Almost Perfect Read online

  Daria rolled her eyes and sat back. “Maddoc. You know, Cash’s friend. The guy we saw just before we left last night?” When I rolled my hand for her to continue, my stomach doing it’s own tumble at the same time, she gripped my hands. “So, according to Jonah, who told Bobby, who then told Cash, Maddoc and Chan were having a bit of a heated argument in the dining room,” she explained while shimmying her shoulders and moving her head side-to-side with glee.

  “I’m not following,” I said as though I were confused. Daria made no sign she knew I’d been locked in the closet with Maddoc, his hard body pressed against me, his hands cupping my face, his lips on mine… I cleared my throat as my face heated. “What happened?”

  “Well, as I heard it, Chan was laughing at something, and Maddoc didn’t find it funny at all. Chan treated whatever it was like a joke and made lewd suggestions, then all fucking hell broke loose, Kai. God, now I wish we would’ve stayed.”

  “Chan’s your cousin,” I pointed out. “Why would you be happy about this?”

  “Aren’t you?” she asked in disbelief. “Jesus, Kai, he was a bastard to you.” She shook her head as though clearing it. “Anyway, nobody knows why—neither of them are talking—but the only thing that makes sense is if Chan tried to hook up with Maddoc’s girlfriend.”

  “Say what?” My heart started pounding in my chest, nausea filling my stomach. I swallowed hard. “Maddoc’s girlfriend?”

  Willow. That had to be her—the girl he was talking about.

  “Well, Chan’s hardly got a stellar reputation, has he?” Daria continued while I was breaking apart from the guilt smashing into me. “Wouldn’t surprise me—he’s always gone for what he wanted, screw the consequences.” She snorted a laugh. “Well, there were consequences last night, so I hope he learned his lesson.”

  I shrugged, then shook my head, getting rid of the memory. “Can we not talk about Maddoc, please?” I opened one of the bars of chocolate and tore the wrapper. I took a large bite and groaned when the sweet silkiness of milky goodness began to melt immediately.

  “Sure,” Daria replied, then took her own bar. “But when we go out on Friday, he’ll more than likely be there with the team. He does live there, after all.”

  I groaned again, but it wasn’t from the sugary snack I’d swallowed. “I’m sure I can avoid him,” I mumbled. “He’ll be busy enough, I’m sure.” And that kind of busy wasn’t what I wanted thrown in my face almost every damn time I laid eyes on the guy. I threw my arm around Daria’s shoulder. “I need a pick-me-up. How about, we put on a cheesy romance and shove ice-cream down our throats until we feel sick?” I beamed at her.

  “Kai, I thought you’d never ask.”

  I threw my hands up, then clapped. “Yay!”

  Chapter 4

  Maddoc

  “Seven isn’t enough,” Bobby said as he eyed the enormous kegs, his hands on his hips. “We’ve got a shit ton of people coming tonight, and this isn’t gonna cut it.”

  “Relax,” I said, walking past, carrying three boxes of glass bottles. “That’s just for the cups. We’ve got fifteen more of these outside, so shift your ass and help.” I deposited the boxes of Bud on the bar in our basement, and looked at my palms that were reddened from the ink print.

  “I’ll unload,” Cash said, taking a box. “When these fridges are full, we’ll have to keep the rest on ice.” He jerked his chin to two large coolers.

  “Yeah, we’ll put those out back,” I said, nodding. “Jonah’s got two tables set up out there, so when the party starts, we’ll get those out.”

  Cash looked around, and when the rest of the guys who were helping had gone back upstairs, he turned to me. “Hey, you know Dar’s bringing Kaia tonight, right?” His voice was low and serious.

  I shrugged. “And that’s a concern, why?” I asked, my eyes narrowing, my brows dipping. My heart rate kicked up, but he wouldn’t know it by looking at me. I wasn’t just the king of ordering alcohol, I was also a master of hiding any emotions I had regarding a certain young woman.With Daria coming, there was always a slight chance her friend was coming. Kaia Levine. The one we should stay away from, the one we should be wary of if we wanted our bones to stay in one piece. Yeah, that didn’t put me off in the fucking slightest. Never did, and never would either.

