Fake Dating My Ex's Hockey Star Brother (Maya Scott) novel Chapter 1

KATY’S POV

“Hey, I’m heading over now. Can you bring out the books I left?”

I press send and shove my phone into my jacket pocket as Bryan’s townhouse comes into view, my steps automatically quickening.

I have Statistics in thirty minutes, and Mrs. Tompson would rather swallow a jean jacket than let me walk into her class without my textbook, the same textbook I managed to leave lying around in my boyfriend’s room.

As I walk faster, I recheck my phone, half expecting a reply, but there’s nothing. Not even a typing bubble.

For a moment, I wonder if he has already left, but it‘s unlikely. It’s only 9:30 in the morning, and Bryan never leaves his room early. One of the perks of being a baseball player is that he doesn’t have to treat academics like life or death the way I do.

I reach his townhouse and take the stairs two at a time, my purse bouncing against my hip.

The higher I climb, the more rushed my breathing feels, though it has less to do with the stairs and more to do with this creeping frustration that he still hasn’t texted back.

By the time I get to the third floor, where his room is, I’m already picturing walking in and tossing a sarcastic comment about how hard it is to answer a simple text.

My hand reaches for his doorknob when I hear his voice through the door.

“Hurry up, my girlfriend will be here soon.”

I freeze.

“You need to leave.”

Who is he talking to?

The question barely forms before the door flies open and a girl rushes out, nearly colliding with me. My breath hitches. She gasps, her eyes wide with a mix of panic and shame.

In the sliver of a second before she bolts, I take in her messy red hair, wrinkled shirt, and unbuttoned jeans. A sickening masculine scent, one I recognize very well, clings to her.

My gaze snaps to Bryan, who is standing in the middle of the room in nothing but his boxers, his own chest bare, and his hair tousled.

A cold, sharp shiver runs down my spine, stealing the air from my lungs. My knees go weak, and the knot in my stomach turns to a solid block of ice.

Without a word, the girl tears past me, disappearing down the hallway. My fingers begin to tremble, and my heart hammers so hard it feels like it will burst through my ribs. I stumble back, a bitter taste rising in my throat.

“Baby, wait.” Bryan’s voice follows me as he steps into the hallway. I spin around and run, determined to put as much distance as I can between us, my chest burning with anger.

He catches me, his hands clamping around my wrist before I can escape, spinning me back toward him and blocking my path. “Baby, let’s talk.”

“Let go of me,” I snap, my voice shaking. “Don’t touch me!” I shove against his chest, but he doesn’t budge.

He tugs me toward his room, his grip tight. “It’s better if we go inside. Everyone can hear us out here.”

Inside, I shove him away, my chest rising and falling with quick breaths. I want to demand answers, but I already know the truth. The evidence is everywhere: in the rumpled sheets, the scent of her perfume, and the desperate, guilty look in his eyes.

He paces the room, running a hand through his hair before stopping and grabbing my shoulder. “I messed up, okay?” He drags a hand over his face. “It was a mistake.”

My eyes twitch. “A mistake?”

“Yeah, baby,” he says, his eyes skittering away from mine. “Some of the guys came over last night. We drank too much. I got so s**t-faced I… I thought she was you. I don’t even remember half of it.”

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