Scoring Chance (Utah Fury Hockey Book 9)

by Brittney Mulliner

  “I’m not saying it’s all on you. I just think you should try to be more self-aware for the next week or so. See if you’re doing or saying anything to bring this on.”

  I nodded. I might not agree but I could give it a shot, if only to prove I wasn’t in the wrong.

  “I want to meet with you again next week, okay?”

  “Sure.” I stood up and walked to the door. “Thanks, Coach.”

  He smiled at me. “Anytime.”

  I expected to get in trouble when I walked into his office. Getting a chance to vent and have someone actually listen was a welcome relief even if it did come with a bit of homework.

  4

  Amelia

  I leaned the small moving box against the wall and held it up with my hip while I knocked on the door with one hand. In the other I clutched the purple orchid I bought at the general store I stopped at in Moab down in southern Utah. It was a tiny thank you for Elena agreeing to let me live with her for the undetermined future.

  The definition of tall, dark, and handsome opened the door. His scowl did little to scare me off.

  “Nikolay!” I beamed up at the man I’d only met through video chats, and pushed past him into the apartment. It was fully furnished now and looked so cozy, yet modern. The gray walls and white furniture looked homey, although this was nothing like the home we’d grown up in. This building screamed luxury. Good for Elena.

  I set the plant and box down on the enormous kitchen island while Nikolay shut the door and called out for her. “Honey, I’m home!”

  “Amelia?” I heard her voice coming from the hall. She emerged and ran toward me with her arms open wide. “Why didn’t you tell me you were close? We would have met you downstairs.”

  I squeezed her back, relishing the moment. The last time we saw each other was Christmas, two years ago. Her previous job in Los Angeles kept her from returning home for the holidays. “I wanted to surprise you.”

  She pulled back and looked me over, just as our mother often did when she hadn’t seen one of us in a while. “You’re so beautiful!”

  I backed away from her, glancing at the brute who was still watching me with cautious eyes. “Are you going to call off your guard dog?”

  Elena laughed. “Nikolay, what’s wrong?”

  He grimaced. “There’s two of you now.”

  I slipped my arm around my sister’s waist and smiled brightly up at him. “Isn’t it great? The Curtis sisters reunited once again!”

  He grumbled something and shuffled past us to sit on the couch.

  “He seems excited,” I whispered.

  “He’s used to being outnumbered by girls. Don’t worry, he’ll perk up in a minute.”

  I bit my bottom lip to keep my mouth shut. He was usually around when I talked to Elena on the phone, and he knew I wanted to move up here. Maybe how fast it happened had thrown him off. I knew deep down he was a softie. I just had to chisel away at the stone he was made of.

  “Is he hungry?” I asked quietly so he wouldn’t overhear us.

  “He always is,” she said with narrowed eyes. “Why?”

  I moved to the fridge and looked for a peace offering. There was a box of leftover pizza, so I took it out and slapped a few pieces on a plate before glancing at her. “Cold or hot?”

  “Hot.”

  I nodded and put the plate in the microwave for a minute. While I was watching it spin, Elena picked up the orchid. “You brought a house plant?”

  “Yeah, it’s a thank you slash housewarming plant.”

  She stared down at it before pointing between the two of us. “You know neither of us can keep anything alive, right? Mom passed her brown thumb onto us.” Her lips pursed. “Oh, remember the aloe Dad planted? They told him it was the easiest plant to keep alive and we killed it in less than two months.”

  I held back a smirk and shrugged. “We can try.”

  “Poor little guy,” she mumbled.

  I took the plate out of the microwave before it could beep and walked it over to Nikolay. “I come bearing gifts.”

  He stared at me for several silent seconds before accepting the food. “Thanks.”

  The word had been so quiet I almost missed it, but as I walked back to Elena, I did a little victory dance.

  She chuckled. “What was that?”

  “That was me establishing trust. It’s the first step to getting a wild animal to accept you.”

