by Cari Quinn
“Not every night can be a winner, Nick.” Her voice was sharper than she intended.
“Yeah, especially when you’re glued to the TV watching hockey all night.”
She glared at him again, but he only laughed. His teasing smirk grew into a wide grin. “Don’t you deny it. You’ve been watching the Highlander games all week.”
“Fuck off, Nick,” she snapped. “There wasn’t even a game tonight.” She picked up a couple glasses from her now empty tables and cringed.
“You know the schedule,” Nick stopped and looked at her.
“Shit.” She pinched the bridge of her nose, hoping the pressure would make the ache in her go away. “It’s not that big a deal.”
“You should talk to him.”
“Why don’t you take off? I’m sure Jen is waiting for you at your place.” Val tried to sound as sweet as she could.
“She went home. And don’t change the subject.” He leaned over the bar, resting his forearms on the bar. “What happened with the hot head?”
Darren. She was not going to think about those chiseled planes of muscle. Or about how her palms tickled with the slight smattering of hair on his tanned chest. Or about how his fingers tangled in her hair when he liked something she did to him.
Fuck.
“I’m not seeing him anymore,” she answered.
Nick laughed. She wrenched her head around. “I thought that’s what it was. And you sabotaged it, I’m guessing.”
“I didn’t—” she stopped herself. “Okay, I did. I broke it off. But it’s better this way. He’s better this way.”
Nick rolled his eyes. “Babe. Let go for once. You deserve to be happy, too and obviously, he makes you happy.” He loaded the dishwasher behind the bar and stepped out of the bar area. “I’m going to go close the books for the night. Lock the door and call me if you need anything?”
She nodded. He came over to her and kissed her cheek. “I’m fine, Nick.”
“Yeah, I know,” he said. “You’re a fucking rock. Even rocks can be broken.”
After he’d disappeared into his office, she went behind the bar to empty out the dishwasher he’d started.
Work was something she could get behind if it meant she didn’t have to think about anything else. She restarted the machine and came around the bar just as the entry door banged shut.
Chapter Twelve
Val turned toward the door and her breath vanished. Darren wore a suit of a charcoal grey with a light blue-tinted shirt underneath the jacket. A tie matching the jacket finished the outfit. The color brought out his natural tan and his darker hair, characteristic of his Cuban heritage. Her heart did some flippity flops as he stepped up to the bar.
“What are you doing here?” She croaked out.
“I came to see you, since you won’t return my calls.”
“Didn’t you have a game tonight?” Lame, Valerie. You know he didn’t. And why do you know that? Because you have the schedule memorized.
“No. We left after the game last night, since we have one at home tomorrow night. Today’s a rest day.”
“Oh.”
She turned away from him then, so very aware of his presence. Her body flushed, a jolt of electric energy only his presence brought on. God, she still wanted him.
“Well, we’re closed now. Sorry.”
She continued to wipe the bar top when he stepped up behind her. She didn’t need to look. She knew he was there. His presence was suffocating.
“Val,” he whispered. His voice was close to her ear, like he’d leaned in toward her.
She refused to look at him. She stared down at the dirty bar towel in her hand instead.
“Val.”
“What do you want, Darren?” She asked, trying to inject as much apathy into her voice as she could, but it failed miserably. “I already told you—”
“You.” That word traveled straight to her core. His mouth touched her ear and a shiver ran down her spine. “I’ve missed you.” His breath was hot on her ear and cheek, which wasn’t helping the newly forming ache between her legs. “I’m tired of letting you walk away from me.”
She half turned to stare at him in surprise, but his nearness gave her superheated chills, if that was even possible. “How could you miss me?”
“How could I not?” He brushed her cheek. His rough fingertips touched her smooth skin, sending jolts of electric fire through her body. He cupped her face, his thumbs caressing her cheeks. “Val, something about you makes me crazy.”
“It might be my crazy mood swings, and tendency to overreact,” she told him.
