Attacking Zone (Utah Fury Hockey Book 4)

by Brittney Mulliner

  I stopped her before she spiraled into a full-blown panic attack. Her breathing was already getting shallow.

  “I’m not from this world either, Kendall. It was something I had to adjust to. I know it’s a lot. I know it’s overwhelming, but I’m not asking you to jump into it with me.”

  She looked confused. “You’re not?”

  “No. At least not yet. I want us to get to know each other. I want us to spend time together.”

  She seemed to be thinking about it. “No media?”

  I shook my head. “None.”

  She looked much calmer.

  “I promise not to throw you to the sharks.”

  “Even if I did wear a Harbors jersey to practice.”

  I rolled my eyes and pulled her against me. “I can forgive you for that. I’m not so sure about the other guys though.”

  She smiled up at me. “I’m not too worried about them, just you.”

  I laughed but wanted to scoop her up and kiss her right there. She wasn’t interested in me as a player or what connection I had. I really thought we would have a better chance if I was just some regular guy.

  I couldn’t change who I was. I couldn’t change my career. I don’t think she wanted me to, either.

  “I did go sit with them.”

  I leaned back, keeping her in my arms. “Who?”

  “The other women. Emma invited me, even though Chloe made it clear I wasn’t welcome. I decided to I put on my big girl pants and go down to sit with them.”

  “And?” I smiled as I watched her bite her lip.

  “Most of them were really nice. A couple seemed to agree with Chloe. I got a few glares, but it wasn’t as scary as I expected.”

  I shook my head. “I’m sorry. They should all be nice to you.”

  She stopped me with a dubious look. “They’re women. We tend to be a bit territorial.”

  I laughed. “You’re right about that. Just give it time.”

  She nodded and sniffed. “I will.”

  I hugged her again before stepping back. “I’ve got to get going.”

  “I should get back to work.” She wiped under her eyes and smiled up at me. “It was good to see you.”

  “You too.” I walked out through the café and ignored any looks I may have earned. She was okay. We were okay.

  Chapter Twelve

  Kendall

  Wyatt didn’t come in while I was working for the rest of the week. I’d started classes, so I wasn’t working mornings anymore. It was probably for the best. Grad school was no joke. I was either in the library, class, or work. I barely had time to sleep or shower. It was exactly how I wanted it.

  I moved here to study, not to date.

  Uncle David hadn’t sacrificed, my doctor hadn’t gone above and beyond, and I didn’t take this risk for me to blow it.

  “Why don’t you just call him?”

  I jumped at Joey’s voice. I thought she’s left a while ago. “What are you doing?”

  She smirked. “I had some paperwork to finish. I came out to tell you I was leaving, and I found you day dreaming.”

  I rolled my eyes. “I wasn’t.”

  She ignored me. “I’ve seen it time and time again. I know all of the signs. You, my young friend, are falling.”

  I wanted to brush off her words, but I couldn’t. She was a tiny bit right.

  “I haven’t seen him since Monday. Haven’t heard anything from him.”

  “Have you tried to reach out first?”

  No. I hadn’t. I shook my head.

  She nudged my shoulder with hers. “You need to show the poor guy you’re interested. He’s stuck his neck out for you several times and where has that gotten him?”

  She eyed me, and I finally cracked. “Not very far. It’s not that I’m not interested. There’s just more to it than that.”

  “Like what?”

  “I’ve got school. And work. I’m busy. It’s just not a good time.”

  She shrugged a shoulder. “He’s travelling and has practice, too. You guys can make it work though.”

  “He’s from a different world.” I didn’t want to have to explain to her how different our families were.

  She waited with a single brow raised.

  “Plus, he’s a rival player.”

  “Oh honey. You need to move past that. It’s not like you play for the other team.”

  I didn’t argue with her. People that weren’t into sports didn’t get it. Growing up cheering for one team, wearing their colors, buying their merchandise. It was more than being a fan. It was a part of me and my family. It was my childhood. It was almost like a religion. I couldn’t just ignore that. Hanging out with him and going to his practices were one thing. Dating him would be a whole new level of betrayal.

  I couldn’t picture how Uncle David would handle the news. He would have problems with it.

  “I have other things going on in my life right now. It’s not a good idea for me to get involved with someone. I’ve only been here a few weeks. I can’t jump into something right now.”

  She looked at me through narrowed eyes. “You can hide behind those excuses but don’t get upset when he moves on.”

  I nodded even though the thought of seeing Wyatt with someone else physically hurt. I had no right to feel that way. We didn’t owe each other anything. We were barely friends.

  “Just be careful, Kendall.”

  She walked away and left me alone to continue to convince myself of everything I said. I knew it was right, but that didn’t make it any easier to swallow.

  I was off in just a few minutes and planned on driving straight to the library to study, but Wyatt had invited me to come to practice again. It would be the last chance I had to see him before he left for the weekend for an away game. Not that I really got to spend time with him from the stands.

  Should I do what I was supposed to or take a risk? Something stupid. Something that would likely have negative consequences.

  Life was short. I was going to do it.

  “Bye Joey. See you tomorrow.” I waved through the back door and passed Matt on my way out. “See ya.”

