“Selene,” she starts. “Which one do you like better?” Her eyes widen a little as another voice speaks.
“I like the one on the left. Don’t you, Selene?” Brody asks from behind me.
Great. I’ve been spotted! I withhold my sigh and turn around. “Brody, what a surprise. I’m just tagging along with my friend, Allison.”
“Nice to meet you,” Allison says, holding out her hand, which Brody shakes.
“You too. You know, Selene, you pop up everywhere I go.” He’s smiling slightly, like now he finds it funny. “First the diner, then my bushes, and now here.”
“Your bushes?” Allison questions with a laugh.
I look at her over my shoulder. “I was trying to get Bonkers.” Facing Brody, I add, “Allison is here shopping for a birthday present for her dad. Didn’t we establish that I’m not a stalker already? In fact, if I was going to stalk someone, I would pick Kris Miller. He seems like more fun.” I pat his shoulder before walking past him. “Let’s check out, Allison.”
She follows me with the tie that Brody picked to the cashier. While he rings her up, she looks over her shoulder and giggles. “You totally stumped him, Selene. He almost looked confused that you would pick the defenseman over him. That was good, girl.”
“Good. I had to say something. I do keep running into him, though. At least he doesn’t seem as freaked out anymore.”
We finish up in the store and on the way out, she says, “Why didn’t you tell me he found you in his bushes?” She starts cracking up again.
“It was embarrassing and he scared the crap out of me. Then he looked all smug when Bonkers came to him and not me. I didn’t need to relive that.”
After another round of laughs, she lets it go. We decide to eat out and Allison starts to tell me about how since it’s a big birthday for her dad, they are planning a big surprise party for him. She suspects that he knows about it already though.
“Mom can’t keep a secret to save her life. I’m positive she’s somehow told him without meaning to. So he probably knows.”
“Yeah, but he’ll act surprised, won’t he?”
She nods. “He’ll put on a show for Mom to let her think he’s really shocked.”
“That’s sweet.” When Allison starts talking about the holidays, I stop her. “It’s October. There’s still Halloween and then Thanksgiving, and you’re already talking about Christmas?”
“Hey, it’s the perfect time! It’s a busy time of year that needs lots of planning and preparation.”
“Well, we’re not putting a tree up in the office until a week after Thanksgiving.”
“A week? You’re crazy.” She laughs.
“Maybe so. I should get going, though. Bonkers has been home by himself enough for today.”
We pay for our dinner and then go our separate ways with Allison calling after me to stay out of Brody’s bushes. I shake my head at her. There’s no way she’ll ever forget that. When I get home, Bonkers starts running around like crazy. Back and forth from the living room to the kitchen and then in circles around me.
“What is wrong with you?” I ask as I open the back door to let him out. He runs in wide circles before finally going to take care of business. It feels pretty good outside, so I go inside, grab something to drink and a ball to toss, and I go back out to sit in the chair. Bonkers runs up to me as he catches sight of the ball in my hand. His tail is wagging furiously. “Wanna play?”
He barks, and I throw the ball across the yard. He darts after it.
“Wow, you throw like a girl,” Brody’s voice carries from his porch to mine.
“How do you suggest I throw it then?” I ask, tossing it for Bonkers once more.
“Better than that. Did you have fun shopping today? Or were you plotting a plan to stalk Kris? Should I warn him?” He wears a faint smile.
“Yes, I had fun shopping and plotting my plans. Don’t warn him. Surprises are more fun. Did you have a good time at the mall or were you too disappointed that I wasn’t stalking you?”
“Oh, I’m truly heartbroken. It’s been my lifelong dream to have a stalker. I mean, who doesn’t love Misery?”
I laugh. “Sorry to be a disappointment then. Are you all settled in now, liking the neighborhood sans stalker, and all that jazz?”
“Well, that gives me hope that you’re not looking in my windows. Because if you were, you would already know that I haven’t unpacked anything, except things I need right now. I’m hoping to get it done soon.”