“Maybe. We can work on that, though. Val, I don’t want you to run away.”
She swallowed as he turned her slowly the rest of the way, so her back was up against the bar top. Her heart pounded, her common sense telling her that this was a monumental bad idea, that it didn’t fit into her plan, that she needed to get away. But instead, she let him kiss her; his lips softly caressing hers coaxed her back to life. She leaned into his affections.
Too good. He felt way too good.
“I thought about you,” he said against her mouth. “The whole time I was on the trip. I played like shit because I couldn’t stop thinking about you.” He kissed her again as he palmed one of her breasts, and she arched toward him. Her lips parted on a gasp as he pinched a nipple through her clothes and his tongue plunged into her mouth.
“I realized that I need you. You’re my good luck charm, Valerie.” Biting back a moan, she stroked his tongue with hers and wrapped her arms around his neck. His hands splayed around her waist, rubbing over her hips as well, like he wanted to touch her everywhere at once.
She pulled back, gently touching a purple bruise on one of his cheekbones. He didn’t even flinch. “I saw that happen.”
“You watched the game the last night.” It wasn’t so much a question as a confirmation. She nodded anyway. “Not my best moment.”
“We can’t… I can’t… Oh, Darren.” She sighed. “I—”
He stopped her protest with another kiss, rubbing his lips against hers. “I want you,” he whispered into her mouth.
He lifted her up so she sat on the bar, her feet dangling helplessly. Control was just beyond her grasp, and she loved it already. Before she could say anything, he pushed up her t-shirt, pulled the cup of her bra down, and took her nipple into his mouth.
She dropped her head back, arching her back as he laved attention on her breast. As he moved to the other one, she fisted his hair between her fingers, pressing him against her. The man made her feel simply sinful.
“Darren…” She sighed as he unbuttoned her jeans and ran his fingers along her underwear line. She had to stop this. Nick was in the other room. If he came out here, and she was having sex on his bar top, she’d never forgive herself. And it was so obviously unsanitary.
She stifled a cry as Darren’s thick fingers slipped inside her jeans and touched her sensitive skin. One flick of his finger and she spread her legs farther apart, trapping his hand against her pussy with the tight denim.
“You’re already wet, Val. Did you miss me too?” He whispered as he straightened up to look in her eyes. He kissed along her jawline, across her throat, anywhere he could reach.
“Oh, God.” She groaned in disappointment as his fingers left her pussy.
“I love you, Val,” he whispered into her mouth.
She stilled, panic forcing bile into her throat. She shoved him away from her, common sense winning over the arousal that made her ache.
“Val, don’t run away,” Darren said.
“Why did you have to ruin everything?”
“What are you talking about? Because I said I love you?”
She got back behind the bar where they had a good three feet of space between them and started loading the dishwasher again. Between her thighs, her body throbbed with unsated lust, but she was not about to cave on this. He wasn’t thinking right. They just didn’t fit right. She was from a dif
ferent world than he was. Love her? Had he lost his ever loving mind?
Sex was all she could do with him, and she wasn’t sure that was a good idea anymore. Her heart was too engaged, and he was too much for her. Sex with Darren was amazing, but she knew it couldn’t last. He was a big time hockey star, his career on the rise. She was a waitress in a bar. Two different worlds. He got millions of dollars to play pro sports while she lived paycheck-to-paycheck and hoped her tips would be enough to pay her rent.
“I’m being practical. You and me? That can’t happen.”
“Why not?” he asked. The expression on his face was so genuine, so honest, it hurt. How could he not see the problems this created? He was not in her plan. She made him play badly. He couldn’t love her. There was no way that this was good.
She snorted derisively. “Look at who you are, and who I am, Darren.”
“What do you mean?”
“Never mind.” She sighed and put another load of glasses into the dishwasher as it finished its cycle, once again separated by height and shape. As soon as she started the machine, she came out from behind the bar to clean off the rest of the tables she’d left.
