Offside (Rules of the Game, #1)

by Avery Keelan

After we texted Monday evening, Chase sent me a copy of his essay and scammed me into coming over to help him with it the following day. And by scammed, I mean he was both incredibly charming and insufferably persistent until I relented. In other words, impeccably on-brand for him. That’s not to say I minded. But that was a whole other ball of hockey stick wax. Plus, it was a nice distraction

Combined with my three outfit changes while waiting for him and the sparkly pink lip gloss I swiped over my lips on my way out the door, there were some major questions as to what, exactly, we were doing. But I wasn’t ready to unpack that yet.

Chase faced me, straddling the computer chair, and turned his red Falcons baseball cap backward, then rested his arms on the seatback.

“Ugh.” He folded his arms over the back of his chair again and hung his head, sighing dramatically. His forearms flexed, veins tracing their length. I watched, mesmerized, for a split second. Since when had I developed a thing for forearms? And had his hands always been that big?

“You’re going to stay while I work on this, right?” He lowered his voice, a tactic he used, I realized, to get into my head…or maybe my pants. Yet, even knowing that, the voice totally worked. At least on the first part. Possibly a little of the second. Maybe being in his bedroom wasn’t a good idea after all. I raised an eyebrow, hiding all my inappropriate thoughts behind sarcasm. “You picked me up, so I’m not sure I have a choice.”

I suppressed a laugh as I bit back a dirty joke. Maybe I’d been spending too much time with Chase after all.

“What do you know?” Chase turned to me, giving me a sly once-over. A thrill ran through my body. “Hot and nerdy. You’re full of surprises.” He set the controller aside and got up to answer the doorbell. Wait. Did he just call me hot? …And nerdy? “Hey, let me pay,” I called out, standing up. “Too late.”

“So when are you going to come see me play?” His arm brushed against mine, skin against skin, sending a shiver down my spine. I glanced up at him, finding his dark eyes serious and watchful. “What are you talking about? I’ve seen you play plenty of times.” “Yeah, but when are you going to come and cheer for me?” His mouth tugged into a boyish grin. Who could say no to that? Not a single straight woman alive. It was the flirting equivalent of a trick shot. “You could sit with Shiv,” he added softly, nudging me with his elbow. “You know, on a night we’re playing someone else.”

“I won’t tell if you don’t.” Chase’s voice dropped, innuendo-laden and impossible to resist. The air in the room took on an electric charge. I lifted my eyes, meeting his. His pupils dilated and he paused, studying my face reading me better than I think anyone ever had. My body hummed in response to his perusal, and my breath grew shallow at his proximity. When he turned his body to face me, his expression shifted from contemplative to determined and—. “Carter!” a deep voice yelled, followed by a door slamming. “Yo, I need a hand bringing something in.” The high I was riding vanished. Chase furrowed his brow, like he felt the same way.

Knowing what kissing him felt like was a special kind of torture because now I knew what I was missing.

I used to think Luke was good-looking, but he was a potato compared to the three of them. Were all the people on his team gorgeous up close? And their girlfriends? So far, everyone looked like they were straight from the cast of a network television drama. I certainly didn’t fit in.

Dallas’s eyes widened. “This is the famous James?” Oh god. Was I famous because Chase liked me or because I threw up on his shoes? “It’s so nice to meet you,” Shiv said, giving me a warm smile. Most of the hockey girlfriends I knew didn’t appreciate the presence of new girls, but her greeting was sincere, like she actually meant it.

“So, you and Chase, huh?” She lowered her voice. “Oh, we’re just friends.” I wondered how many “friends” he’d kissed. Then I wondered how many “friends” Siobhan had met…Especially lately. Not that it was technically any of my business. “Of course.” Siobhan winked at me. “Dallas and I are ‘friends’ too. How long have you and Chase been, um, hanging out?” Were we hanging out? I guess we were. What did that even mean? My relationship experience consisted of one short-lived high school boyfriend and Luke. I was not well versed in the workings of the dating world. But this wasn’t that kind of hanging out…Was it? How did I not know what I was doing? “About a month?” “Huh.” She nodded thoughtfully. “Well, I could really use some more estrogen around here to balance things out. He’s a good guy. I hope you can put up with him long-term.” I wasn’t sure that would be the problem.

Could I have completed that essay a little faster? Probably. Was I motivated to speed up the process when James was in my bedroom, looking adorable as fuck on my bed? Not really.