  “You know,” he replied, holding his palm up like I should know what the fuck he was talking about. I did, but that was beside the point. “She’s not exactly a fan of yours. Well, any of the team.”

  “Not my fault.” I turned away from him and began moving the couch in the center of the room closer to the flat screen on the wall. Our makeshift dance floor, if anyone cared, wasn’t going to be nightclub sized by any means. The fully-kitted basement was massive, nearly the entire floor size of the house we shared, and we needed it. “Anyway, a shit ton of people are coming, Cash, so it’s not like it’s going to be a cosy evening.”

  “Come on, man, there’s gotta be something,” he said, cocking his eyebrow and smirking. His head tipped to the side. “I don’t believe for one minute that you just didn’t like each other on sight.”

  “If you remember,” I snapped, blowing out a breath from exertion. The couch was fucking heavy, even for me. “She doesn’t fraternize with hockey players.” I looked him up and down, taking note of his black hockey shorts and white T-shirt. “Apart from you, but we know why that is.”

  Cash grinned wide, his eyes crinkling with happiness. Damn, it was sickening how much he was in love. Still. The guy hadn’t waned in his feeling for Daria since they started dating in senior year. One look at Channing’s cousin as she cheered for our team, and he was fucking gone. Completely. I didn’t think it was possible to have feelings develop so quickly for somebody, but they were walking, talking proof that it happens.

  Not for me, though. Fuck, I didn’t want that. I didn’t want to be burdened with a relationship. The constant check-in’s, messaging, making sure the other person was happy, okay, safe… I was better off without.

  My mother’s words swam around in my head. ‘You can’t commit to anything, Maddoc—you’re too fickle. Nothing can hold your interest for long unless you’re pushed into it. And even then, you find ways to disappoint. You only think about yourself.’

  My mother, the one who wanted me to follow a different path, craved it, then belittled me when I couldn’t perform to her liking.

  Great, now I’m getting a fucking headache.

  “It’s my personality,” Cash said, breaking my thoughts. His grin widened until he burst out laughing. “Okay, I get a pass because of Dar. I’m sure Kaia would avoid me, too. Her brothers are insane, so it’s wise to keep a safe distance from her.”

  I rolled my eyes and got back to clearing the space, setting up stools around the bar, and moving anything we didn’t want broken, stolen, or both. I had to keep myself busy before I said something stupid, said something that would get back to Kaia; something about the night I kissed her in the dark, knowing exactly who she was. I’d recognize her anywhere. When she’d walked into that room, the opportunity was too good to pass up. Channing had no fucking idea that two of the toughest fuckers on the ice—and old Dominoes players—were her brothers, and the second he found out, his mouth was sealed shut. But, I didn’t care. I knew of the Levines and their reputations, and the amount of fucks I gave were less than zero. That was until Kaia saw me. Yeah, that fucking stung.

  Heavy footsteps jogged down the stairs, the sound loud in the now silent room, the emptiness increasing the volume as he neared.

  “Guys!” Channing yelled, his arms wide. “Looks awesome in here, boys.” He looked around at the open area, and then headed over to the far wall where a DJ booth had been set up. “This is gonna be one hell of a party tonight.”

  “Yep,” I replied, double checking the amount of booze we had stocked. “And nobody to shut us down.” The last thing we’d want is the campus busy-bodies calling the cops on us… Again.

  “Fuck yeah,” Channing dr
ew out, rubbing his hands together. “This house is gonna be banging tonight, in more ways than one.” He licked his lips and chuckled. “If you don’t want your room used, I suggest locking your doors before people get here.”

  “If anybody gets in my room, especially after last time, there’ll be fucking trouble,” Cash snapped, his expression falling, his smile replaced by a scowl. “My fucking sheets were destroyed, and so was my stash of backup condoms. Dar was on antibiotics, man, so that wasn’t fucking cool. Not to mention the damn mess we walked in to.”

  “Yeah.” Channing said, wincing and holding his palms up. “The condoms disappearing might’ve been me.” When Cash’s eyes bulged, Channing crossed his hands back and forth. “I didn’t fuck any girls in your room, I swear.” His mouth curled up and his lips tightened as though he couldn’t hold it in. “Okay, I confess—it was me.” The dickhead looked proud of himself.