“Next time, I’ll peek through the windows then. It’s quicker if you get a friend to help, you know. That’s what I did when I moved here.” Bonkers decides he’s done playing as he lays down and gnaws on the ball.
“Well, most of the guys are busy. I’m scared to bring Kris around since you’re stalking him now, and the chick I’m banging has probably never done manual labor in her life. Are you volunteering?” Brody tilts his head.
“Are you asking? Because I would have thought you’d be too scared to let me inside being a stalker and all.” I quirk an eyebrow at him.
“Not if it gets me some help. I could use the free labor.”
“Free?” I scoff. “I’ll need some sort of compensation for my troubles. An autographed jersey? You could dogsit Bonkers one night? Or both.” I smile, waiting to see if he’ll take the bait.
“Deal. I will get you a jersey, and you can have a free evening of dogsitting from yours truly. There is a catch though.”
“What’s that?”
“If you try to hobble me, I will be very, very upset.”
What? “I have no clue what you’re talking about.”
“See, you just proved to me that you’re not a very good stalker. All real stalkers know that part of the movie. Tomorrow good for you to help or can you do it now?”
“Now works fine. Do you care if Bonkers comes? He’s been by himself quite a bit today and I’d hate to leave him again.” I look over at Bonkers while he rolls onto his back, his paws almost holding the ball in his mouth.
“Bonkers is more than welcome to come.”
Bonkers and I walk over and Brody wasn’t kidding. He’s barely unpacked. When we enter the living room, his TV catches my eye again.
“Wow,” I whisper, picking up the remote to turn it on. “I bet this is perfect for watching the games.” Sure enough when it powers on completely, it’s crisp and as good as I thought.
“Hey, you’re helping me unpack. Not watching TV.”
I turn it off as Bonkers gets comfortable on his couch. “I know that. Just wanted to see for myself. Where should we start?”
“Here.”
We begin opening boxes and I ask Brody where he wants his stuff, but he just shrugs and tells me to put most of it wherever it looks like it should go. So that’s what I do, setting things here and there. But when I pull out a photo album, I’m so, so, so tempted to look. The thought of cracking this open and seeing all the pictures inside is seducing me by the second as I stare at the plain black cover.
“Selene?”
I look up at the sound of Brody’s voice. Apparently, I’ve been idle for too long. “Sorry. Where would you like this?” I ask, holding it up for him to see, even though he’s standing in front of me, so he already knows what it is.
Brody slowly smiles. “You want to look, don’t you? Are you having to fight your stalker tendencies, Selene?”
“What? No. I don’t want to look. You’re enjoying this too much, you know.” I walk away from him with the album and set it on the shelf underneath his coffee table. Brody chuckles when I go back to unpacking, ignoring him in the process. We finish with the living room soon after and move to more boxes. I go to open the next one, but Brody places his hand on mine to stop me.
“I have to warn you.” He grins.
“About?”
“This is all my hockey-related stuff and a few more photo albums. Sure you can handle that?”
I glare at him. “Go to your own boxes, Br
ody.”
He laughs, but he does go. The first box has two, thick photo albums in it. When I pick one of them up, a picture falls out. I retrieve it to see two of the cutest little boys I’ve ever seen, balancing on a man’s shoulder, obviously their father. The heat from Brody’s body hits me as his breath tickles my neck before he speaks.
“You couldn’t resist, could you?” He laughs.
“Ha. Ha. Is this you and your brother?” I ask, even though I know it has to be.
“Yep. We were four, I think.”
“Y’all are so adorable.” I look from the picture up at Brody. “What happened to you?”
“What?” He takes the picture and walks around to the other side of the box so he’s standing in front of me. “Are you trying to say that I’m not adorable anymore?” He grins.
Nope. Not adorable. He’s downright gorgeous, especially with that smile. I snatch the picture from him, open the album, and stick it inside. “No, you’re not. All that hockey is actually working against you.” He laughs, like he knows I’m lying through my teeth. But now, all I can think about is how good he looks, so I add, “It’s getting a little late. I should probably go.”