“Nah, I like spending time with her.” He pointed at me with the neck of his beer bottle. “Because you like her.” Beside him, Shiv widened her eyes and gave a little shake of her head as if to say, “I didn’t tell.” I believed her. Unfortunately, Dallas was good at reading me. Plus, hanging around a girl this long without banging was basically a dead giveaway. The only other girl I was friends with was Shiv. Besides, let’s be real—not even I believed my intentions with Bailey were platonic. But was that what Bailey wanted? “Maybe.” “Don’t even try to act cool. We already know, dumbass,” Dallas said. “But I wanted to make sure you did. You’re not always the most self-aware.” Dammit. Okay, whatever. I could own it. “Fine,” I said. “I like her.” “I like her too. Can we keep her?” Shiv gave me a puppy dog face. “I have no idea,” I said honestly. With how often we had been talking lately, it was hard to imagine my life without Bailey in it. But I’d known her all of a month, and I wasn’t entirely sure where we were headed. For all I knew, she could get back with Morrison tomorrow and never speak to me again.

When I got into bed later, it still smelled faintly like Bailey—something sweet, like her perfume, mixed with something else that I was pretty sure was just her. And hockey help me, I liked it. I was so screwed.

August me would have considered this winning the hookup lottery, would have been all over it, would have been booking a ride home with both of them already. October me would rather go home and watch SportsCenter. Or text James. Was this seriously happening? I shot Dallas a what the fuck look.

“Carter’s got a girlfriend, Linds.” He nodded at me. She turned and gaped at me, expression a mixture of disbelief and irritation. “You have a girlfriend?” I nodded because it did seem like the simplest way to let her down easy. “Yeah. It’s new.” “Oh.” Her glossy lips formed an O for a moment as she paused. She tossed her dark hair and shrugged. “Well, she doesn’t have to know.” Lord help me. She didn’t know how to take a hint. Or a flat-out rejection, apparently. “I’m flattered, Lindsay. Really, I am.” I tried to push her off me while she resisted my efforts. “But I’m going to pass.”

Once she was safely out of earshot, Dallas let out a low whistle. “Never thought I’d see the day.” “Neither did I.”

“What the hell is going on? Have you even made a move on Bailey?” “Not really,” I said, peeling the label off my bottle. “You and your fucking bookshelf made sure of that.” His mouth dropped open. “Oh my god.” He guffawed, shoulders shaking. “No wonder you seemed off when we got home. Sorry, man. I didn’t expect you to have company that early in the evening.”

But she’d just broken up with Morrison. And what if this feeling was one-sided? Or I scared her off by pushing too soon? Or I went for it and she rejected me? Was it fear of seeming opportunistic about her breakup with Luke holding me back? Or fear that I’d scare her off if I was flat-out wrong about things? Or was it the fear of rejection? That was something I’d never dealt with before, and it was scarier than I wanted to admit. Maybe it was all of the above.

Technically, I had plans with Chase. He invited me over for Tyler’s birthday, but he understood when I told him I’d be late. It was an early game at least, so it wouldn’t eat into the night too much.

I wasn’t sure it could be much slower than Chase and me, who’d yet to even establish our intentions. I was pretty sure he almost kissed me the other day, but now I was second-guessing myself. Maybe he really did see me as just a friend, and the flirting was for fun. It was hard to tell with him sometimes. Ugh. This limbo we were in was both exhilarating and exhausting.

“But wait. Why don’t you want to stay with Amelia and Jillian?” “Uh…We aren’t really getting along lately.” “Really?” Noelle frowned. “What’s going on?” “What’s not?” I snorted. “Everyone hates me because of Luke. And they’re using Chase as an excuse, since he’s supposedly enemy number one.” “That doesn’t make any sense. Luke broke up with you. And you’re a free person.” Zara stabbed at her noodle salad aggressively. “Tell me about it,” I said. “But it’s so uncomfortable I don’t even want to be there anymore. If I could afford a place on my own, I would be out tomorrow.”

“if you know anyone who needs a roommate, let me know. I would legitimately consider it. It’s pretty brutal at home.” Noelle grinned. “Good thing you’ve got Chase to distract you.” Now it was my turn to blush. “We’re just friends.” I think.

The conscious, thinking part of my brain was stuck on the fact that Chase was picking me up. I was trapped in an emotional loop that cycled through excitement, fear, uncertainty, and lust, changing as often as the colors on a string of blinking Christmas lights. Torn between wanting to throw myself at Chase and wanting to run the other way. Half-tempted to kiss him to see what happened, but also fairly convinced that was a terrible idea. Worse still, not sure whether I cared if it was.