  “Dude, if you even think of fucking anybody in my room tonight, I’ll fuck you up,” Cash snarled. “Daria doesn’t need to see that again.” She’d gone berserk when they’d got back the morning after. There was no way she would’ve accused Cash, though. They were together all night, and he was one-hundred-percent committed to her.

  Channing laughed, throwing his head back. “Not that you’re here that much anyway. Man, you’re in Dar’s place so much, you might as well fucking live there instead.”

  “Well, their neighbor’s moving in a couple of months, so I might just move in there with her,” he countered.

  Or I could rent the place and watch Kaia’s reaction when I show up as her neighbor.

  That wouldn’t go down well, but just the thought of watching her implode had me holding back a stupid fucking grin.

  I got back to the conversation. “I guess we should stick to our own,” I suggested with a shrug. “After all, that girl I entertained in Chan’s room last month didn’t exactly leave it in a respectable state.” And she fucking hadn’t. She’d torn his sheet, left red lipstick all over his pillows, and dug her heeled shoes down onto his mattress so hard, she’d pierced the surface.

  Channing’s eyes darted to me, blazing, all humor gone from his face, his jaw slack and his fingers curling. “That was you?”

  I shrugged again and a cocky smile spread across my face. “Somebody was in mine, you were in Cash’s, Bobby was in Jonah’s, and yours was free, so…” I trailed off, letting that tidbit of information sink in.

  “You asshole!” Channing yelled. “Do you know how much those covers were? Egyptian cotton, man!”

  I wanted to yell back, I’ll take it off the two grand you cost me. I shrugged again, checking my temper. “So were Cash’s, and so were mine, but the guys still rubbed their sticky dicks all over them anyway.”

  “Gross,” Bobby said as he and Jonah wandered down the stairs to us. “I don’t want to know why you’re talking about wiping sticky dicks, so please don’t elaborate. I just came down to tell you guys that we’re done.”

  Excellent.

  “Definitely no fucking on each others’ beds, right?” Cash asked, pointing to each of us.

  “Goes without saying,” Jonah answered.

  “I don’t wanna sleep in somebody else’s wet patch,” I said, holding my hands up. They all gagged, the identical reactions giving me satisfaction. “Just putting that out there.”

  Jonah screwed up his nose. “Gross, but fair point.” He shook his head as though getting rid of the picture I’d put inside. “Okay, so this has to be a night to remember, cos training’s gonna be intense.”

  It was, but just like everything else in my life, I’d approach it with a grin and as much fucked up shit I could fit in.

  ***

  “Can I get one?” a female voice asked, and as soon as Jonah and I placed the cooler down by the pool, I grabbed a Bud for her.

  I used the opener attached to the side, the fizz escaping and dripping down the neck. “Here you go,” I said, smiling at her.

  Her eyes sparkled and her lips widened, her teeth digging into the bottom one. “Thanks, Maddoc,” she purred, then her eyes zeroed in on the beer making it’s way down the side of the brown glass. Her gaze met mine again, her smile growing, and she stuck her tongue out. I watched as she licked the droplets from the base of the bottle, all the way to the neck, the picture of it being my dick running through my mind in an instant.

  “Mmm.” Her eyes closed for a second as though it was the best fucking thing she’d tasted. She licked her lips while staring right at me, the suggestion oozing from every fucking tick that passed. “Delicious. Maybe I’ll get to taste something else tonight?”

  One side of my mouth curled up, and I took in her red hair, her light blue eyes, and her glossy pink lips. I let my gaze travel further to the tiny scrap of a bathing suit she wore. The green triangles barely covered her small tits, her pale skin on show for everyone. Her bottoms tied at the side, and I wiggled my fingers as though I was about to reach out and grip them, to slowly pull the strings to take off the offending items.

  “You know,” I said, moving closer to her. I allowed my fingers to stroke the dangling material. I wound it around my finger and lightly tugged, the bow becoming smaller and smaller. “I think you might be onto something there. You see, there’s so many tasty things in this house tonight, that I feel spoiled for choice.”

