Scoring the Player Page 7

  My alarm goes off after what feels like I’ve just fallen asleep, and I grudgingly roll out of bed and head for the shower, hoping that will help wake me up. Becca will be here in an hour or so, to pick me up for our morning of dress shopping. I let the hot water pour over my body, relaxing my tense muscles. After showering, I get dressed and apply a quick coat of mascara, then grab my lip gloss to put on after I’ve had some coffee and breakfast.

  I make my way out to the kitchen, coming to a halt as I find Brian in his low-slung basketball shorts that leave nothing to the imagination. I swear, he keeps stripping down to them while I’m here, just to torture me with all his glorious sinewy muscles. And damn him if it isn’t working.

  “Here, looks like you could use this,” he chuckles, as he hands me a napkin.

  With a confused look on my face, I take the napkin from him. “For the drool you have about to drop,” he adds, snickering.

  I immediately swipe at my face, as I feel my cheeks turning red with embarrassment. “Asshole, I wasn’t drooling!”

  “Could have fooled me,” he teases. “I think someone saw something she liked. You were practically undressing me and fucking me with your eyes, Kinley. But, baby, you don’t have to do that with your eyes, when I can give you the real experience. You just say the word,” he finishes, grinning.

  Gah…how am I supposed to continue to fight him off when he says things like that? Yes, his statement came off kind of asshole-ish, but he wasn’t wrong. I was most definitely undressing him with my eyes, and thinking of all the pleasurable things we could do to each other’s bodies.

  I pull myself together and push past him into the kitchen, to get my coffee and a bite to eat. We still have a little leftover baked French toast, so I heat some up for myself and Brian. As it’s heating, I take my first sip of coffee and feel it make its way through my body. The jolt of caffeine calms my nerves.

  We eat in a comfortable silence, both so engrossed in what we’re doing that we aren’t paying attention to the other. I’m still a tad bit embarrassed about the whole situation from earlier, and would like to avoid all conversation that could possibly be about that.

  I’m scrolling through my Facebook feed, checking out what friends and family back home did for the holiday, when my phone chimes with a new text from Becca.

  Becca: Hey, I’m leaving now, will be over in just a few.

  Kinley: Perfect, I’m just finishing up my breakfast. Do you want me to meet you downstairs?

  Becca: Whatever works best for you. I can come up if you need a few extra minutes.

  Kinley: I should be good. I just finished, so I will go brush my teeth now and head downstairs in just a couple of minutes.

  Becca: See you soon! I’m so excited!!

  I drop my dishes in the sink before heading to the bathroom, so I can brush my teeth and swipe on my lip gloss. I grab my purse, losing said lip gloss in it, and head out to the living room.

  “Becca will be here any minute, and I told her I would meet her downstairs. What time will you be back from your morning skate, so I can get back in?”

  “Let me grab you my extra key. That way, you can come and go as you please. I’m usually back a little after lunchtime to take my pre-game nap. I usually go out for lunch with most of the guys after our skate. You’re welcome to join us, if you’d like.”

  “Thanks for the invite, but I think all of us girls are going to go out to lunch after we leave the dress shop,” I tell Brian, as he hands me a key ring with two keys.

  “You should only need the key with the red band around it. That’s the key to my door. The other one is for the secured garage, but you will be coming and going from the main lobby, and there is always a doorman working. I’ll make sure they know you are to have full access, and can come and go without me with you.”

  “Thank you.” I put on my coat, tucking the keys away inside my pocket. “I’ll see you later,” I say, as I pull open the door to head down to meet Becca.

  After what seems like hours at the dress shop, I swear we’ve browsed through every dress the store carries. Becca has narrowed down what styles she likes best, and the sales associate pulls some dresses out for her to try on. She is going to be the most beautiful bride. Each dress looks better and better. I have no idea how she’s going to choose; they all look so amazing!

