18. Romeo
18
Romeo
W as I crazy for going along with Hunter's plan? Yes, I was. Was I thinking with the right head? No, I was not. Should I put more thought into this plan? Yes, I fucking should, but right now, we were tied with the Tampa Bobcats and they were a damn good team.
They were a force to be reckoned with and they played really fucking well together. If you would have asked me three weeks ago if we had a chance at winning this game I would have said, “Hell no.” That was before this thing with Hunter started and the possibility that more could happen with the woman who captured our attention, online and in-person.
Speaking of said woman, she was cheering for the Bobcats, and I wanted nothing more than to put her over my knee to give her spankings for cheering on her old team. She talked to a few of them when we were all warming up and I did not like it one bit. The familiarity between her and the team was unnerving.
I raced down the ring, watching them pass the puck between two of them before I sped in, disrupting their passing. I shot the puck towards Hunter who had stayed behind like he knew what I was going to do. He skated around the defenseman picking up the puck and flicked it into the goal.
The buzzer sounded and everyone went wild. I threw my hands up passing a few Bobcats while I skated to Hunter. We all bumped heads, congratulating him, before he went to our side, giving high fives to our team.
I tried not to keep my eyes too much on Hunter, but when he scored a goal and actually smiled, he was stunning. He rarely smiled, but when he did, dammit my heart beat a little faster. This was not good.
We got ready for another faceoff, the Bobcats looked determined to tie the game again. It was the beginning of the third period and at this point, anything could happen.
Webber wasn’t quick enough to get the puck as Dominik Mikelson shot it to his teammate. Cap was on their wingman, but these guys were like a well-oiled machine and they played great with each other. Clark didn’t stand a chance as two of the bobcats surrounded him, sinking a shot and we were fucking tied again.
“Fuck!” Hunter growled, skating past me with daggers in his eyes, but I knew it wasn’t anyone's fault, they were just that good.
There was a line change, and I desperately needed it. We had been neck-and-neck all game and it seemed like this might go into overtime. If that was the case, we all needed to pace ourselves because this might be a long-ass game and it turned out to be just that.
We went into overtime and I could feel the win at our fingertips until they scored. It wasn’t like our other losses, this time we knew we busted our asses, it's just the Bobcats were a good team and you could tell the men were very comfortable with each other.
We shook hands, congratulating them. Hunter was pouting and growling in disappointment. I checked his shoulder, rolling my eyes at him.
“That should have been our win,” he clipped.
“Yeah, but I think we have come far enough that we gave them one hell of a game,” Cap said, clapping Hunter on the shoulder.
“Hey Cap, can we have a quick word?” Our PR person called him over for an interview.
“Tell them I was amazing!” Webber called out. “That I carried the team.”
“You wish,” Hunter said, knocking into Webber.
“We all know it was me who carried the team with my two goals,” I said, with my head held high.
I saw Hunter roll his eyes and I'd remember that.
“Hey Florida, I’m hurt to see you cheering for your old team,” Clark yelled. “You're a Yeti now.”
“Ah, don’t be jealous,” she smirked. “I was with them for a few years, those guys are awesome, but I am wearing a Yeti shirt. You know I’ll always root louder for you.”
“Didn’t seem like it, Valencia, we saw you cheering when they scored,” I said, getting closer to her. “Have you been a bad girl?”
Her eyes widened.
“We don’t reward bad girls,” Hunter whispered next to me, then pushed me out of the way.
“Get a life H-Riggs,” I snapped, almost saying Hunter.
Since our night at the hotel, I had been calling him Hunter and that felt more friendly than calling him by his last name. No one needed to know we were friendly, that might raise too many questions.
“Don’t bother, Valencia,” he growled, pushing me.
“Go fuck yourself, Riggs!”
“Hey, I’m going to go have a couple of beers at a bar just down the street with a couple of Bobcats if anyone would like to join us!” Valencia shouted. “We are going to Cheers!”
