Chapter 8
Jaxon
Bobby and I sit in his truck on the way to the ice rink for our first game of the season when we’re stopped by the afternoon roadworks. “For fuck's sake,” Bobby groans, looking out his window with a bored expression. “Why do they have to do this on a weekday and always at the worst time? What’s wrong with weekends or night works?”
I nod my head along, not really caring about his issues with the roadworks, I mean, they’ve been doing it for the past 3 months, it’s not like he didn’t know they would be here yet he still came this way instead of taking the back streets like I suggested, though, I don’t think an ‘I told you so’ would be appreciated right now.
I gaze out my window as the jittery excitement for the first game of the season starts to take over. We’re supposed to meet Coach and the boys slightly early so Coach can go over our game plan for the night and give us all the big pep talk which we all know is going to consist of ‘Get out there and show them who owns this ice’, throw in a few curse words and it’s just like the many he had given last season and the seasons before.
Movement in a shop window catches my eye and an appreciative grin crosses my face as I see a fine looking ass up in the air wrapped in a tiny little school girl skirt with legs to kill for, legs I’d happily have wrapped around me. “Fuck yeah, man,” I grin, slapping Bobby across the chest. “Class is in session.”
He turns to look at what has caught my eye when the same appreciative smile takes over. The chick on the pole changes her position and makes her body slowly spin around the pole as she leans back, thrusting her perfect tits into the air for the men of the world to ogle at. Yes, please. This chick is seriously every man’s fantasy and I have to have her.
There is movement behind the girl but I don’t take my eyes off her as I wait ever so patiently for the girl to finish spinning around the pole and give me a good look at her face so I can find her after the game and take her home.
“Is that?” I hear Bobby distantly questioning, but I can’t be fucked to hear him out, after all, I’m on a mission.
A wave of chestnut hair finally starts to come into view and I wait on the edge of my chair for my midnight snack to show her face. Three. Two. One.
My jaw drops before I have time to register anything else. “Oh, fuck no,” I curse. I should have fucking recognised that ass waving through the sky, after all, I’ve nailed it a million times. I’m out of Bobby’s truck and storming towards the dance studio before I’ve even registered what I’m doing.
Fuck. Her brothers would murder me if they knew I let her take this class for the whole fucking world to see.
Cassie’s beautiful face finally connects with mine through the glass and the giggly grin instantly disappears, replaced with shock and embarrassment. I must admit, seeing her this happy has my heart hurting but there is no way I’m letting this shit go down.
I’m pushing through the door and heading straight for her before she has a chance to get off the pole. I notice movement behind me and realise Bobby has stormed in behind me and is heading for a different pole. It must be Brianna as she is the only one who could get a reaction like that out of the guy.
I grab Cassie around the waist, pull her off the pole and throw her over my shoulder. I grab a bag that I assume is hers and storm straight out the door without a word.
I find Bobby’s car, still sitting in the middle of the road, now the new reason for the held up traffic. I tear open the backseat and throw her in, slamming the door closed behind me.
I take a shaky breath and try to let go of the raging anger that rapidly courses through me as I get back in the front passenger's seat. Bobby seems to be doing exactly the same thing as he gets in beside me. I have no idea what possessed me to do that, I mean, she isn’t my girlfriend anymore and apart from the fact that her brothers would rip me a new one, I just can’t explain it. She is a free woman, if she wants to put her body on display for everyone to see then that’s her decision. It has absolutely nothing to do with me but the thought of allowing that to happen has me shaking in anger.
I glance at her through the rearview mirror and I know by the way she is silently fuming as she clenches her teeth together, she is about to burst.
“WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK, JAXON?” Cassie yells at me from the backseat while Brianna gets stuck into Bobby. I turn around in my seat to look at her and nearly have to look away from the anger in her eyes, though not because I hate to see her angry or upset but because seeing her this way, all feisty and ready to scream is enough to have me wanting to fuck her right here, right now.
“Look at yourself, Cass. You look like a cheap skank. I didn’t realise you’d taken up residence on the street corner.”
“Oh, shit,” I hear Bobby grunt.
