Sophie begins to explain what we need to the half-naked boys and they agree straight away before huddling around for a photo. “Hold on,” Tank calls. “We’re missing Miller.”
A few of the boy’s moan and tells us to get on with it, but Tank insists we wait. After all, Miller is the captain and what locker room photo would be complete without the captain?
Not two minutes later, Miller walks out of the bathroom, just showered with his towel wrapped around his narrow waist, giving me the perfect view of his toned chest and abs that lead down to the perfect mouth-watering ‘V’. Drops of water glisten off his perfect body and heat begins to flood in my stomach as an intense need comes over me. I raise my eyes instantly locking on his and I realize I’ve been caught checking him out. He smirks at me but goes to join the boys.
I raise my camera and take a few shots, some with the boys posing but some just natural, which to me, comes off a lot sexier. “Ok, thanks, guys,” I say, placing the cap back on the lens. “You can get dressed now.”
I scramble as I try to flee the locker room. “Dani,” I stop in my tracks and turn to figure out which of these sexy men is pinning my attention. I look around and find none other than Miller’s eyes on me, indicating with a slight jerk of his head for me to join him. I walk over and stand before him, very aware that he’s still glistening with water that slowly drips from his dark hair and is wearing nothing but a very loose towel.
“Like what you see?” he smirks as he reaches into his locker and pulls out a sharpie.
I make a show of looking him over then give a non-committed shrug. “Nah… seen better,” I tell him.
“I doubt that,” he says with his dark eyes flaming. He takes my arm and it sends shivers right through my body. I watch in confusion as he uncaps his sharpie and begins scribbling his number right down the length of my arm.
“What do you think you’re doing?” I shriek, pulling my arm out of his firm grasp and fixing him with an unimpressed look, while simultaneously ignoring the way his intense eyes bore into mine. I look down at my forearm to see the first half of his number, taking up at least half of my arm.
“What does it look like I’m doing? I’m giving you my number,” he says smugly.
“You know, there are much more conventional ways to give a woman your number,” I explain.
“No, this way you can’t tell me you lost it,” he smirks, then reaches out, taking my hand in his and finishes it off. “Call me,” he demands once he has completed branding my arm. Geez, this guy comes on strong.
“Don’t think so,” I say, enjoying the way his eyes dance as he watches me.
“You will,” he smirks with confidence. I give him one last smile and turn my back, making my way out of the locker room.
“Hey,” he calls, I turn back around just in time to see him drop his towel to the ground, an evil smirk dances on his handsome face and I can’t help but look down. My eyes widen in shock. Wow. He is one glorious man. “See you around.”
I feel my cheeks flame as need rushes through me once again. I find myself stuttering like a fool. “Yeah,” I say, which comes out extremely breathy and I swear, there may have been a little moan. Crap. I need to get out of here before I jump him. How embarrassing. He smirks again at my reaction as I scurry out the door and run head first into Sophie.
“Watch it. What’s the hurry? I’m dying to get back in there,” she laughs.
“Oh, shut it. I just got flashed by the captain and he branded me with his number,” I say holding up my arm.
“Damn, you work fast, he’s hot. When are you calling him?” she asks, grabbing my camera and flicking through all our photos, then going back to the last ones and zooming in.
“I’m not calling him. He’s the biggest player on campus,” I tell her.
“What? That’s ridiculous,” she says, then her eyes widen as if she has just discovered a secret. “Did he not have a lot to show for himself? I’m surprised. You know, maybe he is a grower, not a shower.”
“Oh my, god, shut up. And for the record, I was extremely impressed with what I saw. I’m just not ready to date, not after what happened with Brett.”
“Whoa, slow down, cowgirl. Who said anything about dating? Whatever happened to just sex? I’m sure he would be down for that, actually, I’m certain he’d be down for that. I bet he’s the bomb in bed,” she says looking extremely smug.