“I’ll be there!” Webber and Clark shouted.
“We have a light practice tomorrow, don't stay out too late,” Cap said, as we walked into the locker room.
“I can skate while I’m drunk, Cap. Don’t worry.” Webber winked at Cap, and I was glad I wasn’t captain, having to deal with all these young guys.
Most of us were between the ages of twenty-two and thirty, which was prime going out ages, I knew most of us gave him a heart attack. Hunter raised his brow at me, silently asking me if I wanted to go. I nodded, getting undressed thinking this might be the perfect time to talk to her.
After we fooled around again, Hunter talked about how perfect this arrangement could be. I could explore my sexuality, we could blow off steam, have fun and win games. I knew most of us were superstitious and what Hunter said was kind of true. We had been winning games since we had fooled around. Our games had been better, and we had been getting along. Even though we fought a lot, more so to keep everyone thinking we didn’t like each other.
Hunter was ready before me. I walked to my jeep to see Hunter parked close to me. The last few days had changed our dynamic and while I wanted to freak out, it was nice not being mad at each other all the time. He had also started to coach me instead of bellowing at me, which helped the most. Yelling at me had never worked and my father never got the memo. It made me shut down and get angry.
Pulling out my keys, I opened the door to my Jeep to throw my shit in. I got in and lowered the window closest to Hunter. He did the same, smirking at me.
“You thinking what I’m thinking?” He leaned a little out of the window.
“Might be a perfect time to ask her,” I said, starting my Jeep to turn on the heat.
“Good, we are on the same page,” he said, leaning back into his car. “Let’s see if she agrees.”
We rolled up our windows and Hunter left first. I let my car warm up a little before leaving, giving Hunter a chance to get there first before I arrived. It felt easier to let people think we still had issues because I didn’t want anyone catching wind of what was happening.
I arrived at the bar and it looked tiny from the outside. If it was a small bar, there was a chance it was going to be packed, and I hated when we were packed in like sardines. The moment I opened the door my assumptions were wrong. It was an enormous space that had pool tables, darts and a huge bar in the middle.
I immediately saw Valencia. She laughed at something one of the Bobcats had said. She threw her head back, letting go of a big laugh. Her curls were plopped on the top of her head with a few strands framing her face. The blue in her hair was more noticeable and it was starting to fade to a lighter shade.
A flare of jealousy hit me that one of the guys had her attention and made me wonder if she had had any relationships with one of their guys. She seemed comfortable with them, but she was like that with us too. I didn’t know why I was getting jealous, she wasn’t mine, but the prospect of what Hunter had suggested had me feeling a little possessive.
The door behind me opened, making me move towards the group. I spotted Hunter talking to one of the Bobcats and some other people were playing pool with Webber and Clark.
“Hey, you made it!” Valencia spotted me first.
“Hey,” I said, putting my hands in my pockets.
“Gomez, this is Cory Thompson, he’s a forward on the Bobcats,” she said, and we shook hands.
“Nice to meet you, man,” he said with a friendly smile. “You're the rookie, right?”
“That’s me,” I said, trying not to grumble about it.
Being “the rookie” always sucked because everyone shoved advice down your throat…
“The first year is always the hardest, but once you get the hang of it, it’s good,” he said, taking a sip of his drink, looking at Valencia.
“Yeah, that's what I hear,” I said, scrutinizing him.
He was looking at Valencia too much with an occasional glance at her tits. The caveman feeling came back, and I wanted to say something to him.
“Come on, let's introduce you to the other guys,” she said, grabbing my arm.
“Hey guys, this is Gomez and this is Dean Hayes, Dominik Mikelson, and Landon Sinclair,” she said. The guys came up to shake my hand.
“Damn, dude, what took you so long to get here?” Clarke said, leaning on his pool stick watching Webber take his shot. “We got a pitcher of beer if you want a glass.”
“He’s too young for alcohol.” Hunter’s deep voice came from my left.
