He knocks Lance on the shoulder and motions to where I’m sitting. Lance cocks his head to the side, looking confused, then does his own double take.
I give him a shy, uncertain wave, because I can’t read his expression. Will he want me here? The smile that spreads across his face makes my heart sprint.
After that I’m high on adrenaline, and it’s an amazing game. The bunnies Violet warned me about are definitely here, but they don’t matter. At least not right now. My focus is exclusively on Lance. He stays out of trouble on the ice, for the most part. He gets one penalty for sticking, but keeps out of the box other than that. Chicago pulls out the win, and the crowd buzzes with positive energy, taking my nerves to the next level along with them.
When the team leaves the ice at the end of the game, heading for the locker room, Lance stops at our row. Violet is at the end, and I’m a few seats in. He says something to Violet, and there’s a bit of back and forth before he motions to me.
April tugs on my arm. “He wants to talk to you.”
I get up unsteadily, feeling his gaze as I make my way down the aisle. His eyes dart over my face and down my body. I feel like I’m being consumed from the look alone.
“You’ll come out with the girls after the game?”
“I can.”
His arms are full of gear. His hair is soaked with sweat. His face is red from exertion. He’s gorgeous.
“And we can talk? If you’re ready.”
“I’m ready. We can talk.”
“Okay. I’ll see you soon.” He hesitates, his eyes darting to my lips like he wants to kiss me. I wouldn’t mind if he did, although the location is highly public. Public is what I’ve been saying I wanted, but I’d like to keep any affection fairly PG considering the number of bunnies in the arena. No need to invite drama if I don’t have to.
Lance must sense my nervousness, because he graces me with another one of his grins, takes my hand in his, and brings my knuckles to his lips. Very PG. The sound he makes is inaudible over the noise, but I feel the hum on my skin. Flashes go off around us.
“Come on, Romance. You’re holding up the team.” A player knocks his shoulder.
His head snaps up, and he gives the guy a dirty look before turning back to me. “I’ll be as quick as I can getting to you.” He clomps off and disappears down the hall toward the locker room.
Most of the girls are buzzed and silly as we make our way out of the arena and back to the limo. Logan is asleep again.
“Does he ever make noise?” I ask Sunshine.
“Only at three in the morning when we’re all supposed to be sleeping peacefully.” She’s smiling, though, and patting his bottom. “Mostly he can sleep through anything; otherwise I wouldn’t have him out. And Miller’s parents are taking him for the afternoon tomorrow, so I’ll be able to make up whatever sleep I miss tonight.” She gives me a wink. “Nap time with Miller is my favorite.”
Lily falls into step beside me. “I thought cookie time was your favorite.”
Sunny blushes and twirls a lock of hair around her finger. “That too.”
At my confused expression, Lily’s smile grows wider. “That’s what Miller calls oral. Randy calls it beard conditioning.”
I clap a hand over my mouth and laugh. I’d ask if they’re always so open, but I assume the amount of sex Lance and I had is normal for this crowd, so these conversations must be fairly regular.
I’m all nerves by the time we get to the bar. And when we enter, it seems the bunnies have multiplied. I didn’t think that was why they called them bunnies. So many girls in short skirts wearing jerseys hang around the bar, watching as we make our way to the closed area. Their jealousy is almost palpable.
We get comfortable and order drinks—I get a Shirley Temple. I settle in with Sunshine on one side of me and April on the other. Logan’s decided now is a good time to wake up.
“Are you comfortable with babies?” Sunshine asks.
“Sure.” I have cousins with little ones, and when I was younger I used to babysit all the time.
“Do you mind?” She holds him out to me. “I can’t find his binky, and there’s a hat I want to put on him before his daddy gets here.”
“Of course!” I slip my arm under his head, and she carefully transfers him into my arms.
He’s small, but he’s got some heft to him. I coo as I turn him around so he can see his mother. He startles at a sudden burst of noise, his wide eyes staring up at me as if I’m the reason behind it.
