
Christ, those words give me the willies, but I put that aside. “Simone told you I promised her nothing. You heard that, right?”
Lucas nods.
“That was how it started. But, man, I’m telling you straight up…that’s not how it is now. It’s changed for both of us. You can’t possibly know this, but your sister breached whatever fucking walls I had up, and she’s inside now. I don’t know what to do with it, but I promise you, I don’t want to hurt her and I have no intention of doing so. I think I could really have something with her.”
And just like that, Lucas’s entire body relaxes. He lets out a long gust of relief, and his eyes are filled with hope. “You swear it?”
“I swear it,” I tell him, but I feel the need to add a caveat. “I’m going to move slow, though, dude. I have my reasons, and Simone knows what they are. As long as she’s secure and not getting hurt, it’s just going to take time for me to figure some shit out. If she’s on board with that, you need to be too.”
“Yeah…okay,” Lucas says with a nod of his head. He stares at me a moment more, and adds, “I guess that means you’re coming to the cookout today?”
“Cookout?” I ask, not sure what he’s talking about.
“Yeah…it’s Memorial Day. Max and Jules are doing a family cookout. Didn’t Simone tell you?”
I shake my head and mutter. “We tend to make our plans day by day.”
“Well, I know she’s going, so I expect you are now, so—”
“I’m not going,” I say curtly, and then immediately regret it.
Lucas’s eyes narrow on me and I can tell I’ve lost all brownie points. “If you are going to have more with my sister, you’ve got to act like you want that. You can’t just keep her locked in your bedroom.”
I suck in a breath and let it out, forming my words a little more carefully. “All I meant was that Simone hasn’t mentioned it to me, and therefore I don’t want to presuppose that I’d be invited.”
“Simone,” Lucas yells, and it catches me so off guard I actually cringe.
She opens the door to my bedroom, still wrapped in a sheet, and steps across the hall. Coming to stand beside me, she asks, “What’s up?”
“You’re bringing Van to the cookout tonight, right?” Lucas asks.
Simone blushes, and I can tell that she hadn’t really intended to ask me. But I get it…things changed really fast in the last twenty-four hours. She’s got to be as unsure of my feelings as I am.
“Um…yeah, well…if he wants,” she stammers, looking up to me with uncertainty.
“Yeah, I’d like that,” I tell her gruffly, and then I just bask in the happiness that overtakes her expression. It feels fucking great.
So yeah…hanging out with Simone and her family tonight. Either I’ll be able to smooth things over completely with her brothers, or we’ll end up killing each other.
Good times.
Chapter 22
Simone
There is nothing, and I mean nothing—well, except sex with Van—that is more exciting than the final round of the Stanley Cup.
Strike that.
Winning the Cup is more exciting.
I’m an old pro at Stanley Cup games. Even though Max was the backup goalie behind Ryker Evans when the Cold Fury won the Cup last year, my mom, dad, Lucas, and I went to every single game. Malik was on his second deployment to Afghanistan with the Marine Corps and he was sorely missed. Lucas was able to go to all the games because his season with the New Jersey Wildcats was over.
It sucked Max was the backup and didn’t see as much play as Ryker, but truth be told, Ryker deserved the primary slot. When Max injured his groin near the beginning of the season, Ryker came in and played the best hockey of his life. It’s true this is a team sport, but honestly, it was his goal tending that really won the Cup.
Now this year is Max’s turn as the starting goalie. Lucas is getting his shot at the Cup, and my personal favorite, the beast of a man known as Van Turner, is cleaning up the ice tonight. Jules and Stephanie are beside themselves with excitement and nerves. I’m not sure if it was Max or Lucas who scored the great tickets, but they got three in the first row behind the net where Max will defend twice. Thus, I’m thinking it was Max, as he’ll say he wanted Jules back there staring at his ass.