Page 19 of The Defenseman

10

Eric

Eric had the sudden urge to go over to his best friend and sock Dan in the face. He didn’t give a shit about their history. He didn’t give a shit about the fact that they were teammates. He didn’t give a shit that bros should come before hos. No one was allowed to talk to Alexa that way, not even her own family.

Before Eric could stop her, Alexa all but ran out of his place and didn’t turn back. There were tears forming in her eyes, and Eric wasn’t sure if it was because she was suddenly confronted with the realization of what happened between them—and now regretted it—or if it was because she felt compelled to leave in the first place. Eric just hated watching her go at all. He could have had Dan leave. He wouldn’t have minded if Alexa wanted to stay for a couple of hours or a couple of days.

Everything had changed. Everything. And Eric was ready to face that now.

“My sister?” Dan asked, tearing his eyes away from Alexa’s retreating figure and shooting them at Eric. “Do you have no fucking lines, or will you fuck anyone who breathes? Should I call my mom and see if she’s available?”

Eric glared at Dan. “You don’t understand,” he growled.

“No, I think I do,” Dan said. “You wanted a challenge, someone you’ve never even thought to try, and my sister was perfect. Congratulations, you got her. Was it worth it?”

“I’m in love with your sister,” Eric said before he could stop himself. He blinked, surprised he had actually admitted it. And yet, he couldn’t take the words back, no matter if he tried.

Dan punched him in the face. “Those lines might work on your victims, but they sure as shit won’t work on me,” Dan spat. “The only person you love is yourself.”

Eric smiled despite the pain shooting in his jaw. “And your sister,” he added, just to piss Dan off. “And I’m going to go after her so I can tell her myself. Now, you can either support us—that is, if she wants to be with me in the first place—or not, but either way, get out of my way.”

Eric didn’t wait for Dan to make up his mind. He shoved past him, leaving the door to his place open. He wasn’t sure why, but he figured Dan would shut it for him. More than that, he had already lost enough time, and he didn’t want to lose any more. He hopped into his car and tried to think of where Alexa would go. He tried calling her, but each call went directly to voicemail.

This was not how he expected things to go.

In the end, he decided the safest place to try was her home. He pulled up to her apartment complex and scanned the lot for her car. He couldn’t see it, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t there. He stepped out of the car and headed to the building, only to slow down his pacing until he came to a full stop. He glanced up at the lilac sky. Dusk was nearly finished. Night was fighting for control.

What are you doing, Eric? he asked himself. Why are you here?

That was the question, wasn’t it? Why was he here? He had had sex plenty of times with a variety of women, and none had ever made him feel the way Eric felt when he was with Alexa. He wasn’t sure why that was, and he didn’t particularly want to figure it out. He wanted to enjoy it. He wanted…

At the very least, he wanted her.

Was it love?

Eric had never been in love before, so this part of sex was new. However, he didn’t want to be away from her for long. She was the only person he had any interest in fucking, and the thought of her with anyone else made his heart quicken and his blood boil. And yet, it was more than just lust. He liked being around her. He liked the way she made him feel. Most importantly of all, he liked the type of person he was when he was around her.

The crazy thing about all of this was Eric acknowledged that he didn’t feel any different with Alexa now than he had before. Which meant there was part of him that had always felt this way about her, even if he didn’t recognize it. The sex had brought it out in him. The sex made him realize that this was different from everyone else.

And he needed her to know that.

He took a breath, glancing around uneasily. He had never told anyone he loved her before. He wasn’t sure how to go about it, but he knew he needed to do something.

As such, he pushed himself forward.

Eric had been to Alexa’s place a couple of times over the past few years and still remembered which apartment she lived in. He knocked on the door, holding his breath. There was a chance she wasn’t here. He understood that. This could all be for nothing.

Then, the door opened and there stood Alexa, wet hair over one shoulder, wearing pajamas, bare feet popping out from flannel pants. She looked beautiful.

“Hi,” he said.

“Hey.” She seemed unsure as to why he was there, which was fair.

“I had to see you,” Eric said. “You see, I have this problem.”

“Oh?” She arched a brow, tilting her head to the side and exposing the long column of her throat. He smirked when he saw the small, almost unnoticeable marks he had left on her skin, almost as though he was staking a claim.

“May I come in?” he asked. Eric wasn’t sure if Dan was going to follow them or not, and the last thing he needed was Dan showing up and interrupting.