by Cari Quinn
Chapter Three
On one of the final days of training camp, as Sarah packed up to leave for the day, a soft knock on the door surprised her. It’s after nine. Who can that be at this hour?
With any luck, it wasn’t Jaroslav. She’d had another incident with him during his interview. He’d asked her out again and hadn’t wanted to take no for an answer. In no uncertain terms she’d told him she wasn’t interested, but flashbacks of the attack in her past had been unsettling her since.
After wiping her damp palms on her pants, she opened the door, ready to defend herself if needed. Sebastian stood in khakis and a button-down shirt with the top two buttons open revealing an expanse of smooth skin. She frowned. It was odd for him to be at the arena this late.
He smiled and a rush of heat coursed through her. “I saw your light on, so I decided to come and make sure you were okay.”
“I’m fine. But what are you doing here? Weren’t you guys done a long time ago?” The players were done with their daily session by mid-afternoon most days.
“I forgot something here earlier, so I came back to pick it up.”
He wouldn’t meet her gaze. Was he telling the truth? But what reason would he have to lie?
Sebastian cleared his throat as he studied something behind her. “So, are you leaving soon?”
“Yes, right now, actually.” As she spoke, Sarah crossed to her desk to grab her laptop. With that task completed, she scooted around her desk once more.
Sebastian, his hands jammed in his pockets, was shifting from foot to foot. “Do you want to, you know, grab some dinner or something? I would like to hear more about what you’re planning to do for us.”
Alarm bells clanged inside her head. Did he just ask me out? He said “dinner.” He can’t mean like a date.
She shouldn’t agree to go, but oh God, she wanted to. When she realized she was biting her nail, she forced her hand to her side.
“I mean, if you’ve eaten or something, don’t worry about it. With the time, I figured you might be hungry.”
“I’m starving.” Now why the hell did I just admit that?
He raised an eyebrow, and his gorgeous light green eyes that Sarah was afraid she could get lost in all too easily darkened to a deeper hue. “Then we’ll go to dinner.”
“All right.” Sarah was helpless to resist when he went all Alpha male on her. All her life she’d had a weakness for a guy with confidence, one who knew what he wanted and wasn’t afraid to go out and get it. Even at his young age, it was obvious Sebastian was an Alpha male through and through.
“Doug mentioned you guys were working crazy hours,” Sebastian said as they walked toward the parking ramp. “He also said you were, ah, how did he put it? A slave driver.” He smirked, revealing a dimple she’d never seen before.
Oh geez. I’m a dead woman.
“He said his wife is jealous he’s spending so much time with you.”
Aghast, Sarah faced him, only to see he was still smiling. “We are working long hours, but it’ll be worth it. I think we’re onto something here.”
She paused beside her SUV as her nerves got the better of her. It would be nice to bounce some things off a player. Finally, she roused herself enough to say, “I guess neither of us knows our way around here very well, huh?”
“I know some. Do you want to take my car? I can bring you back here later.”
“Sure,” Sarah answered, though she was still uneasy about going out to dinner alone with him. A niggling voice in the back of her mind was stuck on a repeat chorus of bad idea, bad idea, reminding her how it would be perceived if they were seen together, and she didn’t want to jeopardize her new life with the Storm. Despite all that, she’d already agreed to go with him and it was too late to back out now without making a fool of herself, since she’d already admitted she was starving.
Once they’d walked to his car, a silver Honda Civic, and climbed inside, Sebastian twisted in the seat. “I know one place Rob and I have gone to a couple of times. They have a huge menu and serve late.”
Sarah’s stomach gurgled. Mortified, she groaned, but Sebastian laughed. “Whatever you want is fine.”
He gave her a long, heated look that left her thinking he’d rather eat her for dinner. She was grateful the air conditioning worked because her entire body heated at the thought. Fighting the instinct to fan herself, she settled back in her seat.
This is ridiculous. If it kept up, she was likely to take a bite out of him for dessert. And he’d take a bite out of me. Sarah barely suppressed a moan at the image.
