Rival Darling (The Darling Devils, #1)

by Alexandra Moody

Never date a jock. It was the one rule I had when it came to boys, but apparently, I was terrible at following it.

“Vi, everyone at school thinks he walks on water. Hell, he thinks he walks on water.”

“The Darling brothers are three of the best players in the state. They play for the Ransom Devils, and they’re lethal.” Her voice lowered slightly as she continued, but her eyes were still sparkling with excitement. “I’m not just talking about hockey either. They have a pretty bad reputation off the ice too. People around here have a lot to say about those boys.”

The person who named Sunshine Hills must have had a sick sense of humor. There was only one hill, and I was beginning to forget what the sun looked like.

“You don’t trust me, do you?” he asked. “I mean, you’re just some guy I met on the side of the road, and my mom really ingrained the whole stranger-danger thing into me as a kid.” If I was honest though, my mom probably would prefer it if I was talking to a creepy stranger rather than a jock with a bad reputation.

“Only when my damsel-in-distress radar goes off.” “Oh, and I suppose that makes you Prince Charming?” “Sorry, princess, but I’m definitely no prince.”

“You know, if I was your boyfriend, I’d answer your calls and I’d drive you to parties.”

“Thanks, but I’m headed to a friend’s place near here,” I said. “I can make my own way there.” “I’ll walk you.” Reed spoke with such confidence I didn’t know how to say no. I was still surprised he’d stuck around this long and wasn’t planning to bail as soon as his dad left. Now he was offering to escort me to the party? He might not be a prince, but apparently, he could be a little charming when he wanted to. Unless, of course, he had some ulterior motive.

“This is me,” I said. “Thanks again for tonight. You really came to my rescue.” “Like I said, my damsel-in-distress radar was pinging.”

“But you have a good night, Sunshine. I hope I proved to you not all hockey players are pigs.”

Maybe she thought I hadn’t heard her at the ice rink. Or that I didn’t recognize her. Impossible. Violet wasn’t the kind of girl you forgot.

She had stunning long, deep red hair, and her eyes were such a startling shade of light blue I’d struggled to pull my gaze from them. Her features were delicate, and when she wasn’t glaring at me she looked like she could have stepped right out of a fairy tale—well, fallen out of one in her case.

I’d first spotted her well before she’d called me a pig. It was just after we’d won the game and were coming off the ice. I saw her in the stands, and she’d stopped me in my tracks. I should have gone straight to the locker room, but I wanted to get a better look at her. I paused for a little too long, and my sister had rushed up to me with some of her friends. Cammie had just been trying to hit me up for cash, but seeing me surrounded by all those girls must have looked bad to Violet. I imagined it was why she thought I was a pig. If only she knew how terrible my track record with women actually was.

the cold rarely got to me. I sometimes wondered if my dad was right when he insisted the Darlings were long-lost descendants of the abominable snowman.

she still had me buzzing with more nervous excitement than I experienced before a big game. It felt easy to be around her, and it was the first time in as long as I could remember that a girl hadn’t talked, or attempted to talk, with me about hockey.

They were always asking about my games, where I was going to college, or, most often, my prospects of playing in the NHL one day. Sometimes, it felt like girls only saw me for my stick—my hockey stick, that was. It was part of the reason I wasn’t interested in having a girlfriend. I didn’t have the time to dedicate to one, but mostly it was because I never felt like I could trust the motives of the girls who showed an interest in me.

Violet might have thought I was a pig, but I had to admit it was a nice change to the fear or the fawning I usually encountered. Hockey was such a big deal at Sunshine Prep though, so it was probably only a matter of time before Violet was throwing darts at my face too.

Although we were twins and we shared similar features, we weren’t identical. Grayson was slightly taller than me, and it didn’t seem to matter how many weights I lifted; he’d always been bigger than me and built like the yetis we’d apparently descended from.

“So, how was your run?” I could hear the judgment in his voice. Grayson thought I was an idiot for going running after games, but it was hardly something new. For years I’d been punishing myself by running a few miles immediately after we lost a game. We might have won today, but I hadn’t played my best.

The dude had been talking trash about my little sister, so I couldn’t exactly let him get away with it.

“I don’t like her.” “Uh-huh.” “I don’t. Anyway, she hates hockey players, and she has a boyfriend.” “Ah. Completely unavailable.” “That’s right.” “And probably not interested in you.” “No.” “I like the sound of her already.”

The girls in Jeremy’s friendship group frequently made me feel like I was encroaching on their territory. Heather was particularly cruel to me. She definitely had her sights set on my boyfriend, and seeing us together brought out a nasty streak in her I thought was reserved for mean girls in movies.

She was always commenting on how my uncle worked at the school, reminding everyone I wasn’t paying my way like the rest of the students. One of her favorite tricks was to point out I didn’t look like I came from California before talking at length about how beautiful people from California supposedly were.

Jeremy’s friends weren’t much better. Each of them had more money than sense and a huge helping of self-entitlement to go with it.

“So, is there a reason we’re beating up a brand-new 2024 Ford Mustang?” “We?” “I mean, I haven’t done anything yet, but I’ve got a couple of hockey sticks in my truck if you want to do some real damage?” “You’re going to help me beat up a car?” “It pretty much goes against my religion, but you clearly need the help . . .”