  We also look at some bridesmaid dress options, and Katie and I try some on, so we can get an idea of what some of our options are. We’re not planning to make any final decisions today anyway; this trip was more to get an idea, and then we could start our search in the next few weeks.

  Once we are all dress shopped out, we head for a restaurant to have some lunch. Becca and Scott’s families are leaving later this afternoon, so they need to get back to finish any last-minute packing, and then head to the airport.

  After lunch, we part ways with everyone else, and head back to Scott and Becca’s condo. I haven’t gotten to really spend any alone time with Becca since I arrived, and I’m in dire need of some best friend time. I have missed her so damn much since she moved down here, so I’m taking advantage of what time we do have while I’m here.

  “Hey, were you able to get me a pass for tonight’s game to sit with you? Brian mentioned that if you couldn’t get me one, that he could.”

  “Yep, I just have to pick it up from Laura in the front office once we arrive at the arena.”

  “Thank you for doing that for me.”

  “Anytime, babe. That’s what friends are for. And it doesn’t hurt that I’m marrying the captain of the team.” She smirks at me, holding up her left hand to inspect the ring that Scott put on her finger just a couple days ago.

  “He did a fantastic job designing that ring.”

  “Mmmhmm…he sure did. I love it! But then again, I’m sure I would have loved any ring he picked out for me.”

  “How are things going, now that he’s recovered?” I ask. Scott tripped in a game and hit the boards, breaking his leg early in the season. He was out for a couple of months, and just returned to the lineup after Christmas.

  “Great. We had a few tense moments, but we got through them. He snapped at me one time, out of frustration because he was so over needing to have help for just the simplest of tasks, and that drove him batshit crazy after awhile. He apologized almost immediately, and I knew he didn’t really mean it, but it still hurt when it happened. But ever since that moment, he has been so much better, and talks things out with me. Once he was allowed to start exercising, and being back around the guys, his spirits really perked up and he was back to normal – well, at least mentally normal. He still had to deal with not being able to put weight on his leg for a few weeks while it healed. He’s been pushing it super hard at the gym and in PT so that he was able to return as early as he did.”

  “I was surprised that he returned so early.”

  “I was surprised as well, but when you have all this time that you can be working out, and expert doctors and therapists at your fingertips, you might as well take advantage of it all.”

  After we get back to their condo, we get comfortable on the couch and just talk. I catch her up on drama from the ER, and things going on between friends back home, then she tells me all about the fun she has had with the other wives and girlfriends of the players. She also tells me about her boudoir photo session she did, as a Christmas present for Scott.

  We are giggling about some random thought, when Scott comes home for his pre-game nap.

  “What’s got you ladies giggling so much?” he asks, as he leans down to kiss Becca.

  “Oh, just girl talk,” she says against his lips.

  “I’m glad to see the two of you getting some time alone together,” he says sincerely. I love that Scott can recognize that our relationship is important to the both of us. We have been best friends for so long, and this is the first time we have lived in different states. And it fucking sucks.

  Scott takes off for their bedroom for his nap, while Becca and I
stay curled up on the couch, talking the afternoon away.

  “What time did we need to head to the arena?”

  “I usually head down around six. The games start around seven, so that gives me time to deal with traffic, and get parked and into the suite before the game starts. Now that you’ve got me thinking about it, we should leave a little bit earlier, so we don’t miss the start of the game, since we have to go into the main office to get your ticket for the suite.”

  “Sounds good to me. Any chance we can swing by Brian’s, so I can change before the game?”

  “Yep, do you need to get there before he leaves for the arena?”

  “No, he gave me a key so that I can come and go as needed.”

  “So, what’s going on between the two of you?”

  “I don’t know.” I sigh and drop my face into my hands. “He’s been so damn sweet since I met him back in June. We talk and text almost daily, and occasionally, will FaceTime each other. He’s become a great friend, and as much as I’m attracted to him, I’d just hate to take that leap and it not work, and then our friendship is ruined.”