“No, you know I can’t do that,” I tell her. “Sex for me is more than just a quick pump and dump. There has to be a connection. I’m a relationship girl, not a ‘one nighter’ like you.”
“Hey, don’t knock it till you’ve tried it,” she grins.
“Yeah, that’s never going to happen,” I scoff. “Now, what do you think of the photos? I think we have heaps to get the first story out, though, I liked the idea of the ‘Hockey Hottie of the Week Bio,” I add.
“Yeah, I liked that too. Did you just come up with that one? I don’t remember talking about it before.”
“Yeah, it just kind of popped into my mind, so I rolled with it. Maybe we should start with the newbies, leave the more popular guys till their following is back.”
“I agree,” she says. “Now let’s get home so we can show Jared all these photos. He’s going to die when he sees this.”
---------
I get home and make my way down to my bedroom as I dig my phone out of my bag. I make myself comfy on my bed and bring up my mother’s number.
“Dani Bear, how are you?” my mother’s shrill, excited voice beams after the second ring. “When are you coming home? We miss you,” she says as I hear Dad calling out hello in the background. God, I miss them. It must have been Christmas when I last saw them and even that nearly sent me broke.
“Hi Mom,” I smile. “Miss you too. Hopefully, I can make it home in the next few weeks.”
“That would be great, darling. How're your classes going?” she asks, falling into our usual weekly conversation.
“Yeah, so far so good. We got this huge assignment in Communications that’s worth fifty percent of our grade and I’m paired with Sophie, which is great. The only downfall is that we’re stuck being the hockey team groupies for the year.”
“Really?” she asks interested and I can practically hear the smile in her voice. I imagine her flopping down on her old couch, her dark hair high up on her head. “Why do you make it sound like such a bad thing? I bet there are a lot of good-looking boys on that team. Have you met them yet?”
“Mom,” I groan. “I’m not interested,” I tell her, giving the little white lie as I haven’t been able to get the image of Miller Cain dropping his towel out of my mind. “I told you, I’m not dating and even if I were, it’s not going to be one of those guys, no matter how hot they are.”
“Come on, darling, don’t you think it’s about time you got back on the horse?” she asks.
I put my phone down and hit speaker as I make my way across my room to pull out my nail polishes. “No mom, I don’t. Why are we having this conversation again? You know how I feel about all this.”
“Baby,” she scolds. “It’s been months since you left Brett, maybe finding someone new will be good for you. Dating is healthy.” Damn it, why did she have to go and bring up Brett.
“No mom, I don’t think so. It’s way too soon. I just want to enjoy being single. If the right guy comes along, then he comes along, but until then, I’m not actively searching for him,” I say, searching through the polishes and pulling out my favorite red and get to work.
“Why do you have to be so difficult? You get that from your father, you know?” she laughs “But one day, whether you like it or not, some amazing guy is going to come along and sweep you off your feet. I just hope you’re open to it when he does.”
“I know, mom,” I grumble with an eye roll.
“You better not be rolling your eyes at me, Missy,” she says.
“I’m not,” I laugh as I move onto my other foot.
We chat for
another half hour discussing classes and the assignment when I hear Jared getting home.
She doesn’t let me hang up until I’ve promised to send her the pictures from the boy’s locker room which is exactly what I do.
I hop up, hoping my nails have fully dried and make my way into the kitchen, following the enticing smell of Chinese food.
“Yum,” I say, making my presence known, noticing Jared and his boyfriend, Ashton, sitting up on the counter. “God, I hope that’s to share,” I say as my tummy begins to rumble.
“Girl, I know better than to come home without bringing you ladies dinner,” Jared smirks.
“I thank God for you every day, Jared,” I say, crossing the kitchen and wrapping my body around his in the tightest hug.
“Shut up and dig in,” he laughs, pulling a clean plate out of the dishwasher behind him.
“What’s that smell?” I hear Sophie call from her bedroom.
