A Dose of Pretty Poison: A Brother’s Best Friend Romance (Pretty Poison Trilogy Book 1)
A Dose of Pretty Poison: Chapter 2

I’ve always had a tendency to get myself in shit situations. From fights at school to nearly getting kicked out of hockey camp, it’s basically my specialty. My resume should read King of Chaos and Zero Fucks. Well, that is, if I had a résumé. I’ve never really needed one—the benefit of working at the same surf shop since I was sixteen. The owner has grown to treat me like a son over the years. Now, I run the place since he’s never around, and he pays me a substantial amount more than he should. So, at least that has worked out for me.

I don’t think I’ll be all that lucky with this, however.

It’s not like I meant to listen in. I was only coming to my truck to grab the cooler when I heard Laiken snap at Mali. That’s not out of the ordinary; being as close as sisters, they’re bound to get into it from time to time. But I never expected the answer to the question that comes out of my sister’s mouth.

“Oh my God, do you have a crush on my brother?”

I stop, frozen in place, as Laiken says no, but Mali says yes.

Mali has a thing for me?

“Dude, did I do something to piss you off or did you just wake up and choose violence this morning?”

“Oh please,” Mali answers. “She figured it out.”

“Right, I’m sure she would have put the pieces together even without your lovely context clues,” Laiken snaps back.

It’s quiet for a second, and then Mali speaks again, this time in a softer tone I can barely make out.

“You’re never going to get what you want if you don’t ever tell anyone you want it.”

And oh—

Oh!

In all the years I’ve known Cam, I don’t think I ever imagined Laiken looking at me as anything more than one of her older brother’s annoying friends. Sure, we joke around about me being her favorite, but I never believed it was true. I thought she hated us all equally.

“Okay. Yes, I have some feelings for Hayes. But I’m not stupid enough to think that anything will ever happen between the two of us, no matter how much someone tries to meddle,” she admits, the last part being directed at Mali, I’m sure. “It’s a pipe dream—fun to imagine but never going to come true.”

Hearing her confession is an experience I can’t really process. On one hand, I’m flattered. Even my friends do nothing to hide the fact that they want her. Hell, I’m pretty sure Lucas has blatantly asked her out at least three times, only to get turned down. He keeps trying, though.

But on the other hand, I want to rewind time. Go back and unlearn all this new information. Because nothing good will ever become of it. Cam would slaughter me in front of his probation officer and put the cuffs on himself afterward. Some things are just worth it to him, and his sister is definitely at the top of that list. He’s the textbook definition of protective big brother, and I would only hurt her.

Like I said, I always manage to get myself in shit situations—and relationships are a part of that. They never end well for me.

I’m so out of it and lost in my own thoughts that I don’t even think twice as I shut my tailgate, until I hear the sound it makes, followed by a gasp from inside the kitchen.

“Do you think…” Laiken starts but can’t finish her question.

“There’s only one way to find out I guess,” Dev answers.

“What are you doing?” Laiken hisses in a panic. “I can’t go out there!”

Shit.

In a quick-thinking move that impresses even me, I grab my earbuds from my pocket and slip them in, just in time for the three of them to come out the back door. They turn to me, and I let my eyes linger on Laiken just long enough to see the look on her face. She looks like she wants to puke.

“Need help?” Dev asks me, trying to act as if nothing happened, and I’m grateful for it.

I pretend as if I can’t hear her and take an earbud out. “What?”

Laiken sighs in relief but only I notice the way Devin narrows her eyes for a second.

“I asked if you need help,” she repeats.

“Oh. Nah, I’m good,” I tell her. “Table is already set up. I just needed to come grab the cooler. We need more beer.”

Satisfied, Laiken and Mali turn around and head for the fire, but Devin hangs back. As soon as they’re out of earshot, she gives me a no-bullshit look.

“You heard her, didn’t you?”

My brows raise. “Heard who?”

It’s a decent effort, but she’s not buying it. “You literally complained in the car about how your earbuds were dead.”

I could keep it going—could try to tell her I was wrong or something just as stupid—but she took the time when we were younger to commit my lying face to memory. There’s no point.

I exhale. “Don’t tell her.”

“Seriously? You’re just going to pretend you have no idea?”

“Yeah, pretty much. I don’t want her to feel all weird around me.”

She glances back at Laiken and then smiles. “Okay, I won’t say anything.”

