36. Micah

36

MICAH

H alloween. The day I'd been dreading above all others. The message Grayson had received kept playing on my mind. I'd been on edge all day, despite throwing myself into helping the team with party prep—something Ava's sorority had also been helping with in the morning, although they'd disappeared in the afternoon to get ready for tonight. It was essentially an excuse for the team to flirt with them. I was glad Ava hadn't been there, because I wasn't sure how I'd be able to handle myself if I saw one of the hockey guys flirting with her.

The weird thing was that the hockey team had acted as if it was normal for me to be there with them, still here in their house after their other ‘helpers' had left and the guys were taking a breather, showering and then chilling in the living areas before tonight's mayhem. No one had batted an eyelid at my presence, even though there was no real need for me to be there until the party itself.

"Pierce!"

I glanced up from my phone in time to see a bundle of fabric launched through the air at me, courtesy of Johnny, and I automatically reached out to catch it. Shaking it out, I frowned down at the hockey jersey. It was the same as the Barracudas' usual jersey, complete with the logo, except the blue had been exchanged for a deep, blood-red color.

When I turned it over, I saw that Pierce was written on the back in block capitals, above a number 00.

My eyes widened. "What? What's this?"

Grayson spoke up, grinning at me from his slouched position on the sofa. "Your costume for tonight. You're a part of the team—you're at our practices, our games, making us look good on the ice with your camera. So, we wanted you to be part of it tonight, too. We're all wearing these jerseys with Jason Voorhees hockey masks."

"B-but—" I don't like hockey. Except…that wasn't really true anymore, was it? Not since this semester, when I'd started getting to know the Barracudas' captain.

"Shut up and take it, man. Do you know how many others would kill to be in your position?" Smith shouted from across the room, where he was leaning against the pool table with a cue loosely clasped in his hand.

"Uh, okay. Thanks, guys," I muttered. I had no idea how to react, because never in my wildest dreams had I even thought that the hockey team noticed my presence, let alone actively wanted me to join them in anything social. Smoothing out the fabric, I glanced over at Grayson again, and he shot me another grin before climbing to his feet.

"Speaking of costumes, let's do this. People are gonna be here soon, and none of you lazy assholes have even started getting ready."

"That includes you." Johnny elbowed him in the side, and he shoved back, the two of them tussling for a minute before springing apart, laughing. I rolled my eyes. Hockey players.

When everyone had drifted to their respective rooms to get ready, I followed Grayson into his bedroom, perching on the edge of his desk as he shut and locked the door behind us. "I saw that eye roll," he said, advancing on me.

"Yeah? So what?" Moving off the desk and shifting sideways, I stared him down, enjoying the amusement in his eyes despite his stern expression.

"So…I think you were jealous. I think you wished you were the one wrestling with me."

"Oh, really?" I cocked a brow, enjoying the direction of this conversation far too much. "Do I need to remind you I'm trained in several martial arts disciplines? You wouldn't stand a chance."

"Oh, Micah. So deluded—" he began, but I rushed him, using one of my favorite moves to sweep his legs out from under him, sending him staggering backward and crashing onto the bed. He let out a shocked huff of laughter, before flying back upright and grabbing my biceps, wrestling me onto the bed and getting me on my back beneath him.

Straddling my thighs, he grinned down at me triumphantly, and I couldn't help returning his smile. He looked so pleased with himself. It was fucking cute.

Cute. Grayson. Cute ?

My dick jerked, and I gasped. Grayson's humor died away, his gaze dragging down my body to the growing bulge in my sweats.

"Fuck," he said, low and raspy, and I shivered. He swung himself off me, landing on the floor with a loud thump, and strode over to his closet, his hand going to the front of his shorts. Was he…his dick wasn't affected by our proximity too, was it? No. This was Grayson Cross, hockey captain, whose dick was a homing beacon for sorority girls and puck bunnies. Grayson Cross, who I'd unthinkingly kissed just yesterday, who I swore I could still taste on my lips…

"So…I get a mask, too?" My voice came out unnaturally high, and I cleared my throat and tried again. "Masks. You said something about masks?"

"Yeah," he said, his back to me. " Friday the 13th . It fitted with the whole Halloween hockey vibe, y'know? Not very creative, but fuck knows, none of us are creative."

"I thought these Halloween parties were all about looking hot, so I guess it doesn't matter."

"Yeah, true." He tugged his shirt over his head, leaving me with a view of all those strong back muscles and that smooth tanned skin. I bit down on my lip, hard. When he pulled on the new hockey jersey, I breathed a sigh of relief. It was easier to talk to him when I wasn't being confronted by all his fucking hockey god hotness in the literal flesh.

While he still had his back turned, I quickly changed into my own jersey, keeping my black sweats on. I glanced in the mirror, running a hand through my hair, and shrugged. Same old Micah Pierce. Nothing special.

I became aware that everything had gone unnaturally silent, and my gaze flew to Grayson, only to find him staring at me.

"Fucking hell. You in a hockey jersey. I-I've never…" He paused, swallowing hard. "I've never seen you in one before, I guess."

"Yeah, you never will again after today," I said with a shrug, trying to play it cool despite the fact that Grayson had basically just complimented me. I think.

"Gray!" A loud rapping at the door made us both jump. "Pregame shots! Get your ass downstairs!"

"Coming!" he called back. His voice lowered. "C'mon. Let's go down there. Stick with me, okay? When Ava and Cruz get here, we make sure we stay in pairs at the very least. We need to be vigilant. Even though the threat was addressed to me, we can't risk anything. This asshole is fucking with us, and I don't want any of us to be alone tonight."

