Juicy Rebound (IceCats 1)

Because she loves me for me.

A grin quirks at the corner of my lips as I walk down the hall with Nico to where the families usually wait. The hall is full of photos of the IceCats teams from previous years. The team hasn’t won a Cup yet, but it’s coming. When I walk down the hall, I always make sure to count the photos I’m in on the wall with my teammates.

Six. The number is six, and I’m proud of that.

“Get the hell away from her!”

My brows touch as I look over at Nico. “Didn’t that sound like Shelli?”

He nods. “Yeah.”

Unintelligible shouting is carrying down the hallway, and I pick up the pace. I reach the waiting area to find Shelli in some guy’s face, while Amelia stands behind her, a look of pure terror on her face as she clings to a purse. I go into protection mode. Apparently Nico does too because we both start to jog for them.

“Shelli, please,” Amelia cries, but Shelli is pissed.

“You won’t ever get near her again.”

“Get the hell out of the way, Shelli. I just want to talk to her,” the guy says. I don’t know him. He looks like the guy who scored in the game, but other than that, I have no clue who this dude is.

“She doesn’t want to speak to you!”

“Can she tell me that?”

“No!” Shelli yells, her face bright red. For a little thing, she sure is scary when she’s mad. “You aren’t speaking to her, and if you don’t back up, I’m gonna do what I’ve been waiting to do for years.”

The guy laughs. “What’s that? Nag me to death?”

“What the hell is going on?” Nico asks.

“Nothing. Stay out of it, Merryweather,” Shelli sneers, but Nico is already at her side, glaring at the guy. Amelia’s tear-filled eyes meet mine, and relief floods her face. I’m not sure what is happening, but my first instinct is to protect her. She drops the purse before coming toward me. My arms are already open, ready for her as she slams her body into mine. I kiss the top of her head, and I’m about to ask what’s going on. But when I look up, it’s just in time to see Shelli kick the guy hard in the nuts before slamming her palm up his nose.

“Holy shit,” I gasp, but Amelia buries her face in my chest.

“Make them stop.”

Pretty sure Shelli just took care of that, because the guy falls to his knees as she glares down at him. “Exactly what my daddy said to do to assholes who don’t know how to treat women. Don’t you dare come around my cousin again! She left your sorry ass for a reason.”

Anger courses through my veins in seconds, and I narrow my eyes. “Is that Drew?”

Amelia is crying as she looks up at me. “Please. Don’t.”

I press my lips together, and I’m trying really hard to control my anger. “I can rip him limb from limb. Right now.”

I said I’m trying.

She shakes her head against me. “Please, Chandler. If you love me, you won’t.”

Well, that’s unfair.

“Shelli did it,” I mutter against her hair. “And she’s getting arrested now.”

Her shoulders droop as the sobs rip through her. She pulls away from me, her eyes narrowed to slits as she looks over to where Drew is on one knee, struggling to take in deep breaths. I wouldn’t mind kicking him again. To the left, Shelli is being held by security, and Nico is trying to reason with them.

“I want to press charges. She assaulted me.”

“Oh, that’s rich, you wife-beating fuckface!”

Excuse me, what?

I look at Amelia, but she won’t meet my eyes. She is shaking as she glares at him. “For real, Drew. She’s my cousin!”

There is blood streaming down Drew’s face as he holds out his hands toward Shelli. “She hit me!”

“Don’t do this,” Amelia pleads. “You know how emotional she gets.”

He gets to his feet, and when he takes a step forward, toward her, I step between them. “Back up, fucker,” I snarl, and I almost sound like Sadie when a woman comes around. Well, not Amelia. My girl loves her.

The asshole looks me up and down. I don’t know what the hell Amelia saw in this guy, but it is what it is. He’s almost my height, a touch bigger, but he looks like he fell face first down the ugly tree. His eyes are a weird blue color, and his nose is all sharp angles. Like the penguin from Batman. My parents say I upgraded? Shit, they should see this guy.

“Chandler,” Amelia pleads, her hand sliding into mine.

“Not doing anything. Just standing here.”

“I’m trying to talk to her,” the asshole says, and I scoff.

“And?”

Amelia comes to my left. “Please don’t do this to her.”

“Go to dinner with me, and I won’t. I just want to talk to you. Clear the air.”