Hooking
Page 14
“Mmm, maybe.” At my reply, she quickly met my gaze.
“He is. I can promise you that. He was worried about you finding a job with your degree, that’s all.”
“So maybe this is the time to tell you, I found an apartment that is in my price range and in a decent area. I’ll be moving out soon.” Despite being a grown woman, I still cringed a little at the hurt I knew my mother was about to experience. She’d had a hard time with each of my brothers as they grew up and moved out. I was the baby and the only girl. Well, technically, Jake and I were the same age, but he was born first, and he’d gotten an apartment in Austin while he was in school, so our parents were able to adjust to his leaving easier.
Her sharp inhale told me I was spot-on. “You know there isn’t a rush,” she began. “You’re more than welcome to stay here as long as you need to.”
“I know, Mom, and I appreciate that more than you could possibly know, but I need to do this for me. I need to experience the real world, complete with my own bills and everything.” I attempted a smile that I was afraid may be more of a grimace, knowing my mother would’ve been happy if I never left.
“Oh. So you haven’t met someone? I thought maybe…. I mean, I hoped….” Hope shone in her eyes. Other mothers might be concerned their daughter was moving in with a guy when they weren’t married. Not mine. Mine had been trying to marry me off to someone from her crowd since I turned eighteen.
“No.” I sighed. “It will just be me.”
“Oh,” she said as her shoulders drooped slightly.
She visited for a few more minutes and then got up to go to bed. I stood up. “Love you, pretty girl,” she said as she hugged me. My arms squeezed tighter around her.
“Love you too, Momma.”
She left, and I sat on the bed holding my phone.
Tempted to do a search, I plugged in my phone and instead sent Alex a text telling him good luck at his game.
It was going to be a long week.
“Back In Black”—AC/DC
Sweat dripped in my eyes, and I took my helmet off and wiped it away. We had just switched lines, and I was feeling it. Shifts are thirty to forty-five seconds for a reason; that’s usually when fatigue sets in and it’s time to get fresh legs out on the ice. We knew our limits.
Things had been intense, and we were working our asses off. I grabbed a bottle to waterfall a drink, then sprayed my face with it.
“Fuck. What’s their deal?” McGregor asked as he toweled his face.
“They probably have it in for us because of Kosinski and Ritchie getting into it. Fuckers,” muttered Halvorson, but it wasn’t said in a shitty way. Surprise hit me. Granted, we usually played well together despite our personal differences, but I was shocked to hear him sound like he was backing me.
“It’s like they’re trying to pick fights tonight,” grumbled Baranov as he dropped to the bench. The defensive line switched out right after we did.
“No shit,” agreed Kalashnik.
It was only the first period, and I’d been on edge since the second I stepped out on the ice. For one, we were playing my old team, which was always weird. For two, I still wanted to kick my own ass for what I’d allowed to happen when I was drinking.
I’d already had a penalty for hooking, and almost got into a fight with Ritchie, my old teammate. He’d always been a bit of a dick to other people, but we’d played well together when I was there. At one time, I would’ve said we were friends. Tonight it was like I had a target on me. I’d been slammed into the boards so many times, I was already feeling the bruises.
“Fuck, most of them used to be my friends. Hell, I hung out with a couple of them over the summer.” They were acting like they hated me.
“Well, it probably doesn’t make them too happy that their former teammate just scored two goals against them.” Halvorson snickered. Again, the surprise hit me when he held up his water bottle to toast mine.
“Well, fuck. Did they expect him to go easy on them? None of us play to lose.” McGregor huffed.
“Hell, I don’t know. Maybe that’s exactly what they thought, and when he outplayed them, they got pissed because he’s no longer on their bench,” Halvorson said with a shrug.
“Like that’s my fault?” I snorted.
“Who the fuck knows? No offense, Kosinski, but I hated playing y’all last season. They’re a bunch of dicks,” piped in Kalashnik.
It had me frowning and wondering if I’d been so big-headed with them that I hadn’t seen it.