I nodded, in complete agreement, and he handed me a Friday the 13th hockey mask before swiping his own from his desk. We both pointedly avoided looking at the evidence board we'd put together yesterday. Other than the reminder he'd just given me about staying together, it felt like we were both pretending that this was a normal Halloween, that we were going to party like normal college students, and there definitely wasn't a deranged stalker fucking with us.

"Ava's coming with Cruz?" I asked as we headed down to the kitchen where the team was congregating.

Grayson glared into the distance. "Yeah. Like a fucking date. Her, with that asshole."

"One of her sorority sisters asked me to go with her." I kind of agreed with Gray, but at the same time, Cruz seemed like way less of an asshole lately, and I didn't want to put myself in a position where I'd have to defend him to Grayson. Because Grayson was…vulnerable, deep down, underneath the front he put on, and I knew he'd been hurt when we'd inadvertently left him out before. I didn't want him to feel that way again.

"Who?" He seized on the change of subject, thankfully, passing me a shot glass brimming with tequila. There wasn't even any salt or lime, so I was gonna have to get this over with as quickly as possible.

" Fuck —Liv—Livy," I gasped out in between coughing up my lungs. Maybe trying to reply a second after the alcohol burned a fiery path down my throat wasn't the best idea.

"Oh yeah? She's hot. But not…" He paused, nudging me with his elbow until I got the hint, moving with him into a quiet corner of the kitchen. "No one compares to Ava."

"Yeah. I couldn't— I know we're not… This whole situation is so fucked up, but Ava's the only girl I'm interested in."

"Yeah." Rubbing his hand over his mouth, he shook his head. "Me, too. And Cruz, I think. Three of us all wanting the same girl. It's… I dunno. Different? I've had threesomes, yeah, but this is just…"

"Different," I confirmed when he trailed off, seemingly lost for words. Different was an understatement. It was so fucking unusual that all three of us were into her and sometimes it felt as if she was just as into all of us, too. Then there'd been the moment when I'd been alone with her in my bedroom—it still made my dick hard to think about it, and we hadn't even gone very far. Ava Hayes was fucking special, and I knew the three of us all saw it. She was beautiful, of course, but there was so much more to her. A quiet strength, a kindness, a resilience that drew me to her. And somehow, I didn't see Cruz or Gray as a threat for her attention. It all felt…right. Despite all the shit we were going through.

"Another shot!" Miller shouted from across the kitchen, temporarily diverting our attention. "The party starts in fifteen minutes!"

I pushed through the crowds, the bass thumping through the house so loudly that I wouldn't have been surprised if the cops were called. Then again, the locals were proud of the hockey team, and they generally behaved themselves—no one wanted to incur the wrath of my dad—so they could probably get away with it.

Exiting the house and stepping into the backyard, my breath caught in my throat as I took in the figures up ahead. Long, shimmering blonde hair, obscenely short shorts— It was like seeing double. Until I weaved around a dancing couple and saw the girls in profile. Ava and Livy, almost identical from the back, but from the front…Ava's beauty shone out of her, dimming everyone else in the room. Fucking hell, she was stunning. I vaguely recognized the horror movie outfit—Chucky? Or a highly sexualized version that made my dick jump, because it showcased her gorgeous skater's physique and her beautiful face—those huge, pretty blue eyes, soft pouty lips, and delicately flushed cheeks.

I frowned when I realized Cruz was nowhere to be seen, and I pushed my way through the crowds, determined to reach Ava as quickly as possible. I was almost in reach when Livy noticed me, her expression brightening, her lips curving into a flirty smile as she batted her lashes, moving to block my way to Ava.

"Micah. You look so handsome." She trailed a fingernail down my chest, and I did my best not to recoil. I should've put my mask on, instead of having it pushed up on the top of my head. Maybe she wouldn't have recognized me.

"Uh, thanks. I like your costume," I said politely.

"Will you dance with me?" She wound her arms around my neck, and I stiffened. A throat cleared behind us.

"Sorry, Livy, I need to borrow Micah for a minute. You don't mind, do you? I'll bring him right back."

I almost smiled at the way Ava spoke through gritted teeth, tugging me away from Livy, but I bit it back, willingly going with the only girl at this party that I wanted.

She led me back into the house and through the kitchen, and after glancing both ways to make sure no one was paying us any attention, pulled me into the pantry. A dim light came on as we entered.

"Where's Cruz?" I asked. "We're supposed to be staying together in twos."

She arched a brow. "Like you and Grayson were?"

"Uh…" I didn't have an answer to that. "I don't want you alone tonight."

"I know." Stepping closer to me, she smiled, her lashes fluttering, but not in the obvious, artificial way I'd just experienced with Livy. "Cruz was getting us drinks. He had me in his sight the whole time. He saw you and me together, and I have no doubt he's gone to annoy Gray right now."

I laughed. "Poor Gray. Or poor Cruz. I can't decide." Meeting her gaze, I decided to say fuck it , because who knew what would happen tonight? The two of us were here right now, and the way she was looking at me with her pupils dilated and lips parted…

I wrapped my arm around her waist, drawing her body against mine, and lowered my head to kiss her.

"Micah," she breathed against my lips, and after that, there was no more talking for a long time, as we lost ourselves in each other.

When we drew apart for air, my dick was painfully hard, tenting my sweats, and both of us were breathless. She glanced up at me, gave me a fucking sinful smile, and then lowered herself to her knees, her hands going to my waistband.

"Is this okay?"

"Yes! Fuck, yes," I gasped. Was this actually happening? Was Ava Hayes actually about to?—

There was a rush of cool air as my sweatpants and boxer briefs were lowered, and then her hot, wet mouth was around my dick.