Leaving me to return to the fire, I pick up the cooler and adjust it in my arms as my gaze lands on Laiken. She looks a lot more carefree than she did a few minutes ago. As she throws her head back, laughing at something Mali said, the corner of my lips twitch.

No.

Absolutely not.

I don’t fucking like this.

The only thing I can do is force it from my mind. I adjust the grasp on the cooler and start walking toward Cam and the guys. Fucking up the closest friendship I’ve ever had is not going to happen.

TURNS OUT, FORGETTING ABOUT it is a lot harder than I thought. It’s not my fault, though. Have you ever watched a chick play beer pong and be good at it? But not only is she good, she’s fucking dominating—sinking shots into cups like it’s her job and downing the beer like a goddamn champion. I never really paid attention to it before, but tonight, it’s the hottest thing I’ve ever seen.

It comes down to one final game. Cam and me versus Laiken and Mali. If it wasn’t for Mali not being nearly as good as Laiken, I’d start accepting the loss of my man card now and preparing for the shit we’d get for losing to them. Cam and I have been the champs at this since our second year of hockey camp. I’m not looking for that to be put to an end by a couple of girls who are two years younger than us.

If I thought for a second that her feelings for me would be a distraction, I would be seriously mistaken. Not a single thing about her changes. She’s laser focused and shit-talks us exactly like she did the rest of them. Even her own brother isn’t exempt from her verbal assault. Mali sinks a few shots, but most of them hit the rim. Not Laiken, though. She isn’t missing a single one—to the point where Cam and I share a look every now and then. We both know what’s at stake here and the likelihood of us losing if we’re not on our A game.

So much for a fun, careless game of beer pong.

Everyone else stands off to either side of the table, watching with bated breath to see who wins. I wish I could say the guys were rooting for us, but they’re assholes. One cup left on both sides, and my eyes meet Laiken’s.

“Don’t fuck this up,” I taunt her. “Haven’t missed a shot all game. Would really be a shame if the one you missed was now.”

She smirks, not looking away for a second as she sinks it. “You were saying?”

“Marry me,” Lucas begs. “Seriously. Marry me.”

Cam flips Lucas off as he chugs the beer in the cup. Laiken ignores him completely and focuses all her attention on me, waiting for me to take my shot.

Deep breath.

Aim.

Ignore the way she subtly bites her lower fucking lip.

Shoot.

My eyes close as it flies through the air, until I hear the unmistakable sound of the dunk the ball makes. Mali sighs, and Laiken gives her an incredulous look.

“Yes, Mal. Huff away,” she sasses. “Because clearly, you’re the one under all the pressure here. It’s totally understandable.”

Smiling guiltily, Mali wraps her arms around Laiken’s shoulders. “I love you a whole lot.”

“Mm-hm.”

We each set up the three cups for overtime—the third round of overtime, for that matter. With the competitive nature both Cam and Laiken have, I feel like this game could go on all night and neither one of them would cave.

“Who goes first?” Mali asks.

“You do,” Cam tells her.

Laiken smiles fondly and rolls her eyes, knowing the same question has been asked each time we’ve made it to a round of overtime.

They each shoot their shots, with Mali actually managing to find the cup this time. She cheers excitedly as we give them the balls back. But the next shot she takes, she isn’t so lucky. The ball bounces on the table, and Cam swats it away.

“The fuck, dude!” she yells at him. “That was going to go in!”

“It bounced. Once it hits the table, it’s fair game.”

Pissed off, she puts a hand on her hip and glares at him. Meanwhile, Laiken aims the ball and shoots it directly into the cup. The only way Cam and I can win is if we both make every shot, including both making it into the last cup. Cam, however, has another idea.

“Watch this,” he says, low enough for only me to hear him.

He tosses the ball, purposely making it bounce before it goes straight for the cup. It’s the perfect opportunity for Mali to get her revenge on him, and she lunges for it. Laiken’s eyes widen as she tries to stop her, but it’s no use. Mali swings to hit the ball away, but instead, manages to send all three cups sailing.

We win.

“Mal,” Laiken whines, throwing her head back and staring at the heavens.

She looks confused. “What? It’s just spilled beer. We have plenty.”

“You lost the game,” Owen explains. “It was a smart move on Cam’s part, honestly.”

“Oh,” she replies sullenly.

Laiken scrunches her nose at her best friend. “You’re lucky you’re pretty.”

“Yeah,” Mali smiles. “Shame about you though.”

