“That was before you told me you brought chocolate into the house.”
“You can’t go from no sugar to a full candy bar. You'll make yourself sick.”
“No, I won’t.”
Now he was sounding like a defiant child. “Noah. Set the bar on the ground.”
He shook his head.
“Noah, at least share it with me.”
He shook his head as he raised his other hand up and ripped the wrapper open.
“Noah!”
Slowly, he lowered one hand to his mouth.
“Don’t.”
He licked it and when his eyes closed I ran at him, tackling him onto the sofa.
He grunted, and the chocolate went flying to the other side of the room. “Hey! You can’t do that.”
“I just did. And you’ll thank me later.”
He shifted, and I realized I was straddling his waist. His hands shot up, immediately finding my tickle spot on my ribs. I flailed, trying to get away, but he tightened his hold and lifted me off him before tossing me to the side of the sofa. He scrambled to get up, but I threw myself over his legs, stopping him.
“No!”
He pulled himself to the end of the sofa with his arms, dragging me along. “Yes. I need it.”
“No, you don’t.” I wrapped both arms around his legs, but he didn’t seem to notice. We were sliding again until his torso was hanging off. I knew he had to be close, so I released one arm and reached up to grab his side.
He shrieked, like a little girl, and fell off the couch.
I was laughing too hard to follow him. I’d never heard such a noise from a grown man. His head popped up next to mine. “What’s so funny?”
His mouth was full of chocolate and I slapped his arm. All of that fighting and I still lost.
“You screamed like a girl!”
“No, I didn’t.”
He shoved the candy in my open mouth and I quickly took a bite.
“Ha!” I laughed with a full mouth, struggling to breathe. I could feel him next to me and I realized what I’d just done. That was the opposite of professional.
I bit back my smile. But I’d like it.
Noah sat on the ground, next to me, and finished the bar. “You’re a horrible influence on me.”
“You just have no self-control.”
“Nah, it’s all you. I’m going to call Bryce and tell him how horrible you are.”
I smacked his shoulder. “Then he’ll have to get you a new girlfriend. One who never, ever has sweets.”
He shuddered. “No way. I’m keeping you.”
“Good to know you only like me for one reason.”
“Your pretty smile?”
My breath caught. Did he mean that? I forced myself to ignore it. “No.”
“Your long hair?”
He was so close. Looking into my eyes in a way I hadn’t experienced before. “Nope.”
“Your dashing personality.”
I laughed. “Of course not.”
“You’re wrong. You’re good for more than just candy.”
I looked over at him, upside down. “Yeah?”
“Yeah. You can make me laugh.”
I smiled. “That’s not such a bad thing.”
He shook his head and slowly smiled. “No, it’s really not.”
I looked around the room, remembering why I was here. “About the arrangement.”
He nodded. “You don’t want to live with me?” He pouted and I almost smacked him.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
He wagged his eyebrows. “Can’t resist me.”
Warmth flooded over me and I prayed he didn’t notice my blush. “I just don’t think it’s professional.”
He fell back against the sofa. “Okay, I understand, but you’re still going to be my girlfriend?”
He sounded a little too happy about it.
“Yes.”
“Cool.” His grin sent a shiver down my spine. This was such a terrible idea.
“We need rules.”
“Rules?”
I nodded. “Ground rules. What is allowed and what isn’t.”
“So what are they?”
“No kissing.”
He stared at me for a moment before laughing. “I’m not supposed to kiss my girlfriend? That doesn’t make any sense.”
Fine. He was right. It just wasn’t going to make things any easier on me. “Okay, but only when we know there are cameras around.”
He agreed.
“Hand holding is fine. If reporters ask for information we just tell them no comment. We’ll have to ask the rest of the team to do the same.”
“Okay. I want you to come to my practices and games.”
I already knew it meant a lot for me to be there. I think he needed to know there was at least one person rooting for him. “Deal. And if anything else comes up, we’ll figure it out.”
“You don’t need to make it sound so dreadful.” He shot me a playful look. “We can actually have fun together.”
I smiled. I hadn’t meant to make it sound like a terrible chore. “Okay.”
His grin grew. “Sounds good, girlfriend.”
Chapter Nine
Noah
Bryce was right about the sudden attention he predicted I’d get. Paparazzi were stationed outside my building in the morning. I wore sunglasses and a hat, hoping to go unnoticed, but once they saw my car the cameras started flashing.
I didn’t get it. I was a rookie.
I bet they’d disappear within the week. It wasn’t like I was doing anything interesting. They could take all the pictures they wanted of me coming and going to practice. They’d probably die of boredom. If they wanted scandal, they chose the wrong player.
When I got to the arena there were a few people with cameras waiting, but I’d noticed that happened a few times. This was the place to capture shots of all the players. In their cars.
Now I understood why there were private practices. If they got inside it would never end. We needed space. Time to focus. Erik told me Chloe kept a sharp eye out for anyone coming into the arena who didn’t belong. She didn’t want distractions around. Whether it was a reporter or a one-night stand. She wanted us to be able to tune it all out and be present for practice.