The team is here. I tear my eyes from the precious little bundle I’ve been entrusted with and look up, searching for the man I’m here for. I spot him across the bar, and his arrival sends a shot of lust from my brain to my girl parts. He’s wearing a navy suit with the jacket unbuttoned, a gray shirt, and a black tie with the team logo on it. He searches the area until his eyes fall on me, his worried expression transforming into a tentative smile.
April makes excited noises beside me.
“Girl, I hope your beaver is ready,” Violet says from across the table. “That look he’s giving you may incinerate the clothes right off your body!”
I’d sacrifice this outfit for that end result.
CHAPTER 24
THE PAST IS
THE FUTURE
LANCE
Some spans of time seem endless. The time between me fucking things up with Poppy and seeing her tonight, sitting on the other side of the Plexiglas barrier, felt more like years than days.
The span of time between hitting the locker room and arriving at the bar seems like it took more than an eon. Based on the messages between Randy and Lily, Poppy is here. I hope this is a want, not let situation. Between Lily’s sweetness and Violet’s pushiness, I’m not sure Poppy stood a chance against them.
At first I wasn’t sure what to think about her being at the game. Part of me was annoyed that they’d pulled her into the whole scene. But then I realized they did it to help me. And that if this is going to work out at all, Poppy has to meet all my friends, and their girlfriends and wives. More than that, I want her to, because they’re my surrogate family, the ones I chose to have in my life.
I can see Poppy as soon as I enter the bar. She’s sitting in the middle of my friends’ girlfriends. Sunny’s beside her. That’s good. Sunny is exactly as her name implies, and she’ll make Poppy feel comfortable.
“You need to chill out, man,” Randy says over his shoulder. “You’re more hyped up than me.”
I realize I’m pushing him. I clap him on the shoulder. “Sorry. I just don’t want her to disappear.”
“She’s not going anywhere.” He strokes his beard as he scans the crowd for Lily.
It takes an entire millennium to get across the room, and when I finally make it to the table, there’s absolutely nowhere for me to sit. I close in on Poppy and see that she’s holding something. No, wait. Not something, someone. Logan. Miller’s son.
I’m glad Miller and I are finally back to normal these days. After seeing me act like a mopey bitch for the past two weeks, it’s clear that what’s going on with me and Poppy is serious, and I really am done with Tash.
A warm feeling that overrides everything else settles in my chest as Poppy smiles up at me. She’s holding one of my best friend’s kids. This is the thing I’ve been missing—her, not the kid! There’s no way in the world I’m anywhere close to ready for that kind of lifelong commitment. But I’m so grateful for this family I have, and Poppy being part of it—at least in this moment.
Big picture, I need to find out what she wants, and if she’s willing to handle all the challenges that come with my life: the media circus, the long spans of time we’ll have to go without seeing each other. There’s more beyond that, but for now that’s as far as I’m willing to let the future unfold. The next five minutes are already uncertain. I can’t start planning in months until I know what she’s feeling.
She’s here, though. That has to mean something.
Logan’s l
ittle fist is wrapped around her pinkie, and he seems entranced by her swinging ponytail. He flails, and his chubby fingers get tangled in the thick locks.
Poppy makes a surprised sound, and she looks away from me to him as he tries to shove her hair into his mouth.
“Someone’s learning early how to get a girl’s attention,” I say.
“You’ve been coaching him, then?” Poppy asks.
“Oh! Logan! Ta-ta! Don’t eat Poppy’s pretty hair!” Sunny says, but I doubt he hears her over the noise.
I lean over Poppy as she tries to free Logan’s fingers. He’s got a solid grip, and he’s working hard to get his fist in his mouth. I take the end of her ponytail in one hand so he’s not yanking so hard on it, then wiggle my pinkie in until he’s gripping that instead of Poppy’s hair.
“Thanks,” she says.
It’s a million words all rolled into one. The weight of silence and time apart eases with that one softly uttered word.
