Scoring Off The Ice (Ice Kings #2) - Stacey Lynn Page 0,59

to grab her bag, her entire apartment she shared with him was cleaned out. Everything but her clothes and shit plus the account they shared was empty.”

“No shit?” I’d be pissed I didn’t hear about this, but I haven’t been hanging out in the locker rooms after practice or weight training. I throw on my clothes and hurry out of there so I’m sure I’ve missed a lot.

Sawyer is protective, no doubt, and with the way he stays close to his sister, his girlfriend Debbie too, I feel bad for her. No one deserves someone in their life who doesn’t make them feel like the most important person. I watched enough women being treated like they don’t matter to have learned exactly how not to treat someone you claim you care about.

Which really makes me hope I don’t screw things up with Paisley. It’s not like I’ve had the best role model.

“Damn. That seriously sucks. Anyone know where he went?”

“Sawyer’s making calls. She’s supposed to be here only for the weekend, but I think Sawyer’s trying to get her to stay longer.”

“Good. Good for her.” At least, I think it is until I see Jason approach her on the other side of the pool. She straightens her spine and narrows her eyes at him. Whatever Jason says to her, smiling like the happy-go-lucky guy he usually is makes her scoff.

“What’s going on there?” I tip my beer in their direction.

Jude shrugs. “Fuck if I know. He and Sawyer went to college together. He’s known him for years, so I figure he knows Tessa.”

“Doesn’t look like she likes him.”

As I say it, her cheeks burn bright and she spins, stomping away from Jason. She heads straight to the bar and slams down her beer.

Jason, on the other hand, shoves his hand to his hips, glaring daggers at her I can feel from a dozen yards away before he tips his head back to the sky.

“He’s probably just pissed about her shit. When he and Chauncy met, she would have been like, sixteen or something. Like a little sister.”

Yeah… no. That is not a little sister vibe I have from the pissed off Jason. He’s too laid back for that. Whatever. It’s none of my business.

I punch Jude in the shoulder. “I’m going to go check on Angelo.”

I haven’t seen him in an hour. Some of the men who have teenage children hired their kids to watch the younger ones. I’m not used to Angelo being away from me. I thought it would be easy, but other than Paisley, he’s the only one I keep thinking about.

“See you later?” Jude asks.

“Probably.”

Or not. I still keep thinking of Paisley in her swimsuit. And how I want to take it off her. She hasn’t ditched the cover-up since we arrived, and I give her a small, brief wave on my way inside. There is a room on the main living area that I think is supposed to be a library, but based on the lack of books, I don’t think Jude has ever used it. It’s where the kids were supposed to play inside.

Soft, childlike laughter guides me down the hall and I’m almost to the room when a warm hand wraps around my wrist and tugs.

“Hey you.”

It’s Paisley. My chest squeezes at the sight of her. Now that I know what’s beneath the baggy but soft cover-up, it’s all I can see when I look at her. Her head is tilted to one side, green eyes sparkling with mischief. Her cheeks are pink, perhaps from the scorching heat outside. Her blonde hair, spun like gold, flops over one shoulder with the end of it brushing over her breast.

It’s her lips that grab and hold my attention. They’re pressed into a smile. One that hints of teasing to come, or better yet… something else.

“What is it? You okay?”

“Doing great, Lutzgo. Come here for a minute.”

Before I can ask where, she’s dragging me down, past the library, around a corner and into a room I haven’t been yet.

It has a bed, simple white, fluffy cover, no headboard, and one dresser. The room is plain as can be and I assume it’s a guest room. I’m really not thinking of Jude’s guests in his house when Paisley places her hand on my chest and pushes me backward.

“What are you doing?”

“I keep thinking of later and I can’t concentrate on anything else.”

Oh. Yeah, I like where this is going. My eyes go to the door behind her.