by Steph
He almost asked if she wanted to go for coffee at the all-night diner he’d noticed down the street but figured he’d be pushing his luck. Instead, he nodded and stood.
“Guess I should get some sleep before practice tomorrow morning. Then I need to get to the store for food. I swear Justin exists solely on eggs and bread.”
She stood, slipping on her coat and grabbing her purse from her chair, then hesitated, her teeth lodging in her lip. She looked like she was going to say something then thought better of it.
He really wanted to know what she’d been going to say but kept his mouth shut. So he followed her out of the bar after slipping the bartender another ten and walked her to her car in silence.
There wasn’t much traffic along Penn Avenue at one in the morning so they stopped by her car. Looking up at him with a smile that made his breath catch in his lungs, she jangled her keys in her hand.
“Thanks for the cake and the wine. Much better than anything I had at home. And for the discussion. I love to talk hockey but I guess you could tell.”
“Hey, I owe you for keeping me company tonight. So I guess I’ll see you at the arena Sunday.”
He wanted to ask her what she was doing tomorrow, wanted to ask her out to lunch, dinner, drinks, whatever. But he knew he’d be pushing her so he didn’t.
“I’ll be there. I usually work on setting up player appearances on Mondays.” Her eyes widened and she grabbed his forearm and gave him a little shake. “Oh! Which reminds me. Are you willing to do a children’s ward visit Tuesday? Several of the guys are on board but I didn’t have a chance to ask you yet. And I know it’s short notice but I’d really love to have as many guys there as we can.”
Hell, he’d agree to anything so long as she touched his arm and stared into his eyes while she asked.
“Sure. But that means I have to do wash tomorrow or I won’t have any clothes to wear.”
She blinked and he wished like hell that he could read her mind because whatever she’d just thought must have been fascinating. He swore she blushed but with the light from the streetlamp, he couldn’t be sure.
Was she thinking about him without clothes? Or was he just delusional?
Probably the last.
Then she smiled. “Great! That’s great. Thanks. I’ll put you down and text you the details.” She snatched her hand back like she’d been burned. Or like she’d remembered she was touching him. “Good night, Will.”
“Night, Jess.”
Her smile stayed with him while she drove away.
* * * * *
“Yes, of course, Mrs. Lease. I’ll make sure you can get into the suite earlier in the day so you can decorate. And the mascot will be there to deliver your grandson’s cake. I just need the bakery’s number so I can talk to them about delivery.”
Jess ended the call Saturday morning with Dylan Lease’s grandmother with a promise that everything would be perfect. The entire Lease clan of fifty would be gathering to celebrate the youngest grandson’s birthday tomorrow and Angela Lease had spared no expense to make sure it would be memorable.
The little boy had had one hell of a year between his eighth and ninth birthdays, including being treated for spinal meningitis and spending five months in the hospital after complications.
While he was in the hospital, he’d met a few of the players from the team, who’d promised him an awesome game when he was well enough to attend. Jake Mozik had become especially close with the little boy and had invited Dylan onto the bench for warm-ups and set up a visit to the locker room after the game, as well.
This was the part of her job she loved more than anything and it was the number one reason why she’d hate to make a move up the chain. Of course, she wanted a better position. But with that move came other considerations. Like the fact that she wouldn’t be helping to plan children’s birthday parties.
No, she’d spend more time dealing with crowds of rowdy salesmen who drank too much and corporate businessmen who also drank too much and expected much more in return for their money than a visit to the locker room and a cake.
She’d heard stories from the female office staff at the NHL level. Not about their bosses but about the increased hassle from corporate sponsors. Still, it hadn’t stopped her from applying for a recent opening in the Colonials marketing department.
No one at the Redtails knew she’d applied for the position. Her secret wouldn’t keep for long and she was dreading the moment her boss found out, but it wouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone who knew her. She had a plan.
With a sigh, she pushed out of her chair and headed for the concourse. She’d been sitting for the past two hours and needed to stretch her legs.
And yes, if that meant she could catch the last few minutes of practice, all the better. She needed to head down to the locker room anyway to talk to Jake about tomorrow before he left for the day.
And if she ran into Will… Well, that’d be okay too.
She’d spent most of this morning thinking about him. And spent the rest of the time telling herself she shouldn’t be thinking about him.
After a lap around the concourse, she couldn’t help herself. She stopped at an entrance and walked out into the seats.
The sound of blades cutting through the ice and the yells of the guys as they worked on a passing drill were familiar, almost soothing. Then she heard Coach Scott call the guys in to talk.
She caught sight of Will immediately. He’d taken off his helmet and that hair was unmistakable. Wet as it was with sweat and the water he’d dumped over his head, it hung around his face in wavy strands until he shoved his fingers through it and pushed it away from his face with one hand.
The bruise on his jaw did nothing at all to detract from his handsome face. Her gaze traced all the sharp angles and curves as muscles low in her body clenched and ached.
Sighing, she crossed her arms over breasts that also ached.