“So, you lost us the game and now you’re insulting me?” Amusement dances in her eyes.

Mali winks. “Well, I mean, they basically cheated. He did that on purpose.”

“Don’t be a sore loser,” Cam tells her. “It’s not my fault you’re predictable.”

Her eyes narrow as she takes her phone out from her pocket and throws it at him—hitting him directly in the balls. “Did you predict that?”

As Cam falls to the ground, Laiken throws her hands in the air. “Now where was that aim while we were playing beer pong?”

I look down at Cam and chuckle as he groans in pain.

And to think he has a thing for that girl.

THE NIGHT STARTS TO wind down, all of us having sobered up enough to drive home. Laiken stands up and stretches as she yawns. Her shirt lifts just enough to show a small tattoo peeking out from under the waistband of her jeans.

Fuck, why is that so hot?

I force myself to look away. Practically anything would be better than Cam catching me checking out his little sister. I’m not looking to die tonight.

“All right, I’m going to bed,” she tells us. “Cam, don’t forget you have to follow me to the mechanic tomorrow and then drop me off at work.”

“What? No.”

She looks confused. “Uh, yeah. Dad didn’t tell you? My check engine light is on, and he made me an appointment to drop it off in the morning.”

“I can’t,” he argues. “I have a brunch date.”

Everyone goes silent, except for Owen who snorts. “Are you going to sip on mimosas, too?”

I put my hand out in front of him. “Man card. Hand it over.”

He rolls his eyes. “Fuck all of you. If you saw this chick, you’d agree to brunch, too.”

A part of me wonders if he would even be talking about it if Mali were still here, but she left a half hour ago—she has work early in the morning and said she needs her beauty sleep. I think Cam would disagree, but it’s not like he’ll ever grow a pair and tell her that.

“I don’t know what to tell you,” Laiken says.

He sighs. “Can’t you just take my car?”

Her brows furrow. “Sure, let me just go clone myself so I can drive two cars at once. I know you think with your dick, but I don’t think Mali did that much damage.”

Cam groans and flips her off. “Son of a bitch.”

It all happens in an instant. The idea runs through my mind, and before I can tell myself it’s a horrible one, it shoots out of my mouth like it’s desperate to escape.

“I can do it.”

All heads turn to me, and just like that, it’s too late to take it back.

“Seriously?” Cam asks.

I shrug as if it’s no big deal. “Yeah. I don’t have work until two. Wouldn’t want anything standing in the way of your pancakes and mimosas.”

He smirks. “What I want to be eating does start with a p, but it sure as hell isn’t pancakes.”

Laiken gags and covers her mouth. “Cam!”

Chuckling, he nods toward Devin. “Now you two are equal in knowing things you didn’t want to know about your brothers. Bond over it.”

She looks utterly disgusted. “I wish Mali was here to throw her phone at your crotch again.”

“Now that’s just mean.” He turns back to me. “For real though, man. Thanks.”

“No problem.” I stand up and pull my keys from my pocket. “What time should I meet you there, Rochester?”

A light blush covers her cheeks, but I’m the only one who notices. “I have to drop my car off at nine.”

I nod. “I’ll be there. Let’s go, Dev.”

After saying bye to everyone except Isaac—because fuck that guy—we hop into my truck. As I put the keys into the ignition, I can already feel my sister’s eyes on me—judging, suspicious eyes. I put the truck into drive and focus on the road to avoid looking in her direction.

“I really hope you know what you’re doing,” she tells me.

You and me both.

MY PHONE BLARES INTO my ear, screaming the sounds of VOILÀ at a volume that should be illegal when I’m this tired. With my eyes still closed, I grab it and throw it across the room. The thud from it hitting the wall barely registers before I’m on my way back to the comfortable slumber from which I was so rudely pulled.

“And you wonder why you go through so many phones,” Devin drawls.

I crack one eye open to find her standing there, arms crossed as she leans in the doorway. Just the little bit of sunlight is too bright for my liking. I flip onto my other side and throw the blanket over my head.

“Go away,” I grumble.

She chuckles. “Okay, but you should know, you need to meet Laiken at the mechanic in ten minutes. It’s fine, though. I’m sure she won’t mind you standing her up.”

Fuck.

Jumping out of bed like the thing is on fucking fire, I wince at the pain that shoots through my head, but there is no time for whining. My drawers get thrown open as I grab a pair of jeans and a T-shirt.