  She burst out laughing then covered her mouth. “First off, that’s not true at all. Second, did you just call my boyfriend a wild animal?”

  “Yes, but one you’d see in a zoo. He’s used to being around humans but you still have to tread carefully.”

  She sighed and shook her head. Something our father had done a million times when talking to me. I snickered in response.

  Nikolay stood up from the couch, empty plate in hand, and walked toward us. As he passed, he patted my head twice. “She can stay.”

  I turned to Elena, who was wearing a perplexed expression, and mouthed, “I told you so.”

  She shook her head and moved to the other side of her kitchen where her phone was charging. “I’m going to let everyone know you’re here. Madi wanted to have some people over for dinner so they could meet you. Is that okay?”

  “Sure, sounds good.” I tried to sound indifferent, but it was better than good. I’d get to meet the Utah Fury players in person. Not only was I a sports fan, but these were the guys I eventually wanted to work with. Well, maybe not them specifically, but professional athletes. Any opportunity to spend time with them was something I wouldn’t pass up.

  “I have a few more boxes in my car, too. Mind giving me a hand?” I batted my eyelashes at Nikolay, hoping he’d take pity on me.

  He released a heavy sigh, then pushed away from the counter and walked toward the door. “Let’s get this over with.”

  We rode the elevator down in silence. Elena told me he was quiet even around her, but I was itching to get past the awkward stage with him. I wanted to get to know the man my sister fell in love with. I wanted him to know me and to be comfortable with me around, but I didn’t know where to start. The only things I knew about him were that he was Russian, his sister and mom were here from Russia while she was getting cancer treatments, and that he loved Elena and treated her like a princess. None of those were easy conversation starters.

  When the doors open, I led the way to my car and opened the trunk. I only had maybe a dozen boxes total, but it would still take a couple of trips to get everything upstairs. I picked up a box and turned around to call the elevator again.

  “Hold it open. We can load it then bring everything up at once.” His idea was brilliant, so I hurried to hold the doors open while he brought the remaining boxes over two at a time. The elevator’s annoying alarm went off, and the doors kept trying to shut, but I stood with my back in the way and cheered him on.

  “That’s it. Keep it moving. Hustle! Hustle!” I clapped like I was his coach while he glared at me for the remaining two loads.

  Once everything was in, he pushed my shoulder so he could pass and pressed the button for their floor.

  “You didn’t like my cheerleading?” I asked.

  His eyes darted to mine, and he slowly shook his head. He said something in Russian that sounded like it could be a curse. I watched him as he stared up at the ceiling as if help would drop down.

  “Too many sisters.”

  I barely caught his words. “Sorry, what was that?”

  He turned and glared down at me. “I already have too many sisters. Now I have another one.” He rubbed his face with a large hand. “It will never be quiet again.”

  I bit my lip to keep my grin under control, but inside I was bursting. He said he had another sister. Me! He already thought of me as his sister. His complaint made me giggle, and I couldn’t wait to meet the rest of the women responsible for driving him crazy. I had a feeling we would be good friends.

  The doors opened again, and we s
lid the boxes out quickly, then scooted them along the floor to Elena’s door. I pushed it open, and we continued our path to the living room. Elena watched us from the corner of the kitchen with an amused expression. “This is efficient.”

  “Yeah, your man’s a regular Einstein. He loaded all the boxes in the elevator at once rather than making multiple trips.”

  “Working smarter not harder. Good job.” She moved across the room and kissed his cheek. His face softened as he gazed down at her, and I almost made a gagging sound. They were too precious. The way he looked at her like she was the sun and moon and stars and kittens and cupcakes all in one was disgustingly cute. The big gruff man was putty when he was with her.

  I shook my head and continued pushing the boxes down the hallway toward my room. Elena gave me a tour the last time we did a video call so I knew what to expect. She had a tall queen bed set up for me with a plush, white comforter and at least a dozen pillows in various shades of blue ranging from navy to teal. There was a dresser and nightstands on either side of the bed. I also had a small walk-in closet, so I had plenty of room to store everything.