We sat watching the action until it was time for us to switch out again. We piled over the wall like cockroaches when the lights came on. Determination drove me as we jumped into the game.
I didn’t see it coming, because Nicholson came at me from behind. He slammed me into the boards so hard my teeth rattled. When I shoved him off me and fought my way out of the corner, he shoved me and muttered something about fucking my girl since I was gone.
Temper already short, I lost it. Not because he was fucking Brandy. We hadn’t been serious in the least. Like I said, I didn’t do relationships. We’d been a convenience for each other. No, my lack of control was a combination of everything.
“What the fuck is your problem?” I asked him as I shoulder-checked him. He grabbed my jersey and swung me around.
It was on.
I grabbed him and waylaid his ass. He fought back but I was pissed by then. It wasn’t long before the gloves came off. Nailing him over and over, I took all my frustration out on his dumb ass. We hit the ice, and his helmet flew off, skidding across the ice.
At the first drop of blood to the ice, the refs came in and broke it up. As I skated to the box, Halvorson called out to me. I glanced his way, and he tossed me my glove I’d abandoned.
He had a big grin on his face and gave me an approving chin lift.
Damn.
Halvorson scored again, and everyone briefly celebrated on the ice. I yelled from the penalty box and shot Nicholson a wide grin next to me. Fucker. What I really wanted to do was flip him off.
Once our five minutes was up, I hopped back on the ice, ignoring Nicholson and his douche bag comments.
The period ended, and we all headed to the locker room.
“Kosinski! What the actual fuck was that out there? I’d expect that shit from Papadopoulos, but not you,” Coach shouted at me. I simply gritted my teeth and held my tongue. “You’re goddamn lucky you weren’t ejected from the game for that crap.”
We both knew he was full of shit. It was only my first major penalty of the game. Then again, they still could’ve done it. And Papadopoulos had been earning a reputation as a brawler, but he was a decent guy and a strong player. It was unlike me to fight.
“Nicholson had it coming. He’s been riding Kosinski all goddamn period,” argued Halvorson. Coach and I both turned our gazes his way. Mine full of wary disbelief, Coach’s full of disgruntled satisfaction.
The rest of the break was a bit more upbeat and directed toward motivation. The fight might have gotten my ass in a sling, but it seemed to allow me to chill out a bit. That edge was still there, but at least it wasn’t as sharp.
The second period had them tying up the game. We were 2 and 2 by then. It wasn’t until the third period that we pulled our heads out of our asses and scored the point that won us the game.
We were happy but subdued. At least I was.
“Thank fucking God. We needed to win that one,” McGregor sighed as he laid his aching body down on the bed that night. We were all sore and tired as fuck.
“Amen,” I moaned from my bed. I’d called Sydney while he was in the shower.
During the rest of the four-game stretch, I called Sydney when I could. Hell, as often as I could. She’d become my island. Talking with her each morning and night calmed me—grounded me.
It was also a shock to admit that I missed her. She’d moved into her own apartment from her parents and I hadn’t been there to help. It kind of blew. Sure, her family h
ad helped her, but it didn’t stop me from wishing I’d been there. I’d asked my brother and his club to help, but she thanked me before telling me they had it under control so I told him never mind.
By the time the road trip was over, I was ready to go home. It had been a ridiculously long week that had ended in two wins and two losses. We’d held it together better after the second loss since it was a close game and they only scored the winning goal in overtime.
Driving home Sunday morning, I called her again.
“I take it you’re home?” she asked, and the sound of her voice coming over my speakers was a balm to my soul. She did crazy shit to my head. Made me think things that I didn’t normally consider.
“Sort of. I’m stopping to grab Victor, then I’ll be home.”
“Oh, I was going to see if you wanted to see my new place in person.” She’d walked me through it via FaceTime, and when she’d gotten to her bedroom, I’d been so tempted to have her take her clothes off. In the end, I hadn’t because I didn’t want to push my luck after my colossal fuckup.