I appreciated it. Especially, now that there was some attention on me. Erik and Reese greeted me in the locker room and it was cool to feel welcomed. I felt a little more official. Like I was really becoming one of them. Baby steps.
Colby was sitting with Chloe, working on her laptop in the audience. She waved when she caught me looking, then went back to work. I appreciated her coming for me. Ever since the first day when I asked her to come, she hadn’t missed.
Practice was still rough. I was sore every day, even after repeated ice baths. I was getting used to it though. The pain was worth it. Seeing it pay off during the game made me realize how important it was to lay it all out every day. If we pushed ourselves hard now, we’d be ready come game time.
When the final whistle blew, I joined Brassard and Hartman in the gym to stretch and roll our sore muscles.
“Have you been getting hounded?”
I looked up to see Brassard looking at me.
“You mean the paps?”
He nodded and cringed while rolling out his calf.
“They were at my building this morning, but it wasn't bad.”
“It’s going to get worse.” Hartman smirked when I met his eyes.
“Why?”
“A friend of mine from Sports Today magazine said they’re doing a full spread on you and have named you this season’s number one rookie to keep an eye on.”
I threw my head back. “Great.”
“Hey, this is good for you. If you bring in good press and help with sales, the team will notice. You want a contract, don’t you?” Brassard was right. I shouldn’t complain about this.
“But won’t they need a photo shoot for that?”
&nbs
p; Hartman shrugged. “They must have enough pictures already.”
Wonderful. Probably embarrassing shots from old teams.
“Don’t sweat it. They’ll move on eventually. In the meantime, use it. Get your name out there. Prove to the management that you’re someone they need on the team.”
No wonder he was the captain. He knew how to work this. I could use it to my advantage, and I knew Colby would know exactly how to do that.
I hurried through the motions of showering and getting dressed. Colby normally left after practice, so I wanted to get home to talk to her. Knowing she would be home, at my home, waiting for me was pretty great. I’d have to send Bryce a gift basket or something for coming up with this arrangement.
When I opened the door, I heard noise coming from the kitchen. I dropped my bag and went toward the sound. Colby was bent over in front of the fridge.
“What are you looking for?”
She jumped and turned. “You scared me.”
Her expression made me laugh. “Sorry, I thought you heard me.”
She glared at me before turning back to the fridge. “I got everything to make a salad, but I can’t find the feta I bought.”
“I moved it to the drawer.”
She pulled it out and set everything on the counter. “Hungry?”
I sat down on one of the bar stools and nodded. “Always.”
“I’ll get to work then.”
“You don’t have to cook for me.”
She stopped and smiled. “I know. Thanks. I’m going to this time because I’m hungry too.”
“Fair enough.”
I watched her move around the kitchen like she’s lived here forever. I loved the way her hair flowed out behind her. It always looked so soft. Silky. I wanted to run my hands through it.
“Noah?”
I blinked and looked up at her. “What?”
“I said do you want chicken or steak?”
“Steak.”
I wanted to shake myself. I needed to pull it together. I couldn’t zone out staring at her. She’d notice and get creeped out.
I cleared my throat. “Hey, Hartman said something today and I think it’s a good idea.”
She pulled a cutting board from a lower cabinet and set it on the counter. “What’s the idea?”
“He said I should take advantage of all the attention on me right now. He said I should use it to bring in money for the team. To show them I can be beneficial.”
She nodded as she chopped a head of Romaine lettuce. “That’s a good idea.”
“Do you know how I can do that?”
She continued working in silence for a minute. “We should have you make some appearances.”
“Like talk shows?”
She held up a tomato and I nodded. “Maybe. I think people need to see you. Hear from you. They need to know who Noah Malkin is. What he’s about. What he likes. We need to make you real to them.”
That made sense to me. It was hard to cheer for someone you didn't know.
“How do we do that?”
“I’ll get you some interviews. But we can start small. You need to be seen.”
She added all of the chopped vegetables to a bowl and flipped the steaks she had on a cast iron pan.
“I’ll talk to Chloe. She’ll know the best places to go and she might even know of some events for you to attend. Rubbing elbows with the right people can go a long way.”
“Thanks, Colby.”
She glanced up and gave me a brief smile. “Of course.”
“Will you be there with me?”
She paused. “If you want me to.”
“Well, you are my girlfriend, so it might be weird if you weren’t.”
She laughed then shook her head. “I feel like Bryce made a mistake there. He probably only suggested me since I was already available, but I don’t think It will be believable.”
“What won’t?”
“Me with you.”
I was confused. She was beautiful, and I’d been told I have a baby face. She probably didn’t think people would believe she would date someone like me.
She looked at me like it was obvious. When I didn’t say anything, she sighed. “Fine, you’re going to make me say it out loud.” She stuck a large wooden fork and spoon in the bowl and began tossing it, with a bit too much vigor. “People aren’t going to believe you’re dating a girl like me.”