  They followed behind with the rest of my boxes, blocking me in.

  I put my hands on my hips. “Is this a message?”

  Elena chuckled. “Yeah, no leaving until everything is put away.”

  Nikolay smirked, an actual upward movement of his lips. “And you have twenty minutes.”

  My eyebrows shot up. “Is that a challenge, Kozlov?”

  He eyed me as if sizing me up. “Yes.”

  I glanced at my watch and nodded. “Fine, I’ll be done before we need to leave.”

  Elena looked between us and shook her head. “Yeah, right. You might want to change before we go.”

  I looked down at my oversized Baylor shirt and ripped jeans. “Don’t want people to see me like this?”

  She smiled. “I don’t care, but you might not want this to be the first impression the single players have of you.”

  I narrowed my eyes. “Single guys?”

  One of her eyebrows raised in a challenge. “Cute ones.”

  I glanced at Nikolay for confirmation. He rolled his eyes. “There are a few guys on the team that are single.”

  I tilted my chin up. “And they’ll be there tonight?”

  He shrugged. “Probably.”

  I nodded pretending like I wasn’t nervous at all at the prospect of meeting them. I hadn’t dated since the relationship that went terribly wrong, and I wasn’t sure I was ready to get back on that particular horse yet.

  I checked my watch again. “Crap I’m down to eighteen minutes. Get out of here so I can get to work!”

  They laughed before walking down the hall. I opened the first box and smiled at my secret cheat. I’d kept my clothes on the hanger and put a trash bag around them so they remained in place during the move. I only put them in the box because it was easy for me to carry. I went through the first seven boxes, filling my closet, then opened the remaining ones containing my folded clothing and put those in the drawers of the dresser. I only had two remaining boxes of mementos and decorations, so I spread those items around the room before breaking down the boxes and folding them near the door.

  I had five minutes to spare, so I grabbed a pair of dark skinny jeans and a gray oversized sweater. I changed and pulled my hair into a messy bun on the top of my head. I was overdue to wash it, but that was why dry shampoo had been invented.

  With a minute left I slid into charcoal-colored ankle boots and went to the living room. “Ready?”

  Nikolay looked up from his phone with a frown. “You’re done?”

  I nodded over my shoulder. “Go check it out.”

  He and Elena shared a dubious look before heading to my room.

  “No way.” I smiled when I heard Elena gasp. A few moments later they walked out. “Not bad, sis.”

  I stood and faced Nikolay. “Told you.”

  He gave a tiny smile. I might have confused the microscopic movement, but considered it a victory.

  “Let’s get going.” He led us to the door where he picked up Elena’s jacket and held it out so she could slide into it.

  I couldn’t resist. I covered my heart with my hands and sighed. “You two are just too much.”

  He glared at me as he put on his own coat. “Do you ever stop?”

  I beamed up at him. “Never.”

  He shook his head and walked out. Elena giggled with me while we followed him to the elevator. I was determined to win him over. I just had to be myself and I’d wear down the brooding hulk. He might not love having more women around, but I could show him it wasn’t all bad…as long as I remembered to keep plenty of food available.

  5

  Derrek

  I pushed through the crowd to the kitchen at Madi and Erik’s penthouse, waving and nodding to the few people that acknowledged me, to make a plate of the Thai food. When I looked around for somewhere to sit the sense of not belonging heightened. Almost the entire team was there and of course, the Pride was scattered throughout. I looked around for any of the other single guys or rookies but didn’t see Josh, Mikey, or Lance. Normally, I could fake it and sit with the guys. I could let their comments slide off me. But after my conversation with Coach I was tired. I was so sick of being left out, teased, and ostracized. I was here to support Elena and her sister, but that didn’t mean I had to endure a night of being harassed. It would be easier to keep from saying anything to the guys with a little distance.