I can feel myself smiling. “That’s my thing. Can’t have someone smoother taking my move.”
She turns and looks up at me, our faces only inches apart. It wouldn’t take much to erase the distance, but I don’t. We’re not alone, and I’m not yet invited into her space like that.
“He’s a little too aggressive about it to be smooth,” she tells me.
“So it’s still my thing?”
She nods solemnly. “Still your thing.”
“I’m glad you came to the game.”
She raises a brow. “I’m glad you were in the penalty box for less than three minutes.”
“I had a reason to behave.” I finger the end of her ponytail. It’s damp where Logan had it in his mouth, which should be sort of gross, but I don’t care.
“Hey! There’s my boy! Gimme my baby, Poppy from the garden!” Miller leans down and kisses Sunny, then holds out his arms with a big, silly grin on his face.
I step back and let them make the transfer.
“Should we go? To talk?” Poppy asks as soon as Miller moves away to show Logan to the guys. Waters is all over that freaking baby. I won’t be the least bit surprised when Violet’s in the same state as Sunny was not so long ago.
I crouch down so we’re eye to eye. “If you want. I mean, we can stay for a while, too. I like this.” I motion to the table and the chatter. “You here, with all the people who are important to me.”
Her smile is the balm I need.
“I’m glad you feel that way,” she says. “It’s been really nice to meet them. They all care so much about you. Violet and Lily were very persuasive.”
“I’m sure they were.”
“You’re right about Violet being crazy.”
“Right?”
“Let me find April. Then we can go talk without yelling at each other.”
I pull her chair out and help her put on her coat, mostly so I can touch her. She spots April, and I follow her finger as she points. Shit. Her friend is currently chatting with Rookie.
“You need to warn your girl off this guy,” I tell her.
“What? Why?”
“Unless she’s down for the hook up, Rookie’s a no-go.”
Poppy frowns. “She’s not like that.”
“I didn’t think so.”
I follow Poppy, who pulls April aside to tell her whatever she plans to tell her. At the same time I make a point of telling Rookie April’s not a bunny, and fucking her is off the table.
“Seriously, man, do not put your dick inside that girl. Not anywhere,” I warn.
He smirks. “Tongue and fingers still work, yeah?”
I grab his shoulder and squeeze a little. “Any part you put inside her, I’ll make you eat. How’s that sound?”
“Okay, okay, Romance. I hear you. What’s her deal?”
“You see the little redhead?”
He glances over my shoulder and checks Poppy out. “I sure do.”
I snap a finger beside his ear to get his attention back. “She’s mine.”
He blinks a couple of times. “Right. Sorry. Yeah.”
“And the girl you’re talking to is her friend, so either keep your dick in your pants tonight or find someone else to be interested in.”
“Right. Got it. Don’t touch the friend.”
“Or what?”
“You’ll feed me my—” He doesn’t bother to finish. His face says more than enough.
“Good man. Have fun tonight.” I clap him on the shoulder and turn to find Poppy and April engaged in an intense discussion. It ends with a hug, and then Poppy laces her fingers with mine.
It takes a half hour to get out of the bar because I must introduce her to at least twenty of my teammates. When we step outside, Miller and Sunny are there, too. Miller’s holding Logan, who seems to be drooling on his shoulder, while Sunny puts the car seat back in the limo.
Miller eyes Poppy, then me. “You guys want to catch a lift?”
There doesn’t seem to be any cabs around.
“There’s a concert at House of Blues tonight. Someone said it would take twenty minutes to get a cab, so we’re using the limo. It’s gonna circle back here after dropping us home,” Miller explains.
I can’t wait any more than I already have, so I motion for Poppy to get in first. A flash of memory hits me as I give her my hand and she steps inside: Miller drunk off his ass, me ushering girls into a limo, a red ponytail.
“Lance?” Poppy hesitates. “Do you want to wait?” She wiggles her hand in mine. I’m squeezing it. Tightly.
