Chapter Ten

Flynn

I’m shaking and lightheaded as I practically run away from my brother and Myles. As I walk briskly through the club to find my bestie, I try to process the kiss and how on earth I let it happen. I just broke up with Matt yesterday. It was a lapse in judgement. Yep. That’s all it was.

I search for Sloane. I can only imagine Nils must be trying to dry hump her by now, which I’m sure she’s having fun with, but I don’t think a guy like Nils would know how to deal with her V-card. I don’t really think she wants to give that up, anyway. I spot her over by the bar, hunched over the counter. Nils is standing very close behind her. They must be waiting for drinks.

I come up behind them and tap Nils on the shoulder. He smiles to me and loops his arm around my waist. I’m not feeling as friendly as before. I tap Sloane on the arm, and she turns to face me. “We need to go.”

Nils interrupts. “Come on the night is just starting.”

“Sorry. Early morning tomorrow. It was nice meeting you.” I smile politely. He’s still Oli’s teammate, which means I’ll probably be seeing more of him.

“Nice meeting you,” Sloane echoes, then winks at him and grabs my hand. We head back outside.

“He was pretty damn hot,” she says with a dreamy look in her eyes.

“Hockey players are hot, but there’s no future with these guys. Trust me,” I say quickly before walking up to my brother and Myles.

Sloane turns her head and frowns, catching my meaning. “I know. You’re right. But a girl can dream,” she whispers.

“He’s Prince Charming to too many girls. He probably can’t stick with one.”

Myles stands off to the side, staring at the pavement while rubbing the scruff on his chin.

He thought the kiss was a mistake. He’s right.

You keep telling yourself that.

“Flynn, we have a game in town tomorrow night, then we’re leaving for a series of away games.” Oli explains his reason for cutting the night short, which is fine by me. “After everything that happened with Matt, I’m worried about leaving you alone. You don’t seem to be yourself.”

I appreciate my brother’s concern, but I hate that he’s bringing up my breakup with Matt around Myles.

Myles eyes me curiously. It irritates me. He doesn’t get to walk out of my life for seven years and then walk right back in like he deserves to be a part of it.

“I’m okay. I’ve just been blowing off steam. I was with Matt a long time, and it’s okay for me to have a little fun. Anyway, I’ve got so much work the next few weeks, you don’t have to worry,” I reassure him.

“Okay, then. Let’s head out,” Oli says as his driver pulls up to the curb. He turns to Sloane. “You coming, Shorty?”

Sloane gives him the finger, and we all pile into the SUV.

We drop her off first. My brother gets out of the car to walk her to the door. As much as he gets around, I’m happy to see that he’s still a gentleman. When we get to our apartment, I follow Oli up, and Myles mutters something along the lines of, “Have a good night.”

“’Night,” Oli says before sauntering off to his room.

“Good night,” I say quietly. I’m still reeling from that kiss.

Back in my bedroom, I can’t settle down. The room is dark except for some moonlight peeking in through the blinds. Staring at the ceiling, I think about where I see my life going from here.

Trying to relax, I close my eyes. When I do, the kiss from tonight replays in my mind. Myles’s warm lips on mine ignited a fire inside me. As my frustration builds, I slowly slip my hand into my sleep shorts to make things right. I’m already wet remembering how my hands ran over Myles’s thick shoulders as his tongue tangled with mine. A creak outside my door startles me. My heart gallops a few beats, thinking there may be an intruder in the house. Oli is in the next room, and he’s a massive, strong hockey player; no one would want to mess with him.

Another creak forces me to sit up in bed. Another forces me out of bed as I tiptoe and hide behind my door. As the doorknob turns, I make a plan to poke the intruder in the eyes and knee him in the balls. Then the door slowly opens. I get ready to use the shit out of my vocal cords. I jump out from behind the door and lunge at the large figure, poking him in the eye. He falls forward, cursing under his breath. I’m about to go in for the kick to the balls when I see Myles is the intruder, a six-foot-two mass of lean muscles looking up to me with only one eye open.

“Shit, Myles.” I try to calm my racing heart. “What the hell! I’m a grown woman. You can’t just break into my brother’s apartment and invade my privacy…”

“Fuck, Tink. I think I’m blind in one eye,” he hisses, holding his right hand over his right eye.

“I thought you were a robber, asshole,” I mutter.

He straightens himself out, still holding his eye. “It stings.”

“Seriously? I would think you deal with a lot more violence than that on the ice.” I reach up to move his hand, forgetting where my own were just moments ago.

I hold my breath as he gives me a curious look.

He grins like a Cheshire cat, revealing a dimple. It’s only a half dimple on his right cheek. It was that smile that had me swooning as a young girl.

His gaze drops to my chest, and I remember I’m wearing a mostly see-through white tank top. My nipples are so hard they could cut glass. His throat bobs, and I like the idea of taunting him with something he can’t have.

“Don’t you have a robe or something?” he asks, his tone a little husky and irritated.

I want to laugh, but I keep a straight face. “Nah. I’m okay. It’s late, and I have a long day at work tomorrow. Just tell me why you broke in here in the middle of the night, so I can get back to sleep,” I say, pulling my hand away and taking a seat on the bed.

He sits beside me. His chest is bare, and the single item of clothing he wears is once again a pair of gray Under Armour briefs that outline his very ample package.

I’m definitely not looking there.

Wait. I am.

“Flynn, I can’t stop thinking of you­­—of seeing you again,” he starts, and I know he’s holding back, but that’s okay because I don’t want him to open up to me. “It’s been seven years, but tonight when we kissed it felt like no time passed. We’ve both been through a lot. I’m hoping we can move forward. But I shouldn’t have kissed you. We need to keep things platonic. I have nothing to offer you.”

My heart skips a beat. He did not just breathe those words. Cocky asshole. What makes him think I want more? I remain quiet because he looks like he has more to say.

“I really want to be friends because I’ve missed having you in my life.” I want to pull my hair out as my cheeks flush. He doesn’t get to kiss me breathless and then regret it, especially since I never wanted that kiss.

“I can’t be your friend, Myles. That bridge was burned a long time ago.” I rub my temple. It’s late, and I can’t believe he broke into my room to feed me this bullshit.

Startled, Myles looks at me for a long breath. He stands, but he’s frozen in his spot.

“We are living next door to each other. Your brother is an important part of our lives. Just think about being friends,” he repeats.

I blow out a frustrated breath, feeling overwhelmed.

He gives me a somber look. “I’ve got regrets.”

“Don’t we all. I haven’t seen you in seven years. You can’t expect us to pick up where we left off.”

His brows pull together giving me an assessing look, and I don’t like that I can’t read him.

“Go away. I need my sleep.” I crawl under my blankets and lift the cover up to my face.

“We were best friends once,” he says. He’s chosen his words carefully, a last-ditch effort to get us back to that place.

“Leave,” I repeat firmly. My eyes swell with tears. It makes me sad to be around him. He forces me to remember a past I’ve successfully buried.

“Flynn, please,” he continues, hopelessness heavy in his voice.

“I’m just getting out of a relationship I had no idea was broken. I have no idea why you’d think I’d want anything more with you, especially right now. You’re Oli’s friend. I’m not going to come between you. But you need to leave me alone. Now.”

He lets out a long, shaky breath and turns to leave. “Fine,” he mutters. I don’t know how he thinks I can brush our issues under the rug.

Besides, that kiss tonight proves that we can’t be only friends. Myles and I are a ticking bomb waiting to explode. I just need to be strong enough to stay away from him.