  The balcony was lit up, and I saw several heaters on, so I made my way outside and took a seat. I was the only one dumb enough to brave the cold, but it wasn’t too bad. There was seating for at least a dozen, and I figured people would begin filing out here soon enough. There just wasn’t enough room for everyone inside.

  I finished the curry and was working on the Pad Thai when the music grew louder. I glanced over to see one of the doors open and a woman step out. She wrapped her arms around herself, rubbing her hands over the sleeves of her thick, puffy coat.

  She sighed and looked around, freezing when she saw me.

  “Hey.” I smiled in what I hoped was a friendly, non-threatening manner. Hanging out on my own in the dim light probably scared her.

  “Hi.” She took a few steps toward me and gestured to the seat across from me. “This taken?”

  “No.” I took her in while she sat down. Her long chestnut brown hair reached her waist and her dark eyes looked tired. My gaze drifted down to her full lips. They were dark pink and looked so soft. They curved into a smile. I met her eyes and realized she’d caught me checking her out.

  “I’m Amelia.” Her voice was softer than it had been before. It made me lean forward so I could hear her.

  “So, you’re Elena’s sister?” I shouldn’t have been surprised. She was just as beautiful as her sister. Now that I knew, I could see the resemblance. Although, she didn’t seem to have the same easy confidence her sister had.

  “Yeah. I’m the new girl.” She sounded a bit annoyed, and I realized I’d managed to already say something wrong.

  “Sorry, I was just making the connection. I didn’t mean to—”

  She cut me off. “It’s okay. I’m being oversensitive.”

  “I have an older brother. All growing up I was known as Bryce’s little brother. I know how annoying that is, and I shouldn’t have done it to you.”

  Her lips quirked up. “This is the first time it’s happened to me. Elena was so much older that no one knew we were sisters. In high school, teachers never made the connection, and I didn’t have friends that knew her too.”

  I let out a huff. “That must have been nice. Bryce was only one grade older so I was always living in his shadow.”

  “I can’t imagine how hard that would be, Bryce’s brother.”

  I narrowed my eyes. “What?”

  She chuckled. “You never told me your name. I can see now why so many people would refer to you like that.”

  I
realized she was right and laughed. “Sorry, I’m Derrek.”

  Her smile finally reached her eyes. “Well, Derrek, since you’re here I’m assuming you’re on the team.”

  I nodded. “I am.”

  “That’s pretty impressive. Is Bryce known as Derrek’s older brother now?”

  “I don’t know actually. He’s an attorney at some fancy law firm. I doubt his crowd watches hockey. They’re more of the country club and horse racing type.”

  She scrunched her nose. “They’re missing out.”

  I tried to smile but her words were bringing up a lot of insecurities I worked hard at burying. We’d started out joking, but now I was having flashbacks to a time when I didn’t have my own identity. When no matter what I did to win my parents’ approval, it wasn’t enough. Even when I got drafted into the NHL at eighteen, it was overshadowed by Bryce getting accepted into Harvard Law School, early. My accomplishments never seemed to measure up to his. My parents were supportive of my career, I never would have made it this far if they weren’t, but it wasn’t as impressive to their friends as Bryce’s quick rise to the top. Who cared about the kid on the bench of NHL games when Bryce was changing laws and impacting the country?

  “Why are you out here hiding?” Her voice pulled me away from my depressing walk down memory lane.

  “I went from living in one man’s shadow to another.” I bit out the words.

  The realization was a slap in the face. I never thought about it like that, but it was true. I was basically Olli’s little brother now. His backup. I went from having to stand out and prove myself against Bryce, to Olli.

  Her eyebrows pulled together. “I’m lost.”

  Me too. “I’m the backup goalie on the team. I only play when Olli’s injured or the rare times Coach gives him a break. I’m better than that, but no one will give me a chance.”

  She watched me for a moment while biting her lip. “How old are you?”

  “Twenty-one.”