Chapter 9
June
What the hell was wrong with me?
When I graduated from college, I was told by a lot of people that it would take years to get a job working for a professional sports team.
I would need to spend at least five years at a college athletic program to even be considered for a pro team.
Yet after just two years, the job for the Reapers opened up.
And just like that, I landed my dream job.
And now I was risking it by kissing one of the players?
I didn’t know what the rules were for something like this, but I was pretty sure it was a bad idea to kiss one of my players.
The rest of the team wouldn’t trust me. They’d look at me like I was just some girl that accepted the job in order to sleep with a hockey player.
To say nothing of the way the coach or executives on the team would react. At worst, I would be fired.
I ran straight to my car and left the parking lot like I was afraid Rhett or someone else would track me down. I was in such a hurry that I even turned the wrong way out of the lot. I only lived half a mile from the stadium, but now I had to circle around through traffic.
And since I was already out of the way, I stopped at Chick-fil-A. It was my favorite comfort food, something I only indulged in when I was in a really bad mood. That would derail my diet this week, but I didn’t really care.
I chowed down when I got home, but the food didn’t cheer me up. Neither did three episodes of Great British Bake Off. I couldn’t shake the feeling that I’d made a terrible mistake, that the sound guy had seen us kissing and was currently emailing everyone on the team about it.
The worst part? The kiss was amazing. It ignited something deep inside of me that had been dormant for a while. I could still feel his lips on mine, a memory that I knew wouldn’t fade any time soon.
I replayed the kiss while trying to fall asleep. The way he wrapped his arms around me, pulling me close. He was sweaty, but I didn’t even care.
I got out of bed and found the shirt I was wearing. I inhaled deeply; his scent was still there, sweaty and strong. That lit a new fire inside me, enough that I closed my eyes and slid my fingers down between my legs.
With my shirt held against my cheek, I didn’t even need a vibrator to get myself off. I came within seconds from the combination of my fingers and Rhett’s scent. That relieved some of the tension inside of me, but not all of it.
I fell asleep thinking about him.
The next day, I drove to the airport for our three-game trip to the West Coast. It was strange parking in the lot marked Private Aircraft, and even stranger walking out onto the tarmac where all the other players were gathered.
That was one perk of working for a pro team: we didn’t need to go through security.
I was terrified of seeing Rhett, but he was nowhere to be found. I got in line behind the other players, hoping that I’d be able to board and take a seat before seeing him.
There was a light touch on my back, and I practically yelped as I spun around.
But it was Cole, not Rhett.
“Easy there,” Cole said smoothly. “You almost jumped out of your shoes.”
“Sorry. I was in my head, thinking about last night. The game, I mean.”
Cole nodded solemnly. “I hear that. It doesn’t matter how many games we win, the losses always haunt me.”
“I wish there was more I could do to help,” I said as the players began to board the jet, the lining slowly moving forward.
Cole shook his head. “You’re doing exactly what you need to do. Taking care of the team off the ice. Especially Rhett. Getting him up to speed will help us more than anything. Speak of the devil…”
I turned to where Cole was staring. Rhett approached, a leather bag slung over one shoulder and a suitcase rolling behind him.
“We were just talking about you,” Cole said.
Rhett’s eyes flared in surprise for a moment. “Uh oh. Nothing bad, I hope?”
“Implying there are good things we can say about you?” Cole joked.
Rhett showed him his middle finger.
“We were talking about how important it is to get you back on the ice as quickly as possible,” I told him.
Rhett relaxed a tiny amount. Enough for me to notice. “Hell yeah. I don’t think I’ll be back for any of the games on this road trip, but the first home game after we get back? I think I’ll be ready. Right, June?”
I wiggled my palm. “Ehh. Fifty-fifty. We’ll see how the next week goes.”
“Do whatever she wants,” Cole told him. “June’s the most important person in your life right now, all right?”
“You got it, captain,” Rhett said.
Cole waved at Coach Jay, then jogged off to speak to him about something. Rhett and I looked at each other awkwardly as the line slowly moved forward.
“So,” he said. “About last night…”
“I don’t want to talk about it,” I quickly said. “We don’t need to talk about it. Okay?”
“Well, that’s going to be a problem,” Rhett said. “Because I reported you to Human Resources.”
I gasped. “No!”
A huge smile spread on his handsome face. “Just kidding. I wouldn’t do that.”
I sighed with relief, then laughed. “Oh, thank God.”
He stared straight ahead. “You did kind of sexually harass me, though. You’re the trainer. I can’t really say no.”
Rhett glanced at me, then sputtered another laugh. “You’re way too easy to tease, you know that? I’m fucking with you.”
I groaned and shook my head.
“Hey, relax.” He put a light hand on my back. “Everything’s fine. I promise to forget about last night, if you promise not to act all weird around me now, okay?”