I loosen my grip. “No. It’s okay. It’s cold. We should go.”
I follow after her, more memories trickling in—ones I don’t want. I’m sure Poppy’s familiar with all of them. She settles beside me in the limo and takes my hand, her curious gaze questioning. I give her a tight smile, but say nothing.
Miller and Sunny work together to buckle in the car seat. It takes a few minutes, and all the while Poppy keeps stroking the back of my knuckles with her thumb.
“Are you okay?” she asks on a whisper.
“Yeah. Just some memories.”
“Of?”
“You before I remembered you.”
Her eyes are full of sad understanding as she leans in and presses a kiss against my shoulder. I can’t feel it through the layers of coat and shirt, but I appreciate the gesture.
Once the baby is secure, Miller gives the driver my address, checking with me to make sure he has the house number correct.
“We can drop you guys off first,” I tell Miller.
He frowns. “Your place is on the way.”
“I was thinking we’d go to Poppy’s.”
“Your place is fine,” she says, settling the debate before it can get started.
I don’t know how I feel about having this conversation at my house. The last time she was there, things didn’t exactly go well. But I don’t know how to argue with her, so I leave it alone.
Poppy and Sunny chat a little on the way, but it’s clear Sunny is tired. She keeps yawning, and her blinks get longer and slower. I’m too preoccupied with the conversation that needs to be had to really participate. My place isn’t all that far from the bar, and at this late hour, it doesn’t take long to get there.
We say a quick good-bye, and I get out first, helping Poppy as the driver holds the door open. She doesn’t let go of my hand as we walk up the steps to my front door. I try to see my house from her perspective, but all I have are flashes of Miller falling into my foyer and a red ponytail I didn’t get to touch that night.
I key in the passcode and step aside. Poppy releases my hand and crosses the threshold. Her fingers drift up to her lips as she scans the foyer. It’s open, with a view of the staircase leading to the second floor where the bedrooms are.
Poppy slips off her shoes and pads across the floor on bare feet with pale pink-painted toenails. I don’t bother taking my shoes off, too intent on following her around.
Her fingertips skim the edge of the side table wh
ere I keep my keys and mail as she passes through to the kitchen.
I come up behind her, unsure whether I have the right to touch her at all. “What are you thinking about?”
“How different I felt the last time I was here.”
“In a good way, or a bad way?”
“Good, I think.” She rests a hand on the granite countertop. “This is nice. Do you cook?”
“Not really.”
“I like to cook sometimes, but I don’t think I’m very good.”
“Better than me, I’m sure.”
A small laugh bubbles up. “Maybe. It’s not much fun when it’s just for one person, and then I have to eat the same thing for lunch and dinner for four days.”
She continues on to the living room, her gaze falling on the sliding glass doors. Her smile drops, and she crosses to them. Turning the lock, she slides it open. The cold makes her shiver, and she wraps her arms around herself as she steps outside.
I have no memories of her in the hot tub, and that bothers me. That whole night bothers me. I wish I could delete the entire night from her head like I’d mostly done in mine.
“I never made it outside, out here.” She gestures to the hot tub. “Kristi and Felicity came out with you and Randy, and I snuck away to the bathroom.”
“Maybe we should’ve gone to your place. I haven’t had anything to drink. We can go now.” I reach for her hand, but she shakes her head.
“No. I want to be here.”
“But the memories are bad ones.”
“We can replace them with good ones eventually, can’t we?”
I squeeze the back of my neck. She’s talking like there’s a future, which is good. I don’t want to jeopardize it with bad memories before we can even deal with the fallout of Tash.
Poppy circles the hot tub; on her way back around, she hooks her pinkie finger with mine. “Come on.”
I wish I knew what’s happening inside her head.
“I was so embarrassed.” Her voice is a whisper of sound.
“I’m sorry.”
She turns and presses a palm against my cheek. The contact is fleeting, but welcome.
Pucked Off (The Pucked Series) Page 30