I snorted. “That makes two of us.”
“Three.” She hooked a thumb toward her chest.
Nix made sure to leave a trail of destruction in his wake. He was selfish like that, and anyone who got in his way became collateral damage. Dakota became a target because she was looking out for me, knowing I could do better. Braxton—even though they were roommates—got up in his shit because he was a white knight, and I fell under his protection as Dakota’s best friend. That meant Nix went out of his way to fuck with him, going so far as to goad him about my crush on Jaxon, among other things.
Had I realized he was so shitty to the people I loved sooner, I wanted to believe it would have been the push I needed to end it with him, but I wasn’t so sure. He had this hold on me that had turned me a pathetic, lovesick fool. Looking back on it now, I hated the person I became when I was with him. I was so much better off now.
I grabbed the bowl of popcorn, threw a handful in my mouth, and eyed the chick flick playing on the TV that we’d watched a thousand times.
“Enough about me. How’s work going for you? You’re starting a new book soon, right?” I was desperate to change the subject. It was bad enough I was forced to see Maddox almost daily at the rink and write about him for work. I needed a mental break from the man.
A mischievous sparkle entered her brilliant blue eyes, so dark they rivaled the color of sapphires. “You know, I’ve been toying with something different in my hockey series.”
“Oh yeah?” I perked up. I might have sworn off hockey boys, but I could still enjoy reading about them not being total douchebags and treating a woman right.
She held up her hand for dramatic effect. “Hear me out.”
I eyed her carefully. “Okay . . .”
“It’s not your typical hockey romance, but what do you think about a story where the head coach hooks up with a reporter, and they fall madly in love?”
She began to giggle, and I chucked a throw pillow at her head. “I hate you.”
Lowering the pillow from her face, she smirked. “Not any more than I hated you when you forced me to spend time with Braxton when he was the last man on Earth I wanted to go near. And come on, tell me the forbidden romance element doesn’t get you all hot and bothered.” Dakota waggled her eyebrows suggestively.
“More like gives me paralyzing anxiety that someone will find out and I’ll be forced to go home and live with my parents,” I grumbled.
“Aw, come on. You can take the spare bedroom here,” she offered.
“No, thanks. I’m not interested in being your practice baby, sleeping in your future nursery.”
Dakota pinched my cheek. “But you’re so cute.”
“Mmhmm. What’s it goingto take for you to drop this?”
She tapped her chin, pretending to think. “How about you take your personal feelings out of your writing, and we’ll call it even? I remember someone telling me once upon a time that they were glad their writing centered around facts instead of drama.”
“Fine.” I sighed. “But he is very dramatic.”
“He’s figuring out his new role, same as you. Don’t you think he should be afforded a little bit of grace?”
“Whatever.” I rolled my eyes.
“Who’s dramatic?” Braxton walked into the living room, dropping a kiss on Dakota’s lips.
Dakota looked at me to answer, but there was no way in hell I was stepping on that land mine.
When she realized I had no intention of speaking up, she told him, “Maddox.”
A growl rumbled from his chest, and he turned to me. “Is he bothering you again?”
Lord, these two were on totally separate pages when it came to my relationship—or non-relationship—with Maddox. Dakota was in that new love phase where she wanted to see everyone else happy and in love. And, of course, it didn’t help that she wrote couples falling in love daily for a living. Then, there was Braxton, who was in protector mode. He was ready to go to war against any man who mistreated me.
“No, Dad.” I gave him a little bit of attitude. “But you need to rein your girlfriend in. Her author brain is already writing our happy ending.”
His voice grew stern as he addressed her. “Dakota. We talked about this.”
Dakota waved a hand through the air. “You talked. I listened. I wouldn’t go so far as to say we had a conversation where we were on the same page.”