“If I didn’t have to get Victor, I would. Maybe tomorrow night?”
“That works. Maybe I can make you dinner for a change.” The smile was evident in her tone and had me grinning like an idiot too.
“That sounds fucking amazing,” I told her as I turned onto my brother’s street. “Would you consider coming over to my place tonight? Then we’ll do your place tomorrow night.”
“Hmm, I think I could do that,” she agreed. My heart flipped in excitement at the possibility of seeing her.
“Give me about an hour and I’ll be there.”
“Okay. See you then,” she said and ended the call.
I parked in my brother’s driveway and climbed out of the car, trying not to wince. Despite being in shape, I was sore.
“Getting old?” Cooper called from his front porch. I promptly flipped him off, and he laughed. “Come in and get your beast. He scared the fuck out of the chick I brought home on Friday night. Then he jumped in the freaking shower with her.”
That had me laughing, which brought Victor running from the bedroom. “He did the same thing to Sydney. And you knew shower curtains didn’t keep him out; she should’ve closed the door.” Victor jumped up in my lap as soon as I sat down and shoved his head into my hand.
“Speaking of which. What’s up with that?” he said as he sat on the couch and rolled a joint. He glanced up at me as he sealed it. Out of respect for me, he didn’t light it, merely stuck it over his ear before he leaned back on the couch and waited for me to answer.
“It’s nothing.” I tried to play it off as the truth.
He scoffed. “Bullshit. My little brother doesn’t go out of his way to make sure a chick doesn’t see compromising pics of him, nor ask his brother’s club help her move, when it’s nothing. Do you forget who you’re talking to?” He reached back and placed his arms along the back of the couch. His chin rose and his head tipped as he studied me.
It was crazy to look at him now compared to when we were kids. He was a fairly scary-looking dude now. We had several similarities, like the shoulder-length dark hair, short beards, and blue eyes, but where he was buff and bulky now, I was built but leaner.
“Of course I didn’t, but I’m not lying. Syd and I are just friends.”
“Sure you are,” he said with a chuckle. “Okay, keep lying to yourself. Tell me how that works out for you in the end.”
Rolling my eyes, I stroked Victor’s velvety soft fur as he loudly purred.
“So if she’s your nothing-but-a-friend, does that mean you fucked around with that chick that you said you didn’t?” He smirked.
“Fuck, no,” I replied. “I absolutely did not. Did I do something stupid by taking that shot from her tits? Yeah. But I swear to Christ that’s all I did. She tried to go back to my room with me, but I wouldn’t let her in. Even drunk off my ass, I knew I didn’t want that.”
“Of course you didn’t. Because you have Sydney here.” His snarky raised brow had me shaking my head.
“Drop it. You have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Sure I don’t. I’ve watched four of my brothers, including my fucking prez, go apeshit over their ol’ ladies. You think I don’t know what that looks like? Bro, you’ve got it bad and you have no clue. This is priceless.” He slapped his knee, laughing as my jaw worked in frustration.
“That’s ridiculous. I haven’t known her that long. We’re friends.”
“Well, you’ve sort of known her since the end of last season.” He grinned, and I flipped him off. “Besides, who says there’s a certain period of time that has to pass before you know? I believe people enter our lives for a reason. Sometimes it’s for a moment, sometimes it’s forever. Sometimes it’s to get us through a tough spot, sometimes it’s because they’re the one. If it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be, and no amount of time changes that.”
“Jesus Christ, how did you get to be so poetic and philosophical?” I asked him with a shake of my head. No way was I admitting he made any sense at all. He shrugged and batted his eyes like a dork.
“Well, I need to get going. You and the boys coming to the game Tuesday night?” I asked as I stood with Victor’s big ass in my arms.
“Hell, yeah. You still able to get us tickets?”
“Of course. You need to let me know how many as soon as you can, and they’ll be at will-call for you to pick up.” I’d be paying for most of them, but he didn’t need to know that, and I didn’t mind in the least. If my brother was going to watch me play, I’d buy out the fucking stadium if I had to. Okay, maybe that was a little drastic.