  He nodded once and walked to the register. We were back to nonverbal communication apparently. Great.

  I got in my car and slipped on my Harbors hoodie before heading to the arena. I walked in much more confidently and headed down the portal from last time. I saw the women sitting together at the bottom of the bowl but stayed up at the top, again. Getting myself to come was hard enough. I didn’t want to sit down there being scrutinized.

  I picked out a seat when Emma stood at the front and began waving. “Kendall, down here.”

  I looked around but there was nowhere to escape. I had a feeling she’d come after me if I tried to run. Fine. I stood and went down to her row. She patted the seat next to her and smiled. “Nice to see you.”

  “Thanks. You too.” I tried to ignore the looks I was getting and focus on the guys. Wyatt was on the ice running a passing drill.

  “I’m Sophia.” A beautiful brunette leaned around Emma and extended her hand. I shook it and forced a smile.

  “Kendall.”

  “Welcome to the Pride.”

  “Thanks.”

  She opened her mouth but was interrupted by whoops and hollering on the ice. I turned to see a player throw something at Wyatt as the rest of the team laughed. Wyatt unfolded and held out a Harbor’s jersey.

  A boulder fell to the bottom of my stomach. They were making fun of him. Because of me.

  I felt sick. I tried to stand, but Emma held me down. “You’ll make it worse.”

  That was the last thing I wanted, so I slouched in my seat and prayed practice would end soon.

  Wyatt threw the jersey into the bench area and yelled at the team while shaking his head. Everyone went back to the drills, but I could tell Wyatt seemed distracted. He kept missing passes and even tripped. Things I’d never seen him do before.

  Shame and guilt washed over me.<
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  This was all my fault. He was getting harassed by his own team because of me. I wanted to rip my hoodie off, but I knew that would only draw more unwanted attention.

  “This has been going on all week.”

  Emma’s words broke my heart.

  “It’s not just because I’m here?” I asked.

  I turned to see her shake her head. “No. It’s just harmless teasing. Don’t worry too much about it.”

  That was nice of her to say, but I couldn’t believe this had been happening for days, and Wyatt still wanted me to come.

  “It wouldn’t happen if you just stopped wearing their colors to our arena.” I cringed when I heard Chloe’s voice behind me. I turned in my seat and tried to keep a smile glued on my face.

  “It’s just a sweatshirt.”

  “Then it wouldn’t be that big of a deal to take it off.” She smiled sweetly. “Here, I have an extra you can wear if you’re cold.”

  She held out a red hoodie and I shook my head. “No, thank you.”

  She rolled her eyes. “It’s not like I’m offering you drugs. You’re not a bad person if you wear this. You would just be showing your support to Wyatt.”

  I shook my head and turned around. She had a point, but I didn’t want to cave.

  “Retract the claws, Chloe.” I looked up to see who had spoken to her like that and watched a beautiful woman with long blonde hair walk toward me. “She’s one of us. No need to go all momma bear on her.”

  She sat next to me and smiled. “I’m Madeline. Sorry about Chloe, she forgets there’s a world outside of this arena sometimes.”

  I didn’t want to see Chloe’s reaction to that. Who was this lady that dared speak about the ringleader like that?

  “I’m Kendall.”

  “Oh, I know. All the guys have been talking about you. The first woman to ever catch Wyatt’s eye. It’s a pretty big deal.”

  “It is?” My stomach tightened.

  She smiled. “Oh yeah. He swore off women until he retired, then you waltz in and suddenly he’s not so sure about that.”

  I knew from reading articles about him that he wasn’t big on dating, but he didn’t plan on getting involved with anyone until he retired? Then what was he doing with me?

  “Don’t worry. Erik was convinced he was going to be an eternal bachelor until he met me.”

  “Erik Schultz?”

  She grinned and held up her left hand. “He’s all mine.”

  I laughed and shook my head. I’d heard a few of the guys had gotten engaged recently but I couldn’t keep track of who. “Wait.” If she was engaged to Erik that meant Chloe would be her sister in law.

  I looked over my shoulder, but Chloe was blocked by her laptop.

  Madeline was smiling when I turned back. “Yup, we’re going to be sisters. She’s really not that bad.”

  I nodded like I understood, but I couldn’t imagine spending the rest of my life related to her.

  “I’m not sure exactly what’s going on with you and Hartman, and it’s none of my business, but please be careful. He’s got a really big heart and he’s a really amazing guy. Don’t take advantage of that.”

  She smiled but I felt the weight of her words. She didn’t say it in a way that made it feel like a threat. She seemed to genuinely care about him.

  “I won’t.” I had a feeling my life would get a whole lot harder if I did. I wouldn’t put it past Chloe to find my address or phone number.

  She nodded and looked out to the ice. I tried to push away the feelings of guilt and focus on Wyatt as he played.

  I wasn’t sure what was going on with us either. Joey thought we were practically dating, and the Pride seemed to agree. We weren’t though. We hadn’t even really hung out as being snowed in together didn’t count.