After they arrived at the restaurant, Sebastian placed his hand on the small of her back as he opened the establishment’s door. The night was warm and Sarah wore only a thin cotton shirt. The heat of his hand seeped into her back, sending a fissure of pleasure down her spine.
Calm down. He’s just being polite.
The hostess seated them at a table in a dimly lit back corner of the restaurant. Sebastian leaned toward Sarah, whispering, “I think the hostess recognized me. Kind of sad, don’t you think? I should learn how to cook, or even better, make Rob learn.”
Sarah smiled, picturing the two men attempting that feat. Surely multiple fire departments would be involved. “I love to cook, but I never have enough time. Of course, there’s also no one around to eat my cooking besides me, so why bother?”
“Anytime you want to practice, I know lots of hungry hockey players who would be willing to help you out. J’aime manger! That means ‘I love to eat!’” He winked, and Sarah’s stomach fluttered.
Damn hormones. She fiddled with the menu. “Well, I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”
“Why not? Think you would poison us? We can take it. We’re big and tough!” Sebastian flexed his bicep and she nearly went over the table to check it out for herself. “Plus, you would probably not kill any of us, right?” He smirked, the corners of his eyes crinkling and that infernal dimple making another appearance.
She dropped her gaze to the menu. “I-I don’t think it would go over well if I was, um, how should I put this?” Sebastian said nothing, and she looked up.
One side of his mouth kicking up, he raised an eyebrow.
“If I was, uh,” she stopped again, swearing under her breath as Sebastian valiantly attempted not to openly laugh at her, his shoulders shaking with the effort, “spending a lot of personal time with the players.”
She let out a long breath as the busboy came over to fill their water glasses. When the man left, Sebastian stroked his fingertips over his chin. She’d always been a sucker for a five-o’clock shadow and Sebastian didn’t disappoint.
Yeah, definitely a threat to my sanity.
“You wouldn’t be doing anything wrong. It would be dinner. What’s so bad about that? We can act like nice guys, you know. Unless you don’t want us to be.” He stared at her boldly and her skin heated again.
In a vain attempt to cool herself, she gulped some water. A flash of Sebastian naked in her bed invaded her brain unbidden. It had been forever since she’d seen a man nude. She hadn’t had sex in a very long time, and that attempt had been a disaster. She wasn’t a one-night-stand kind of woman. She didn’t trust any man enough to take that risk. Working with these guys all the time was reminding her how much she loved men though, despite her past.
He sat back and folded his sculpted arms over his equally sculpted chest. “You still haven’t given me a good reason why having us over for dinner would be so bad.”
“I think it’s different for me than for other people who work for the team.”
“Because you’re a woman, right?”
“Yes, because I’m a woman,” she said. “I would hate for someone to get the wrong impression, which is easy to do.”
The waitress came over, flicking her hair, and pushed her breasts practically in Sebastian’s face. Sarah tamped an onslaught of annoyance. When he ignored the young, perky woman, satisfaction snaked up Sarah’s spine.
; Sarah ordered a bowl of soup and an open-faced steak sandwich with fries and Sebastian got a strip steak. After the waitress left, Sebastian asked, “Are you going eat all that? You are too small to eat so much food.”
His hungry gaze swept to her breasts then back to her face, and her nipples peaked against the fabric of her bra. She prayed they wouldn’t show through the lightweight bra and shirt. Crossing her arms, Sarah leaned into them, desperately trying to use the pressure to assuage the ache.
It didn’t even begin to work, and Sarah had to swallow a growl of frustration. Get back on topic.
“Trust me. I can eat. Besides, I love lobster bisque and I can’t pass up a good plate of fries.”
He shrugged. “I’m sure I can help you out if you can’t finish everything.” An image of them eating off each other’s plate flooded Sarah’s mind, and she almost missed Sebastian’s next words. “So tell me more about what you and Doug are doing. I think it’s cool the team wants to try new stuff.”