  Her brows flinched, her smile faltered the tiniest bit, but this girl didn’t step away. “Well,” she said, her voice low and sultry, just how I liked, but it was the wrong one, “maybe I can entice you to try this snack over the others?”

  Maybe, probably not.

  I made a show of scanning around at the other girls wearing similar bathing suits, and some who were still fully clothed, letting her know she had my attention right then, but I could be swayed.

  They were mostly the same. Guys on the sports teams, whether it be ice hockey or football, they tended to swarm around us. No complaints here. It got us action whenever we wanted it, no strings attached—just like red’s here if she lost the suit—and no expectations after.

  I closed the gap between us and lifted my hand to take a lock of her hair. I twirled the waves around my fingers, but instead of studying them like I knew girls loved, my eyes caught on a movement in the house. My fingers instantly released, allowing the strands to fall back down to her creamy shoulder. “You know, I’m a big guy, so one snack doesn’t satisfy me, sweetheart.” I heard her sharp intake of breath, but my eyes didn’t leave the room I was currently staring in to. “I need a full meal’s worth.” And she was right there, looking like a fucking banquet as always.

  “Oh my god,” the girl spat, and I glanced at her for a split-second to see her mouth gaping like I’d just told her to drop her panties right there. “Are you serious?”

  I nodded slowly and rubbed my chin. “Hmm, yeah,” I replied as though considering it. “Deadly, baby. I’ve got specific tastes and I like to mix flavors, if you know what I mean.” I pumped my brows for effect and laughed when she spun around and walked off in a huff toward her friends on the other side of the pool. I waved when they glared at me like I’d offended them somehow. “Hey, you came to me, darlin’. No reason to get upset when I told you the specifics.”

  When their eyes widened, their various shades of glossed mouths pursing angrily, I shrugged and chuckled again. I winked, then made my way up the wooden steps and through the folding doors that led to the open-plan living space. It was time I stirred up some shit.

  Kaia

  “Come on, babe, let’s dance,” Daria said excitedly. “Cash is grabbing us some drinks and he’ll find us no problem if we stay here.”

  My head jerked around as we waded through the crowded area. Being short, it was difficult to see where I was going, but Daria knew it well.

  The star players occupied this luxurious building, while the other team players were stuck in the dingy dorms across campus. At least they got to stay with their teammates every year. Daria and I had gotten what we were giv
en for Freshman, and when we were Sophomores and could live off campus, we found ourselves a cute two-bed apartment nearby. But not these guys, though. The Lions had come from high school, gotten scholarships at Westchester, and got to live in what looked to be a fucking mansion for the five of them, the only ones from the Lions that had been drafted, miraculously ending up on the same NCAA team. Having deep pockets helped, too.

  “Your beverages, ladies,” Cash said, appearing from between a group of girls gyrating and swinging their hair about to the beat of Kevin Faye and Johnny Edlind’s Unfollow You.

  “Thanks, Cash, you’re a sweetie,” I said, taking my bottle from him. I lifted it to my lips and sipped the ice-cold beer, savoring the chilled liquid and popping bubbles as they cooled my already overheating body. “God, that’s good.”

  “The first of many,” Daria said, knocking hers back too. She lifted her arms and wrapped them around Cash’s neck and whispered in his ear.

  He grinned and pumped his brows. “You know it, sexy.”

  God, they were adorable. I wished I’d had that, but a bad history of boyfriends behind me had me doubting I’d ever have their kind of love. Hell, Anton was still trying to talk to me three months after I’d dumped his cheating ass, practically making my dating life non-existent with his interference. We’d only been together a little over two months, too, but he refused to leave me the hell alone, even though he wasn’t exactly single. It was lucky that because of my career goals, our math classes were different. Otherwise, I’d never get rid of the asshole.

  I watched as they danced together, Cash’s hands lowering from Daria’s waist to her ass, cupping her tightly. Her tight, knee-length black dress clung to her small frame, giving him free rein over her curves.

  “Sorry, Kai, I got carried away,” Daria said, turning in his arms and taking my hand in hers. “Cash has to mingle with the guys in a few, then we can dance our asses off.”