Total pages in book: 147
Estimated words: 140742 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 704(@200wpm)___ 563(@250wpm)___ 469(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 140742 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 704(@200wpm)___ 563(@250wpm)___ 469(@300wpm)
Hilarious joke, I think bitterly, but don't voice it, since I know that'll only help the case they're trying to make.
“You have nothing to worry about,” Lach says beside me as I start driving.
“I know I don’t,” I say. “You two are acting like the media and reading too much into this. We went to a charity event together, and we’re just friends.”
“Right,” Lach says slowly. “But do you want to be just friends?”
“Is this because her brother will be your teammate soon?” Liam asks.
I frown. “No. It has nothing to do with that.”
I’m pretty sure Damian wouldn’t be opposed to me dating his sister if I wanted to, but I don’t. I don’t even know what dating entails. I must say that aloud, like a fucking moron, because the atmosphere grows serious.
“When I met Lyla...” Lachlan starts.
“Oh, God. Please don’t,” Liam interrupts. “You’re obsessive and controlling and the last person anyone needs to take relationship advice from.”
“Am I?” Lach shifts in his seat and raises an eyebrow at his brother. “We’ve been together a long time. Happy together. Blissful, even.”
That makes me laugh. “Blissful?”
“Yes.” He turns to face forward again. “I won’t deny that I’m stupidly in love with my wife. There’s nothing wrong with that.”
“Obsessed,” Liam says.
“In love, obsessed, whatever.” Lach shrugs. “My point is, when we met, I was focused on hockey and getting a contract. Love was the last thing on my mind, but Lyla changed things for me. For the better.”
“As heartwarming as that sounds, I can’t relate,” I say, my voice flat.
“With the love part or the obsessed part?” Liam asks, shrugging when I glance at him.
"Either."
“Sometimes they go hand in hand,” Lach says.
“I guess,” his brother reluctantly agrees.
“Lyles made me go to a therapist,” Lach starts, ignoring his brother’s praise for Lyla. “And the therapist—very smart lady, by the way, I can give you her info,” he adds quickly, “made me work on myself and get over my hang-ups, which in turn helped me be less ‘controlling’ when it came to Lyla.”
He pauses to shoot his brother a warning look. “She suggested I get my own hobbies and hang out with friends without Lyla once in a while, and vice versa. I go golfing with friends and have dinner, and she does the same with hers. I’m not gonna lie, it's nice, but most of the time, I wish she was there.”
He looks at me for a long moment, waiting until I finish parking the car at the course to meet his eyes before he continues, “I spent three years without her, which wasn’t either of our faults, but those were the most miserable three years of my fucking life.”
“As heartwarming as all of that is,” I say after a moment. “And it is. You two are perfect together,” I add seriously. “I don’t understand what this has to do with me.”
“I’ve never seen you with a girlfriend. I’ve heard rumors about how you operate.” Lach shrugs. “Like Liam said, Joss is family. She’s like a little sister to us. I’ve never seen her look at anyone the way she looked at you at the fundraiser ... and I guess I see a lot of myself in you. I don’t want you to fuck up your chance at the best thing you might ever have.” He unlocks his door. “All right. Let’s go golfing.”
With those words, we get out of the car. I spend the rest of the morning getting to know my teammates. We golf, eat, drink, and talk shit, but Joss is never far from my mind. I loathe it, so decide it’s time I start thinking about finding a palate cleanser. I own a goddamn sex club, for fuck’s sake. With that in mind, I text my cousin to see if he’ll be there tomorrow night.
32
JOSSLYN
“So, what’s going on with you and Finn?” my mother asks, as she fries the croquetas I’ve been salivating over for months now.
My hands pause on the green plantain I’m peeling. “Nothing.”
“Didn’t look like nothing the other night,” she says, and even though her back is facing me, I hear the smile in her voice.
“Whatever you think you saw was just an act.” I swallow and focus on the plantain.
What am I supposed to say? That we’ve slept together twice now—which is more than he allegedly does with anyone else. My heart skips when I think about that, the flowers, and the way he gets all growly and possessive when other men show too much interest in me. All of those things combined would mean something, if he were someone else.
Maybe they do mean something, but I can’t afford to get my hopes up. Even if he wanted more from me, I couldn’t give it to him. Not with the Titus and Mallory thing hanging over our heads. He hasn’t brought it up to me again, but I’m reminded of it every time I scroll through my pictures and find the footage. That’s the main reason I’m going to meet with Mallory’s friends at Onyx. Not only because I want to prove him wrong, but because the more I look at the footage and think about that night, the less sure I am about it being an accident like they claimed.