“Right. Thanks for your help. Let me know when you need me for Bonkers and I’ll work on that jersey.”
“Thanks. Make sure it’s your jersey and that Kris signs it.”
Brody chuckles as he walks me to the door. “I’ll see what I can do. Good night, Selene.”
“Night, Brody.”
Chapter Six
Brody
“Okay, I have two questions. One, why am I signing a jersey with your name on it? Two, why the hell is your stalker helping you unpack?” Kris and I are in the media room. I told him about Selene helping me last night.
“Well, one, she asked. Two, have you ever heard the old saying ‘keep your friends close and your enemies closer’?”
“So, she’s an enemy?” Kris looks confused as he puts the cap on his Sharpie.
“Well, no. Actually, I had fun with her last night.” I really did. She was funny, and I couldn’t help stealing glances at her. She’s beautiful.
“I’m so confused. First, she a stalker, now she’s a ‘friend’.”
I don’t want to talk to him about it anymore, so I ignore him. “Thanks for signing this.” I pick up the jersey and head out. I drive over to my favorite sandwich shop to grab something to eat.
As I sit there, eating my meatball sub, I think about Selene. Okay, she does have stalking tendencies, but she was good company last night. It was nice to have someone to joke around with and have around the house. Overall, I think she is simply a true fan.
Just then my phone alerts of a text message.
Jessica: I’m missing you between my legs
Well, shit. I lost my appetite and toss down my sandwich. Is it too much to find a nice girl? I don’t mind sexting every once in a while, but I don’t want someone to be so crass.
Jessica: I have a couple hours free. Wanna to come to my apartment?
Getting laid wouldn’t be a bad thing. I haven’t had any in a while. I’m not that far from her place either. I go back and forth in my head, trying to figure out if I should or shouldn’t. I finally cave.
Me: Be there in 15
I throw away my stuff and drive over to her place. When I knock on her door, Jessica opens it in nothing but her naked skin.
“You answer the door like this all the time?” I ask.
“Don’t you wish you knew the answer to that.” She steps to the side, and I walk in. I turn around and she is on me. She shoves her tongue down my throat, and I almost gag.
I push her off of me. “You think I could take off my coat?” She gives me a sexy smile and begins to tug on my belt. Well, I guess my jacket is staying on. “Hey, Jessica, come on. Are you in that big of a rush?” I move her hands away.
She rolls her eyes and flips her hair. “Look, I’m horny and I would like to have sex with my boyfriend sometime soon.”
“Boyfriend? Who the fuck is your boyfriend?” I didn’t know that she was seeing someone else too. Although, I’m not really shocked.
“You are.”
“What?” I shout. “You’ve got to be kidding.”
She steps back, crosses her arms, and stares at me. “Um, no, I’m not. We’ve been seeing each other for a few months now.”
“I didn’t get that memo and there is no fucking way I told you I wanted to be in a relationship. All we are doing is fucking, that’s it. You’re not my girlfriend.”
“Are you serious?” She actually looks shocked, like this wasn’t known to her before.
“Oh, I’m dead serious. Look, it’s been fun, but I’m done. Thanks.” I walk to the door and leave her standing there with her mouth hanging open.
When I make it back to my car, I’m shaking my head. How do I get myself into these situations? Jessica is someone I would never introduce to my family. I push her out of my mind. Until my phone begins to buzz. I look at the text messages from Jessica. She’s pretty much calling me every bad name she can think of, and some other colorful expressions. I throw my phone in the passenger seat and drive home.
I pull into my driveway and see the jersey. A small smile creeps on my face. I pick it up, along with my phone, and jump out of the car. I get up to her front door and knock, realizing that I’ve never been to her home before.
“Hey, Brody.” She looks at me puzzled.
“Hey, Selene. I wanted to drop of this off.” I hand her the jersey. She carefully checks it out and sees that Kris signed it.
“Oh my God.” She throws her head back and laughs. “Well, looks like I have a piece of unique merchandise of the Mustangs. Thanks, Brody.”
