16. Dalton
SIXTEEN
DALTON
IS SENDING MONEY TO THE GIRL WHO GOT AWAY BUT TURNED OUT TO WORK FOR YOUR DAD’S HOCKEY TEAM A TAX WRITE-OFF?
A weird feeling looped through me, growing the closer I got to Ari’s place. A mix of nerves and excitement. Maybe a dash of fear for the fiery strength coach.
Ari’s bite was already growing to be one of my favorite parts about her. And boy, did she try to bite my head off when I told her I was picking her up this morning.
Something about her telling me off turned me on. My competitive nature roared to life whenever she did.
I loved a challenge, and she was a challenge.
The passenger door swung open, and a thoroughly annoyed Ari dropped into the leather seat, tucking her gym back between her bare, well-muscled legs.
Faking attraction to her was not going to be a problem.
“Good morning.” The look she shot me had me smiling from ear to ear. “Was that supposed to be intimidating? Because it’s quite the opposite. I think you’re adorable when you’re pissed.”
I couldn’t seem to resist poking the bear .
She huffed, reaching for the seat belt. “Yeah, well, we’ll see how you feel when I make you do lunges all workout.”
“Here, I didn’t know if you liked iced or hot coffee, so I got both.” I held out my peace offerings, trying to hold back my laugh at her shocked expression. “Sorry if you don’t drink either of those. I thought about ordering one of everything from the menu, but you don’t seem like the type of woman who’d appreciate that type of excess. Plus, I don’t have enough cupholders.”
I paused my nervous ramble, trying to give her time to choose, but I couldn’t take the silence. “I also got you every type of milk or creamer they had. Did you know there were that many sweetener options? I thought sugar was the only one, but I was wrong.”
Her fingers reached out almost cautiously, like she was trying to figure me out. “That was really thoughtful,” she said, looking at me strangely.
Maybe she didn’t like coffee but didn’t want to tell me? I should have called her. I’d just worried she wouldn’t answer.
“Thank you. Iced coffee, always. Hot coffee in the summer is wild.”
Her praise had me puffing my chest.
God, was I pathetic.
“Eh, it was nothing.” I had to look away when she wrapped her lips around the straw. It felt too intimate to lock eyes when she did that with her mouth.
“How do you even fit in this tiny car?” she asked, eyeing the interior with a hint of disbelief. “I’d have guessed you’d drive a truck or something.” Her gaze drifted over me, lingering just a moment too long. “Especially in those jeans.”
Her words about the car hit a sore spot, though there was no way for her to know that. I swallowed down the hint of bitterness and kept my tone light. “What are you talking about? I’m wearing sweats.” I managed a smile, pulling out of the guest parking spot in the apartment building’s garage.
“I don’t mean right now. When we met, you were wearing Wranglers that were?—”
She went silent, lips pressed closed.
“They were what, Ari?” Something told me she was going to give a compliment before she cut herself off, and I desperately wanted to know what she’d thought when we first met. Because I knew what I’d thought about her. Yeah, she was gorgeous, but there was something about her that had grabbed my attention. She had an energy that pulled me in.
Her confidence, her laughter. Sunshine.
She was sunshine.
But there was no way I’d tell her that. It was a surefire way to freak her out. Freaked me out a little bit.
I cleared my throat, hoping to shift my focus to anything else. “Spill it or I’ll carry you into the rink bridal style. Really make a grand entrance.”
My eyes were on the road, but I could feel her irritated stare, and all it did was make me smile. Riling her up was quickly becoming a favorite pastime. I swore I saw her stick her tongue out at me.
“Fine,” she huffed. “Your Wranglers looked like they were practically painted onto your ass and thighs. Happy?”
She had no idea.
My cheeks hurt with how hard I was grinning.
“Ariella, were you objectifying me?” I asked in mock offense. “It’s a good thing you’re my girlfriend, or I’d have to report you to HR.” The word girlfriend felt at home on my tongue. I liked how it sounded a little too much.
“ Pendejo ,” she said, whacking my shoulder.
I snuck a quick glance, catching the flash of a smile she tried to hide. Her hair was pulled back into a high ponytail that swung mid-back, and the thought of wrapping my hand around it sent my pulse racing. This arrangement was supposed to be fake, but the way my heart pounded every time I looked at her felt anything but.
“Ready to talk about our new relationship?” I asked, shifting my attention back to the road, trying to sound casual.
“ Fake relationship,” she corrected. “This is only temporary, just until I can figure out another loophole or…maybe I’ll get HR to like me enough to break the rules.” Her voice trailed off as she stared out the window, watching as we passed the stark city buildings.
“Not likely. She’s a stickler,” I said truthfully, pulling Ari’s hand into my lap and linking our fingers. I did it without thinking.
By nature, I had this drive to take care of people. It had been that way since I was a kid, but it really kicked in when I hit high school, and understood how many things fell on my mom’s shoulders with my dad not around. There was this urge to comfort and support that lived inside me and, apparently, that instinct extended to Ari.
“Oh, great.” She sat there looking dejected, but she hadn’t pulled away like I thought she might.
I gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “Hey, you’re not alone in this. We’ll both work on finding a solution. I might be able to get my dad to change the policy…”
“Really?” She perked up, surprise and hope evident in her tone. “That would be perfect. I mean, it’s a stupid rule anyway, and how does it make sense to have a policy about ex-relationships but not one about fraternization?”
Shit. I might have put my foot in my mouth. Convincing my dad to do anything that wasn’t his idea was…difficult.
I forced a half-smile, my chest tightening. “It’s possible,” I said carefully. “But he’s pretty set in his ways. We’ll need to prove you’re too valuable an asset to let go, even if we weren’t together.”
She nodded thoughtfully. There was this fire in her, this absolute drive to prove herself, and I admired it.
“That shouldn’t be hard. I’m a damn good strength coach.”
“Exactly. If he sees how much you bring to the team, he’ll have a harder time enforcing that stupid dating policy. Or ex-dating policy, whatever.”
I parked in my assigned spot, next to Monroe’s truck and Christian’s SUV, and felt the familiar pang of regret hit me in my chest. Ariella was right. I didn’t like folding my body into this car.
Sure, it was nice—expensive—but it wasn’t what I’d have chosen for myself .
It had been a signing gift from my dad, who insisted my other ride wasn’t a good look.
I don’t want you driving around in that thing, Dalton. Gives people the idea that I don’t pay my players well.
A prime example of how Vincent Langley was a difficult man to get to change his mind.
Ari’s voice pulled me from my thoughts. “Okay, next order of business to handle before we walk into our place of work as a sham couple,” she turned in her seat, facing me fully now that we were parked. “Let’s talk ground rules.”