Offensive Plays: A Surprise Baby Hockey Romance (Heatwave Hockey Series)

7. Michael

”The cleaning lady won”t be in until Monday,” Libby says.

I scan the house. ”It”s so...quiet.”

I”m used to living in a home with two other teammates. The TV is always blasting with a game on or the sound system out back with one of them lounging by the pool.

But here in this big, empty house...it”s peaceful.

”Yeah, I mean it”s just me and Gigi.”

There”s a small purring I hear from the corner of the living room.

”Oh and Lady.”

The kitten meows. ”Hi, Lady.”

She steps toward me cautiously. She”s fluffy with white and black patches.

”Careful,” Libby warns. ”She”s got claws.”

”Most ladies do,” I say with a smirk.

Libby inspects her manicure and nods to confirm.

”I”m going to take my claws and make us that hot chocolate.”

She lifts the hem of her dress and walks over to the kitchen. Pulling her hair out from the updo she has it in and letting it tumble down her shoulders.

That beautiful red hair of hers. It”s fiery and soft against her porcelain skin.

I look around the living area when… wait a minute.

I turn to Libby, who’s now pulling mugs down from the cabinet. Her hair curling at the ends and dancing with each motion.

I open the app on my phone and scroll through the pictures exchanged with LeaveHerWild.

There”s one taken in front of a fireplace. I lift the phone up and hold it up against the fireplace in front of me. Black marble. No mantle. Goes all the way to the ceiling.

LeaveHerWild is showing off her cute little outfit in the photo. The pixels covering her hair are light. She could be a red-head.

”How hot do you like it?” Libby calls from the kitchen.

I get up from the couch and walk into the kitchen to stand beside her.

”As hot as you”ll give it to me, Libby.”

Her back is to me, but she stills at my voice.

”You scared me,” she says letting out a whoosh of air. ”I thought you were still in the living room.”

”Your clothes are wet, you don”t want to go change?”

She shakes her head.

”You’re wet, too,” she points out.

I walk up behind her and place a hand on her lower back. ”Go, get changed. I”ll finish up here.”

I see the way her skin breaks out into goosebumps at my touch.

”Okay,” she breathes out. ”Milk”s on the stove. When it”s done boiling you can pour it into each mug.”

”I think I can make hot chocolate, Libby.”

She smirks, ”Of course. I”ll be right back.”

Leaving me alone again, I open the app. LeaveHerWild had porcelain skin, like Libby. She lived in a similar home to Libby. She was at the Breakaway with friends, like Libby.

I open my emails and type out a message to my software supervisor.

Barry, I need you to look into an account for me.

Screen name: LeaveHerWild

Stat.

-Michael

The milk on the stove starts bubbling and I quickly move it off the flames to keep it from boiling over.

I look back and Libby is still nowhere in sight.

If she is LeaveHerWild...then I”m so screwed.

We”ve been quietly sipping our hot chocolate in front of the fire.

Libby would say something. I reason. She”s not a quiet girl.

But if she found out it was me and deliberately decided to not show up. Then why would she invite me in?

”So...” I say at the same time she says, ”Do you..”

”Go ahead,” I tell her.

”You first,” she insists.

”What were you going to say?”

”You first,” she says, bringing the mug to her lap and shooting me daggers.

”I was going to say… so how do you feel about your best friend marrying your brother?”

She licks her lips before she answers and the motion draws my full attention to the softness of them.

”I”m happy for them. Like, really happy. I”ve known they were into each other since the day they met.”

”Would you ever date a hockey player?” I ask her out of nowhere.

”No,” she says plainly. ”Which is why everyone thought it was so funny I went to a date-a-player charity auction and actually bid on you.”

”Next to Landry, you gave me the highest bid.”

She shrugs.

”What did Jonah do, Libby?” My brother”s words from earlier in the night swirling through my head. ”He”s still caught up on you.”

”What do you mean?” she says, her eyes shooting up at me.

”I just mean...he”s made some comments.”

”Like?” she presses.

”He said you”re the hottest girl around.”

Her nose scrunches in disgust. ”Why would he say that?”

”It”s not because it”s not true,” I tell her.

She blushes at that.

”But you”re right,” I add. ”He”s about to be married and has no respect.”

”His fiancee invited me to their wedding,” she blurts out like she’s been wanting to tell someone all night.

I do a double take, ”Lillian? When?”

”It”s coming up in a few weeks, I think.”

”No, I’m the best man. But, when did she invite you?”

Libby hesitates before answering, ”I”ve seen her around. Why do you think the team owner bet on Landry?”

She”s changing the subject.

”Is that what you were going to say earlier?”

”Yes.”