“Smooth move, stud,” Devin teases, watching me grab my keys and cellphone before heading for the door. “Wait! Aren’t you going to brush your hair?”

I turn to glance in the mirror and notice the not-so-attractive mop on the top of my head. Handing her the stuff in my hands for a minute, I run my fingers through it and mess it up a little more, making it fall into place like it always does.

“I hate you,” she tells me.

I grab my things back and smile. “Love you too.”

It only takes two quick pit stops—one at the bathroom to grab my toothbrush and throw some toothpaste on it, and one at the kitchen for a bottle of water—before I’m gone. I can brush my teeth on the way.

Running out the door this fast reminds me of my senior year of high school, when I used to walk into the classroom as the bell was ringing. My homeroom teacher would give me a dirty look for it, but there was nothing she could do. I was on time. And the sound of my tires screeching as I pull out of the driveway goes right along with the nostalgia.

IF IT WASN’T FOR the construction traffic on Main Street, I’d be right on time. Instead, I’m a little over ten minutes late. I pull up in front of the mechanic shop to find Laiken sitting on the curb, looking bored and unamused. At the sound of my truck, she grabs her purse and stands up.

“God, it’s bad enough you have to cheat at beer pong, you have to forget to pick me up too?”

“I’m so sorry,” I say ignoring the beer pong comment, because we won that game fair and square. “It’s the fucking traffic, I swear.”

She gives me a knowing look, and it only takes me a second before I cave.

“Okay, and I woke up just a little late.”

Chuckling, Laiken shakes her head and puts on her seatbelt.

“Seriously though, were you waiting long?” I ask.

She shrugs. “About fifteen minutes, but it’s fine. I actually found a new career path.”

My brows furrow. “By waiting on the curb?”

“Yeah, with the number of men who propositioned me, I realized the bank I could make prostituting,” she says with such enthusiasm.

In an instant, my grip on the steering wheel tightens. It takes everything I have to loosen it before she notices.

“You tell your brother about that and let me know how it goes.”

Her head hits the back of the headrest as she laughs. “Not a chance. He’d have me locked in a tall tower by sunset.”

Not the worst idea, honestly.

We fall into a comfortable silence as I drive through town. Her fingers subtly tap against the door with the beat of the music. I’m actually enjoying this, and it makes me uncomfortable. I force myself to focus on literally anything else, when my stomach grumbles.

“What time do you have work?”

She startles slightly as I break the silence. “A little before eleven, but it’s fine. You can just drop me off at the rink. I don’t mind.”

Instead of doing that, I turn into the parking lot of a popular breakfast spot in town.

“I’m hungry, and you probably didn’t eat breakfast either.” The guilty look on her face tells me I’m right. “Yeah, let’s go. You can’t teach a bunch of little kids how to ice skate if you’re hangry. You’ll traumatize them for life.”

An amused smirk forces its way through. “This from the man who told a little kid to get the fuck off the ice last year? And you think I’m going to traumatize the children?”

Ouch. “Okay, that was different. We were doing slap shots, and he was trying to grab the pucks so he could collect them. I don’t even know how the little shit got into the rink.”

“A mix of bad parenting and the TikTok black hole, I’m sure.”

Honestly, she’s probably spot on. The place always has mothers who bring their kids and don’t pay attention to them while they wait for open skate to start. Someone was bound to get seriously hurt during practice, so Coach started locking the gate to keep wandering children out of harm’s way.

The restaurant is fairly crowded, but that’s nothing new. Luckily, the hostess is good friends with my mom, so she gives us a booth by the window. All of the people that have been waiting aren’t pleased, but that’s not really my problem. They can take it up with the manager—another woman who is close with my mother.

Good luck.

“French toast?” I question.

She looks at me with surprised intrigue. “Yeah. How did you know that?”

Shit. Was I not supposed to?

As I rack my brain for an excuse as to why I would know something like that about her, I’m saved by the waitress as she comes over to take our order. I get a bagel with cream cheese and a coffee. I never have been that big on breakfast. She writes it down, and I raise my brows at Laiken to order.

“I’ll take an orange juice and two slices of French toast,” she says, and I drop my head as I chuckle.

“Coming right up, guys.”

Taking the menus, she walks away and leaves us to our somewhat-awkward silence. I pull out my phone in an effort to distract myself. A text from Cam waits for me. It’s a picture of a girl who looks an undeniable amount like Mali sitting across a table at some fancy restaurant he probably has no business being at.