“Get your skinny ass out here,” I yell back. “The boys bought us Chinese.”
She comes rushing down the hallway in nothing but her pajama shorts and hot pink bra. She smirks when she sees the plate Jared has just retrieved for her and grabs it enthusiastically. “What do you say to a movie night?” she asks the room.
“I’m in,” Ashton pipes up, hopping off the counter and making his way into the living room, being sure to smack Jared on the ass on his way past. We all follow behind with our dinner and flop down on the couch.
“This is amazing,” Sophie grumble’s as she stuffs a forkful into her mouth.
“Mmmm,” I agree, shovelling in my own.
Jared places his plate down on the coffee table and heads down the hallway, coming back a minute later with pillows and blankets. He heads over to our shockingly poor DVD collection before turning back at us. “It’s either The Notebook or Burlesque?” he asks.
“Burlesque,” we all say in unison, though Sophie and I grumble it with full mouths.
He laughs and gets on with loading the DVD. “You bitches are going to give yourselves muffin tops if you keep eating like that.”
“Don’t stress,” Sophie smirks. “I get enough action to have to worry about a muffin top.”
“Oh, and what about you?” Ashton asks me with eyebrows raised.
“I’m fine,” I huff, earning a scoff from both Sophie and Jared. “What? I am.”
“You’re not, babe,” Sophie says. “But you will be if Miller Cain has anything to do with it.”
Chapter 4
Miller
Why hasn’t she called me yet? This is ridiculous and definitely not how this game is played. I give a girl my number and she calls me the next day. Simple. But no, this chick has got me so wound up with her rejection, it’s killing me. I mean, Miller Cain does not get rejected. It’s just fact. She hasn’t even sent a text telling me to fuck off, that I can work with, but radio silence is not going to help me get her into my bed.
It’s been a few days since Dani first graced us with her presence and so far, the girls have come to a few of our training sessions. I must admit, I’m enjoying their audience and I know the rest of the guys are too. They have all been killing it during practice, giving one hundred and ten percent and I know for a fact that’s not because they're listening to Coach’s demands.
The girls have been keeping to themselves so far, sitting up in the grandstand taking photos and scribbling notes before packing up and heading out. They even took Johnny for an interview for their ‘Hockey Hottie of the week’ Bio, and man, I have never seen a kid look so stoked about chatting with a bunch of girls. They really must have worked their magic on him.
I know I’ve got Dani’s attention, but whenever I glance her way she makes a show of being busy, searching through her bag or taking another pic. But I don’t get it, she didn’t strike me as shy that first day, so there’s another reason she’s avoiding me and don’t doubt me, I will figure it out.
I sit with Tank as our business professor wraps up the lecture. I grab my bag from the floor and begin to stuff my pens and notepad inside. “What’s the plan for tonight?” Tank asks, getting up from his seat.
“Don’t know,” I say following him out of the room. “Maybe a few drinks at Micky’s. I was planning on hitting up the gym early in the morning,” I add, thinking a quiet one at our local bar would probably be the best idea.
“Cool. I might hit the gym with you.”
“What? You never go to the gym on a Saturday. What’s the deal? No date tonight?” I ask, glancing at him out the corner of my eye.
“Nah, man, not tonight.”
We walk out of the building and cross the campus in search for some lunch when a head of thick golden hair darts into a café. “Let’s go in here,” I tell Tank, turning into the café without a backwards glance.
Tank grunts in disapproval behind me as I know he hates this café after he spent four days hunched over the toilet when he ate their chicken sandwich last year. But, fuck him, I’m not letting this opportunity go to waste.
We enter the café and I watch as Dani gives her order then steps off to the side to wait. I make my way up to the counter and order a coffee and salad, hoping that shit won’t make me sick. I pay my bill while I watch her out the corner of my eye and notice the exact moment she realizes I’m here. She gasps and quickly turns away, making a show of studying the artworks on the wall as if she hasn’t seen me.