Okay, this was getting out of hand. She should head back to her office and make a few final checks before she left for the rest of the day. Since they had no game tonight, she really didn’t need to be here today but this job was not a nine-to-five position and she’d known that when she took it.
Her conversation with Will from last night popped into her head, all that talk about her enjoying her job. She hadn’t been lying.
But wouldn’t it be amazing to follow in Dad’s footsteps? To become the first female scout in professional men’s hockey?
Never going to happen.
Sighing heavily, she shook her head and was about to turn when Will looked up and caught her eye. Had he known she was there all this time? Or had he happened to look up at the right time?
She couldn’t help herself. She smiled back and was rewarded with another one of those amazing, stomach-clenching, all-out grins.
Would it really be that bad to have a fling with the hot new player? A man who intrigued the hell out of her and made every nerve ending in her body tingle with excitement just by looking at her?
That kind of man was dangerous to a girl with plans, especially a player like Will, who’d bounced all over the league for his entire career. An affair with him would be doomed to failure because they’d always be going in different directions.
But damn, it’d be fun while it lasted.
He continued to smile at her until the team started to head off the ice and Jake elbowed him, drawing his attention away from her to give Jake a shove. She left before he could mesmerize her again.
She had work to do and it wasn’t getting done like this.
* * * * *
“You work fast, my new friend.”
Will pulled on his t-shirt and ignored Jake. Probably best not to give in to temptation and tell the younger guy to back the hell off. If he did, he’d have the entire team on his ass, wanting to know what was up. And he knew Jess wouldn’t want that.
“Not that I disapprove. I have a feeling you will not be joining us for lunch today.”
&
nbsp; Zipping up his jeans, he sat on the bench to pull on his boots. “Didn’t know there was lunch.”
“Yes, most of the team gets together for lunch after practice on Tuesday to discuss upcoming week but because we are going to hospital Tuesday, we moved lunch to Saturday. Mostly we bullshit but we do discuss some team business so we want to make sure you knew.”
Well, fuck. That threw a wrench in his plans. He’d been about to head up to the main level so he could talk to Jess and convince her to go out to lunch with him. He figured that was less threatening than asking her to dinner, which would feel a hell of a lot more like a date.
Which is exactly what it would be.
But that wasn’t going to happen now because he needed to go to this lunch. Coach wanted him to be a leader so that meant spending time with the troops. Besides, he liked these guys.
But, dammit, he wanted to talk to Jess. He’d had a good practice and he was pumped. And then he’d caught her watching and now he wanted to talk to her, even if it was only for a few minutes.
“Where’s lunch? I’ll meet you there in a few minutes”
Jake’s grin widened and Will gave him a look that should’ve wiped it off his face. Instead, the guy had a death wish and winked at him.
“We go to the restaurant down the street, the one on the corner. You can meet us there. Unless you get better offer, of course.”
Will stood, smacked Jake on the back of the head then grabbed his coat. “I’ll see you there.”
“We will order without you.”
Will shot Jake the finger behind his back and took the stairs two at a time. Everyone else was either heading out the doors on the lower level or still in the locker room so no one questioned him.
He swallowed a smile as he hit the concourse, his stomach tight with anticipation. Totally ridiculous but he’d spent most of last night trying to figure out an excuse to talk to her today, so, yeah, he was excited.
And yeah, his excuse was flimsy as hell but he didn’t give a fuck. He only hoped she hadn’t left already and that no one else was in the office.
He didn’t quite get his wish.
“Oh, hey, Will. Can I help you with something?”
One of the interns, whose name he couldn’t remember, smiled at him with so many teeth showing, Will thought he was in a toothpaste commercial.
“No. I just need to talk to Miss Gardiner for a minute.”
“Sure. No problem.” An even bigger smile now. “She’s in her office.”
Will refrained from rolling his eyes because he couldn’t help thinking this kid looked to be about twelve. Damn, he was getting old.
“Thanks, Damien. You can take off for the day. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Okay. Thanks, Jess.”
And off he bounded, like a big puppy, straight out of the office.
Will turned back to Jess, letting his smile loose now.
“Are the interns getting younger or am I just that old?”
Her answering grin made that pit in his stomach expand. But now he realized that it wasn’t a pit. It was anticipation. And a shit-ton of desire.
“Maybe a little of both. That one’s only twenty. He’s a junior at Albright. He’s a great kid. He’s just…” she shrugged, “young. So, what can I do for you, Mr. MacDonald?”
Oh, there were so many things he could think of when she called him Mr. MacDonald in that tone but none of them he could say aloud. “Just checking in about Tuesday’s hospital visit. I hate leaving things ’til the last minute.”
“I was going to text you the details.” She glanced away for a second like she was embarrassed and he had a second to frown before she caught his gaze again. “I was waiting to see if you’d stop by after practice.”
His frown immediately became a grin as he leaned against the door jamb. “And here I am. So what else can I do for you?”
“Oh, I’m sure I’ll have more appearances for you to make. You’ve become pretty popular on our social media sites and you haven’t even been here a week. You’ve made a good impression on our fans.”
“Nice to hear. I’ve got Twitter but I never use the damn thing. Too much trouble.”
