Page 15 of The Goalie

I wanted to punch the guy in the face.

“Well, I don’t—”

“It’s fine.” I turned my head so I could look at her and tilted my head down so I grazed her forehead. This felt much more intimate than anything we had done together and I wasn’t quite sure how it made me feel. But I didn’t care. I pushed on. “Let him get his stuff and get this over with. There’s really no reason to hold on to them, right?”

She swallowed and looked in my eyes. For a moment, we said nothing but just stared. I was sure Josh was uncomfortable watching us, but I didn’t care. Make him squirm. Make him feel uncomfortable, the same way he made Sam feel uncomfortable when he criticized her.

“O-okay.”

I knew she didn’t want him here. I also knew she wanted to get him out of her system as quickly as possible. From what Lucy shared and from what I picked up right now just being around her, I knew she wasn’t dreaming about the fact that she wanted him back. She didn’t. She clearly didn’t like how he handled the breakup and it did not appear as though there was any way the two could remain friends. But she also didn’t want to give him his stuff back—probably because she was thrown off. This wasn’t something she expected would happen, and Sam didn’t seem like the sort of person who handled unexpected life events well.

Except, apparently, sleeping with someone she hated.

I stepped back, pulling Sam with me. Josh stepped in. I bristled at how he knew exactly where he was going. Sure, it was petty. Sam had a past. Hell, I had a past that probably had more names than hers did. And yet, I couldn’t stop a prickle of jealousy from tickling the base of my spine.

“I know you,” Josh commented as he walked in.

Sam closed the door behind him. I noticed she didn’t lock it, which was something she did no matter what. I interpreted it as she wanted him out as quickly as possible without anything inhibiting him, not even a lock that might take a few seconds at most to undo.

Clearly, he was talking about me since it was already apparent that he knew Sam.

“Okay.”

What was I supposed to say to that anyway? I wasn’t the sort of guy who got a kick out of people recognizing me. In fact, it made me uncomfortable. If I could play hockey at a professional level without the fame, I would trade the recognition in a heartbeat.

“I’m going to go and grab his stuff.” It didn’t sound like Sam was talking to anyone in particular. Her arms were crossed tightly over her chest and she made a beeline for the bedroom—an action I chose to ignore. I didn’t want to think about Sam having sex with anyone, let alone this douchebag.

“You’re that hockey player,” Josh said once Sam had disappeared.

“Did you want an autograph or are you going to stand around and continue to talk to me?”

I hadn’t meant to be brusque. I invited this guy in. It was rude. And yet, I couldn’t help it. He was wasting time, and it was pissing me off.

Josh smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “I don’t want an autograph, man,” he said, turning around after scanning the living room. “I don’t care about hockey. I just recognize you. You’re her best friend’s brother, right? And you’re here, what, to take advantage of the situation?”

“I’m sorry.” I tilted my head to the side, placing my hands on my hips. I didn’t pack as much muscle as some of my teammates, but I was tall and I was strong. I could take this guy out in a minute, tops, I was certain of it. “Did you just accuse me of taking advantage of a situation? What situation would that be?”

“This.” Josh made a gesture with his hand. “This whole thing. What, you think I don’t know what she feels about you? She hates you—you know that.Iknow you know because she told me that you hate her too.”

“So?” I arched a brow. I didn’t see his point.

“So,” he continued, exasperated. It probably had to do with the fact that he had to spell everything out for me. He didn’t, actually. I just liked making him feel he did. “You guys hate each other and yet I find you in pajama bottoms and her in a shirt too big to be hers and definitely not one of mine. You guys are fucking.”

“And?” I crossed my arms over my chest, cocking my head to the side. “It’s not your business, quite frankly. You should be glad she let you into her place in the first place. She could have burned your shit.”

Josh scoffed. It made me want to punch him more. As an NHL goalie, I wasn’t privy to fights. Typically, the enforcers and even some of the more ballsy players handled any issues on the ice. I had only gotten into a fight one time and it had bruised my knuckles so badly I had to sit out two games until they healed. I wasn’t going to let that happen again.

“Yeah, right.” He walked to Sam’s couch and plopped down like he owned the place. It shouldn’t have bothered me that much. Josh was her ex. It was only to be expected that he knew her home. There was a history here. “Sam would never do that. She’s a sweetheart.”

“Everyone has their breaking point,” I said with a shrug.

I ignored the prickle of jealousy in response to how well Josh seemed to know Sam.

Better than I did.

I didn’t like that. I wanted to know her best.

“Yeah, she didn’t talk about you. At all.” He rubbed the bottom of his chin. “Unless you’re the guy she constantly complained about.”