Page 68 of Ruthless Game

The lights came back up, and I was right. He was staring at my chest, and his head was shaking back and forth, a glower imprinted on his beautiful face, only making him look sexier.

Nope, he mouthed. Take it off.

I widened my eyes. And wear what? I mouthed back.

The glower left his face, and his eyes lit. He shrugged.

I’ll take care of it, don’t you worry, he seemed to be saying, and then he fucking winked at me, leaving me shocked and craving whatever came next.

Maya fanned herself. “Damn, the tension between you two—hot.”

Tovah agreed. “Isaac and Jack are on the bench with them tonight, but after seeing that, I’m ready to drag Isaac off somewhere private and … well.”

Aviva snorted. “Speak for yourself. Ever since the season started, Jack has been insatiable. My poor vagina needs a break. I’m glad he’s distracted by the game, or I’m fucked.”

“Yeah you are,” Tovah teased.

I smiled. I liked them. I didn’t really have many girlfriends at Oxford, and none in Gehenom or at Reina. Whatever friends I’d had had abandoned me when that video was released. The video that had ruined my life, even though I wasn’t even in it ….

Anyway, it was nice to have friends here, or the beginning of friendships, anyway. Would I be able to keep them, once Lawson had grown tired of me?

I immediately stopped smiling, and as if in response, a cramp announced itself, making me ball up in pain, nausea, and dizziness.

Aviva looked over, observing me, concern on her pretty face. “Emma, are you okay?”

“Fine,” I forced, pasting a smile back on my face. “It’s nothing.”

She raised her eyebrows, but murmured, “If ‘nothing’ happens again, just tell me. We can help.”

But I’d never accepted help. I’d just met these women, I wasn’t about to be a burden to them. I’d never been a burden, because if you were—wouldn’t people just leave?

Even Lawson would. One day.

I focused on the puck drop. Mason Calloway, Tabb’s center, stole the puck and passed it to my brother, who skated with it across the ice, but he was no match for the Kings’ defense. Judah Wasserson intercepted, and then the puck was Reina’s. Lawson was planted on the crease, watching with a calm concentration, only broken when he glanced over at me again, and I could almost feel his smile pressed to the top of my spine. His cum was still dried to my skin, which would be equal parts hot and humiliating, if I had energy to focus on it. I wanted to puke, but I was going to see the game through. I owed it to my brother, and I … well, I wanted to be there to see Lawson play. I was staying to the bitter end.

Even if it killed me.

24

Lawson

Something was wrong.

Not with the game. I was playing better than I had in fucking forever. Even when the Wasserson twins were overwhelmed by Tabb’s offense, I stopped every puck that came toward the goal like my hand was magnetized to it. I was buzzing with the adrenaline of what I was sure would be a victory, even though we were only in the first period. But underneath that, I buzzed in another way, like the sound of an alarm.

Did it have to do with Emma? Was I so unconsciously thrown by seeing her in her brother’s jersey, it felt like a warning? Except that had only filled me with anticipation—sure, I wanted her wearing a declaration that she was mine, but I’d handle that at the first intermission, and it would be fucking delicious to strip her down and put my jersey on her body. Not to mention the satisfaction of reminding her douche of a brother who she actually belonged to.

Speaking of the weird fuck, he was sailing across the ice with the puck, but his movements were erratic, his body hunched. Jeffrey had never been particularly good at hockey, but just decent enough to make Tabb’s team. The PEDs certainly were helping in some ways, but a hindrance in others.

“You want us to take care of this?” Judah called, like he’d picked up on the fact that this was my fight.

“Nah, I got it,” I said, just as Jeffrey shot the puck towards the net.

I caught it easily.

“You’re making this too easy,” I said casually. “What, those little enhancers not doing their job?”

“Shut the fuck up,” Jeffrey hissed, just as the buzzer sounded to indicate the end of the first period. “You think you’re winning this one, but I’m holding the cards, David.”