Damn, when she laughed, he wanted to kiss her. He figured that really wouldn’t go over well.
But he was getting close to the point where he wouldn’t care. Still, he knew she would, so he’d wait.
“It’s nice to keep in touch with the fans.” Her nose scrunched in the way that made him hot and hard. “When you’re winning. I don’t suggest you check it much when you’re losing or having a bad week. They can be pretty brutal.”
He shrugged. “I’ve got a thick skin and broad shoulders. I think I can take it.”
Her gaze slipped to his shoulders for a second before flipping back to his face. “I’m sure you can.”
Silence fell, not awkward but not exactly easy, either. Too much sexual tension for it to be easy.
If he didn’t get out of here now, he wasn’t going to make lunch with the team. And they should come first.
He pushed away from the frame. “So I’m meeting the team for lunch down the street. I better get going.”
Her smile widened. “They really must like you. It took the guys at least two weeks to invite Derek to the team lunch. Then again, it was Derek.”
As she rolled her eyes, he knew he wasn’t going to wait any more.
“Hey, let me buy you dinner tonight. You pick the place then you can show me where I should shop for food and stuff. I haven’t had a chance to stock up yet and I think Justin might shop at the closest convenience store.”
Okay, that was a total lie. Justin had given him the rundown on the closest places to get food. But one little white lie wasn’t going to damn him to hell. Besides, it was for a good cause.
Sucking in her bottom lip, he saw her teeth sink into the plump flesh, her indecision clear. He was about to press a little harder when she nodded with a smile.
“Sure. I can help with that. What time?”
He controlled the urge to do a victory fist pump. “Great. Justin and I are going to work out this afternoon after lunch so is six okay?”
“That’s fine. There’s a pizza place in the shopping complex that makes good pizza.”
He’d been thinking somewhere more intimate than a pizza joint but he could make do with baby steps. He had a foot in the door and that was more than he’d expected.
“Then I’ll pick you up at six. Text me your address along with the stuff for Tuesday.” He had to force himself to back out the door. “See you tonight.”
He turned before she saw the shit-eating grin on his face.
Chapter Five
“Best pizza I ever had was at a dive in Wilkes-Barre. They had this shifty-looking brick oven that looked like a twelve-year-old put it together—”
“Vito’s! Oh my god, yes! Dad took me there when I was in high school. I can’t believe it’s still there.”
As they stopped at a red light, Will glanced over at Jess as she continued to talk about some out-of-the-way pizza joint, grinning at the wide smile on her face. He should’ve known she’d have heard about Vito’s.
Just proved they were meant to be together, he’d decided.
They’d spent the past three hours in ongoing discussion while they ate dinner then shopped. And if Will had his way, he wouldn’t be going back to his apartment. He’d be staying in her bed tonight and every other night he wasn’t traveling with the team.
Okay, he knew that wasn’t feasible and he also knew that spending a few amazing hours with her didn’t mean they’d be compatible for the rest of their lives. But damn, so far he hadn’t been able to find a single thing that was a deal breaker for him. This girl just did it for him.
“I can’t remember…have you ever played in Alaska?” She was still turned in her seat, facing him. “I was there once with Dad. Not as cold as I thought it was going to be and there’s this place that makes the best hamburger I’ve ever had in my life…�
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Hell, he even liked how much she talked. She could go on all night and he’d sit here and let her voice wash over him, making him hard. Good thing they had a few miles to go. They’d already been to Target and the grocery store and now they were headed back to her place so he could drop her off.
He was hoping to get an invite inside. And if all she wanted to do was talk, he’d sit on her couch and let her choose the subject. Then he’d figure out a way to get invited back tomorrow after the game. And the day after that.
Of course, if he didn’t come home tonight, Justin would be in his face tomorrow. His teammate had grilled him before leaving the apartment.
“So, you really aren’t going to tell me where you’re going? Because, dude, you look like you’re going on a date. You’ve been here less than a week. What the fuck? Can you tell me your secret?”
At least Justin hadn’t come right out and asked who he was seeing, which either meant he’d managed to hide his attraction to Jess or everyone already knew. When he’d walked into the restaurant, Jake had given him a shit-eating grin but Will had given him a death stare and he’d wiped it away.
Good to know he could still control the kids with a glare. Otherwise, they’d walk all over him.
“So how was lunch today? I mean, I don’t want to pry. I get the whole guy-code thing but I’m curious. The younger guys seem to really like you.”
He smiled as he pulled onto her street. Her building wasn’t far from the arena, in what looked like a nice area. Her apartment was the second floor of an old Victorian-looking building that had once been a single-family home.
He’d only gotten a quick glance at the place when he’d picked her up earlier. She’d been ready to leave as soon as he’d knocked but now he was hoping to get an invitation inside. He planned to carry her bags like a true gentleman. His mom would be proud. Of course, his dad would completely understand his ulterior motives.
His dad understood that sometimes you had to play a little dirty to get the job done. Nice guys sometimes wound up in the penalty box. And sometimes you got away with a few infractions.