Twisted Collide: The new sports romance in the Redville Saints series
Twisted Collide: Chapter 17

Another day, another headache, and to top it all off, I’m distracted. It’s all her fault. Avoiding her is nearly impossible.

She’s everywhere.

At practice.

At the bar.

In my head.

The worst part is she’s temptation on a stick. She strides around this place wearing the thinnest T-shirts I’ve ever seen. How Coach doesn’t scold her is beyond me.

Her fucking nipples are always visible.

I’m not the only one who notices either. Everyone does, everyone other than her damn father, who clearly has his head in the damn sand.

Also, what’s with the skirts? Who wears a skirt to an ice rink . . . ? Hellfire, that’s who.

Last night, when I went to the bar to meet up with the guys, and she showed up, I thought I was going to lose my mind.

After our little barb session, I ended up sitting in the corner alone and drinking my sorrows as she laughed and had the time of her life.

The shrill sound of Coach blowing his whistle echoes like a freight train, pulling me from my thoughts.

“Head in the game!” he shouts, and I know he’s yelling at me. I skate harder, muscles burning as I chase the puck.

Need to focus.

Stay in the play.

Don’t think about her.

My lungs burn as I take my aggression out on the ice. I feel like a caged animal, ready to break free.

I grit my teeth and charge.

Aiden skates by as my stick connects with the puck, cutting me off.

“Fuck!” I bellow.

“Hit the showers!” Coach hollers, signaling that practice is finally done.

He’s pissed, and rightfully so. I’m pissed.

I move to skate off the ice when I see Josephine. Lord knows what grunt work she’s doing now, but her presence alone pisses me off further.

I pull my gaze away and continue toward the exit.

A few minutes later, I’m back in the locker room, and I yank off my helmet and throw it into my locker with a loud clatter.

“You good, man?” Aiden sidles up beside me.

“Yeah.”

“Doesn’t really seem that way. You sure? You looked like you were about to murder someone out there.”

“Guess I was hungover,” I mutter, untying my skates.

“I take it that means you don’t want to go out with Hudson tonight?”

My stomach roils just thinking about it.

“Nope.”

“You want to have dinner with Cass and me? You know we’d love to have you.” His offer is genuine, and while I appreciate it, the last thing I want to do is play the third wheel, no matter how much I like Cassidy.

“Nah, man, I’m good. I promise.”

He narrows his eyes at me, holding my stare. “Do I need to call Molly?”

I sigh, rubbing my hands over my face. “I said I’m fine. Just drop it. Please.”

He nods and pats me on the back.

“Then get your shit together, man. I don’t mean to come off harsh, but we need your head in the game.” And with that, he walks off, leaving me alone.

You know you’ve gone and fucked up when Aiden calls you out.

Great. Just fucking great.

Thirty minutes later, I’m hitting Aiden’s contact button on my phone.

“Hey, Dane. You good?” he answers.

“I’ve changed my mind. Is dinner still an option?” With my free hand, I hit the button on my key fob, and then, once the door is unlocked, I get in my car.

“Dinner is always an option. See you soon.”

“Thanks.” I hang up the call and start my car. Aiden and Cassidy don’t live too far from where we practice. It only takes me about fifteen minutes to get there and replace a parking spot before I head into the apartment building where they live. I ride the elevator up and then get off on their floor.

It’s a nice place, but I can’t imagine living here. Sure, my house is too big for me, but when I bought it all those years ago, I got it for Molly. It was the right home to raise her in.

I stroll up to the door and knock.

The door flings open. “Dane, I’m so happy you’re here.” Cassidy smiles brightly at me as she steps out of the way to let me in.

“Thanks for having me. I came straight from practice, or I would have brought something.”

She shakes her head. “Dane, you’re family. You don’t have to bring anything.”

Her words are exactly what I need right now. With Molly gone, the past month has been weird.

I didn’t realize how much I depended on her, and I don’t just mean for my day-to-day activities.

There’s also the fact that Hellfire is living with Robert. That’s throwing me off.

Normally, I spend a lot of time with him and Sherry, but currently, I’m trying my hardest to avoid Josephine, so my trips over there have been nonexistent.

“Go sit down, and I’ll get you a drink.” She points at the couch in the living room, and I start heading in that direction.

“You’re one of a kind,” I call over my shoulder before taking a seat on the couch.

Not even a second later, Aiden strides into the room, head wet from a shower. He might dunk his head at the arena, but showering there isn’t part of his routine.

He sits on the smaller couch across from where I’m sitting. “Hey, man. Happy you came.”

“Honestly, thanks for inviting me.” I recline back, making myself more comfortable.

Aiden shakes his head at me. “You know you don’t need an invitation, right?”

“Yeah, you’ve said that, but who knows what you guys are up to.”

A laugh sounds from the entrance of the room, and I peer up to see Cassidy making her way with my drink in her hand.

When she reaches where I am, she hands me the glass, and I take a swig.

“Okay, spill. What was up with you today?” Aiden asks right before Cassidy leans down and places a kiss on his lips before walking off to the kitchen.

“My head isn’t in it.”

“Is something going on? You know you can—”

“I know, man. And I appreciate it, but there’s nothing wrong.” Except for the fact that I had sex with Coach’s daughter, will most likely get fired for it, and the only person I would normally talk about this with is . . . Coach or someone on his team, which I obviously can’t do.

His eyes narrow, and I know I need to throw him a bone. That’s why I’m here, for them to try to help me, so if I don’t tell him something now, I run the risk that Cassidy will start in on me too. The problem is she’s damn good at seeing the big picture, and I can’t risk it, so I give him the only thing I can.

I sigh loudly. “Molly.”

“Got it. You miss her, and rightfully so.”

“Is this the first time you’ve been away from her for this long?” Cassidy asks as she reenters the room. “Dinner’s ready, by the way. No rush, just figured I’d mention it.”

I start to stand, ready to eat. “It is.”

“That’s rough. Well, if you need a stand-in sister, I’m your girl.” A soft smile curls her lips. It’s warm and caring, like her, and it does what it’s meant to do . . .

It makes me smile too.