  “He has been very different since meeting you, Scott told me. Apparently, he isn’t going out to the clubs anymore, and hasn’t been bragging about all the women he’s sleeping with. Scott thinks he hasn’t slept with a woman since he met you.”

  I look at her, slack-jawed, and in complete shock from what she’s just said. “He hasn’t really mentioned anyone to me either, but I also don’t expect him to do so. I don’t really want to know about his conquests, as I’m sure he wouldn’t want to hear about mine, if the roles were reversed.”

  “I really think he’s changed, and I think it has everything to do with you,” Becca tells me.

  “I just don’t want to end up being another conquest. What if I sleep with him, and that’s it. The chase is over, and he loses all interest in me?”

  “Then we send Scott over to kick his ass for being a jerk to you. But I also don’t think that will happen. Most playboys don’t just stop their ways, right after meeting a woman. He hasn’t even slept with you yet, and it appears he’s changing his ways. Maybe he’s trying to prove to himself that he can be a one-woman man before he tries to get you to commit to him.”

  “I never thought of it that way, but we also don’t know for sure if he has been keeping himself on the up and up. For all we know, he still bangs random women and is just not bragging about it to anyone.”

  “Stop trying to be so pessimistic about it. I think you should give it a shot, for what it’s worth.”

  “Maybe. I’m leaving in just a couple of days, so I’m going to see how things go the rest of the time I’m here.”

  Scott walks out of their master bedroom, finding Becca and I still on the couch where he left us hours ago. He’s dressed in his suit, ready to head to the game.

  “Are you ladies going to sit here all night, gossiping, or can I expect to see you at the game tonight?”

  Giggling, Becca looks up at Scott. The love between them is so apparent. “We wouldn’t miss it, babe,” she tells him. “Kin needs to stop by Brian’s before we head to the game, and we are planning to arrive a little early, so we have time to go meet Laura in the office to get Kin’s pass. I texted her earlier, and she said it was no problem.”

  “Alright, ladies, I will see you after the game. Don’t get into too much trouble.” Scott leans down to kiss Becca goodbye, then slips on his suit jacket and heads for the door.

  “I guess we need to get moving if we’re going to make it to the arena early,” Becca muses.

  “I can’t tell you how much I needed this day with you. I’ve missed you so much,” I tell Becca, the melancholy settling over me.

  Becca stands and pulls me up off the couch, into a hug. “I know. Maybe I just need to convince you to move down here, and then we can be together all the time again,” she teases.

  “Wouldn’t that just be convenient,” I muse.

  “Think about it! You would be around to possibly venture into something serious with Brian, and we wouldn’t be thousands of miles away from each other. I think it’s a win-win, if I do say so myself.”

  “I’m not saying yes, and I’m not saying no, but no getting your hopes up about it for now.”

  “As long as you’re thinking about it, I’ll be happy.”

  We made it to the arena, and into the WAGs suite, which is a private suite that’s only for the families of the players to watch the game from. It’s known as the “WAGs suite” as it’s mostly wives and girlfriends who use it on a regular basis. After a round of introductions, we take a seat to watch the teams warm up. I have never watched a game from a suite, so this is quite a different experience. Shortly after we arrive, the catering staff brings in a spread of food, which has my stomach growling.

  I excuse myself from the group we are sitting with, to grab a plate of food and a Pepsi from the bar. After returning to my seat, I’m pulled right into the conversation with everyone, immediately being accepted into the fold. I was a little worried that I would be the outcast, since I’m not a wife or girlfriend, considering this is what the suite is for. Becca insisted that her core group of friends would welcome me right in, and they have done just that. I can see why she felt at home so quickly around these women.

  Chapter Eleven

  Brian

  As soon as I stepped foot on the ice tonight for warm-ups, I felt different. I was more energized, and could feel the win coming our way. We’re currently back in the locker room after warm-ups, before the first period starts. I’m sitting in my stall, re-taping my stick before it’s time to head back out to the ice.

