“Well,” he said. “One of you is very, very drunk.”
I burst out laughing. “That much is true.”
I watched Ivy for a few moments, wondering—not for the first time—what it would be like to be that carefree. That reckless and wild.
She shifted suddenly, straightening just slightly, her lips pulling too tight at the corners.
“Oh fuck,” I blurted, then glanced over my shoulder and up at Eric. “Sorry!”
I bolted across the room, shoving a few walls of muscle out of my way with all the strength my five-foot-one frame possessed.
“Hey, sis,” I said, totally cutting off whatever Crosby had been saying. “Can I borrow you for a second? Or a night,” I whispered when I wrapped my arm around her shoulder.
“Yeah, sure, Pepper.” She flashed her best fake-grin at Crosby as she leaned into me a little too much. “See you soon,” she called over her shoulder as I dragged her toward Gage’s front door.
The crisp fall air hit us as I guided her through the door.
“You’re a life—” Ivy’s words gurgled the second we made it off the porch steps.
A splatter of puke hit the flowerbed just off Gage’s entryway.
I’d have to send a cookie-basket apology tomorrow.
I cringed as she hurled her guts up, but I smoothed my hand up and down her spine, trying not to gag against the sour-fruity smell of the liquor that caused the sickness.
“Saver,” she finally sighed after the worst was over. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand before resuming her spot against my shoulder.
I shifted, trying to hold her up and reach in my pocket for my cell at the same time.
“Need some help?” Eric’s voice made me jump, which elicited a deep groan from Ivy, whose lids were now practically closed as her head lolled against my shoulder.
“Yeah,” I said, whispering as if the entire party might hear me ask for help. “Could you get my phone and call us an Uber?”
“You Ubered here?”
“Yes,” I said, baring almost all of Ivy’s weight now. If I didn’t hurry, I’d never get her in the cab. “My car is…broken.” I struggled against the dead-weight that was my twin.
“Here,” he said, reaching out his arms. “May I?”
“Seriously?”
“Yes.”
“Thank you,” I said as he scooped Ivy into his arms like she was nothing more than a sleepy puppy. I sighed, relief washing through my muscles.
“Let me give you a lift home.”
I raised my brows.
“I could grab your dad if you’d feel more comfortable—”
“No!” I cut him off. “Please. No. He’s seen Ivy drunk before, but not…incapacitated. I’d rather not be privy to a lecture.”
“Understood. Let me take you two home.”
I hesitated, contemplating the risk of letting a complete stranger take me home.
Uber drivers are strangers. At least this one works for Dad.
“What?” He grinned before I could answer. “You don’t trust a Shark?”
Something like that.
“Just this once,” I teased and followed him toward his massive F-150. “You’re awfully heroic.”
“Being a decent human being counts for heroic now?” He asked as he buckled my half-conscious sister into the back cab.
A blush crept across my cheeks. Damn this guy was good. Usually it took people days to warm up to my sardonic and nerdy banter.
“Unfortunately, yes,” I said, hurrying around the truck to the passenger seat. He beat me there, holding my door open for me.
I eyed him like he was a Loki illusion.
He rolled his eyes, offering me a hand up into the truck before securely closing the door behind me. A heartbeat later he was behind the wheel.
“Where to, Pepper?”
An uncontrollable chill raked over my skin when he said my name. I rattled off my address and then laughed. “Iron Man,” I mumbled.
“What was that?” he asked as he turned off of Gage’s street.
“The way you said my name. Pepper. It was so Tony-like. Plus, the whole hero thing.”
“Tony?”
“Yeah. Stark?” I eyed him, noting he looked completely oblivious.
“Is that supposed to mean something to me or to Ivy? Because I’m almost one-hundred percent certain she can’t hear you right now.”
I only spared my snoring sister a glance before I gaped at him.
“I thought you were messing with me earlier,” I said, shocked. “You truly don’t know anything about these movies?”
“I’m so confused,” he said, focusing on the road.
“You’ve never seen Iron Man?”
“Nope,” he said.
I gasped, grabbing the center of my chest like he’d torn out my arc reactor.
“That’s bad?” He asked, barely holding back at laugh at my reaction.
“It’s horrendous. At least tell me you were joking about never seeing Thor.”
He pressed his lips together in a shameful line.
“Oh my God! What have you been doing with your life?”
“Um…” he arched a brow at me before returning his eyes to the road. “Hockey?”
“Ah,” I said, nodding as he turned into our apartment complex lot. “That’s right. I forgot.”
“Forgot what?” He asked as he parked in front of Ivy’s and my unit.
“That for players, hockey is life.”
He killed the ignition, hopping out of the car before I could assure him I could get Ivy into our place myself.
I totally couldn’t.
“You assume I have no life outside of hockey just because I haven’t seen a random movie?” Ivy’s snores didn’t stop as he scooped her out of the car and cradled her against his chest without breaking a sweat.
“Random movie?” I mocked him as I stomped toward out front door. I threw it open, ushering him inside and to Ivy’s room. He laid her gently on her bed, and we quietly closed the door behind us. “I legit don’t have enough time in the world to tell you how wrong you are.”
“About a movie?” He teased.
“Yes!” I huffed. “The comic book universe is so intricate and complex and…and…ugh! There is no way you’re that oblivious.”
“Ouch,” he said, crossing his arms over his ripped chest. “So I don’t religiously watch movies.” He shrugged. “I don’t have social media either.”
I gaped at him again. “What? You’re a professional athlete. You have to have at least an Instagram page.”
“Yeah, sure. One that I’ve never seen. My publicist runs it.”
“You’re missing out.”
He scrunched his brow. “On social media? Doubt it. If that’s life I don’t want to live it.”
Touche.
“Not that. Comic book movies.”
He chuckled. “Fine, Pepper,” he said, emphasizing my name. “Enlighten me.”
“What?”
He shrugged, glancing around our quaint apartment. “I’m here,” he said. “Enlighten me. Show me what I’ve been missing.”
A thrill went through me—the one signature to inducting an innocent person into a totally torture-worthy fandom. “You sure you’re up for it?” I teased.
“Show me what you’ve got.”
“Oh,” I said, smirking. “You have no idea what you’re getting yourself into.”
Chapter 3
Eric
“Damn, my head is splitting,” Connor complained as he opened his locker next to mine.
“That’s what you get for drinking like a frat boy.” I tugged my Under Armour shirt down over my chest.
“More like Max & Ruby reruns all morning until Jessica showed up to get Hannah.” He pointed at me and then paused. “Practice is going to suck today.”
“Hydrate.” I grabbed an extra Gatorade out of my locker and tossed it to him.
He caught it one-handed and nodded in thanks before chugging it.
I grabbed my skates and sat on the bench to put them on. I was already half-way dressed, but I was always the first in the locker room to make sure I was the first one on the ice.
“So where did you run off to last night?” Connor asked.
“Just needed to help a friend.” I kept my eyes on my skates, pulling the laces tight.
“You don’t have any friends.” He shot me a curious look.
“Not true.”