“I’d rather be too young than too old,” I snapped. “You probably drink and feel it for days while my metabolism is nice and new. Perks of being young.”
“I rather?—”
“Damn, guys, can you not bicker for once?” Webber came up to us. “If Romeo was bisexual, I would say to fuck it out.”
Thank fucking god the lighting was dim, I could feel myself get red.
“He wishes I would fuck him.” Hunter rolled his eyes.
“Yeah, I think I definitely would want to see that,” Valencia said, raising her eyebrows at us.
“Shit, me too,” Webber said, holding his hand up for a high five that Valencia gave him.
“Fuck you guys,” I grumbled. “I’m going to go get a drink if anyone wants one.”
“I’ll come with you,” Dean said, as the other guys shook their heads no.
We walked together to the bar and found a spot to squeeze in to wave down the bartender.
“Valencia said it’s your first year playing,” he said, leaning against the bar. “You played really well.”
“Yeah, first year and wondering if I’m supposed to be here,” I said truthfully. “But thanks.”
“Hockey isn’t easy, if it was, it would be easy to make it on a team, but it isn’t for everyone,” he said, as the bartender came to get our drinks.
We ordered sodas even though I would kill for a beer.
“How was Valencia when she was with you guys?” I asked, curious how she was before coming here.
“She was cool, friendly, always had her camera with her and a book,” he said. “She made taking pictures fun and always had good things to say to us. We liked having her as a part of the team.”
“Yeah, we like her too. She’s been awesome and the guys who have been around say she’s not like the other social media managers that came before her,” I said paying for our sodas.
“Yeah, just don’t cross that line,” he smirked.
“What line?” I knew what he was talking about, but I played stupid.
He narrowed his eyes on me. “You know the invisible line that we all shouldn’t cross with people who work for the team.”
“Never crossed my mind,” I said, getting warm again.
“Sure, it hasn't, just think of this as some friendly advice,” he said, grabbing his drink as we walked back to the group.
We spent the next hour playing pool and, surprisingly, Hunter was awful at the game. Valencia took one for the team and partnered up with him since no one else wanted to.
As much as I didn’t like the Bobcats getting cozy with Valencia, they were pretty cool. Their defensemen, Dominik was dating a romance author who Valencia was also obsessed with. The night felt like it ended too soon when Landon announced they needed to head back to the hotel. They had an early flight to catch, and it was probably better since we also had an early practice.
“It was so nice to see you guys.” Valencia gave them all a hug. “I can’t wait to see you again next year. Also, tell Lilly I can’t wait for her next book.”
“Will do, she’s on a deadline, but she’s really excited about this one,” Dominik said, looking like a proud boyfriend.
“I’m sure it’s going to be amazing. Bye, Dean,” she said, as I shook the other guy's hands and said good night.
“Tonight doesn’t have to end,” Cory said, instantly making me murderous.
Valencia laughed. “Yeah, it definitely does.”
“You don’t work for the team anymore,” he said, giving her a hug that lasted a little too long for my taste.
“Yeah, that’s not the only reason nothing happened between us,” she said, pulling away. “No thanks, Cory.”
He left his hand on her waist making me take a deep breath, so I didn’t do something stupid.
“Now, nothing is holding us back,” he said, leaning towards her.
“She said, no,” Hunter said, stepping forward glaring at Cory, getting in between them.
Goddammit, why was his murderous face sexy?
“Hey man, I was talking to her,” Cory snapped back, but looked a little nervous.
“And you didn’t understand that she said no,” Hunter growled, and I stepped forward just in case something happened.
They were roughly the same size, but the presence Hunter had made him feel bigger.
“I want to hear it from?—”
“No, Cory,” Valencia said.
“Come on, dude,” Dean said, trying to get Cory to leave.
Cory looked at Hunter, turning his gaze to me and then behind me. Looking over my shoulder I saw Webber and Clarke glaring at Cory.
He clenched his jaw, looked at Hunter again before turning around and leaving.