Thanks again for taking one for the team. 😉

I glance across the table for a second and see Laiken gazing out the window as she daydreams.

As if it’s such a hardship.

Wow, you managed to find Mali’s doppelgänger. Would’ve been easier just to ask out the real thing, but maybe that’s just me.

🖕 Your sister may not care but mine has a code. No dating your siblings’ friends.

I’m mid sip as I read that one and immediately start to sputter on my coffee. Laiken’s attention turns from her straw to me, and I smile sheepishly.

“Hot,” I explain simply.

The corner of her mouth raises. “The steam coming off it didn’t tell you that?”

“Wow.” My brows raise in both surprise and amusement. “Someone woke up this morning and chose violence.”

She freezes and eyes me with suspicion, and I realize I’ve repeated her words from last night when I “had my earbuds in.” I put on my most angelic face, and she appears to relax. “Is there any other way to wake up?”

“I guess not when you’re five-foot-three and need an attitude to make up for your size.”

Her jaw drops, and she sticks her tongue in her cheek. “Excuse me, not everyone can be a fucking giant. And you know what they say—good things come in small packages.”

I couldn’t fight off the smile that forces its way through if I tried. “I bet they do.”

The way her breath hitches metaphorically slaps me across the face. I can basically see the gears turning in her head as she tries to dissect the direction this conversation has gone in. What the hell am I doing?

Flirting with your best friend’s little sister. That’s what.

If I could see my conscience, I’m sure it would be glaring at me, shaking its head, all full of judgment. And it has every right. Cam has been there for me through some of the hardest shit I’ve ever dealt with. He’s the only one I’d call if there was a dead body I needed to get rid of. If I were to betray him like this, the only body that would need to be disposed of would be my own.

“Lai—” I start to apologize, not even sure exactly where I’m going with it, but I’m cut off as the waitress places our food down in front of us.

I wonder if she has awkward moment radar. Some sort of intuition that I need saving or something. Regardless, she’s definitely getting a good tip.

“Enjoy,” she tells us.

Laiken thanks her as she leaves and then turns to me. “What were you saying?”

I shake my head. “It’s nothing. That looks good.”

She looks down at her plate and bites her lip—a move that goes straight to my dick in a way I’m not proud of. “It does.”

Silence settles over us once again, but this one I’m thankful for. Lord knows I can’t be fucking trusted to even talk around this girl anymore without risking shit. Stuffing my face with this bagel might be the one thing that manages to keep me alive.

Should’ve just dropped her off at the rink.

WE’RE HALFWAY THROUGH OUR food when we’re interrupted. Craig, Isaac’s younger brother and Laiken’s ex, comes to stand beside our table. He’s wearing his varsity football jacket, like that still means you’re someone after you graduate from high school. Laiken hasn’t even noticed him yet as he nods at me.

“Hey, beautiful,” he says.

Her whole body visibly tenses at the sound of his voice. She swallows and grabs her glass, putting the straw in her mouth as she looks up at him.

“Craig.”

He exhales. “I’ve missed hearing you say my name.”

Gag me.

I’ve never understood what Laiken saw in him. The guy is a damn tool, and after what she revealed last night, I think even less of him now. Shouldn’t surprise me. He is related to Isaac, after all. Cam wasn’t happy when they started dating last year. He was even less happy when he had to see them sitting together at all of our games.

A part of me wonders what would happen if I let him know about our little guest right now. Something tells me no amount of Mali-lookalike pussy would keep him from storming over here and ripping him to shreds. But before I can even fully consider it, Laiken hums and rests her arms on the table.

“Along with the rest of Calder Bay, right? Or did you only hear them moaning it?”

Ouch.

Craig winces but recovers, like he’s used to dealing with her attitude—a fact that irritates me more than it should. “Come on. Don’t be like that. I just want to talk.”

She looks over at me for a second and rolls her eyes before getting up. “I’m sorry. I’ll be right back.”

He lets her lead the way and taps on the table before following her. “Tell Cam I said hey.”

Oh, I will.

I wonder if there is a record for shortest amount of time taken to violate probation. Honestly, that’s probably the only thing keeping me from calling him right now, because as I look outside to where they’re standing, it’s obvious Laiken would rather be anywhere else.

“All done?” the waitress asks.

Pulling my eyes away from Laiken and Craig for a moment, I notice she’s still got half her breakfast on her plate. “Can I just get that wrapped up?”