“Okay,” I said.
“Because you still have to, like, touch my body and stuff,” he added. “Because it’s your job.”
“I’m super aware of that,” I said dryly.
“Just because I have the body of a Greek god doesn’t mean you get to kiss me whenever you want. Show some restraint, June!”
Now I laughed. “I thought you were going to forget about it.”
“Starting… now,” he said. “I promise. Scout’s honor.”
“Don’t think I haven’t forgotten about what led to it in the first place,” I said. “You waited until you thought I was gone, then went down to practice on the ice. Against my orders.”
He gave me a wary smile. “Can we forget about that, too? If you tell Coach…”
“I’ll think about it,” I said. “Check back with me in a few days.”
Now it was my turn to laugh at the way he cringed.
We flew to Los Angeles first to play the Kings, a nail-biting game that ended with us winning in a shootout.
The Anaheim Ducks were next, but we had a day of rest in between.
The Ducks let us use their training facility on our day off, and I was pleasantly surprised with the quality of their facility.
When I returned to the team hotel that night, I had to pass by the bar on the way to the elevators. “June!” called Coach Jay. “Come have a drink with us.”
I wanted to go up to my room and close my eyes, but Jay and the other coaching staff were all waving me over. I was part of the team, so I joined them at their barstools. A bunch of players were sitting in booths deeper in the bar, but I didn’t see Rhett.
“I draw the line at six shots,” I warned the coaches. “Five is my sweet spot.”
They roared with laughter, and Coach Jay gestured to get the bartender’s attention. “What do you drink? Red wine, or white?” Jay asked. “The team is picking up the tab tonight.”
Glancing at the taps, I said, “I’ll take the hazy IPA.”
Coach Jay blinked, then held his palm to his chest. “I owe you an apology. Shouldn’t have assumed.”
“I’m used to it. My dad turned me on to good beer before I went to college. He said I needed to appreciate a good hoppy beer before I started drinking Bud Lite at frat parties, and I never looked back.”
While the bartender pulled my beer, I glanced around the bar again. Rhett was in one of the booths, but I missed him because he was behind another player. He was turned away from me, thankfully.
And in the far corner, sitting by himself, was the goalie. Elias. He had a dark expression on his face that said: I don’t want to be bothered. He glanced up, meeting my gaze with an annoyed glare.
I quickly turned away.
“I was worried when Andy announced his retirement,” one of the coaching assistants said. “But you’ve picked up where he left off seamlessly.”
“You’re too kind,” I said.
Coach Jay shook his head. “He’s right. It feels like you’ve been part of the team for years, now. That’s a valuable thing, trust me. Team cohesion is important.”
“Well, I’m just the trainer. I’m not really on the team.”
“Bullshit,” the assistant said. “We might not hold a stick, but we’re just as important to the team as anyone that laces up their skates.”
I smiled, grateful for the compliment. “The transition has been easy. Everyone has made me feel really welcome.”
“How’s Rhett Lawson been?” Jay asked.
“Rhett…” I tried to appear relaxed. “He’s been fine. As welcoming as anyone else on the team. Nothing noteworthy.”
Jay looked confused. “No, I mean how has his rehab been going? Think his shoulder will be ready when we get back from this road trip?”
“Oh. His shoulder, right. I think so! I don’t want to get anyone’s hopes up, but if he keeps up with his rehab, and doesn’t aggravate it off the ice, he should be ready to go by then.”
“Now that’s the best news I’ve heard all day,” the assistant said.
Rhett’s voice suddenly purred behind me: “You can’t stop talking about me, can you?”
I turned to see the right wing standing behind us, leaning on my chair and Jay’s. He was smiling knowingly.
“I can’t wait for your rehab to end, so I can stop talking about you,” I teased.
The coaches chuckled at that.
“Ouch. I deserved that.” Rhett waved at the bartender. “We’ll take another round at the booth, when you get a chance.”
And then he glanced down at my beer, picked it up, and took a long sip.
“Please, help yourself,” I muttered.
“You got the hazy?” he asked. Surprise and approval flashed behind his blue eyes. “I knew I liked you.”
He walked back to his booth, loudly saying, “Hey, Ricky! The trainer’s got better taste in beer than you do! And don’t you dare tell me how many carbs are in your Michelob Ultra.”
“Boo!” Ricky shouted, standing up to give me a thumbs-down from across the bar. The rest of the players roared with laughter, and gave me thumbs-up instead.
“They treat you like one of them,” Jay told me quietly. “Whatever you’ve done to earn their trust, it’s working.”
I smiled, glad that I hadn’t gone straight up to my room. I did feel like I was part of the team, and not just on paper.
Even though Elias was still glaring at me from the corner of the bar.