I square off to him and hold his gaze as I move the puck, calculating my next move. I could go left, even right, but a part of me wants to go right the fuck through him. Just to show him not to mess with me. I’m mad that I want to beat him and that I want him too. I don’t like this feeling. It’s weird and scary and I just want him to go away, but then I want to wrap my arms around him and make him tell me I’m pretty.

I’m insane.

Deciding that showing him who he is messing with is a good idea, I send the puck through his open legs, and then I go into him with all my might. But he’s a solid fucking wall, and instead of knocking him on his ass, I fall hard on mine.

And at that moment, I miss my girdle like a normal girl misses her phone.

With a loud laugh, he turns, taking the puck and ignoring me laid out on the ground before shooting with ease off the damn pipe. Reaching for the puck, he turns and grins at me.

With a nod as I get up, he says, “I like your tenacity, so yeah, I’ll fuck ya.”

“Oh my God! Let me rip my clothes off now! Fuck you, and give me the damn puck,” I say, and like I wanted, he passes the puck to me, and I take it to the line as my ass aches in pain.

“Aww, someone is getting angry!” he teases, his eyes playful, but he isn’t joking. He wants to get under my skin, he wants to beat me, but it will be a cold day in fucking hell before that happens. He has just made it so it’s my life’s mission to ruin him. To cut him down to size.

“Jayden, that’s enough. Leave her be,” I think Jace calls out.

“Yeah, man, this is getting to be a little bit too much,” Jude says.

“Y’all are just fueling her hate-fire,” Delanie says.

“Yeah, she lives for this shit,” Mandie says, expelling a breath. “I think we should go cook.”

“Hell no, this is the coolest thing I’ve ever seen,” Jace says.

“For sure,” Jude agrees, but they are the least of my worries.

Jayden fucking Sinclair is public enemy number one.

Coming to me, his grin is unstoppable and his eyes are burning into mine, but I won’t let him get one up on me. He isn’t even that cute.

“I don’t know if you realize, but I’m winning.”

“Noted,” I say, glaring as I arch to the left, stretching out my hip, hoping to relieve some of the pain.

“Are you okay?” he asks softly.

I look at him and my glare deepens. “Like you care.”

He smiles. “Ah, that could be debated, you know.”

I meet his gaze and I can see the concern in his eyes. His eyes leave mine, doing a slow ride down my body until he stops at my knee. “You’re bleeding.”

“I’ll live.”

“True,” he says with a nod. “But will you win?”

“Yeah,” I basically growl and then I go, the hate-fire fueling me as I push by him, pushing his stick away as I rush the goal. He comes to block me, but I drop the puck back to my skate, and this is the reason I hate roller so damn much. The road isn’t as smooth as it is when you’re on ice, and the damn puck doesn’t slide the way I want it to. Thankfully, I have control and I surprise him and me as I throw my hip into his groin. When he groans loudly, I whip around him, going back on my right leg, shooting the puck against the pipe.

I don’t cheer. I don’t even look at him. Some could consider that a cheap shot.

I don’t though.

Taking the puck, I send it to him as he glares at me. “Cheap shot, Moore.”

“Move your dick,” I suggest with a shrug.

He scoffs. “It’s just so big, though.”

“I’ve seen and felt bigger, buddy,” I say, my eyes burning as I meet his gaze.

He chuckles. “Damn, going for the kill, dissing a man’s dick.”

“Stop being a little bitch and play hockey,” I call at him, and he laughs some more. I don’t think being a bitch to this guy works. He isn’t paying me any mind. It’s weird and I’m not sure how to get into his head. Maybe I can’t. As I wait for him to come toward me, he toys with the puck, eyeing me with those sinful green eyes. Watching him, I decide I’m playing too close and it has been my downfall. He’s big, I need to be ready to block off his shot.

“Damn, she is mean,” I hear Jace say.

“It’s so bad, you just don’t even know,” Delanie says back to him. “She’s scary.”

We ignore them, and as he comes toward me, we both fight tooth and nail with the puck, going back and forth, stealing and trying to get a shot. But we are both too good. After a good seven minutes, I’m huffing and puffing, and he is too as I dig my hip into him. I won’t give up and I know he won’t either.

One of us is going to score.

And it’s gonna be me.

“Why don’t y’all just go have sex? It’s way better than fighting like this,” Delanie suggests and I scoff.

“I wouldn’t have sex with him if he were the last man on earth,” I say, pushing back hard, but he doesn’t go anywhere! Fucking caveman. I’ve never gone against such a huge player. Especially a forward. It’s damn weird.

“Mm, sex does seem like more fun than beating each other up,” he says roughly, in such a dirty way against my ear. I didn’t expect him to be that close, so I press my elbow into his chest. But I lose control of the puck and he steals it, turning so that he can shoot. I throw my blade against his shot to block it, but it goes up my stick and the puck snaps me against the jaw. Dropping my stick, I take my face in my hands, closing my eyes tightly as I groan loudly. Damn it!

“Oh fuck!” Jace says, and I fully expect to hear the clink of the puck against the pipe, but I don’t.

“Are you okay?” Jayden says close to my face to my utter surprise. Tears threaten to fall, my sinuses burning as my jaw aches like the fiery depths of hell, but I won’t cry.

There is no crying in hockey.

I open my eyes, looking at him through my fingers before I nod. It hurts, I’m not gonna lie, but I’m okay. “Yeah,” I say, dropping my hands.

“Baylor, that’s enough. Let’s go make food,” Delanie says, urging me with her eyes to stop, but I ignore her, picking up my stick.

“Yeah, maybe we should stop. Are you sure you’re okay?” Jayden asks me, and I nod, stretching my neck before getting the puck to take to the line.