Chapter 25 Vox
Vox
Ihad hopes that Connor and I would steal glances, touches, and kisses every chance we could get as soon as we got back to Ricochet.
But to our dismay, there haven’t been many chances.
Instead of having ample time to ourselves while the rest of the team has gone home for the one break we get this season, I’ve been busier than ever.
Grey scheduled two photo shoots: one for the Patterson brand and one for final marketing materials for the Winter Classic Games.
I also had three media appearances for live interviews talking about the upcoming event, and Frank even asked if I could run my trash route on one of the days to ‘clean things up a bit’ before the other teams arrive for the competition.
I haven’t seen Connor once in the four days since our night at the hotel. I’m trying to sext him because I’m desperate, but he calls me immediately.
“Don’t put that in writing!” he admonishes, making me laugh.
“Why?”
He hesitates before answering. “Because Grey already has your location monitored. Who’s to say he’s not monitoring your texts, too?”
“Not this again,” I snap.
“It’s a valid concern, Vox.”
“It’s pissing me off, is what it is,” I argue. I’m fucking moody as hell. I had one of the best orgasms of my life with the literal man of my dreams and then got dumped back into reality without so much as a chance for a kiss hello or goodbye.
“Look, I’m just asking you to save it until we’re in person together. Grey still pays your cell phone bill, which means if he wanted to, he could see how many times we call each other, which would definitely be a red flag.”
“Us not seeing each other for the last four days is the red flag,” I grumble.
“Don’t I know it. And who packed your schedule that full when you’re supposed to be enjoying a break?” he asks.
“Ugghhh,” I whine into the phone.
“Fuck, you’re cute when you pout,” he says in that deep voice he knows I can’t resist. “At least we have the birthday dinner together.”
“Is that supposed to make me feel better? I go from fucking your ass to four days of nothing, and then we get reunited under the roof of the man responsible for making us hide?”
Connor chuckles. “Sounds like a recipe for disaster, huh?”
“Little bit,” I agree.
“I miss you,” he says quietly into the phone as though afraid he’ll spook me with the words.
While not spooked, I am a little shocked. I mean, I know he finds me irresistible, but the emotional declaration catches me slightly off guard. Mostly because I think, “I miss you, too.”
“Maybe we can meet at your place after the birthday celebration,” Connor suggests.
“Yeah, that’d be really good if we’re trying to avoid my balls exploding.”
“Well,” he starts in a sinister tone. “I was kind of hoping that was the end goal, just, you know, in my mouth.”
“Connnooorrrrr,” I whine again.
“Careful, Vox. I think I like it when you’re needy.”
“Ohmygod, I’m not going to survive you,” I lament.
“At least we’re on the same page. I’ll see you tonight…and don’t forget, keep your eyes above my belt.”
I snort. “Yeah-fucking-right,” I reply before hanging up with a dopey grin on my face.
I throw on the only suit I own. I don’t do a lot of pomp and circumstance because most of the time it feels disingenuous.
But for the Pattersons, I happily don the black shirt, red-and-black striped tie, black pants, and black suit jacket.
It’s the most subdued outfit I own, but I don’t hate it.
The suit is custom-tailored. It’s the same one I wear when I’m forced to attend a formal PR event for Patterson, and I have to admit, it draws attention.
Selfishly, I hope it draws Connor’s attention because I’m finding it hard to think about anything else. Every brain cell is focused on replaying images of our night together.
Parking my Jeep behind Grey’s daughter’s 4-Runner, I jog carefully up the snowy brick steps of his immaculate home and ring the bell.
Jennifer flings the door open and catapults into my arms.
“Voxy!” she squeals.
Laughing, I scoop her up and squeeze her tightly.
“Hey, Jenn. Happy birthday.”
“Thanks, Vox. It’s good to see you. Looking good as always. Dad says you’re going to kick everyone’s ass again this year.”
“That’s the plan,” I tell her.
Jenn is a sophomore at Colorado State in Boulder.
She and I have always gotten along extremely well, and as much as Grey loves me, no one holds a candle to his Jenny-Bear.
Jenn is pretty, but looks way too much like her father for me to have ever been tempted to go there, though it wasn’t for her lack of trying.
I’m just thankful she and I can joke about it now.
Behind me, I hear a car pull into the driveway, and I break out in a sweat. I want to turn and lay eyes on the man stepping out.
Fuck, I am needy.
When the hell did that happen?
I set Jenn down, and she steadies herself by placing her hands on my biceps as she peers over my shoulder before grabbing my hand and pulling me into the house. “Dad!” she yells. “I think that new coach just pulled in!”