I make my way over and notice how her jeans are perfectly plastered to her skin. I come right up behind her, close enough that she can feel the heat from my body and gently place my hands on her hips. I slide them up under her shirt, letting them rest against her firm waist. I give a little squeeze and watch as a shiver takes over her body, leaving goose bumps across her creamy skin. God, I’ve been needing to touch this skin, to feel it’s smoothness under my fingers. I gently pull her into me and whisper in her ear. “You never called.”
She takes a slow deliberate breath as a satisfied smile rips across my face. Yeah, she wants me. “I lost your number,” she explains.
Nah, there’s no way. I made sure that number wasn’t coming off. Hell, I used permanent marker just to be sure. I reach around her sexy body and take her hand in mine, holding it out while I use my other hand to slide her sleeve up to her elbow. “You’re a liar,” I tell her, as I see a slightly faded version of my number, which I must say, is still clear as day.
“Oh, I didn’t see that there,” she smiles, knocking me right off my feet with her beauty.
I tug her sleeve back down into place and turn her in my arms. She looks up at me, her green eyes confused and unsure. Her eyes lower to my lips then dart back to my eyes. I smirk at her, knowing I have an effect on her and lower my face, stopping an inch from her lips, an open invitation if she wants it, all she would have to do is take it. She catches her breath, “Come to my place tonight, we’re having a party.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” she tells me.
“Baby, it’s the best idea. Besides, the whole team will be there, it would be good for your assignment if you knew us all on a more… personal level.”
She cringes as she realizes I’m right and I know I’ve drawn her in. She gazes at my lips once more and I’m almost sure she’s about to kiss me when the barista calls her name, making her jump in my arms. Damn it, what I wouldn’t do to feel her lips on mine. She lets out a small huff. “Fine, we’ll be there,” she says, stepping out of my arms. She turns her back on me and grabs her coffee, looking back once before heading out the door.
My coffee and salad come up next and I grab them and turn to find Tank starting at me. “What the fuck was that?” he asks.
I shrug my shoulders and pull my phone from my pocket to send a group text.
Miller – Party at my place. Get your asses there and help me clean up. Bring booze.
Tank pulls out his phone and reads over the message, shaking his head at the same time. “You’ve got it bad for this chick.”
“I do
n’t,” I tell him. “I just want to get her in bed.”
“Nah man, that’s bullshit. I haven’t seen you try this hard for a woman’s attention since we were freshmen. You’ve had your eyes glued to the grandstand all week.”
“You’re one to talk, you haven’t even looked at another woman since you were with Sophie.”
He shrugs and continues forward. “She’s in my head,” he confesses.
“What do you mean, ‘She’s in my head’? You like this chick?”
He scoffs at my question but grows serious a moment later. “Yeah, I think I do. I mean, don’t you think about having a serious girlfriend?”
“Girlfriend?” I ask in shock. “That’s not how we do things, bro,” I say, slapping him on the back. “We’re heading to the NHL. We don’t need chicks holding us back.”
He shakes his head at me once again. “I think you’re wrong. I think things are changing and I think this thing with Dani is about more than sex, you just haven’t realized it yet. As for me, I’m going after Sophie,” he smiles, proudly.
“Alright man,” I laugh in shock. “Tonight’s your night, Dani is bringing her along.”
He nods in understanding as we walk the rest of the way back to my place in silence. I contemplate what Tank has just told me. More than just sex? There’s no way. I did the whole girlfriend thing and to say that was a major fuck up would be an understatement. I don’t need that shit holding me down and besides, I’m heading to the NHL. Who knows where I’ll even be next year.
We get back to my place where I find a few of the boys waiting out front for us. “Alright, we’ve got a few hours to make me not look like a lazy ass slob. Get to work,” I say unlocking the door and letting everyone in. “Oh, and get the word out, this is going to be the best party this campus has ever seen.”
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