Page 11 of Cheap Shot

I really needed to remember that.

Last night was a mistake, one neither of us could be blamed for, but it couldn’t ever happen again.

“This doesn’t have to be weird,” she said in a low voice.

I started to agree when the bathroom door opened and Ethan stepped into the room. I leaned back against my closet, creating as much space between me and Haley as possible without making it obvious.

“Ready?” he asked her while putting his wallet and phone in his pockets.

“Yeah,” she answered while watching me. She wanted to say something, but Ethan turned her around and practically shoved her out of the room.

“I’ll be out in a second. Go get the elevator,” he told her before closing the door. He spun to face me, and my stomach knotted. He knew something was going on. “I meant to talk to you about this before she got here, but I put it off, and now I don’t have time.” He pulled his long hair into a bun and tied it up. “Just promise me you’ll watch out for her. She transferred here after a pretty crappy year.” His expression turned dark, and he sighed. “I don’t want anything else happening to her.”

“Of course.” I wanted to ask what exactly happened, but it would have to wait.

“Thanks.” He reached for the doorknob. “And could you let the guys know too? It would make me feel better knowing they have her back, but make sure they know she’s off limits.” He smiled. “No dating sisters.”

I nodded and watched him leave. I planned on making that clear to them since I saw her last night, but for very different reasons.

Chapter 5

Haley

Of all the men on campus, I had to kiss Reid freaking Bayman? He looked nothing like I remembered. Maybe if I paid more attention to my brother’s social media or team pictures, I would have recognized him.

My earliest memories were of Ethan’s hockey games. Always being in the car, going to practice or away games or special-skills training. It was his life, his passion, his gift, but it controlled every aspect of me and my family.

My parents gave me a toy or book to occupy me while they dedicated all of their time and attention to Ethan. By the time I was old enough to consider playing a sport or taking piano lessons, they didn’t give me the option. Mom couldn’t get me to practices while also making sure Ethan was always where he needed to be. After all, he was the superstar. The protégé. One coach after another fed into the dream of him being a shoo-in for the NHL, and that pushed me further and further from my parent’s focus.

It wasn’t all bad. I got to have a semi-normal childhood, outside of being dragged around, and the more attention Ethan got, the less I did. It only took me until I was about ten to realize what that meant. I was free to do whatever I wanted as long as I stayed under their radar.

“Ready?” He stepped out of his apartment and strode down the hall toward me.

“Yeah. I went to orientation yesterday, so I think I have a pretty good idea of where my classes are.” We got into the elevator and headed down the four floors to the main lobby.

“But those were just the buildings. I’ll walk you through to make sure you can find each room without getting lost tomorrow.” He pulled a baseball hat down low as we stepped outside. I was grateful summer was lingering and it wasn’t quite sweater season.

We were barely across the courtyard in front of his building when a blond ran up to us, wearing teeny shorts and a West Penn crop top, which I was pretty sure wasn’t sold at the student store. “Ethan!”

Her call came out as more of a pant. She flung her arms around his neck and pressed her body into him. I rolled my eyes and waited for this show to end.

“Hey, babe.” He hesitated before holding her at arm’s length with his hands on her hips. I was one-hundred percent certain he didn’t know her name.

“I missed you last night,” she purred.

I nearly gagged. There was nothing that could prepare a person to watch someone flirt with their sibling. It was gross, and even though it happened in high school, I refused to get used to it.

Finally, her eyes landed on me, full of venom. “Who’s this?”

“My sister, Haley.” Ethan removed his hands from her waist and took a step closer to me. “She’s new, so I’m showing her around.

“Oh!” She was suddenly back to sugary sweet. “That is so nice of you! You’re like the best.” If she batted her lashes any harder, she was going to take flight.

“Yeah, so we’ve got to get going.” Ethan winked, and she sighed. I think she might have swooned if he’d touched her. She gave him a wave and winked before tossing her hair over her shoulder as she spun and walked off in the opposite direction.

We continued down the path toward the school, but I wasn’t going to let him off easy. “You didn’t even know her name, did you?”

He laughed. “Nope.”