16. Theo
Getting up at 5:00 a.m. was no one’s idea of a good time. A lifetime love of hockey had trained me to accept these early mornings as a necessary evil.
With last night’s loss still weighing heavily on my shoulders, I dragged my ass out of bed, even though my eyes felt glued together with gravel.
Hoping the comfort of routine would shake me out of this funk, I threw on my workout clothes and left my room. I’d keep the intensity way down during my workout. It was more about having a way to clear my head.
Scrolling through my phone as I walked toward the elevator, I did not expect to run into another person at this hour. Most of my teammates would likely be starting their workout as mine ended around 6:00 a.m.
The blur of motion in my peripheral vision had me stopping just in time to avoid a collision.
A soft gasp had me looking up .
It took me a minute to realize Indie was in front of me. What was she doing in the hallway at this hour of the morning?
As I took in her appearance, my mouth hardened into a thin line. Heat simmered in my veins as I realized she was coming from that little shit’s hotel room.
Fuck . First, I’d been tortured by having a front-row seat to their date in the bar. Now, I had to bear witness to a post-hookup early morning dip and dash back to her room.
This is definitely more than a hookup. You’ve seen proof with your own eyes. I cursed my inner voice of reason. I didn’t know what felt worse: Indie and Andrews being in a relationship or just sleeping together. I hated both options with a passion.
My further survey of her state of attire just served to have jealous fury pumping through my veins. She was clearly not dressed for the day. Her paper-thin pajamas clung to the subtle curves of her body. Her sheer sweater and the tiny strap of her tank top hung off one shoulder.
Christ, she wasn’t wearing a bra. I could see her nipples through the fabric draped over the swell of her breasts.
Whipping my gaze off her chest, I didn’t dare look any lower on her body, afraid I’d discover a whole new selection of images to haunt me with her no doubt lack of underwear.
She turned away quickly, seeing something in my eyes she didn’t want to tangle with this early. I couldn’t just ignore what was right in front of my face.
“Rocky. Wait. What are you doing sneaking out of Andrews’s room at 5:00 a.m.?”
I had no right to ask her that question but couldn’t stop the words from tumbling from my mouth. Grinding my teeth, I forced myself to shut up before I said anything I’d regret .
She stopped her retreat and lowered her chin to her chest for a moment, taking a deep breath. Yeah, well, she could deal with the discomfort. I was already firing on all cylinders, wanting her to pay attention to me .
Her shoulders rose and fell with whatever reaction she was about to let loose on my ill-advised interference. Her dark hair, disheveled from sleep—thinking about anything else making her hair look that messy made my vision white out—still looked like dark streams of silk down her back.
Shifting around slightly in my direction but keeping most of her body facing away from me, she spoke in a low rasp I’d heard only once before in my life.
“Theo. What do you want?”
This was only my third morning encounter with Indie in the wee hours of the morning. The first time was in my parents’ kitchen so many years ago. The last choice I made when I came upon her in such a state of undress was very different to how I would respond now.
“What do I want?” I growled.
What I wanted was an explanation. I wanted to know why she was alone in this hallway before sunrise. I wanted to know what the fuck she saw in that kid Andrews. He was not the right man for her, just barely more than a boy himself. What did he know about worshiping the ground this goddess of a woman walked on?
Mostly, I wanted to know how I could get her to feel what she felt for me six years ago.
He was probably blinded by her outer beauty, like everyone who’d ever laid eyes on her. He was way too inexperienced to understand the endless depths contained in just one of her glances.
What a goddamn waste.
“Indie.” I gestured with both arms to the emptiness around us. “ You’re out here practically in the middle of the night, wearing that.”
This time, I gestured quickly at the tissue-thin fabric barely concealing her body from me. And any other asshole who might happen upon her in this state of undress. I had to move on from that thought quickly as I felt my knuckles pop with how tightly I was clenching them.
It was a matter of safety, for god’s sake. Yeah, you jealous fucker. Safety, sure. Green’s a good color on you, man.
Righting the sweater-wrap thing that she’d just noticed had fallen off her shoulder, she narrowed her eyes.
“It’s none of your business what I do. I can be wherever the hell I want at any hour of the day. Good night. Or good morning, I guess.” She crossed her arms over her chest, daring me to argue.
She spun around and started walking away from me again. Her retreat heated the emotions churning inside me further. My legs were moving, making long strides due to my height advantage and anger, before I could process the decision to go after her.
Before either of us knew it, I was right behind her when she stopped abruptly at her door.
Yeah, I’d asked the team assistant responsible for room allocations what her room number was before I got off the bus last night. I’d made some excuse about my sister wanting to call Indie about a surprise visit. I wasn’t proud of the lie, but it had been out before I could stop myself.
The speed at which she’d tried to walk away from me and my determination to catch her before she unlocked her door had us both breathing hard.
“Rocky…”
She spun around and pressed herself back against her door, crossing her arms over her chest. I dared not to look away from her face now that I had her tantalizing skin within half an arm’s length of my hands.
She looked up into my eyes, and I realized that I was leaning over her with my arms braced on the doorframe.
Fuck. For the life of me, my brain could not order my body to move back to give her some personal space. Not when I was the closest I’d been to her in six fucking long years. So close that I could see the goose bumps appearing on her skin. So close that I could see the flecks of golden brown in the dark shards of her eyes.
Right now, those eyes were shooting daggers at me. And shit if even her anger didn’t turn me on.