“You’re welcome.” I turn to leave.
“Brody, would you like to come in and have a drink?” I cock one of my eyebrows at her. “I googled ‘hobble’. Don’t worry, I don’t own any tools.”
It’s my turn to bust out in a laugh. “Sure, I’ve had a rough day anyway.”
She steps back, and I walk in. Her house is about the same size as mine. The one thing I notice is, this is definitely a girl’s house. Poor Bonkers, I thought. I follow her into the kitchen, and she hands me a beer.
I sit at her table, and she sits next to me with a beer in her hand. Bonkers comes up and sits down by my feet. I lean down and pat him. She and I sit there for a moment not saying anything.
“So, how bad was your day?” she asks.
“The chick I was banging thought I was her boyfriend. I got the hell out of there as fast as I could.” I gulp my beer down, thinking about Jessica.
“Did you tell her that it was only sex?”
“Yes, I make that clear to every girl.”
“Some girls just don’t get it.” She shakes her head, sipping her beer.
“Oh, are you saying that you get the boundaries?” I inquire. I don’t think Selene is that type of girl.
“I do. I had a friend with benefits in college. It was simple and easy. He did his thing, and I did mine. We would contact each other, hook up, and that was it.”
Well, color me shocked. “I have to say, I’m very surprised.”
“Well, I only did it with that one guy. Plus, I’m sure my number isn’t even close to your number, captain Ross,” she says with a serious face.
“How do you know what my number is?” I give her a small smile.
She laughs. “Um, hello, you’re Brody Ross. You’ve been named the hottest athlete more than once. Trust me, I know your number is up there.”
She may be right. Though. my number isn’t too bad compared to other players. “Want to guess?”
“Ha, no. I don’t want to guess.” She sips her beer again.
“I’ll make you a bet.” I’m playing with fire, but I see the blush on her cheeks, and I’m wondering how far I can push her. “If you guess my number, I’ll get you tickets in the glass section.” I lean in. “With the rich people.”
“That’s v
ery nice, but I always sit in my seats. Always,” she says firmly. She stands and goes to the sink. I think I’ve hurt her feelings, like the other night. I stand and go to her. She smiles at me.
“Did I offend you with the sex talk? I figure since you’re my stalker, it was okay.”
She giggles and tucks her hair behind her ear. “I’m stalking Miller, remember?”
“That’s right.” I nod. Standing this close to her, I smell the same soft flower scent that she wore yesterday. Her dark hair is shiny, and I keep staring at her dark eyes. An idea pops in my head.
“Why are you staring at me?” She actually steps back from me.
“We’re friends, right?”
“Considering you think I’m a stalker, sure, we’re friends.” She rolls her eyes.
I chuckle. “And you said that you’ve done the friends with benefits before?”
She scrunches her eyebrows together. “Yeah. Where are you going with this?”
“Well, you’re not seeing anyone. I’m definitely not seeing anyone. We’re both friends. So, we could conclude that we should be friends with extra perks.”
She stares at me like I’ve lost my mind. “Are you kidding?”
“I think it’s logical, and we live close to each other. We both understand the situation. It’s perfect.” I smile at her. I really hope that she would go for this idea. I need to get laid, and I wouldn’t mind seeing her naked. Her curves are killing me.
“You thought I was a stalker the other day, and now you want to be my fuck buddy?” She crosses her arms.
“Okay, so I may have jumped to conclusions on the whole stalking thing, but think of the outcome?” I wag my eyebrows at her.
“Brody, I’m not sure what to say. I mean I’m flattered, but-” I cut her off by grabbing the back of her neck and kissing her. Her soft lips turn me on a little bit. I don’t know why I decided to kiss her, but it’s the only way to convince her this is a good idea.
I brush my tongue across her lips. When she opens her mouth, I drive my tongue into her mouth. She moans and pulls herself closer to me. Bonker starts barking at our feet, and she breaks our kiss. She stares at me, wide eyed.
A Hockey Player's Proposal (Oh Captain, My Captain #2) Page 3