Darren stood where she’d left him, his arms crossed and a scowl on his face. “I want to know what you meant.”
Valerie sighed. “A person like me has no business being with a person like you”
His scowl deepened.
“Darren, I just can’t do this, okay?”
“No, it’s not okay! I just told you I love you.”
“Well, I don’t love you,” Val spat out. “We had a good time. It’s done now.”
“No, Valerie. It’s not done.” His voice took on a deep and dark quality to it. He stepped closer to her, his looming height making her knees weak. “I’ve had a good taste of you, lady. I’m fucking addicted. And I will have my fix if it kills me.”
“I think you should leave.” She glanced down at the bar, rubbing the surface with her rag.
“Seriously?”
“Yes,” she whispered.
He stared at her hard, but seemed to come to a decision. “Okay. I’m going to walk out tonight. But you and I aren’t done. I let you end this once. This…” He motioned between them. “This is just starting. I promise you that.”
The intensity of his stare, the sheer determination in his eyes made her heart rate skyrocket. He crossed to the door, flipping open the lock. He slammed the door behind him, the sound echoing through the empty bar. Val locked it back in his wake, her entire body was shaking, trembling.
* * *
Darren sliced down the ice, his eyes on the red pipes where Cody was watching for him. He balanced the puck in front of him, sliding it to the right and left as he picked up speed. He zeroed in on the goal, calculating the trajectory of where he needed to shoot. He drew the imaginary line from the puck to the goal. Like a habit he’d never break, he shot, flicking his wrist in just the right way. The puck soared, slicing through the air toward Cody.
Cody dove for the puck as it approached, reaching out with his glove. It clipped the edge of the puck, but it was enough to throw it off its original trajectory. The puck shot to the side and pinged against the pipes.
Darren skidded to a stop, turning both skates so ice sprayed from the edge of the blade. “Shit.”
He needed to get his act together. He’d agreed to some one-on-one time with Cody to help get his mind on the game. Jenkins was already giving him the stink eye. He couldn’t afford to mess this up. He’d be sitting pretty if he could get that twenty-five percent increase in his next contract.
“Ha-ha!” Cody pulled off his helmet, grinning. “That’s like, fifteen shots in a row you missed.”
“Fuck you, man,” Darren growled, but he couldn’t bring himself to be angry. Not with Cody, anyway. He was just being his normal self. The problem was with Darren.
“You’re off.” Cody frowned. “Not much, but enough that I’m noticing.” His face grew serious as he picked up a couple pucks and brought them down the ice to where Darren stood. “Your shots are hitting the way they should. That’s not the issue. Your body is trained to hit the shot the way it is supposed to.”
“My concentration is shot.” Darren confirmed.
“Right.” Cody eyed him a moment. “You’re not paying enough attention.” Cody traded sticks with Darren. He took aim and shot the puck with a wrister into the net. “Damn I’m good.”
Darren grunted and snagged his stick back. “Sure, you are, with no goalie, tough guy.” He shoved Cody’s goalie stick back in his friend’s hands.
“So…” Cody ignored Darren and skated back down to the goal. “Is it the bar girl?” Cody asked as he turned and faced him, his stick in hand.
Darren hesitated, but then nodded. He couldn’t hide anymore that Val’s absence was affecting his game. He couldn’t hide that he missed her. His play was deteriorating. He was losing that edge that made him a star.
“I miss her.” The hushed words left his mouth before he could stop them.
Cody straightened from the defensive crouch and eyed him critically. “This isn’t rebound sex, is it?”
Darren shook his head. “No. I don’t think it is.”
“What are you going to do?”
Darren ran his hand through his hair. He’d opted for no pads today, since it was just him and Cody. It made skating more comfortable, but the ice permeated his clothes and left him cold.
Or maybe that was the thing with Val.
He couldn’t tell anymore. He just knew that he needed to make this right.
“I don’t know.”
“Talk to her.”
“Doubt she’ll talk to me.”
