Page 32 of Center Ice
“Enough.” He gives me a small smile and turns, walking down the street. He hangs a left at the intersection, moving out of view, and as I watch him walk away, it occurs to me that I’m not mad about him being back in my life. In fact, I’m kind of liking his presence a little too much.
Chapter Fifteen
DREW
The thumping music and press of the crowd have me practically yelling, “Your place is awesome!” in Colt’s face. I’ve been here for an hour and just now found him, standing at the enormous two-story wall of glass at the far end of his living room. The view of the Seaport spreads before us, the lights of the buildings below glittering in the rain before the dark expanse of Boston Harbor begins. Through the rain, we can barely see East Boston on the other side of the Harbor.
“Thanks,” he says. “Glad you made it.”
“What are you doing over here all alone?” I ask.
“Just waiting for Jasmine to get back from the bathroom.”
“Who’s Jasmine?”
“Some hot friend of McCabe’s girlfriend.”
“McCabe has a girlfriend?” I don’t know why, but the image of our captain with a girlfriend does not compute. He’s so serious, and he’s got an infant daughter that his ex just dropped off on his doorstep a few months ago. From what I can tell, it’s been a huge adjustment and every minute he’s not playing hockey, he’s focused on her. I’m shocked he has the time to date, or that he’d be here tonight. Then again, team bonding—especially at the beginning of a season—is always a priority, and he’s our captain.
“Yeah, it’s a recent development. Her name’s Annabelle.”
I’m about to respond, when a pair of arms snake around Colt’s waist from behind, and then a petite brunette with long hair, fake lashes, and a top so small it could pass for a bathing suit slides up next to him. “Hey, big guy,” she says, and I try not to cringe, “sorry to keep you waiting.”
“Jasmine, this is my new teammate, Drew.” He nods his chin toward me.
She extends her hand toward me. “Nice to meet you, Drew.” But when she shakes my hand, her thumb strokes the back of my hand, and her eyes sparkle at me with interest.Ew, no.
“You too, Jasmine,” I say, and then in my peripheral vision, I see Zach Reid. He looks uncomfortable, like he doesn’t want to be here. “Alright, I’ll leave you two kids alone.” I raise my eyebrows in Colt’s direction, because I’m pretty sure there’s only one reason he’s interested in her, and it’ll be easier to get her into his bed if I’m not hanging around.
I turn and walk over to Zach, where he stands on one of the two steps leading from Colt’s dining room to the wide-open living room. “You good?” I ask as I approach.
“Yeah. Just counting down the minutes until I can leave.”
“Dude, relax. Hang out with your teammates, enjoy the fact that the women outnumber the men here by about three to one, and have a damn drink. Let’s go.”
I turn, and he follows me as we head toward the kitchen, where I get him a beer and grab another for myself. “Why are you so averse to fun, anyway?” I ask as we leave the kitchen and head through the dining room.
“I’m not. This just isn’t my idea of fun.”
“You need to get laid,” I say, and the two girls who were walking toward us stop, their faces clearly showing their interest in Zach now that I’ve made that announcement.
“Asshole,” he mutters under his breath as the women come to a complete stop.
I laugh under my breath, and then say, “Hey, ladies, have you met Zach Reid? He’s new to the team this year.”
“Hey, Zach,” they both respond at the same time, in nearly identical voices, which is creepy as fuck. Or am I just comparing every woman here to Audrey, who would never throw herself at a guy the way these women are?
I keep moving, leaving him with the two women who are now plastered to his sides. His night’s about to get a whole lot more interesting. But I’m only a few steps farther, just taking the stairs down into the packed living room, when I feel my phone vibrating in my front pocket.
I slip it out, and Audrey’s name flashes on my screen. It’s too loud in here to be able to hear her, so I reply with a text.
Drew:
I’ll call you back in just a minute.
I look around, searching for some part of Colt’s place that might be quieter. My eyes land on a door that leads out to a balcony. Because of the rain, no one is out there, even though the large space looks like it’s covered. So I make my way across the living room that’s turned into a dance floor, nodding at my teammates as I pass. When I open the door and step outside, I realize there are actually two people out here on the couch. They’re full-on making out with her straddling him, and I don’t want to interrupt, but there’s no way I’m not calling Audrey, so I turn my back and hit the call button on my phone screen.
“Hey, what’s going on?” I ask when she answers.