Grey turns the corner in a suit of his own, the buttons straining over his round belly. Grey is a big man, easily six-foot-four and weighing two-sixty. He hasn’t been on skis or a board in a really long time, and I imagine if he were to fall at this point, there might be no getting back up.
“Oh, hey, Vox. You just get here?”
I nod.
Looking past me toward his daughter, Grey grows serious. “Jenn, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t parade Vox around to your friends like the family pet.”
Jenn’s mouth drops open in mock offense.
“Father! Whatever do you mean?” Then, turning to me in a stage whisper, Jenn says, “Vox, would you mind taking the jacket off, losing the tie, and undoing the top two buttons on your shirt? I like my parades—and my pets—to be exciting.”
Grey groans and pinches the bridge of his nose.
“You’re going to be the death of me, Jennifer Michelle.”
Jenn throws her head back in evil laughter.
“He’s so dramatic. It’s honestly just a little payback for controlling my purse strings in an attempt to keep me in line. You know how that goes, don’t you?” she says with a roll of her eyes before dragging me from the foyer right as the doorbell rings.
I hear Connor’s muted voice, but before I can think about it too long, I’m being swept into an embrace by Rachel, Jenn’s mom.
“Voxy, baby. It’s so good to see you! It’s been too long.”
She’s right…and I feel like shit about it.
“Sorry, Rachel. Training’s been kind of crazy, and with us doing teams this year, there’s always someone wanting to go somewhere or do something,” I explain.
“Oh, honey, I’m just giving you a hard time. I’m glad you’re making friends. Grey told me you weren’t a fan of the new format. How’s it going? Can I get you something to drink? Glass of wine? Beer? Liquor?”
“I wouldn’t say no to a gin and tonic if you’ve got it,” I tell her, hoping the alcohol can make me numb enough to get through this meal without causing a scene or showing my hand.
“Oh, me too!” Jenn squeals.
Rachel purses her lips. “I don’t think so, young lady, but nice try.”
Jenn pouts, “Moooom, it’s my birthday!”
“Yeah, your twentieth birthday, not your twenty-first birthday,” Rachel argues.
“I’m in college. It’s not like I don’t drink,” Jenn admits.
“You’d better not let your father hear you say that,” Rachel scolds.
“Say what?” Grey asks, stepping into the kitchen. It’s a newer house, so the kitchen opens up directly to the living room, and two things happen at once.
Connor steps out from behind Grey to present Rachel with a bottle of wine, causing all my blood to rush south, and one of Jenn’s friends on the couch says, “God, he’s even hotter in person.”
I’m not sure which one of her friends spoke, nor am I sure if she’s talking about me or Connor, who looks every bit the heartbreaker he is in a gray suit with a traditional white button-down. He’s chosen to forgo the tie and has the top two buttons undone—just like Jenn wanted from me.
R.I.P. nutsack.
I’m not sure what I was expecting, and I still haven’t figured out how to interact with him tonight.
Obviously, I need to play it cool, but should I be my usual obnoxious, self-assured, flirtatious self?
Can I even do that with him anymore without totally giving away everything I feel?
Being face-to-face with him now, I’m drawing a blank.
I can’t even remember how to breathe.
“Excuse me. I need to run to the restroom,” I say, making a beeline down the hallway.
As soon as the bathroom door closes behind me, I brace my hands on the sink and let out a breath.
My hands are shaking, and I need to pull it together before I’m the one who fucks this up.
Connor’s trusting me, and although I don’t share his rule-following gene, I do know what it’s like to not want to disappoint someone.
Especially the two people I care about. Who are currently in the same room and are on opposite sides of the fence about whatever is happening between Connor and me.
I lose track of how long I’ve been in here when there’s a knock on the door.
After one more deep breath, I open the door only to find Connor on the other side, holding my gin and tonic.
“Did you wash your hands? There’s no water in the sink,” he says with a smile after a pregnant silence passes between us.
Reaching back for the handle, I flip it on for a few seconds so it coats the inside of the sink bowl.
“Happy?”
“Hardly,” Connor deadpans.
I take a large swallow of the drink, watching Connor the entire time. He watches my throat. Dropping my voice, I whisper, “At least you got the hard part right.” We stare at each other for another couple of breaths, doing an absolutely shit job at hiding our desire.
“We should get back to the others,” I say, leaning in closer.
“Not yet.” Connor catches my forearm and drags me further down the hall away from the kitchen/living room combo, into the doorway of Grey’s office, which is visible from the front door.
“What the fuck are you doing?” I ask, already frustrated at how my body is responding to this stolen moment with him, knowing it’ll still be hours before we’re alone.
“You once told me to pick a lane, Vox. This is me, picking,” he confesses, placing his hands on my chest. “I’m choosing you. And right now, I need to touch you simply because I can.”