Her mouth drops in shock before the anger takes over once again. She launches forward with her arms flailing around, trying to hit me but can’t get to me as the headrest is in the way. A smirk crosses my face immediately which has her fuming even more. “Did you just call me a fucking prostitute, Jaxon Alexander Payne and a fucking cheap one at that?”
Oh shit. She used the middle name, maybe I took that one too far. “Cass,” I sigh. “You know I didn’t mean that but seriously, what the hell do you think you’re doing on that pole?”
“It’s called having fun, Jaxon. Something I haven’t had since I’ve been here,” she snaps. “Besides, what’s it to you? You’re the last person on campus I’d expect to have an issue with a girl on the pole, isn’t that your specialty now?”
I know there is no point in talking to her when she gets like this so I turn on Brianna. “Has she been drinking?”
“Um, yes. How else do you think I got her to do it?” she snaps back.
“Fuck,” Bobby groans as he searches out his sister’s eyes in the rearview mirror. “You’ve been drinking too.”
“So what?” Cassie practically growls. “Take us home.”
“No.” I shoot back, “You’re coming with us.”
“Why? You want me to dance for all you’re boys? You know, despite your comments, I think you actually liked it.”
“Fuck, Cass. We’re not taking you home because I refuse to be late for the first game of the season, especially over this shit.”
Cass and Brianna start grunting and moaning in the backseat and it’s almost comical to watch. They are like a bunch of kids throwing a tantrum. Cass peels off her high heels and slides her skirt off her hips while Brianna starts to do the same.
I turn back around to give the girls some privacy and am pleased when I peak back around to find them in flip-flops and track pants, though they still have their little tops on. “Don’t you have a shirt to wear?” I ask them.
“We do, but there’s no point in putting them on. A cheap shirt isn’t going to keep us warm in the damn ice rink,” Cass informs me with as much attitude as she can possess.
Bobby lets out another unimpressed groan. “I have my away jersey in the back she can wear,” he tells me. “Pretty sure I have something Bri can throw on too.”
With that settled we all sit in uncomfortable silence as we ride the rest of the way to the ice rink. I hop out and grab my shit from the back and consider lending her my away jersey but I’m just too selfish for that shit. She gets out and purposely rubs her naked stomach across my body making me yearn for her touch once again, leaving me no choice but to ball my hands into fists and shove them deep in my pockets.
Bobby holds out the jersey for her and she reaches across me to take it from him with her tight stomach rubbing across my body. I take a step back and give her more room but really I think the room is for me. She pulls Bobby’s jersey over her head and a strange feeling settles in my gut, a feeling that I really don’t like.
Cass steps up to me and gives me a sweet, innocent look, placing her hand on my shoulder and stretches up onto her toes. “Have a good game, Captain,” she whispers seductively before pressing a light kiss to my cheek and turning around to meet Brianna at the top of the truck.
Bobby gives me a knowing, shake of his head as we follow the girl’s into the ice rink. “Fuck, these two are going to be trouble,” he says. I nod in agreement but I can’t help but watch as Cassie walks before me, a scowl heavy on my face as I study another man’s name and number on her back. It shouldn’t matter to me but I don’t like it. It just doesn’t feel right. I know she isn’t my woman, but if any chick around here was ever going to wear my jersey. It would be her.
We get through the doors and the girls disappear up the grandstands and something screams at me to pinpoint where exactly in the grandstand she will be. I shake the thought from my head. It’s none of my business where she is and what she will be doing.
We get into the locker room to find coach going over the game plan for tonight. He looks up as we enter and we hardly get a nod before his attention is drawn straight back to the pages before him. Over the next ten minutes, the rest of the boys come dawdling in.
When it looks like everyone is here, Coach instructs me to lead the guys in a warm-up as we can’t afford any injuries this season, especially injuries created from stupidity. We spend the next half hour warming up with drills, up and down the hallway and shooting pucks into a knocked over garbage bin, which due to lack of space in the locker room, isn’t as easy as shooting into the goal with the slick ice beneath it.
The noise from the grandstand grows and I know the time is growing near. “Alright, boys,” I say, getting everyone’s immediate attention. “Let’s get suited up and show these people were still the rightful owners of that big mother fucking trophy.”