  Maybe I was getting ahead of myself. Sure, we had a definite chemistry and I was attracted to him, but that didn’t mean anything. He hadn’t asked me on a date. He had his own life outside of the café. I couldn’t let myself forget who he was.

  I wasn’t lying to Joey when I said I had things going on. Inviting him into my life at this point wouldn’t be fair to him. It was better this way. We could be friends. Share a coffee or something, but nothing more.

  He skated past me and I caught his smile.

  That smile would never be mine. I had to be okay with that.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Wyatt

  I really wasn’t good at this. I was worse than a teenager.

  A thirteen-year-old probably knew better than me.

  Being out of my element wasn’t something I was used to.

  I hated it. I was a captain. A leader. I was supposed to be in control.

  This was the only part of my life where I felt lost and completely out of my element. Did she feel like this about me?

  Kendall and I had gone another week without seeing or talking to each other. I had her number, I could have called or texted. Then again, she had my number too. I figured if she wanted to talk to me she would reach out.

  But maybe she was waiting on me?

  Who was supposed to make the first move at this point?

  Did it matter? It’s not like I was trying to play it cool or hard to get. I was busy. So was she.

  Maybe she hadn’t even noticed I hadn’t been around. She was in school and working. I knew that was a lot to manage.

  I couldn’t talk to any of the guys about this. I knew they would never let me live it down. The humiliation wasn’t worth it. I could figure this out on my own.

  I had an open morning, so it was my chance to see Kendall.

  The team was number one in the conference, and we were close enough to playoffs to feel comfortable we were going. We’d have to completely fall apart on the next few games to drop out. We had it covered. We’d all been working hard, to our breaking point, to get where we are. We weren’t going to let our chance slip away.

  It just meant that practices and training were even more intense than usual. On top of that was the press. I had interviews and photo shoots to attend. I’d barely been home in the past few weeks.

  It was draining, but worth it.

  My walk to the café felt like I was on autopilot. Like a cord was pulling me in. I opened the door to the café and got in line, seeing her. The moment she looked up and saw me something clicked. She was the void, the emptiness, I’d noticed all week. She smiled, and my stomach tightened. It had a strange habit of doing that when I saw her.

  When it was my turn, she made my drink without asking and handed it over. “I feel like I haven’t seen you in forever.”

  I’d missed her.

  That was a shock. I’d never really missed anyone before. Not my family when I was on traveling teams or at college. Not the guys when I didn’t see them for a while.

  This was a first.

  “Yeah, sorry. Things have been crazy.”

  She nodded. “I know. I feel like I’m living in fast forward.”

  Yes. She understood. I laughed and took a sip of the coffee. “I’m glad I’m not the only one.”

  I handed her a ten-dollar bill and moved out of line. She continued to help the line of customers while I took my normal seat. I’d barely opened my book when I sensed someone sitting next to me. I looked up to see the manager, Joey, staring at me.

  “Hi,” I greeted her.

  She nodded. “Hi Wyatt.”

  I looked around, expecting someone else to show up.

  “I want to have a chat.”

  It’s not like I really had a choice and I think she knew that.

  “Okay.”

  “What are your plans with our Kendall?”

  I blinked. Was she crazy? Why would I talk to her about something so personal? If there was anyone I would have this discussion with, it would be Kendall.

  “I umm—“

  “I know you’re both busy, but that’s an easy excuse to hide behind. You and I both know if you wanted to make it work you could.”


  Who did she think she was? She didn’t know me or my life at all. I was in the midst of the most important time of the season. I had to work out every day and practice and be the head of the team. Even if I really wanted to, I didn’t know if I could give Kendall the attention she deserved.

  “Kendall and I are just getting to know each other right now.” My excuse, frankly, sounded lame.

  She shot me a look that said she didn’t approve of my response. “There are plenty of men that come through those doors that are interested in her. If you don’t make a move soon, you’ll miss your chance.”

  I looked over to the line where some guy was leaning in a little too much to place his order.

  “Thanks for the advice.”

  She nodded and stood up. “Don’t mess this up.”

  I watched her walk away and sighed. That was bizarre. I couldn’t deny my attraction to Kendall. She was beautiful and smart and real. But I couldn’t do this right now. My focus needed to be one hundred percent on the team. Plus, the guys had just stopped with the Harbor swag two days ago. If they found out I took her out, I’d come home to my walls painted their black and maroon.

  Kendall would love that, but I’d have to move.

  I stole a glance while she was helping a customer. I liked her. She didn’t change for anyone. That would be important in my world. I didn’t want her, or anyone I dated, to get caught up in the drama and fame. Kendall seemed like the type of person that could keep a level head.

  Plus, she was beautiful. Even in a stained polo shirt and jeans.

  A man stepped up and she took his order. He leaned forward and said something that made her laugh. I didn’t like that. When she offered his cup, his hands touched hers for far too long.

  So, this was what Joey was talking about. How many times a day did this happen? I wasn’t the only man that had noticed her but did they all have to practically throw themselves at her. The man should be walking away by now, but he was still there blocking the line like an idiot.

  She smiled and I nearly stood up. The guy pulled something out of his suit pocket and passed it to her. Was that a business card? Seriously?