Chapter 39
Sasha
Sasha sat at her desk with a smile on her face. It had been a week since the last home game. Things with Conner were amazing, she even started to think that maybe there was something much more lasting between them. She hadn”t heard anything from her stalker since the message with the camera. They were 1-1 in their first playoff games, they had both been home games. Sasha thought normal season games were intense, but playoffs took things to a whole other level.
Whether it was at his house or on the ice, her and Conner were always together. It was all work at the Magic center, but when they got back to his house, they had settled into a nice rhythm. She hadn”t heard anything from the police or the detectives working on her case. She didn”t know what to think on that front, but it had been ten days since she”d received the video and there had been no suspicious activity. She was starting to relax a little.
There was a knock at her door, she looked up to see Hilary standing there.
“Hey Sasha, I just wanted to touch base before you guys leave tonight. Are you sure you want to travel with everything going on?”
“Yeah, it”s been quiet, and I”ll stick close to the team.”
“I’m packed and ready to go if you want me to go instead,” Hillary mentioned with a concerned look on her face.
“I appreciate that, but I can do this. I have posts ready to go for each outcome and some clips to post.”
“If you”re sure,” she said.
“I’m sure. Conner and I are going to head home in a bit to get our bags before the plane takes off.”
“Conner, huh? Do we need to let HR know about a relationship?”
Sasha looked up at her with panicked eyes.
“Don”t worry,” Hillary said. “You guys are in completely separate arms of the organization. It”s totally fine, we just have to give HR notice.”
“Oh,” she said after being caught off guard. “No, not right now.”
Hillary just looked at her with suspicion. “Okay, well, be safe and I”ll see you when you get back.”
Hillary left and Sasha finished up a few things before Conner showed up at her door. “Hey beautiful, you ready?” he asked.
Sasha fought a swoon. Things had shifted for them since the last regular season game. Whatever it was that was happening between them felt magic. It wasn”t just about her protection anymore. They hadn”t talked about it, but there was no question for her anymore. There was something special here with Conner McPhee.
After they went home and grabbed their bags before heading to the plane.
“So, this is the first plane ride since you stopped being an ass,” she said to Conner with a grin.
He just raised his eyebrow and got their bags out of the trunk. They boarded the plane and Sasha sat upfront with the staff and Conner made his way back to the players. It was easy to forget everything was so messed up when she was able to immerse herself in work like this and the excitement of playoffs.
Once they were all at the hotel and the managing staff was passing out room keys Conner made his way over to Sasha.
“I thought we were staying in the same room,” Conner whispered in her ear. Her head was buried in her phone looking at the post of Ethan”s incredible save in overtime at the last game, she wasn”t even sure what he said.
“Sasha,” he said, grabbing her attention, “did they give you your own room?”
“Oh yeah,” she said, showing him her room key.
“I thought you were staying with me,” he said with eyebrows pinch in disapproval.
“It’s fine. We aren”t together so they put us in separate rooms.”
“We aren”t together,” he said, giving her a questioning look.
“Not like that...we have to go to HR.”
“What are you talking about?”
“It”s nothing we have to deal with now.”
“I don”t like this,” he said with a shake of his head. “What room are you in?”
She looked at her key packet that said 404.
He sighed with resignation. “We’re on the same floor at least. Do you want to stay with me anyway?”
She shook her head. “I have to at least try and be professional.”
“Okay,” he said with a sigh. “Let”s go unpack, but then we’re getting dinner together. Room service or the restaurant here.”
“Let”s go,” she said as they made their way to the elevator with their suitcases rolling behind them.
The team had a quiet night in the hotel, just some final game reviews and an early bedtime. Conner had made sure Sasha was locked safely in her room before he would go to his room. This level control would be infuriating but she let it slide because of the current predicament. Hillary was also texting and checking in.
The following day Sasha went with the team for some ice time before they headed back to the hotel to relax.
That night they had lost. The team was low because this now put them down a game in the series, but they weren”t out yet. They made it back to the hotel and Conner once again made sure Sasha was good in her room before going to his own.
She was busy getting ready for bed when she got a text from Evie.
Evie – you’re on ESPN
Sasha - What?
She grabbed the remote and turned on the tv. Sure enough, there she was at the game. They were doing a segment on the changes in popularity of hockey, and they were talking about all the changes she had made in the Magic”s organization. It was amazing. They were giving her credit for things she had worked really hard on. She was a mess of emotion. She was proud, but she was also terrified, this is not what she needed.
Evie - I mean you”re kicking ass, awesome! But I thought you might like to know.
Sasha - thanks for letting me know.
Evie – no problem!
Damn it. Sasha tried to talk herself down. What were the odds that he saw it? And if he did...well, she wouldn”t think about it. She just hoped Conner didn”t see it.
The next day they were having a quiet day at the hotel. The team was on strict orders to relax and try and save energy for the game tomorrow. They had a meeting and reviewed the game footage, but after that they were free. Conner stayed down with the team for a team movie night. She was glad, he needed to be with the team. She had been worried that she would be distracted but he still was focused on the game.
Sasha was more than happy to stay in her room, catch up on some work, and make some phone calls. She hadn”t talked to her family much since she had been staying at Conner’s, so she did that.