They all grunt out their approvals as we make our way to our individual lockers to get suited up.
“Cover up, boys,” comes a familiar voice from the doorway. “I’m coming in.”
A grin spreads wide across my face before I even see her. Sophie comes storming in with Tank, Miller, and Dani on her heels making a few of the freshman gasp and attempt to cover their junk, though us seasoned players know that Sophie is going to get an eyeful no matter what you do to prevent it. It’s inevitable. “Sorry guys,” Tank says, with a grin. “They refused to stay in the stands.”
“I wouldn’t have expected anything else,” I laugh as Sophie and Dani come barrelling forward and knock me into the back of my locker with the force of their affection. I wrap my arms around them both and pull them in tight.
“Jaxon,” Dani exclaims with a grin. “I’ve missed you.”
“Same goes, Dani girl.” I laugh before passing the girls onto Bobby. Soon the rest of the guys have all lined up, waiting for their hug from the girls.
“You guys mind getting your filthy hands off my girl?” Miller says, trying his hardest to look unimpressed but the gleam in his eyes makes it obvious he is happy to be here.
“What are you doing here, man?” I ask, stepping up to him and clapping his shoulder.
“Had to come and see if you were good enough to follow in my footsteps or if I’d made a terrible mistake,” he says with a grin.
“Dude, I’m so freaking amazing that you’ll be kicked off your team just so they can make room for me,” I joke.
He rolls his eyes and can’t help but crack a grin. “What’s up, dude?” Tank says coming and saying hi. “You ready for this?”
“Born ready, man,” I tell him honestly.
“Good, don’t let all our hard work from last season go to waste,” he says.
“I got this,” I say as he holds his fist up. I bump mine against his and follow suit with Miller.
The boys say a quick hello to Coach Harris and not long after the crowd is going mad, ready to see their defending champions in action. The sound prompts Miller to call out for Dani while Tank grabs Sophie and throws her over his shoulder. They make their way out and leave us to get ready for our big debut.
“Alright, boys,” Coach says getting our attention. “This is it, the start of our season and we are going to do it right. Last years ‘Dream Team’ are here to see if you lot are worthy of playing under the title of defending champions, so do not let them down. Do not let yourselves down and do not let your fans down,” he demands as he looks each and every one of us in the eyes. “Now, we know we’re the best, the fans know we’re the best, fuck, the homeless guy outside of Micky’s Bar knows we’re the best but there are a bunch of cocky pricks in the other room thinking they have a chance against us, thinking they can take our championship away on game one.” The boys all start booing and begin getting amped up with Coach’s speech. “Are you going to let them?” he asks, making the boys shout out their protests. “Are you going to defend your title?” he adds, making them once again shout out their support.
“Are you Champions?” Coach asks.
“YES!” the boys shout.
“Are you Dragon’s?”
“YES!”
“Are you ready?” he finally says.
“YES!” they all cheer, out doing the sound from the grandstand.
With that coach looks to me. “You got big shoes to fill, kid,” he says.
“I got it, Coach,” I tell him.
“Good, now lead your boys out.”
I step up to the locker room door and the boys instantly fall in behind me. I walk up the hallway and finally into the arena. The crowd goes nuts and begin chanting the Dragon’s war cry. With an outstanding introduction from the announcer, we take to the ice.
My eyes immediately lift to the grandstand and fall upon Cassie, who still wears an annoyed scowl and immediately turns away when she sees me watching. No doubt she is still pissed about the whole pole dancing thing but seriously, what did she expect me to do?
A strange, familiar feeling settles within me and I realise it’s the same feeling I used to get when Cass would come and watch my high school games, being my own personal cheerleader. It occurs to me that even though she may have caught some of our games on ESPN, this is the first time she is seeing me play in person in three years and something inside of me really wants to impress her, to let her know exactly the kind of man she tossed away.
The ref takes the ice and we all fall into our positions. I look up to Cass, one last time to see her attention is now solely focused on me. She has always been a sucker for Hockey, no matter how angry she is with me, she will always remain glued to the game until the final second.
The whistle is blown and our first game of the season is underway.