Relieved at the change of subject, Sarah told him about some of her ideas. Since he was willing to listen, she bounced a few preliminary recommendations off him, but quickly tired of the subject. “Do you mind if we talk about something else? I’m eating, breathing and sleeping hockey. Tell me about yourself. Where in Quebec are you from?”
“A small ville named Joliette. It means ‘beautiful place,’ and it’s just that, even in the winter when it’s freezing cold. It was a nice place to grow up.”
Sarah smiled. “It sounds nice. Do you have brothers and sisters?”
“I have two sisters and one brother, all younger. My sisters are both at university, one in first year and the other in her third, and my brother is in his first year of junior hockey. He’s eighteen. He plays for Rimouski, which is up by Quebec City. My parents don’t like having him far away. It’s a couple of hours in good weather, but when you get drafted, you don’t have a choice about where you go, much like in the NHL.”
“Are you one of those over-protective older brothers who your sisters’ boyfriends are afraid of?”
Sebastian laughed. “No, they can take care of themselves. They grew up around me and my cousins and played hockey with us. Both of my sisters still play, but just for fun. Believe me, if we tried to get tough with them, they did not hesitate to slash or trip us. Besides, Mathieu, our brother, has a much worse temper than I do, so any boyfriend should be more worried about him than me. And anyway, I’m not around enough to be much of a pain to my sisters.”
“And what do your parents do?”
“My mom teaches small children. In Quebec they call it ‘jardin d’enfants.’ I don’t know what you call it in the US.”
Garden of children? It came to her courtesy of her high school French from years ago. “Oh, you mean ‘kindergarten.’”
He shrugged. “My dad is a manager at the local Ford factory. They make the new minivan. With Ford closing so many plants, we were happy they kept ours open.”
“I can imagine.”
“So do you have any other questions you want to ask, or do I get a turn?” Sebastian smirked, picking up the coaster then turning it in his hands.
She was afraid of what he might ask, but really had no choice but to say, “Sure. You can ask me anything.” Except stuff that will get us both in trouble, like “How soon can we get naked?” or “How do I like my coffee in the morning so you can make me breakfast the day after?”
“How many brothers and sisters do you have? What do your parents do?”
“I have one sister and one brother. My sister is still in Rochester, but my brother is in California. I hardly ever see him. He isn’t married, but my sister is and has two children, Max and Katie.” She wasn’t particularly close to either of her siblings. It wasn’t that they hated each other. They’d grown apart as they’d gotten older and none were taking the first step to fix that. It was what it was, and she didn’t beat herself up over it. Others had far worse relationships with their families.
“Are you the oldest child?” He leaned back in his chair and stretched his legs out, almost bumping into her foot before pulling back.
Sarah let out a relieved breath, not sure what she’d do if he started “accidentally” touching her. She was pretty sure she’d be a goner. “No, I’m in the middle. My brother is oldest, then me, then my sister.”
“And what about your parents?”
“My mom is retired. She was a manager at Kodak and took early retirement when it was offered.”
Sebastian nodded. “Yeah, I read about the problems at Kodak in the paper while I played in Rochester. I read the paper a lot to learn English. Rochester is a lot bigger than Joliette, but they have the same problems.”
Her gaze riveted on Sebastian as he shifted again. The man moved with a grace out of sync with the raw power his muscular body radiated on the ice. He had a youthful face, yet that did nothing to detract from his overall sexuality. His bee-stung lips no doubt drove the girls crazy, and his intense green eyes and dark, expressive brows spoke to intelligence. All the players had nice bodies, but Sebastian was a rare specimen, a perfect blend of power and finesse.
Sarah held in a snort by the barest of margins. It was obvious he was in excellent condition. On a shorter man, his sheer bulk would’ve been menacing, but because he was so tall, his height gave him the ability to carry his broad shoulders and well-muscled chest and abs without appearing too imposing. A woman would feel safe and protected in his arms. A dangerous thought.
