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Kindle Notes & Highlights
by
Meghan Quinn
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October 20 - October 26, 2024
“To the worst internship of our lives,” Ross says, holding up a shot glass.
Eli Hornsby—defenseman, pretty boy, and the guy who got Pacey’s sister pregnant.
Levi Posey—teddy bear on the inside, absolute bruiser on the outside—acts like the innocent one of the group with his love for bologna sandwiches and his penchant for helping old ladies walk across the streets of Vancouver when, in reality, he’s the biggest ladies’ man of them all.
Halsey Holmes, besides me, is the quickest skates out on the ice. A former twin, he lost his brother in a horrible car accident. Halsey turtled in on himself and focused on hockey and only hockey. That was until this past summer when we discovered that Halsey has a huge fucking crush on Penny’s best friend, Blakely. The only problem is Blakely is massively in love with her boyfriend. Yeah, he’s in deep.
“My name is Ollie. I’m in a really tough spot, and I’m so sorry, but I’m about to kiss you because I need to save face in front of my ex-boyfriend, who is now dating my nemesis. If you don’t stop me in three seconds, I’m going in.”
“Please pretend to be my boyfriend for a second. Also, you’re the best sex I’ve ever had.” That makes me smirk. “Damn, and I didn’t even have to do anything to earn the title.”
“See, told you he was over here,” Ollie says as she places her hand on mine. “He’s just shy, is all.” Ehh, shy? Not really, but I’ll go with it.
“Sit. Down,” I say in a firmer tone, which stops her. She slowly turns on her heel. “Uh, excuse me?” she asks, a spark of fire lighting up her burning irises. “Did you just try to use some alpha-hero voice on me?” “Alpha-hero voice? What the hell is that?” I ask. “I don’t think he reads romances like you,”
She tilts her head. “Twenty-one. How old are you?” “Thirty-one,” I answer. “Ew, you’re in your thirties?” The fuck?
“You kissed an experienced man,” I point out, growing irritated. “More than I can say for your ex who looked like he still watches Rugrats on Saturday mornings.” “What’s Rugrats?” “For fuck’s sake,”
“So what makes me think I can trust you?” “Oh, you can’t.” She shakes her head and sets her glass down. “I’m a total wild card. Truly, the most ornery in the morning, especially after drinking. I tend to focus more on my needs than others, and even though I say I don’t want something, secretly, I always do. Completely untrustworthy, so if we’re done here, I shall retreat to my friend to see how he’s doing with his conquest to sit on Fernando’s penis.”
It’s Sunday, which means it’s reset day.
“Did you see his forearms?” Ross asks. “They were all ripply and muscular. Trust me, he’s good in bed. I bet he has a piercing.” “Oh my God, you’ve lost it.” I move around him. “He has the tattoos and the scruffy hair. Broad shoulders. Wicked lips. Roguish eyes. There is no doubt he also has a pierced cock. And with the way you love giving head, could you imagine if there was a piercing on it?”
“Guess you kissed the right man at the right time.” She smirks at me. “I guess I did.”
“They were all just leaving.” “Wait, I didn’t even get to crack my beer open yet,” Posey says. “You’re leaving.” “Now that Ollie’s here, I really want to stay,” Hornsby says. Yeah, over my dead body. “Leave. Now. Before I physically remove you myself.” “I think he’s being serious,” Posey says while looking among the boys and me. “I think he wants us to leave.” “I think he does,” Hornsby says. “That’s fucking rude.”
“The movie Miracle. It’s about the 1980 Olympic hockey team. All those guys are heroes in my book.” “Never seen it.” “What?” I ask. “You can’t be serious.” “Look at my face.” She points at her serious expression. “I am.” Groaning, I drag my hand over my face. “Fuck, that’s annoying.” “I’m pretty sure you haven’t seen movies I like.” “Name one,” I challenge her. “Okay . . . Pride and Prejudice.” “With Keira Knightley? Seen it.” “Okay, what about Two Weeks Notice?” “I’ve seen every Hugh Grant movie ever made.” “Pretty Woman.” “Big mistake . . . huge,” I say, quoting the movie. “Oh yeah, how
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“Why the hell do you think I’m sensitive?” She holds up her finger. “First of all, it’s not a bad thing to be sensitive. No need to shed some toxic masculinity between us, thanks. Second of all, you are sensitive. If you weren’t, we wouldn’t be in this predicament. If you were truly the dick you claim to be, you wouldn’t care about Sarah being around the arena or what the guys think. Maybe your problem is you don’t like to be vulnerable. Therefore, you attempt to hide it by being a dick.” Jesus. Is she sure she’s in lifestyle journalism and not psychology? I shake my head. “I don’t think
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“Strong personalities are sexy,” I say. “This coming from a real man.” “I’m going to take that as a compliment.”
