“If who’s here?”
“This mysterious woman.”Levi chuckled.
I faced my locker.I didn’t want to let them know she was here this morning, but I also knew that they’d figure it out pretty damn quick otherwise when the photographer started taking pictures of us.
“Yeah, she flew in yesterday.She’ll be watching practice this morning, but let’s not overwhelm her today.Let her get settled in.It’s been a lot on both of us, but the moment she is settled, I’ll bring her by for everyone to meet her.We should get a move on, boys, or we’ll be late otherwise,” I said, glancing at the clock, wanting this interrogation to be over.
I gathered my things as the rest of us got ready, and we all headed down to the ice.We all skated around, warming up, but all I could think about was Emma, who I noticed was sitting at the edge of the glass drinking her mocha whatever it was, watching me.
The worst part was, she was still attractive as hell, and this situation right here was one I’d dreamed about.She was all that had been missing during my early career.If the situation were different and she wasn’t so wrapped up in herself, I’d take another swing at her.
I took another spin around the ice, and when I stopped and looked over at her, I saw she was talking with one of the newer guys on the team, who hadn’t been privy to our locker-room conversation this morning.
While we all skated around, taking turns taking shots on net, I kept my focus on Brad and Emma.Emma was all smiles, laughing at whatever he’d said.Then Thompkins blew a whistle, and Brad skated away from Emma, heading toward center ice.
I tried to keep a focus on practice but knew that Emma was watching me, making notes as she sipped on her drink.
I felt pumpedup more than ever, and it wasn’t from practice.
To start, I’d hated watching Brad talk to Emma.Watching her smile and laugh at whatever he’d said ate me to my very core.She used to laugh at the things I said just like that when we were younger, and the more I thought about it, the more jealous I became.
I figured she’d have a long list of things I needed to fix after practice and the photoshoot, but she’d not uttered a word when we got in the truck.In fact, she’d said nothing while I chatted it up with the guys after either; she just stood in the background, watching and waiting.
As I pulled the truck up to a light, I glanced over at her, and I watched her for a moment.There was so much tension in this truck that it was making me uncomfortable, but she just sat there staring out the passenger window looking calm.
“If you have something to say, just say it,” she muttered without looking at me.
“What?”I questioned.
“There is so much tension in here I can barely stand it,” she said, looking over at me.“You were watching me this morning at practice, you kept looking over at me while you were talking with the guys after the photoshoot, and you’ve been watching me since we left the arena.So, if you have something you want to say, say it.”
“No, you’ve been watching me.”I chuckled.
“No, I haven’t.”
“You have.I even caught you taking photos of me on the ice.”
“I didn’t.When I wasn’t taking notes while you were at practice, I was on my phone trying to find a hotel room for the games next week.”
“Why would you do that?”I questioned.
“Well, for starters, I’m not sharing a room with you.”
“Why not?What will the media say when they catch us coming out of separate rooms?Did you think of that?”
She didn’t look at me; she just shook her head.She was the one who’d thought up this stupid idea, so she should have the answers, but she said nothing.
“I have a room that is big enough for two people, but if you want to make it difficult, make it difficult.”
I tapped the edge of the steering wheel with my thumb and then turned to look at her.“What did Brad want?”
“Why?Jealous?”she asked, a soft smile coming to her lips.
“No, I was curious.”
“He was trying to get me to wear his jersey,” she said, a hint of laughter in her voice.
I cleared my throat and shifted in my seat.“You know what that means, don’t you?”I questioned.
