The Ice Next Door

Chapter 6

HADLEY

Maeve is missing from last period study hall at the end of the day, so I spend my time blowing her phone up with text messages instead.

She has a doctors appointment, but I know developments with Sebastian are more exciting than staring at a bland wall like she's probably doing right now. And she told me she wanted to know everything, which includes every detail, so It's my duty as a best friend to give her the tea about the steamy meet up in the library and how I thought Sebastian was going to lean in and kiss me again and—

Riiiiiiiing.

The end of day bell rings through the school.

Thank god!

I swipe my books and things into my bag and call Maeve to unload on her, hiking my bag over my shoulder as I head out the door.

The phone rings.

And rings.

But she doesn't answer.

Ugh. Come on Maeve! I need this vent session!

Refusing to accept it, I call her again. This time she answers on the first ring.

"Hadley, I'm waiting for the doctor and they penalize people for using their phones in here." She whispers harshly.

"But I have news you have to hear!" I blabber out, dodging and weaving through the sea of students clogging up the hallway now that the final class of the day has let out.

"It'll have to wait. I'm not waiting in this room for longer than I already have." She tries to rush me off the phone.

"It can't. Sebastian—" I exclaim into the phone as I round the final corner—where I find Sebastian Tate standing by my locker waiting for me, waving. All thoughts on my brain dissolve. All words on my tongue die.

"Sebastian, what?" She chooses now to be interested, her anxious voice fading into the background as I continue to close the distance between me and my crush. Sebastian Tate standing by my locker waving at me like he's happy to see me; add that to the list of things I thought would never happen.

Just like him barreling through my window.

And him taking a snapshot just for me.

When he spots me, his lips spread into a charming smile, the prized dimples on full display and affecting my ability to walk properly.

"Hadley, what is going on?!" Maeve screeches in my ear. But I don't hear her much anymore. My thoughts are focused elsewhere. When my brain finally catches up, that is.

"I have to go now. Sebastian is at my locker." I whisper into the phone, completely on auto-pilot as I muster up a smile back.

"Hadley–!"

"Wh– what are you doing at my locker?" I stumble out my words as I disconnect the call, feeling my face tingle with a blush when his dazzling eyes meet mine.

Seriously what is wrong with me? I don't stumble. I don't blank. My brain is hardwired for snappy remarks and cute quips. So where the hell are they?

Sebastian chuckles and steps back to allow me access to my locker. "I told you I was going to take you home. Don't tell me that you forgot about me already, stalker. "

Forget about him? Never. Not after being touched by him. Not after witnessing that chiseled stomach of his firsthand. Not after being sucked into the golden abyss of his stunning eyes. Not after kissing him...twice and being certain he wanted to go in for a third. Not after being promised s*x with him.

My spine shivers when I think about finally feeling his c**k plunge inside me for the first time. How would he do it? Slow and gentle or hard and quick? Or maybe he'd let me decide. Let me set the pace of how he took me. I bite back a moan.

His shimmery gold eyes peer into my face, his jaw clenching. "What happened just now? Where did you go?" He asks, searching my eyes like he knows I'm hiding something.

I shake my head and push past the fantasy, packing up my bag for the night. "Nothing." I sigh, trying to play it cool as I fling it over my shoulder.

But my voice rises and octave to give me away.

He smirks at me and pries deeper. "Don't lie Hadley. Tell me. Tell me where your head went a few minutes ago."

I won't tell him. Not this. "It doesn't matter. Can we go now?"

Deciding to let it die, he shakes his head on a laugh and steps in front of me, "Sure. Come on."

His phone rings just as we exit the school, so I step away while he answers it, letting him have privacy. When he's done, his brow pops as he looks at me. "Change of plans. I have to run to the rink real quick to grab my math book I left there when I did my homework last. Wanna walk with me?"

I'd never been invited to the ice rink before, so my answer is a quick and resounding "yes."

He flashes a proud smirk, then his brows weave together in concern, "Devin and the rest of the guys are there, just to give you a heads up. They might give me s**t when we walk in together." He informs me like he's dreading the possibility.

I shrug. "It's nothing I haven't already heard before."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

SEBASTIAN

As expected, the rest of the hockey team is on the ice when Hadley and me reach the rink, practicing drills and slapping pucks into nets. Devin, being the goalie, is the only one in full gear, the rest of the guys are covered by some light padding and wearing hockey socks.

There isn't practice tonight, but the team practically lives on the ice. I'd join them if I didn't have the boring dinner with my parents tonight that I have to get ready for. Plus, I want to take Hadley home. I want the questions I asked her this morning answered. I'm curious about how far this crush on me has taken her. Or what lengths it's pushed her to.

Has she pictured herself below me? Has she m*********d to thoughts of me? If so, how many times?

"Wait down here. I won't be long." I say to Hadley as we part ways.

Devin watches as I stroll in and head up to the top to the press box that overlooks the whole rink. With a s**t-eating grin, he skates over to the bottom of the steps and leans against the tall wall made of plexiglass that protects the fans in the stands from flying pucks, looking over at Hadley standing there. "Isn't this cute, Tate brought a date."

This cues Parker to join in on the teasing, his skates slicing on the ice as he scrapes to a stop to take a spot next to Devin. The rest of the guys stay back and go about their business, filling the background with the sounds of more scrapes of blades across freshly polished ice.

"Fancy seeing you here, Hadley." Parker gives her a welcoming nod when he spots her waiting for me by the bench.

Hadley purses her lips as I step into the small box to look through the desk. As I'm shuffling through notebooks that we use as playbooks ontop of it, I watch as Parker exits the ice and sits down on the bench next to her to further his conversation with her. "Did you see the shot I just made? Devin had to dive just to stop it."

"But stop it I did." Devin shrugs and pounds on his chest pad victoriously. Hadley laughs just as I find my math book.

"Nope. We missed that one. You'll just have to make a better shot during the next game." I say when I race back down the steps.

"Will you be in attendance?" Parker shrugs and looks over at Hadley.

What does he care? He's never asked that question before. Parker has every puck bunny at this school at his disposal. He's never once suggested that he wanted Hadley as one of them. What is he playing at here? Is he f*****g with me?

Why does the thought of Hadley being his puck bunny leave this annoying f*****g nag in the pit of my stomach?

"Yeah. I invited her." I answer for her, suddenly feeling possessive of her. It takes me by surprise, but I run with it. The girl has a desperate crush on me. Not Parker. Why does he need to know if she'll be at the game or not, anyway?

"You invited her to a game. Getting serious, Tate?" Devin snickers and tries to shimmy his shoulders with the insinuation, but he looks ridiculous in his heavy gear. Like a big blob of worn down padding that hardly moves with the motion he tries to make below all the weight.

Hadley giggles. "Oh yeah. We signed papers and everything." She jokes back, purposely nudging my side with her elbow and gazing into my eyes with a smile that makes me smile.

Devin's brown brows knit together. He doesn't understand. "Papers?"

I laugh. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

Parker chimes in and stands up. "Yeah, we would."

Hadley and I share a mischievous look and laugh, knowing something that they don't. I'm sure they'll grill me about it later when we're alone and demand every fine detail of the arrangement between the two of us. But it's nice to keep them in suspense for now.

"I bet you would. Too bad I got what I came here for, so we'll be going now. Devin, let him score once, yeah?" I give a parting grin and instinctively reach for Hadley's hand before turning to leave.

Devin's dismay is quick. "You're a f*****g tease, Tate!" He calls after us as we make our way around the ring and head for the doors.

Hadley called me a tease once.

She won't be saying that for long.