“Mom said she’s coming for Christmas,” he said on a sudden change of subject as I approached the door. Hearing that, I froze in my tracks.
“She staying with you?” I asked with little inflection in my words.
He glanced around his tiny house and grimaced. “I was kinda hoping she could stay at your place.”
“No. Oh, no. No way. Dad is staying at my place.” We looked at each other in horror.
“They’re both coming for Christmas?” he asked with a groan.
“This is going to be a disaster.” I slapped my hand over my forehead.
“Well, we have two months to prepare.” He hung his head, and I huffed a deep breath. The last time our parents were together, it ended in a huge family fight. Dad had brought a chick with him, and Mom tripped. I couldn’t blame her, because I couldn’t believe he’d been that ballsy. Yet, Mom had initially said she wouldn’t be able to make it.
“You make sure to tell Mom not to bring anyone, and I’ll do the same with Dad.”
“That’s shitty if they’re seeing someone seriously, though,” Cooper argued.
“Well, as far as I know, Dad isn’t seeing anyone,” I said.
“Mom either.”
“Let’s hope it stays that way over the next two months.” Cooper held out his fist, and I bumped mine to his. “Okay, I’m out. Thanks again for watching Victor.”
Victor looked up at me and meowed. He was the freakiest cat I’d ever met, and he was crazy smart. Coop gave me a one-armed hug, and I carried Victor to the car. As soon as I was inside, he jumped over to the passenger seat and sat on his back legs to look out the window.
Cooper was laughing at him from the front porch.
The second I started to back out, my heart started to pound. The anticipation that I’d be seeing Sydney again was getting me all wound up.
Jesus, what if Coop was right?
“Forget Me Not”—Brian Fallon
“I’m not going to fall in his bed. I’m not going to fall in his bed.” I’d repeated it to myself the entire short drive from my apartment to his house. Then I parked in his driveway and saw him standing in the garage.
“I’m so falling in his bed,” I muttered.
He stood there in all his sexy hockey player glory. Lean muscles, perfectly messy hair, those eyes I wanted to drown in, th
e tattoos down his arms, the way his jeans hung on his narrow hips. All of it made me melt. When I opened my door, I expected to pour myself out onto the driveway.
The way he wet his lip before catching it between his teeth.
Panties ruined.
“Fuck, I missed you.” He breathed the words out in his stupidly sexy voice, and the parts of me that weren’t melting were tingling. I was a goner. His able fingers threaded through my hair as he cradled my head. My hands reached up and curled around the heated skin of his arms. His muscles bunched at my touch, and I blissfully sighed.
Lead me to your bed. Tie me to it and keep me.
Wait. Where did that come from?
The problem was, I knew I’d happily let him do any damn thing he wanted to me. “Hey” was all I could get out. My heart was racing, my stomach was fluttering like I was dropping down from the highest roller coaster, and I could barely catch my breath.
“Are you hungry?” he asked, still holding my head.
“No. I ate right before you called.”
“Thank fuck,” he whispered as his lips closed in on mine. The second we touched, everything around us exploded. The air seemed to crackle, bright lights flashed behind my closed lids, and desire curled through me from our kiss, down to my toes.
He broke away, breathing heavy as he rested his forehead on mine.
“Sorry about that,” he murmured, but I shook my head.
“Don’t be.”
“Hey, do you wanna sit in the hot tub for a bit?” I blinked at him as if he’d spoken a foreign language.
“Huh?”
“Hot tub. Do you wanna sit in it for a bit?” he repeated as I stared, dazed.
“I don’t have a suit,” I panted out.
The corner of his mouth curled up as he stepped back and tugged me through the massive home by the hand. We stepped out onto his covered back patio and to the end where a covered hot tub waited. He pulled two huge, fluffy white towels out of a cabinet, then set them on the table that ran the length of the hot tub.
The cover went to the side and steam rose.