Chase was already waiting in the loading zone as I navigated the crowd of spectators exiting through the glass arena doors. I climbed into his truck and buckled my seat belt. The kiss idea jumped up a few notches in my mind the second I got a good look at him. But if he wanted to kiss me again, wouldn’t he have done it already? He’d had ample opportunity.

“What’s the offer?” “I don’t know.” He raked a hand through his dark hair. “Didn’t even review it. I was on my way out the door and didn’t want to be late picking you up. I’m sorry. I’ll be two seconds.” To Chase’s credit, he completely ignored his phone most of the time. When we were together, he was mentally present, and his attention was fixed solely on me. It was more than I could say about most people I knew, friends or otherwise.

Good job, Bailey. Geek out on sports. Guys loved that. I had already opened Pandora’s penalty box, though, so it was too late.

Chase tilted his head, looking at me like I was an alien. Then a grin broke out on his face. “You know what?” He shrugged. “I’ll bite.” My heart exploded. “Wait, really?” Surely, I’d misheard. “James, you just dropped more knowledge than half the guys on the team could. It makes total sense.” This may have been the moment I fell for him, but I’d never admit that out loud. “Plus,” I added, “if you take the trade and I’m right, Dallas will be extra mad that he did it to himself.” Chase grinned. “I like when you talk dirty to me.” He nodded at the phone. “There’s a lot of money riding on this pool, so if I win big because of this, I’ll buy you something nice.” “I’d settle for a hot chocolate.” “I’ll take you for that any time you want.”

He looked so heartbreakingly perfect, but what lay beneath the surface was a tangled mess of contradictions I didn’t understand. He was all sharp edges and swagger from a distance. But closer up, there was softness and vulnerability too. The man, the myth, and the legend, yet—human. I didn’t know what to make of it. I didn’t know what we were doing.

“You played hockey? That’s awesome.” “Until middle school. I mean, not very well. My skating was fine. Good, even. It was the other things that were the issue, like stickhandling.” “I could teach you how to stickhandle.” I suppressed a laugh. “Carter.” “What?” He widened his eyes in mock innocence. “You know, I think you’re the one with the dirty mind, James.” Maybe I was.

“Is Shiv here?” I asked, scanning the house. “I feel like I need another girl if I’m going to survive this.” “Sure is,” he said. “Not sure where, but we can look for her.”

“but I have to go easy on the drinking. I don’t think Chase wants a repeat of the night we met.” I peeked up at him and grinned. He laughed and gave my shoulders a squeeze. “Well, at least it got us here.”

We both turned to find a gigantic hockey player lurking in the doorway. Chase raised his eyebrows but said nothing. He didn’t need to. Aaron paled. “Uh, I think I forgot something in the living room.” He darted around Chase, taking the stairs two at a time. Chase sauntered over, swinging the beers he was holding. “Sup.” “You’re so mean.” “So they tell me.” He cracked one of the beers and handed it to me. “But I saw Shiv upstairs and I couldn’t find you. I was worried.”

“But if I didn’t know better, I might say you were jealous.” He shrugged but didn’t deny it. “Just pointing out how single-minded and filthy most guys are.” “Including you?” He stood closer, giving me a look that did something decidedly unfriend-like to me inside. “Baby, I’m the filthiest.” I laughed. “I know.”

“I came to see if you were staying here or if you wanted to go home later.” My heart went ka-thunk like a rusted old car. “Staying here?” I may have thrown some extra personal items into my bag in case this scenario arose, but I genuinely didn’t think it would. “As a friend, James. But if you want to go home, I’ll stop drinking after this so I can drive you. This is my first beer.” I chewed my lip, considering. I was fairly certain that if I stayed, it wouldn’t be as a friend, despite his assurance. Did I want that? I sure did. But I was also a little scared. Okay, a lot scared.

His eyes caught mine, questioning. Tempting. I wanted to say yes. “Come on.” He nudged my foot with his. “I’ll let you wear my Falcons shirt again.” “Never,” I said. “I’d rather sleep naked.” It was meant to be sassy but was way off the mark. I blamed being in such close proximity to him; my brain was going all sorts of haywire. His voice dropped, turning husky. “That can definitely be arranged.” “Carter.” I narrowed my eyes at him. “James.” He copied me, but he couldn’t keep a straight face. A smile broke through that was hopelessly endearing and intentionally designed to be that way.

“Let’s make it interesting. If I beat you, then you have to wear my Falcons shirt again tonight.” “What do I get if I beat you?” Our gazes locked and a smile played on his lips. “Anything you want.”