So, it was just like I thought. I wasn’t good enough for her. I was such an idiot.
“I mean, I’m an average girl. There’s nothing special about me. They’ll probably do some digging and figure out I’m a PA and assume I just work for you.”
“Wait, what?”
She tilted her head and gave me a condescending look. “Noah, people aren’t going to believe we’re a couple.”
I approached her until her eyes widened, my chest inches from hers. “I can do it if you can. I can stare at you like no one else matters, stay by your side like I can’t get enough of you.” She was frozen. Speechless for the first time since we’d met. “Will that work?”
She nodded slowly. “Yeah.”
“Unless it will be too hard for you to pretend you’re attracted to me.” I paused waiting for her reaction.
She sputtered. “You?” A giggle escaped. “ You look like a Greek god and the American dream had a baby together.”
I laughed. “That doesn’t even make sense.”
She finally smiled. “Yes, it does. You’ve got the body of a Greek god, but the face of the boy you can bring home to meet your parents.”
I narrowed my eyes. “I feel like I should be offended.”
Her wonderful blush returned, and I couldn’t help but smile. I’d done that. “Thanks, Noah.”
“It helps that you know how to cook, too.”
She rolled her eyes and turned around to take the steaks off the stove. I couldn’t take my eyes off her. We’d both admitted we found the other attractive. That was a good sign. I just had to get her to see me as more than just a client. More than even a friend.
Maybe this pretending wouldn’t be so bad. I’d get to hold her hand. Kiss her. I mean, that’s what couples did. People would think it was weird if we didn’t. I didn't want to blow our cover. I smiled even though I knew she would challenge me on that.
But we couldn’t let the press know we’re faking it. That would be horrible. Imagine the press I’d get if they found out I was faking a relationship.
Suddenly, things were looking a whole lot better.
She slid a plate in front of me before walking around the counter to sit next to me.
“After this I think we should probably go out somewhere.”
She swallowed her bite before responding. “Where?”
I shrugged. I hadn’t thought that far ahead. “Somewhere public.”
“So, they can get some pictures?”
“Yeah.” See she thought it was a good idea too. Probably.
“Sure, we should probably give them something, so they leave you alone sooner.”
I had wanted that up until about four minutes ago. Now I wanted them around. Then I would have an excuse for being close to her. I felt like an evil genius. My plan was coming together. Cue evil laughter.
Chapter Ten
Colby
After we ate and cleaned up the kitchen, we headed out. There was a park across the street we could go explore, but I think it was also to make sure the paps saw us.
“I’m going to get a coat.”
I waited for him by the door looking down at my boots and jeans. I’d put on my maroon pea coat, so hopefully it photographed well. I wished I could put on a cute outfit, but it was too cold. I grabbed a grey beanie and pulled that on.
“Ready?”
Noah looked great in his grey coat and black jeans. His body was really so close to perfection it was ridiculous. And unfair. Okay he worked hard for it, but I still envied him.
“Yeah let’s go.”
“Rem
ember the rules.”
He rolled his eyes. “How about we just wing it.”
He winked and turned. I followed him down the hall, and I may have glanced at his butt. Maybe. I would never admit it to anyone, but I couldn't help it. He was more than cute like I’d told him.
“Do you think they’re out there?” I looked through the glass to the street but didn’t see anyone.
“Hopefully.” He slipped his hand into mine and pulled me to the doors. I looked down at our conjoined hands, not quite sure how I felt about it.
His calloused fingers felt foreign, but familiar at the same time. Like something I wanted to know. It was almost too much to take in. I couldn’t pull away though. Especially if there were cameras around. I didn’t want them to think we weren’t anything but the perfect couple.
We stepped out and the cold air slapped me in the face. Yes, walking in the park was a wonderful idea.
It hadn’t snowed recently, but there was just enough snow and ice on the sidewalk to make walking an extreme sport.
“I’ve got you.” I looked up to see him smiling down at me with a look I hadn’t seen before. It was more than kind. More than friendship.
I smiled and looked away.
“Noah.”
“Mr. Malkin.”
“Who’s with you?”
There they were. Within a few steps we were surrounded by at least eight cameras and people shouting at him.
“Hi. This is my girlfriend.”
I cringed. What happened to the no comment policy? I guess we were making the declaration.
“What’s her name?”
I squeezed his hand. This was it. Within hours they’d know everything about me. I’d gone through my electronic footprint and cleaned up anything I didn't want to get out and made sure there was no mention of me working with Noah. Just previous clients. I hoped they wouldn’t make the connection.
“This is Colby. We’re actually headed for a walk.” He started walking, keeping me close to his side. The group spread and followed us across the street. I knew we should be talking. It would seem weird if we walked in silence, but I didn’t know what to say. The feeling of being watched was something new for me.
Line Change: Utah Fury Hockey Book Three Page 7