Tripping (Iced #2) - Kristine Allen Page 0,78

We were kids. We’re adults now, and damn, babe, you sure have filled out since then,” he said with a leering grin as he stared at my boobs. I tucked my jacket close and crossed my arms over my chest. They still weren’t big, but he was right, they were bigger than they were then.

He reached out to loop one of my curls around a finger, and I jerked my head as I took a step back.

“We may have been young, but we were not kids, Richard. You hurt me, and that’s not okay. So for you to think you can give me that smile and I’ll fall all over you to lap up your scraps of affection is bullshit.” The expression on his face was almost comical, and had I not been worked up, I might’ve laughed. Adrenaline fueled by anger zinged through my veins and caused me to shake as my heart raced. In the distance a door closed, and men’s laughter barely broke through my red haze.

“Jesus, you became a bitch. Guess that hasn’t changed,” he said as he curled his lip. “Are you still a prude in bed too?”

Instinct sent my hand through the air, and the crack of my palm hitting his face echoed through the complex.

The pounding of feet came closer, but I barely heard it through the whooshing in my ears. I was too busy trying to rein in my temper to realize Cameron was there until I was startled out of my angry stupor by him lunging for Richard.

His teammates were holding him back. “What the fuck is going on?” he growled as he fought to get loose. Kris and Jordan each held an arm, and Dmitry stood in front of him with a hand on his broad chest. Jericho, Mikhail, and Nate were close by, poised for action.

“You’re with him?” Richard asked in shock as he motioned to Cameron.

The guys had to hold Cam back again as he tried his damnedest to break free. “You are a dead man,” Cameron growled.

Richard backed away with his hands held up in surrender. “Hey, trust me, we’re all good. You can have her. Been there, done that,” he sneered as he joined a group of his teammates who were entering the building with duffles over their shoulders. They all cast curious gazes our direction, and I wanted to crawl in a hole.

“See you on the ice, Dick!” Cameron shouted. When the group of players with Richard paused, our guys got a slightly worried look on their faces.

“Dude, we don’t need trouble before the game. Save it for the ice,” Kris said in a calm and quiet voice to Cameron. Chest heaving, he turned to me as he shook off his teammates.

“Are you okay? What the fuck did he say to you?” he demanded. An uneven, stuttering breath shook him as he waited for me to answer.

Embarrassment at possibly airing my dirty laundry in front of his friends had my face flaming, and my tongue dried in my mouth. “It’s not important,” I finally got out. “He’s a jerk. Let’s go to lunch. Okay?”

His bright blue eyes studied me so long, I wanted to squirm. His friends stood by expectantly, but I caught the wary expressions on their faces. They were prepared to jump on him if they needed to. I wouldn’t put it past him to go after Richard if he knew the whole story. And that was exactly why I needed to get him out of there before I talked to him.

His nostrils flared, and he finally nodded. Jericho breathed a sigh of relief and went back to grab Cameron’s bag from where he’d obviously dropped it.

“Here, bro,” he said as he held it out to Cam, who slung it over his shoulder. He clasped my hand and practically dragged me out of the building. He was doing something on his phone, and I wasn’t so sure he was paying attention to me trying to keep up.

“Slow down! I’m wearing heels!” I had to gasp. Granted, they were boots, but they had heels. He slowed and shot me a warning glare.

“Are you going to tell me what that was about?” he asked in a deceptively calm voice.

I swallowed the huge lump in my throat. My mouth opened and closed. Staring at the suede on my boots with each step I took, I didn’t reply. He huffed and kept walking. When we reached the curb in front of the facility, he stood impatiently. A