Shannon works at a bakery, and after I sink my teeth into the first bite, I can honestly say this girl knows her way around a kitchen. My mom wasn’t much of a cook. We had a personal chef who would make us whatever we wanted to eat. Though, my mom did make bacon for me every morning before school. It’s one of the few foods my mom can cook without burning the shit out of it.
My dad said she ruined a lot of meals while they were dating. After they got married, he hired Jacque, so we didn’t have to worry about my mom setting the kitchen on fire. I miss having a chef around. And now we’ve gotten a taste of Shannon’s food, none of us are going to want her to leave. Jamie better not fuck this up. We need her.
Shoving a heaping forkful of pasta into my mouth, I laugh at the conversation, only catching the tail end of it.
“So, that makes you two like brothers,” Shannon says, pointing her finger between Jamie and Preston.
“Yeah,” Jamie says. “Sort of. We’re all family, like one really weird dysfunctional family.”
I snort at his comment. “Speak for yourself.”
Shannon glances around the table at each of us. “That’s pretty cool. You guys all knew each other before you came to Strick U. It must make it easier for you to play hockey together.”
“I don’t know about all that,” I say just to give the guys a hard time.
Jamie rolls his eyes at me.
“It’s definitely an advantage we have over other teams.” Preston sounds like our team captain, a position that’s perfect for him. He loves bossing all of us around. “Coaches have a hard enough time getting all the egos to play together,” he adds.
“We fight all the time,” Tucker says.
“True,” Preston counters. “But we don’t stay mad at each other for long.”
I can’t help but laugh, seeing this as the perfect opportunity for another stupid remark. Anything to annoy Preston. “I just beat the bitchassness out of you.”
“You wish.” Preston moves his finger toward his chest, staring me down. “Come at me, bro. Let’s see how tough you really are.”
I shake my head, entertained by his proposal. Preston knows I would kick his ass. Built like my dad, I’m close to seven feet tall. Well over five inches taller than everyone at the table, my arms and legs are thick and corded with muscle. None of them could take me even if they tried. But I wouldn’t mind seeing them attempt it.
Trent holds out his hand to silence me. “I’m hungry. Would you two stop measuring dicks until after we eat?”
“Are you planning to make this a regular thing?” Tucker asks Shannon with a mouth full of food. “Because I could definitely get used to this.”
“Me, too,” the rest of us mutter in unison.
I hope Jamie doesn’t fuck this up with Shannon. This is the best food I’ve eaten in a long time. We could use a woman’s touch around here, or at least someone to cook for us. Jamie and Preston do most of the cleaning in the house, so they have that covered. But neither of them can make more than macaroni and cheese.
“Wanna play Mage Wars after we eat?” Preston asks Jamie. “I’m finally out of level twenty-five. That one was such a bitch.”
I’m one of the few people alive who isn’t obsessed with the video game world Jamie’s dad created when he was in his twenties. Jamie’s the son of a tech billionaire. Yep, that’s billion with a ‘b.’ His family has more money than all of us put together. And somehow, he’s the most down to earth.
“Oh, I love that game,” Shannon says, shocking the hell out of everyone at the table.
Not many girls like video games. I wonder if she’s full of shit and only trying to impress Jamie.
We stare at her as if she’s a freak of nature.
“My younger brother is obsessed with it,” she explains. “I still live at home with my parents. At least for now. My brother makes me play with him. It’s the only way I can get him to go to bed on time. We play Mage Wars for an hour and then bedtime. Seems to work.”
“My dad created The Fallen Universe. Mage Wars is based on one of his earlier games,” Jamie tells her.
They talk about video games and boring shit, so I tune out until Jamie hooks his arm around Shannon’s back and kisses her on the lips. My stomach turns at their inappropriate affection at the dinner table. I thought I was over that after I moved out of my parents’ house.
My parents are that couple, the ones who are still madly in love and never stop touching each other. Even during meals. I constantly had to yell at them while I lived in their house. And I’m not dealing with that shit in this one.