“What are you doing?” “I’m not going to leave you sad like this. You say it’s fine, but it’s not.” “I don’t want to talk about it, Silas. It’s stupid, okay? I’m probably due for my period, so I’m more emotional than I care to admit.” “Doesn’t lessen how you’re feeling,” I say softly. “I treated you like shit, and you don’t deserve that, even if you’re my fake girlfriend. I can understand where your embarrassment came from, and even though you asked me not to leave you, I still went off with Pacey.”
Hand clutching the terrycloth, I walk up to the frosted glass door of my sauna and open it only to find Ollie stretched out along one of the benches, a towel under her and a towel barely covering her lengthwise. Instead of it wrapped around her body, she just has it draped over the top of her breasts, leaving her side boob on full display, and then positioned thinly between her legs so I get a great view of her entire side.
I don’t give in to her need to press my buttons, so hand in hand, we walk over to the bar, where I find a very familiar face. “Silas Taters, holy shit.” JP Cane walks up to me and holds his hand out. We shake, and I say, “I didn’t know you were going to be here.”
“That’s why you own the leading sports app in the world.” I bring Ollie forward and say, “JP, this is my girlfriend, Ollie Owens. Ollie, this is JP Cane. He and his brothers, Huxley and Breaker, invested in The Jock Report, something started by Ryot Bisley, his brother Banner, and Penn Cutler. Penn and Ryot both played for the Chicago Bobbies.”
Just then, the locker room door opens, and Hornsby walks in, only to stop dead in his tracks when he sees me and Posey tangled up together. After a few seconds of awkward silence, Hornsby finally asks, “Why is your dick on Posey’s knee?” “Is that what that is?” Posey asks, glancing down. “Dude, congrats on the soft penis. Like a velvet cloud.” I kick at him. “Get the fuck away from me.”
“If you were my number one fan, you wouldn’t have fucked other people when I was away. For months.” It’s the first time I’ve said it out loud. It’s the first time I’ve truly acknowledged what she did to me. And I know it’s the first time Posey is hearing it.
“Hey,” Ollie says, swatting at Sarah’s arm. “Don’t touch him.” The abrupt demand startles me, only to make me inwardly smile. Ollie is claiming me. “Excuse me?” Sarah says. “I said don’t fucking touch him, especially in front of me. That’s disrespectful as shit. I know you might be from a different generation, but I’d appreciate if you didn’t set back feminism and act like a man-stealing bitch. Accept the fact that you’re not together anymore and move on.” Oh hell, I think I just got hard.
When I look up at Posey, he’s shifting his fork around on the table. “What’s going on in your head?” I ask him. When his eyes meet mine, he says, “This might not be what you want to hear, but . . . what a bitch. Does she realize she’ll never find another man with a Jacob’s ladder piercing? All I can think is big mistake . . . huge.” What a fucking idiot, but it makes me laugh.
“I don’t want to lose this job.” “You won’t lose your job,” I say. “I’ll make sure of it.” “Dude . . .” Posey says. When I give him a death glare, he doesn’t back down. “She fucked you over. Made you feel like absolute shit. Made you self-doubt, and you’re just going to jump in and protect her like that? What the fuck, man?” Sarah stiffens next to me. “Everyone makes mistakes, Levi.” “That wasn’t a mistake,” he says, his voice harsh. “That was messing with my boy. You realize the kind of man Silas is? He would do anything for the people close to him, and you cheated on him, God knows how many
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Like that first night, when I walked up to a complete stranger in a bar, I kissed this man as if he were mine. And just like that moment, I claim him. Kissing him like he’s mine, but this time . . . he actually is.
All is right in the world. The Agitators have had the best start to a season in history. I’ve been able to forgive Sarah and move past the hurt her actions caused. I can see my life clearly. Sarah’s definitely my past and Ollie is unquestionably my future. My girl is now living with me, working in a role she loves. And there is no doubt in my mind that we have a bright future ahead of us because she’s mine. I’m hers, and it all started with a surprising, soul-changing kiss.
