Page 22 of Rise Above

mine. “You seem oddly taken with that tiny soccer girl that keeps kicking my brother’s ass.”

Fuck. If Davis hated the spotlight, I resented it.

Attention I could handle for short periods of time, but I didn’t like being in the hot seat. Having all eyes on me

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outside of a hockey rink put the hairs on my neck up. It was extremely unsettling. As long as there was a stick in my hand and skates on my feet, I was fine. Outside of that, anxiety gripped my throat. I never wanted to be famous and thankfully, hockey provided me some anonymity. It wasn’t that big of a deal in the U.S. Even though these were my friends, the idea of talking about my feelings with them made my limbs twitch. My eyes narrowed as my breath shallowed. Black dots popped into the corner of my vision as I attempted to suck in air.

“Don’t.” It was the only word I could choke out. Davis looked me up and down. “No, we aren’t side

stepping this conversation. Don’t you dare try shit with her, James.”

“I won’t.” I grit the sentence out between my teeth.

My vision wavered as I fought anxiety and anger.

“I fucking mean it.” He stood up and grabbed

another beer. “Her life has been chaotic enough. She sure as shit doesn’t need you in it turning it upside down. You are not in a place to be good to anyone.”

A pang of hurt rushed through my chest. Davis

seemed weirdly protective of Aife. I wasn’t some playboy like Zeke, and he knew that. Why was he making me feel bad about being attracted to her? Why was he making me feel bad about the shit that happened two years ago? What did “chaotic” mean? Davis had only piqued my interest more while also making me feel terrible.

“Jesus,” Zeke said quietly, anger edging into his

voice. “TJ isn’t a stranger or an enemy. We barely know

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these women. We fucking roomed together for years. Be less of a dick, Davis.”

He once again rubbed a hand down his face; Davis

rarely got upset. “Sorry, man. Aife is just a very special person. She deserves the world. You are still roughed up from she who shall not be named.”

I cringed and blinked hard, feeling a sting in my

eyes. He just had to mention her. The mere thought of my ex could immediately destroy my mood. Hate was not a word I used lightly, but I hated that woman. She’d broken me in a way I didn’t think was possible. Sometimes, it still felt like her claws were dug into my chest. All my current insecurities could be traced back to my time with her. I downed my beer and decided I needed something stronger.

Normally, I wasn’t a big drinker, but my ex brought

that out in me too. It was going to be a rough night. “I get it.” Pouring myself a whiskey, I settled back on the couch.

Davis’s eyes softened as he looked at me. “You’re a

good man, TJ. Right now, you’re just not capable of being a good partner. Even you and Zeke can admit that.”

Truth rang in his words. My last relationship had

shattered my heart, soul, and mind. My ex had waltzed in, gripped my heart tightly, and broke it harshly on the ground. Since the end of the relationship, I’d completely withdrawn and closed off my heart. Frankly, I wasn’t even sure I wanted to be back in a relationship. Aife just intrigued me.

“I don’t disagree.” My eyes met his.