They talked about inconsequential topics until their meals came, and then Sarah demolished every bite of food.
When she pushed her plate away, Sebastian shook his head, his eyes wide. “Mon Dieu, you really can eat.”
“I told you I was starving.”
“It’s cool that you eat. So many girls just order salad or something dumb.”
“Yeah, well, I’m not out to impress you.” Sarah knew right away her flirtatious tone was a mistake. Now I’ve given him the green light to flirt with me. Awesome. As if I didn’t have enough trouble keeping my hands off him.
“You’re not? Merde.” Sebastian clutched his hands to his chest. “You have broken my heart.”
“You’re too young for me.” Would he accept that and let her off the hook? She tried to ignore the little piece of her that would be disappointed if he did, even though she should’ve been relieved.
“I’m turning twenty-four at the end of November.” He focused an intense, carnal gaze on her, and its strength gave her pause.
His inherent sexuality was potent. She would have trouble resisting him if he chose to fully unleash it on her. There was just something about him that called to her, something that posed a definite threat to her emotional well-being. Frankly, she was frightened of the power he already had over her, but damn if she didn’t want him anyway.
“Sarah, I’m not a typical guy in my twenties who just wants to have good time. I have a career I work hard at, and I’ve been living on my own for a while now.” Leaning toward her, he slid his fingers over the back of her hand with the gentlest of touches. “I’d like to do this again, to get to know you even better.” He closed the remaining space between them as if he was going to kiss her.
She yanked her arm away. Agreeing to dinner had been a bad idea. She’d denied to herself it was a date, but that’s exactly what he’d been doing when he’d come to her office earlier—asking her on a date. “We should go.” She signaled for the check, too afraid to meet Sebastian’s gaze for fear she’d tackle him to the floor and take what his eyes promised.
When the waitress came to the table, he grabbed the check before Sarah could reach for it. “I’ve got this.”
She took that chance to escape and try to regroup. “I’m going to go use the ladies’ room. I’ll be right back.”
He nodded, not meeting her gaze. She couldn’t tell if he was angry, disappointed, or something else entirely.
Once she’d sequestered herself in the bathroom, she splashed co
ld water on her face then stared at her horrified expression in the mirror. She needed to reestablish a professional distance between her and Sebastian, but didn’t have the first clue how. This was the first time she’d been in a situation like this. CAM wasn’t exactly teeming with smoking hot guys.
And more than that, it was mortifying to admit spending even this little bit of time alone with Sebastian elicited such a strong reaction. She wasn’t sure if it was because she hadn’t had sex in over two years—it was so difficult to trust any man after being attacked by someone she’d believed was a friend—or because of something beyond simple lust for this incredibly handsome and sweet hockey player—a potent combination.
Sarah groaned in pure frustration. She hadn’t been this hot and bothered since her first kiss. Sleeping with Sebastian would be a bad move for her career. A horrendously bad move.
You can resist him. You have to.
She couldn’t hide out in the bathroom giving herself a pep talk forever, and with reluctance went back to the table. When she approached, Sebastian rose but did not speak. As they wound through the tables to exit the restaurant, he walked a few steps behind, but when they reached the door, he stepped close to open it. The lean, hard muscles of his forearm brushed against her shoulder and she shivered, despite the heat of his body emanating off him in waves.
It took every modicum of willpower she possessed to not press her body into his just to see how well they’d fit together. She just knew their bodies would meld like they were made for each other.
They returned to the arena parking ramp. Sarah had to say something, anything to make it clear they couldn’t be more than colleagues. Then she needed to get the hell out of there. It killed her, but it had to be done. She couldn’t afford to throw away this chance at a great career. “You’re a nice guy, Sebastian.”
He groaned.
“But you know nothing can happen here, right?” Sebastian started to argue, but she held up her hand. “I want to make sure you understand me. It means a lot that you’ve shown a genuine interest in what I’m doing. The rest of the guys regard me as an oddity, or someone who can’t hack it.”