There were a few things I was certain of though. I was right; hockey players were pigs. My mom was right; jocks couldn’t be trusted. And Reed was right; I deserved better.

Nicole offered me an escape route, which I was more than willing to take. She insisted she couldn’t possibly eat lunch with the masses today because she needed to keep a low profile after her exploits on Saturday night. She had emptied the pockets of every boy stupid enough to face her in a poker game at the party, and she claimed she needed to avoid her disgruntled opponents at all costs. Nicole was not someone who got nervous about confrontation, so I knew she was doing it for me, and I was grateful.

It was the first time I’d entered our neighboring town, and immediately I felt like it wasn’t nearly as bad as Mia and the other kids at Sunshine Prep made it out to be. We passed cozy cafés and cute-looking dress shops and a tiny bookstore that was crammed with so many novels they seemed to spill out the front door and onto the street. The way people in Sunshine Hills whispered about Ransom made it sound like the bridge across the river was a gateway to another world. Ransom might have lacked the obvious opulence of Sunshine Hills, but I found myself drawn to its simple charm and welcoming atmosphere all the same.

Yes, I really was that nervous to see Reed again. The more concerning question though was why.

“I’m exactly where I want to be.” The truth was, right now, I just wanted to be wherever she was.

“What did my dad say about Betty?” I tried to sound genuine, but I already knew the situation with Violet’s old car. I’d helped my dad check it over, but I didn’t want her to know I was quite so interested.

It was hard not to flinch, and I seriously began to wonder whether my dreams of playing in the NHL were worth it.

Dude…

“Pretty sure the only time growling is allowed is in one of those dirty books Mom likes to read,” he replied. “Back me up here, Gray.”

It was amazing how quickly you could become repulsed by someone you once thought might be the love of your life.

One moment, all you can think about is his warm brown eyes and soft dark hair. The next, you realize his hair is actually a little greasy, and his eyes are closer to the color of mud than honey. Even his voice, which was once soft and melodic suddenly sounds more like the whining purr of a drone.

“Don’t let him get to you,” she said. “I’m beginning to think he’s only putting on such a big show so he can win you back.”

Parker had been right when he’d taunted me in the car earlier. I was nervous about seeing Violet again. But the anxiety was mixed with excitement. She might have sworn off hockey players, but that didn’t seem to matter to me as I watched her through the fire. I only needed her to like one hockey player: me.

“Reed Darling is watching you, again.”

“Vi, there is absolutely nothing friendly about that boy. And I doubt he looks at his friends that way. Hell, he probably doesn’t have any.”

This bitch is honestly unbearable. I don't know why the fuck she's so comfortable talking about people she DOESN'T EVEN KNOW the way she talks about Reed, but it's not. It's just gross.

there was no going back now. I’d kissed Reed Darling in front of everyone, and Jeremy still hadn’t got the message. I needed to double down if he was ever going to leave me alone. “We’re together.” I blurted out before I could think better of it. “Together?” Jeremy spat. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

I felt a strong arm wrap around my waist, and I was pulled against the hard planes of Reed’s chest. I went stiff as he held me tightly to him. “Surely you’re not that stupid, Hoffman.” Reed said. “She shouldn’t have to spell it out . . .” I slowly looked up at Reed, and as he caught my gaze, his hard expression softened. “Violet’s my girlfriend.”

What the hell just happened? One moment Violet was telling me I had absolutely no hope with her, the next she was kissing me and pretending to be my girlfriend. My arms were still wrapped snugly around her body as the two of us watched Hoffman march away.

Everyone thinks we’re dating.” I scratched the back of my neck. “Yeah, well, I’m sure there are worse things in life, right?” She clearly didn’t agree because her head dropped into her hands. “This is a total disaster.” “I’m trying really hard not to take that personally.” I laughed but only to hide the fact that her reaction to the concept of dating me had genuinely hurt.

I caught the odd swear word, so I was fairly certain she was still just freaking out. In my experience, girls generally reacted better than this after kissing me.

Our dinner date might not be real, and I might have had to coerce Violet into it, but my stupid heart couldn’t help feeling excited because I had a little more time with her tonight.

I was still recovering from my encounter with Jeremy at the rink and struggling to get it off my mind. The way he’d spoken to me today was worryingly similar to the night of the bonfire and when he’d cornered me at school. He didn’t seem to understand why I was done with him. He was convinced it was only a matter of time before I forgave him and came crawling back into his arms.

“You don’t have to look quite so nervous.” “I know,” I murmured, already feeling better now he was holding my hand. I wasn’t sure what it was about Reed, but despite all the negative things people said about him, he had a way of making me feel at ease with just a single word or the slightest touch even when I was panicking on the inside.

I felt like such an idiot. I’d just arrived home after my date with Violet but couldn’t bring myself to get out of the truck. Our first fake date had been somewhat successful, but I was still thinking about how she’d frozen up when I moved to sit closer to her in the booth at Nino’s.

It felt like I’d seen her true feelings in that moment because as soon as our legs had brushed against each other she’d responded as if she wanted to get out of the booth and flee. It was probably because she remembered I was just an arrogant, unappealing jock who she would otherwise be completely avoiding.

When I’d ended things with Jeremy, it had caused quite a stir at school, but it paled in comparison to the backlash I faced now word had spread I was dating an infamous Darling Devil.