“Won’t know until you try.”
Darren shot a puck straight down the ice, but it veered to the side and slammed with a ping into the red pipes. “Damn.”
“Go talk to her already.”
“When the fuck did you get so smart?”
Cody laughed. “When I got married and learned how to talk to girls.”
* * *
The door slammed shut. Val whirled around, seeing the older man and his daughter walk across the room. Vince Jenkins looked like a kindly old dad. The man was a shrewd business man, from what Darren had said in the past. His daughter wasn’t far from that tree either. While her bedside manner was a lot better, she also had that keen observational intellect that Vince had.
Ellie was the first to smile and extend her hand. “Valerie! It’s great to see you! So glad you could make it!” Ellie’s hair was pulled back in a tight French braid, the long part of it resting over one shoulder.
“Good to see you too.” Valerie found she actually meant it too. Despite some tension the night of the casino benefit, she liked Ellie. The woman was smart and approachable.
“Ms. Chase, I’m glad you made it,” Jenkins shook hands with her and then sat down at the desk. “Please have a seat.” Jenkins flashed a knowing grin. “I half expected you to cancel today’s meeting too.”
“I would be lying if I said it didn’t cross my mind.” Valerie said. “But in the end, I decided that my personal life does not affect my professional life.”
“I wish I could say the same of Darren Moran.” Jenkins flashed a knowing expression.
Ellie elbowed him in the side. “Dad. This isn’t the time.”
“I’m nothing if not honest, Ellie,” Jenkins replied. He folded his hands together and trained his gaze on Valerie. “But it is a conversation for another day. I know your previous employer, Ms. Chase. The center was our sponsored charity for Casino Night.”
“I know. My old supervisor was at the benefit.”
“Emery Donaldson?”
“Yes, that’s him.”
“He’s kind of a tool,” Jenkins said. Val’s eyes shot up in surprise.
“Dad!” Ellie groaned.
“He is!” Jenkins protested. He cleared his throat. “Of course, you’re right. Look, Ms. Chase, I’m not gonna bullshit you.
My original plan was to hire you so Darren would play well. He’s easily distracted.”
Valerie shook her head. “I’m not even seeing Darren anymore.” She wasn’t sure whether to be flattered or offended.
“Here’s the thing… The situation with Darren got me thinking. Hockey players can be highly emotional. They get a lot of it out on the ice, but if something don’t jive, they don’t perform.”
“I’m a family crisis counselor. I’m not a—”
“A player’s family is important,” Ellie cut in. “I’ve grown up around the ice, around the team and the business. I’ve seen many men fall apart in my lifetime because they were unhappy personally. Or their family was unhappy.”
“Ellie’s got a point.”
“What do you want from me, Mr. Jenkins?”
“Like I said, I was originally going to hire you to placate Moran. He likes you. You make him play well. But after thinking about it, I realized I need someone like you on my staff.”
Val shook her head. “I’m not sure I’m the person for this job.”
“Why not?”
“Darren and I… it would be a conflict of interest.”
“What if I guarantee no contact with Darren on a professional level? You won’t see him.”
“There are a lot of counselors out there. You could have hired someone else.”
“You came highly recommended.”
“By who?”
“Emery Donaldson.”
Val blinked. “Why would Emery do that?” Why would he sit there and recommend to someone else to hire her? Because he had no intention of inviting her back. Perhaps guilt. Who knew? He was a spineless bastard.
“He suggested you might shine here.”
“There’s every reason I shouldn’t take this job. I shouldn’t even be here.”
“You got that right.” Jenkins laughed. “But these boys’ families need the help.”
“And Darren?”
“He’ll have no contact with you if you don’t want it,” Ellie cut in.
Val stared at the two. It was a bad idea to take the job. She was just asking for trouble. But it was a job. It would keep her from having to leave Fort Glasgow. Along with full benefits and an increase in pay from her previous job? How could she not? The only problem—and a big one at that—was Darren Moran.