Chapter 1

KNOX

Offer still stand????

I stare at the text and frown.

“What the hell…?”

It’s Willow by the way!

I smile.

“Willow,” I whisper.

I haven’t heard that name in a minute or two.

After all the stuff that went down with her brother, she kind of disappeared. Not that I could blame her. Things got very intense. And then people running their mouths like morons too.

You there? Don’t ignore me. Unless you gave me a fake number! Which if you did you’re a total jerk.

I smile.

“Give me a second to reply, babe,” I whisper.

Yup this is a fake number. This is not who you think it is.

I send the text and step back, leaning against the doorway to my bedroom.

My bedroom smells like the lingering scent of my odor.

I’m not exactly dressed up but I’m not dressed to chill and relax either.

In fact… I’m sort of under a time constraint.

Great! You know, this guy Knox really screwed me over then. Gives me his number and it’s fake!

I smile even bigger.

Well, he sounds really hot. Sexy. Is he a hockey player by chance? I bet he’s a goalie. You know, goalies are the best of all the hockey players.

Another text comes through. I swipe up to get rid of it.

I’d rather focus on Willow for the moment.

Doesn’t a goalie get to wear extra padding? And they have a bigger hockey stick? Kind of sounds like cheating to me. And they just stand there, right?

I grit my teeth.

All you need to worry about is that goalies have the biggest hockey stick on the team. Remember that.

Oh yeah, I went there.

Wow. Well I was hoping to reach Knox because one time at a bar he said he’d bail me out if I was on a bad date… and I’m currently in the bathroom at a bar desperate to get out of a bad date…

I easily remember that night.

That’s when Violet and Vera’s ultra-horny older sister wanted to show me her pierced nipple and probably more.

It’s also when I had the chance to talk to Willow a little bit serious about the situation with her brother… but she had to leave for a date.

How could a date with you possibly be bad?

I wait…

Aw, how sweet. But you don’t know me, right? Because this isn’t Knox, right? I mean, if you’re going to play dumb then stick it out.

She makes me laugh.

Damn, I guess I’m busted then. You caught me. I was hoping to get you to admit your love for me through text thinking I was someone else. So… bad date huh? What’s making it bad? I need details.

Another text comes through for me.

Same person.

I swipe up again.

Willow replies.

Dude! I don’t have time for details. Any longer in here and he’s going to think I’m doing number two!

I laugh out loud.

Well there’s your excuse. Stay for a few minutes and then walk out and describe stuff in detail.

She replies with a sick emoji face.

Then a text.

I don’t know if it’ll work on this guy. He’s weird. I’m nervous. Am I in danger here? Think about that. And I’m texting you and you ignore me. Not a good look for you, Knox!

“Damn,” I growl.

She really turned the screws there, huh?

I groan out loud.

Text me an address. And let me know if you want me to rescue you, kick his ass, or just grab you and kiss you and all that…

I walk toward my door, exhaling a breath with random notes slipping out.

Remember those other texts I kept getting?

Yeah, they were sort of important.

See, Willow is out on a date, right?

She’s not the only one with some plans tonight.

I’m kind of walking out the door myself here… to go on a date too…