  Scott sits down next to me, nudging me with his knee. “What’s got you all excited? If you go out on the ice with that shit-eating grin on your face, the Vegas D-line is going to eat you whole.”

  “I just have a good feeling about tonight. As soon as I hit the ice for warm-ups, I could feel it in my bones.”

  “Any chance it has to do with a little dirty blonde that’s been sleeping at your place, and is currently upstairs with my fiancée?”

  “Maybe?” I try to play it off, but I’m sure that Kinley being here has at least a little to do with it.

  “She still blowing you off?”

  “Yeah.” I sigh. “I don’t know what more I can do to show her I’m all in.”

  “Have you thought of telling her that you haven’t been with anyone else since meeting her?”

  “The timing just hasn’t been right. I don’t want to scare her off with that information.”

  “I think it will go over better than you think. I’ve known Kinley a long-ass time, and have seen the guys she’s gone out with in the past. She was always the pushover, and let guys treat her like shit. She has finally found the strong side of herself, and learned to stand up for herself, and I’m proud of her for doing so.”

  “Yeah, I know, man. Just wish she wasn’t staying strong against me. But, I’m willing to keep at her and eventually, I will wear her down. Either that, or she’ll find someone else, and I’ll be forced to move on.”

  “Alright, enough talking about chicks. Let’s get ready to kick some Vegas ass,” Scott says, smacking his stick against my shin pads.

  The crowd is on fire tonight, and the energy they are giving off is boosting my spirits even more than during warm-ups. I’m ready for the ref to drop the fucking puck and get this game underway. I know this game isn’t going to be a walk in the park – hell, Vegas has shocked everyone so far this season, playing as good as they are for being an expansion team, but I plan to shut that down tonight.

  We scored early in the first. Lucas Novak got a lucky bounce off a blocked shot and skirted the puck in top shelf, glove side on Vegas’ goalie. Neither team has scored since, and we’re closing in on just a couple minutes left in the game. We need to stay focused to keep our one-goal lead, and possibly get the shutout win for Soaps. The man deserves it for how he’s been playing tonight. He’s saved
our asses too many times to count.

  Scott and I jump across the boards, ready to take our next shift. It’s been nice having him back in the lineup. We’re all in position, with Murph taking the puck drop. He wins it, and passes the puck up to Stephen “Chambers” Chamberland. Chambers takes off with the puck up the boards and into the neutral zone. He’s ahead of everyone else out on the ice for the current shift and easily clears over the blue line without worrying about being offsides. The rest of us quickly make it over the blue line and set up, doing our best to get another goal. After some back and forth with a couple Vegas players, we clear the zone and head toward the bench to end our shift and allow the next line to take the ice to try and keep our one-goal lead.

  We’re down to a minute left in the game, still up one-nothing, when it’s my shift again. Scott and I barrel over the boards, just as Vegas is attempting to bring the puck out of the neutral zone. I reach out to poke check the puck, and attempt to swing the momentum to us. I miss the puck, and almost take down the winger who had possession. Thankfully, the stripes don’t call me for a fucking penalty and I turn on the afterburners to catch back up and try and take the puck away.

  We’re down to thirty-five seconds left on the clock, and just need to hold on to the puck to win this game. We play a fast-paced “pass the puck” and “keep away” as we keep control of the puck. Scott passes the puck to me, just as a small slot opens and I one time it toward the net. The puck deflects off of the Vegas goalie skate and bounces in the net.

  “FUCK YES!” I yell, as we pile together, smacking helmets and celebrating together before heading toward the bench.

  “Nice shot!” Scott yells to me. With only ten seconds left in the game, we stay out on the ice to play it out. Murph wins the faceoff and keeps possession of the puck for the final seconds of the game, bringing us to the win and giving Soaps his shutout he deserved.