“No, Theo. You don’t get to call me that name as if we are old friends. We aren’t. You have absolutely no say in the choices I make. So you can put all that big-brother shit away.”
She thought this was some lame-ass attempt to pull the big-brother card? She couldn’t be more wrong about what was going on here. There were exactly zero brotherly feelings for why I was so goddamn pissed right now.
“Baby, you aren’t even in the right galaxy if you think this is me trying to protect you as my little sister’s best friend.”
Watching those gorgeous eyes widen in shock from my second use of that term of endearment falling from my lips had me holding back a smirk. She’d probably been forced to take etiquette lessons from birth, so getting an honest reaction out of her was a thrill.
It took all of my control not to smile. Or kiss her. Or both. Unfortunately, I didn’t think either of those things would be welcome at this moment.
Leaning a little further into her space, I placed my mouth next to her ear and lowered my voice.
“Now, tell me why that asshat let you walk half-naked in the hallway alone back to your room?”
“How do you know whose room I was in?” she ground out between clenched teeth.
My proximity meant I could feel the gentle exhalations of her breaths against my neck. It also meant that her intoxicating, sweet, subtle scent was invading my senses.
“Do you think I haven’t been paying attention? I know you’ve been seeing Andrews.”
Her smaller hand appeared on my chest and pushed firmly enough to get me to look her in the eyes again. She scrutinized my face, looking for clues. She recrossed her arms, reassuming a defensive position for this battle brewing between us.
“Why the hell do you even care, Theo? It’s none of your business. I’m just trying to be professional and keep my distance to make this work. I can’t afford to mess up with this job.” Indie sucked in a breath on the last words, her eyes widening briefly, momentarily unsure before the determined look reappeared on her face. “Whoever I choose to see on my time is none of your business.”
What was going on that she was worried about messing up? I was already overstepping the line of concerned family friend, so I didn’t dare ask her.
I had to swallow the growl of disagreement down my throat. Throughout my career, I’d cultivated my image as a laid-back team player kind of guy. It was a good strategy to be viewed as someone not easily rattled. It meant opponents or teammates alike were less likely to mess with me.
But five minutes on the receiving end of Indie’s irritation had all my self-control unraveling. She had a way of making my blood pressure rise in a way no one else could.
“That’s where you’re wrong.” I was taking my life in my hands, figuratively speaking—the worst Indie would do was tell me off for overstepping—telling her she was wrong about something. I barreled on before she could interrupt me.
“ You said you decided to keep a professional distance between us. I never agreed to anything. And from what I see, I don’t like you and Andrews together. He doesn’t deserve you.”
Anyone who didn’t know this fiery woman the way I did would be cowering (or at least covering his or her sensitive areas) by this point. Indie’s eyes had narrowed into thin slits, giving life to the expression “if looks could kill.” She could be upset with me all she wanted. I’d stand firm in my resolution that she deserved better than sneaking out of some guy’s room practically in the middle of the night.
Seemingly recovered from the surprise of seeing me and our physical closeness, a new emotion filled her eyes. Let’s call it the I’m-about-to-mess-with-you-big-time expression. Indigo Layne did not like being told what to do. Ever. Period.
The look on her face said she was going to make me regret calling her out. A smirk formed on her lips.
“Okay, Theo. I see. Well, I’m safe and sound back at my door now, thanks to you. You can head out to what I assume was some sort of obscene professional athlete morning ritual. I’ve got to shower, you know, after last night. I didn’t get a chance. Wouldn’t want anyone on the team to smell Connor on me when we get back on the bus, right?” Her grin widened to accompany her taunting tone.
Her eyes never leaving mine, she pulled the front of one side of her sweater up to her nose and inhaled deeply. My brain could not process his scent on her skin and clothes.
Only my primal lizard brain remained. All other thoughts instantly obliterated from my mind.
When I didn’t reply, having been rendered temporarily speechless, she continued.
“On the other hand, maybe I’ll just get back in bed and sleep last night off. I didn’t get a lot of rest, if you know what I mean.” She had the audacity to wink at me, as if I wasn’t holding back two hundred pounds of jealousy. “There’s something to be said for wearing someone else’s scent the whole next day.”
“Don’t play with me, Indie,” I growled. I was about to burst into flames.
“What exactly are you going to do about it?” She tilted her head as if she was truly curious.
She had me there. I couldn’t say what I wanted. Nothing I could say at that moment would make her dump Andrews and jump into my arms.
Jump into my arms? Where had that thought come from? Did I want a real relationship with her? Holy fuck, I did.
What I didn’t want was simple: Andrews or any other asshole putting his hands on her. I knew logically I couldn’t say that out loud either, so I held my tongue. Biting back my words, literally, I was sure I tasted blood.
“I’m going back to bed. See you on the bus.” She gave me her back as she moved to unlock her door.
With my body and brain at a complete disconnect, she slipped through her now unlocked door, and I heard the dead bolt click before I could say anything further.
Shit . I couldn’t believe her nerve. I’d always known she was a force to be reckoned with, but she’d always been quiet around me. I’d never been on the receiving end like this.
God, I loved that fire she had. Even if it meant losing this round.
Like any good competitor, I was going to have to go back to the drawing board .
I needed a new game plan where Indie was concerned. Screw the Cup. I’d spend the rest of the season playing for something much more elusive and valuable: her heart.