Her eyes landed on Chase and me. She came to a halt halfway down the staircase, a knowing smile on her face. “You know, I just remembered that I was supposed to go…” Chase grinned. “It’s okay. We were coming up.” “Right,” I said. Before I could move, he grabbed my hand, curling his warm, strong fingers around mine. “Come on,” he said. “I’ll introduce you to everyone.”

“James,” Chase’s voice rang out. It was low, commanding, gruff. Siobhan froze. Her questioning look probably mirrored mine. I’d never heard him use that tone before, especially not toward me. Heavy steps echoed from the hallway. He barreled into the room, eyes zeroing in on me as he closed the distance between us. “Sorry, Shiv, I need to borrow her for a sec.”

The entire team? Resentment smoldered in the pit of my stomach, threatening to ignite. Then I caught myself. No. Nope. Nuh-uh. I wouldn’t let Luke rile me up and ruin my night—especially not when I was with Chase. Pressing my lips together, I exhaled through my nose, expelling thoughts of Luke from my brain. Begone, demon. I handed Chase his phone. “For a minute there, I thought you were mad at me.” “No.” His brow creased, his tone softening. “I’m mad at that.”

“Why do you think he would write that?” He gripped the phone so tightly it looked like he would crush it in his bare hand. “Would I be standing here if it were true?” “I know it’s not true, James. That’s why I’m so pissed.” He was still holding my elbow loosely with his other hand, like he’d forgotten about it. “Morrison is spreading bullshit because he’s got a problem with me.”

“He is,” I agreed. “But who cares what he says?” Chase’s jaw ticked, his grip on my arm tightening a notch. “I care.” “Why? He’s a loser anyway.” I should have been mad, probably. Or sad. But I didn’t want to wage war against Luke; I wanted him to go away. Permanently. My lips parted in surprise as Chase slid his hand from my elbow and rested it on my lower back. He pulled me closer, turning me to face him. Behind the anger in his eyes was something softer—tenderness mingled with desire. “Because he’s messing with you.” “It’s only messing with me if I let it bother me,” I said. “Besides, anyone who actually matters would know it’s a lie.”

“Still.” He shook his head, gaze dropping back to his phone. His face clouded over like he was going to rain down his wrath on the next person unfortunate enough to cross him. “I’m going to flatten him on the ice.” I touched his chest. “Carter.” He lifted his head. Our eyes locked, and something clicked into place inside me. His expression relaxed, shifting from murderous into a sullen pout. “You can if you want to. But I’m fine,” I said, flattening my palms against his black T-shirt. His heart pounded against my hands, strong and steady. “Really.”

Besides, if happiness was the best revenge, then I was 100 percent winning right now.

Then he pivoted both of our bodies, coming to stand in front of me with the dining table at my back. My breath snagged as he rested his hands on my sides, his large fingers spanning my hips. He drew in a breath and ducked his head to catch my gaze. “I’m sorry,” he said, voice gentle. “Didn’t mean to lose my shit. Believe it or not, I hardly ever do.” “It’s okay.” I braced my hands on his biceps, stroking lightly with my thumbs. His muscles were taut beneath the warmth of his smooth skin.

He slipped his hand beneath the hem of my shirt, fingers digging into my bare skin, and pulled me against him. Anticipation flooded my body. Angling low, he inched closer until our mouths were almost touching. Almost. Then he lingered, teasing. Waiting for me to close the space between us. I inhaled, taking in his scent, the heat of his body so close, then I tilted my head, and our lips came together, instantly melting into a deep kiss. A whimper escaped from the back of my throat as his tongue brushed against mine, pushing deeper into my mouth. He caressed my jaw, then moved his hand to my nape. Gripping the roots of my hair, he secured my head in place and moved his mouth against mine, deepening the kiss until I was completely lost in him.

Drawing in a jagged breath, Chase grabbed the backs of my thighs and set me on the tabletop. Then he nudged my knees apart and positioned himself between my legs until our bodies were flush, creating a delicious hint of friction where we touched. Heat pooled between my legs, wanting and needing, as he pressed against me. I took his bottom lip between my teeth, and a low rumble emanated from his chest. He skimmed my bare stomach with his fingertips, tracing the waistband of my jeans, and a pulse settled between my thighs.

“You’re killing me, James.” “Why’s that?” I whispered. Chase lowered his head, planting a row of kisses down my neck. “Because I don’t want to stop. But if I keep kissing you,” he murmured against my skin, “I won’t be fit to be around other people for a good, long while.” He pulled back and smoothed my hair with a playful grin. “Later, it’ll be a different story.”