“Doesn’t really sound like a you problem.” Which meant he couldn’t fix it, but telling him that wouldn’t be helpful.

“I know, but how long do I put up with this? It’s been, like, five months. Almost six.”

“What’s the alternative?” I gestured. “Come on, man. Are you really going to end things with Shiv because you like her too much? You realize that sounds fucking stupid, right?”

Behind Dallas, Tyler snorted.

“Thanks, Ty.” Dallas drew in a breath. “And your brutal honesty is refreshing as always, Carter.”

Pulling on my shoulder pads, I shrugged. “I’m just saying.”

“I like that you’ve had a girlfriend for like, twelve hours, and suddenly you’re a goddamn relationship guru.”

“To be fair,” I said, “I’ve been calling out your stupidity for years.”

Dallas rolled his eyes. “Yeah, I gave up on yours. That shit would be a part-time job.”

“I’ll have you know I haven’t done anything stupid in at least a month or two.”

Admittedly, the summer had been rocky, and I’d made more than a handful of regrettable decisions. But fall had been smooth sailing. Mostly because of Bailey. Okay, solely because of Bailey.

“Pretty sure that’s a record,” he said, pulling his red captain’s jersey over his head.

“Yeah.” I nodded. “Pretty sure it is.”

* * *

I was amped up on testosterone and refueled sexual frustration during practice, which meant I had no shortage of energy. Yeah, I was frustrated again. It would take a while to work that out of my system. A long while.

“Carter!” Dallas shouted.

I snapped back to reality in the middle of the rink. “What?”

“The puck?” He gestured. “Go get it. We’re done for today.”

“Oh, right.” I skated off to the side and retrieved it before hopping off the ice.

One would think finally having sex would temper some of my horniness, but instead, it fueled it. Now I was thinking about James twenty-four seven. That part wasn’t new, but the scenarios had heated up significantly.

Though I was still trying to reconcile what she told me at XS with how she was in my bed, because they were like night and day. Seemed like actually paying attention to her needs went a long way.

Christ. I felt sorry for chicks. Sometimes I wanted to mail a map of the clitoris and a fucking clue to other guys.

On the plus side, it made me look good in comparison.

After hitting the showers, I got dressed quickly and headed for Coach Miller’s office. I’d hoped weekly check-ins would go to the wayside now that my probation had ended, but I still had the pleasure of seeing his shiny bald head and stern, cranky face for one-on-ones every five to seven days.

“Hi, Coach.” I set down my bag, flopping into the seat across from him.