”I”m sure it was just to do her part in giving to the organization,” I offer.

We silently sip again when an email notification comes through on my phone.

I open it to see the email reply from Barry.

Sure thing, boss.

Name: Liberty O”Connor

Age: 28 years old

Scored high in the following for the fantasy questionnaire:

submissive, role play, toys, light rope play, praise and degradation kink

Is she causing trouble? Do I need to disable her account? -B

Got her. My eyes rove up to Libby, absentmindedly sipping on her hot chocolate and watching the rain come down from the back window.

I type a quick reply to Barry.

No.

Ok. Libby O”Connor is LeaveHerWild. The woman I planned on taking to bed tonight sits right across from me. The same woman who makes me miss shots at very important playoff games and whose brother warned me about. The woman my own brother called his sloppy seconds.

And she may or may not know that I”m the person she stood up tonight.

Maybe she freaked out at the thought of sleeping with a stranger. Maybe she bailed before finding out it was me waiting for her at the bar.

Maybe.

But maybe she knew exactly what she was doing and willingly left me hanging.

”So this date...I have few days open this week. Conference finals start on Saturday.”

She lowers her mug onto her lap.

”We”re not going on the date, Fergie.”

”I beg to differ, Libby. Rina plans to send the team photographer to capture each date for her Public Relations conquest.”

She rolls her eyes. ”I got what I needed out of bidding on you.”

”So you”ve said...getting back at my brother.”

”Yes. He”s kind of a walking asshole as we’ve already established,” she takes another sip.

”Is that why you guys broke up?”

”I”d rather not talk about that time if you don”t mind.”

She”s a tough egg to crack. Always has been. All I know about her dating my brother is that it was brief and things ended badly. Neither of them cares to share exactly why.

”Ok...well how about now? How”s your dating life?”

”Wow, just going right for the kill huh?”

”Life is short,” I shrug.

”My dating life is...non-existent.”

Isn”t that interesting, considering I am her dating life lately.

”So there”s really nobody that”s caught your eye?”

”Between reviving my modeling career and being Zane”s lucky charm during the playoffs...no. Nobody”s caught my eye.”

Liar.

”Have you tried...dating apps?”

She pauses for a second and meets my eyes. ”Yes, with no luck.”

Oh, really?

”What are you looking for that you”re not getting?”

She sighs. ”I don”t know.” She seems almost bored with the topic.

I don”t know what comes over me when she says that. Part of me is upset that she didn”t give me a chance to show her what she”s missing. But she”s here now. And I know we have chemistry even if she doesn”t want to admit it. Matching on a very specific app that I happen to know all the criteria for is a pretty obvious thing.

”Describe him,” I say.

She looks over at me. “I don”t understand what you”re asking...”

”Your perfect man. Describe him.”

”Are you serious?”

”Dead.”

She hesitates then tucks her legs under herself on the chair. ”Fine. My perfect guy is....well attractive.”

“Hmm,” I nod. “And what makes a guy attractive to you?”

“He’s really into his fitness. But not too into it to the point that he doesn”t have time for me because he”s always after getting them gains,” she mocks who I think is her brother.

”Okay...what else?”

”He”s kind with a dangerous side. Keeps me on my toes.”

”So far I”m getting Arnold Schwarzenegger in his sixties meets Groot.”

A grin stretches across her face.

”I”m not opposed to either, if I”m being honest.”

”You”re weird,” I tell her.

”Kinky and weird are two different things,” she states.

”And are you?...Kinky?” Of course, I already know the answer to this. I just want to hear her admit it.

”That”s not something you”d need to concern yourself with, Fergie.”

And shot down.

”So let”s just get this straight. Your ideal guy is a muscular man or tree who treats people with respect but would get into a fight if necessary. Am I getting that right?”

”Pretty much.”

”Sounds like your perfect match would be a hockey player.”

She nearly does a spit-take right at me.

”Absolutely not,” she says with a chuckle.

”Why not?”

”Are you offering?”

”To what?”

”To date me?”

”You”re the one that paid 25k to go on a date with me, remember?”

She lifts a brow.

”I spend enough time at hockey games, as is. I”d hate to have to be around it 24/7. It loses its charm. Trust me, been there done that when I was dragged to Zane”s every practice as a kid. No thanks.”

”WAGS don”t need to be at practices.”

”Are you trying to convince me?”

”I”m playing devil”s advocate.”

”The devil in this scenario being....”

”Hockey players.”

”Which I don”t date.”

”Yes, you”ve made that abundantly clear.”

”Good,” she says with finality. ”Now, what about you?”

”What about me?”

”Whose your ideal girl?”

It”s hard to say when my ideal girl is sitting right in front of me.