She nods and goes behind the counter to get a box. I, however, can’t seem to look away from the situation that is clearly escalating by the minute. Craig’s jaw is tense, and Laiken looks like she might give Cam’s criminal record a run for its money.

I pull my wallet out of my back pocket and throw money down on the table, just as she’s finished bagging up Laiken’s French toast.

“Thanks,” I say, taking it and hustling out the door.

Craig’s eyes meet mine, and he quickly shoves his phone back into his pocket. He takes a step backward as I come next to Laiken.

“Everything okay?” I ask her.

She snorts as she glares at her ex. “Fucking peachy. Can we go?”

“Sure.”

My gaze doesn’t leave Craig as Laiken spins around and starts to walk away, and he makes no attempt to follow her. Maybe the numerous concussions he got while playing football didn’t kill all of his brain cells after all.

“You going to tell me what that was about?” I question when I catch up to her.

She hums. “Of course not. I’m trying to keep my brother out of prison, not give him a reason to go.”

I’d offer to keep it to myself, but she’d never believe that. So instead, I hand her the bag that has her breakfast in it.

“Here. I figure you could eat the rest before work.”

She takes it from me with a warm smile. “Thanks, but I don’t have much of an appetite anymore. Maybe later.”

That’s the last she says of it as she opens the door to my truck and climbs inside.

THE RIDE FROM THE restaurant to the rink is tense. Music plays through the speakers but instead of her tapping along with the beat, she’s typing a mile a minute on her phone. I don’t even need to ask to know that she’s venting to Mali about what just happened. And it’s not doing a damn thing to calm her down.

“Maybe you should skip work today,” I suggest. “Your hostility isn’t good for the children.”

Now that is the first thing to make her laugh since Craig barged his way into our breakfast. “Or maybe I should just bring you with me. If you’re yelling at them, then I don’t have to.”

I purse my lips as I pull into the rink parking lot, actually considering it for a minute. “I mean, I don’t need to be at work until later. I could use a few puck-gophers while I practice my slap shots.”

She hums sarcastically. “That’s tempting. Really. But I’m not looking to piss off a bunch of parents and get myself fired. At least not today.”

“Fair enough.”

As soon as I put the truck in park, Laiken leans into the backseat to grab her bag and hops out. I should just let her walk away. Honestly, it’s none of my business. But I can’t. I have to give it one last shot.

“You’re really not going to tell me what that argument was about?” I press.

The smile that appears on her face has no business doing what it does to me. “Bye, Hayes.”

She swings the door shut and heads inside, and all I can do is watch her leave. A part of me has half a mind to go back to the restaurant and slam Craig up against the wall. Tell him that if he comes anywhere near her again, it’s not Cam he has to be worried about. But that would cause a massive fallout I’m not prepared to even think about.

I only get a few miles down the street before I hear something vibrating. At first, I think it might be mine. In all the years that I’ve owned a cell phone, I’ve never put it on vibrate, but maybe throwing it against the wall this morning flipped the switch. However, when I pull it out, there’s nothing but a text from my mom from over fifteen minutes ago.

What the fuck?

Pulling over, I turn the volume down and look for the source. It isn’t until I get out and walk around to the passenger side that I find Laiken’s phone on the floor in between the center console and the seat. It must’ve fallen out of her pocket when she was reaching for her bag.

“Hello?” I answer it.

Mali’s voice comes through, sounding confused. “You’re not Laiken.”

“And people say you’re not smart.”

She doesn’t miss a beat. “Yeah, well, people say you have a small dick.”

“Hey!” I snap in mock outrage. “Four inches is average!”

“Oh my God,” she laughs. “There are some things I just never needed to know.”

Keeping the phone to my ear, I walk around the truck and get back into the driver’s side. “You’re welcome.”

“Mm-hm. So, where’s Laiken? Do you have her tied up somewhere?”

Now that is a thought that should never go through my mind, and yet there it is. And something tells me that was Mali’s intention. With how she was acting last night and the conversation I heard between her, Laiken, and Dev, it wouldn’t surprise me.

I decide to play it safe and not touch that one. “She forgot her phone in my truck. I’m bringing it to her now. I’ll tell her to call you back.”

“Okay, thanks.”

The call goes dead, and I drop the phone onto my lap as I spin around to head back to the rink.

I’D BE LYING IF I said I didn’t at least consider reading her text to Mali. After all, with the amount she was texting, I’m sure it has the answers to all my questions.

What the fuck did he want?

What were they fighting over?

Why was she so angry?

But if there’s one thing more dangerous than Cam when it comes to his sister, it’s Laiken when it comes to her privacy. She’d castrate me with the blade of her ice skate and then make me clean the blood off—which is why I know whatever Craig is holding over her, it has to be something she doesn’t want to get out. She takes no mercy on anyone otherwise.

As I walk inside, “Your Body is a Wonderland” by John Mayer fills the entire arena. It’s not a massive place by any means, and only has one rink with a couple of locker rooms and a concession stand, but it’s our home. I honestly think I’ve spent more time here over the years than my own house. If I ever needed to let off some stress or just get away, nothing could beat the feeling of my skates gliding across the ice.

My steps slow as my gaze lands on Laiken. She’s completely lost in the music, skating around the ice like the professional I know she has always had the potential of being. But she has no interest in going pro. The owner has tried to get her on board more than once, and each time she turns him down, he bitches about it to everyone who will listen.

She’s wasting her potential.

When’s the last time you saw someone come in here with as much grace as she has?

Could win the fucking Olympics on any random Tuesday, but no. She would rather teach a bunch of tater tots.

It’s like that man’s biggest failure in life is not getting Laiken to agree to be the next Michelle Kwan. But as I stand here and watch her, really watch her, I can see why.

She’s fucking incredible…among so many other things.

It’s not like I’ve never noticed that Laiken is gorgeous. My eyes work just fine. But after hearing her confession last night, it’s like there is this extra light shining solely on her, making her brighter than everything else and demanding my attention. And I can’t find the damn switch to turn it off.

See, there was a time where I couldn’t take my eyes off her. When Cam and I first started hanging out, she would walk into the room, and I could think of nothing else. But my friendship with Cam grew stronger, I convinced myself that it was just a puberty thing. That it wasn’t her per se, but the fact that she was a pretty girl, and I was full of raging teenage hormones.

And now she’s making a liar out of me.

Knowing I’m encroaching on dangerous ground, I put my fingers in my mouth and whistle loud enough for her to hear me over the music. Her brows furrow for a second and she skates over to the gate.

“Everything okay?” she asks.

I hold her phone up. “You forgot this in my car.”

“Oh.” She takes it from me. “Thanks. I didn’t even notice.”

“I wouldn’t have either if Mali hadn’t called and made it vibrate.”

A look of fear crosses her face before she quickly masks it. “Did you answer it?”

I could fuck with her. Could pretend like Mali exposed her secret. And if she wasn’t so fucking off limits, I might have. But I meant what I said to Devin last night. Me playing as if I have no idea she has a thing for me is what’s best for everyone—myself included.

“Yeah, but just to tell her that you’ll call her back.” I pause. “Oh, I also traumatized her a little.”

“Oh, God. What did you do?”

Shrugging, I smirk. “I’m sure she’ll tell you later.”

Joking around about my dick being four inches is definitely not something I’m going to repeat to the girl who seems to be the object of its affection lately. Besides, the whole topic can’t possibly lead to anything good, so avoiding it entirely is the better option.

“Mr. Fletcher has a point, you know,” I tell her.

She throws her head back and groans. “Not you, too.”

“I’m not going to get on your case about it.” I raise my hands in surrender. “I’m just saying. You’re really good, Laiken.”

Her features soften, and there is something in her eyes I can’t really decipher, nor do I think I should try. “Thanks.”

A comfortable silence settles over us as we stand here, until the sound of excited children echoes throughout the arena. Kids come running toward the ice, screaming Laiken’s name like they haven’t seen her in ages.

“That’s my cue,” she says, and bends down just in time to hug the first little boy who gets to her. “Hey, buddy!”

“I practiced four times last week!”

“That’s great!” She messes with his hair. “I’m so proud of you.”

Kids really aren’t my thing. They’re too naive and full of energy. But seeing the way she treats each one of them like she’s their big sister—it’s cute. If Lucas saw this, he would probably make some comment about knocking her up and creating a hockey team of their own.

And I would revel in watching as Cam decked him across the face for it.

Without a goodbye she never owed me in the first place, she steps off the ice and walks over to make sure the parents are lacing their kids’ skates properly. I let my gaze linger on her for a few more seconds and then force myself to do what I should’ve done last night—leave her alone.

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