“Sorry about him, it seems he never learns,” Dean said, as Landon and Dominik watched Cory leave.
“I remember hearing about him hitting on Lilly,” Valencia said, stepping around Hunter.
“Yeah, he’s pretty aggressive,” Dominik stepped up. “Glad you have these guys to watch your back. It was good to see you.”
“You too, next time we go out we can leave him out of it,” she said, giving them all a hug again before they left.
“Are you ok?” Hunter stood in front of her.
“I’m fine,” she said, patting his chest. “I didn’t need to be saved, but thanks for stepping in.”
“What a skeezy bastard,” Clarke said.
“He wasn’t too bad when I worked for them, but I guess I was safe since I was off limits.” She shrugged. “Alright, I’m exhausted so I’m going to head out.”
“Yeah, we got an early morning, should probably head out too,” I said, drinking the rest of my soda.
“We should all leave,” Hunter said, looking at Clarke and Webber who ignored him. “Don’t complain tomorrow when we have to scrimmage.”
“Nah, we will be fine,” Webber said, winking and blowing a kiss at Hunter.
“Tell that to Cap when he chews you out,” I said, grabbing Valencia’s coat and holding it out for her to put on.
“He loves us,” Clarke said, also blowing us a kiss.
I rolled my eyes.
“If they throw up on the ice, someone should get me a picture so I can post it,” Valencia said, waving at them.
“Not a chance, baby girl,” Webber said, lining up for a shot.
“Have fun!” she yelled, as I put my jacket on.
“Come on, Valencia, I can walk you to your car,” Hunter said, letting her walk in front of us while giving me a look.
I followed them outside, getting a little nervous now that it was happening. She had parked a little closer than I had as I watched her and Hunter talking. Her cheeks were rosy, and I knew it wasn’t just from the cold. She had been blushing a hell of a lot more since we all found out about sleeping together.
“I didn’t need a double escort,” she said, opening her car with her key fob.
“We wanted to talk to you,” Hunter said, getting down to business.
“We can’t,” she said, opening her car door.
“You don’t even know what we are going to ask,” I said, coming closer to her.
“Yes, I’ve been noticing the looks you have been giving me, but also giving each other,” she said licking her lips.
“This could be good for all of us,” Hunter said, also stepping closer to her. “Just a contract, where we all get what we want with a solid NDA so nothing gets out.”
“Look, regardless of an NDA you guys will be fine,” she said, looking between us. “I will be dragged through the mud if this happens. You will be praised for banging the Social Media Manager, while I’ll be labeled as a whore trying to climb her way to the top.”
“We would never allow that to happen,” I said, stepping closer, looking around to make sure Clarke and Webber hadn’t come outside.
“No matter what you think you can control, the media is not one of them,” she said, sitting in her car. “I've seen what they do and no matter what I want, this is risky.”
“What do you want?” Hunter leaned against her door looking in.
“That doesn’t matter,” she said with a sad face. “You know I’m right.”
“It won’t get out. Contracts are discreet,” I said quickly. “No one has to know, and no one knows about my past.”
“I've had several contracts, and no one has known about them,” Hunter said. “It can be our secret, but you don’t have to decide now.”
“You want this?” She looked at me.
“Yeah, but like he said, you don’t have to decide now, but maybe we should sit down and talk about it when you're ready,” I said, pushing Hunter out of the way.
I leaned down, kissing her softly and she whimpered.
“Not fair,” she whined as she grabbed my jacket, kissing me harder until we were breathless.
“Think about it and let us know,” Hunter said, pushing me back.
She tilted her chin up expecting a kiss.
“No kiss for you.” He leaned down. “I’ll kiss you when you say yes.”
“What? That's like extortion!” she snapped, as Hunter dragged me away. “You assholes!”
“I give her a few days,” he said, grinning.
“I give it a week,” I said, looking back at her.
She was staring at us with an adorable scowl on her face. Damn, Hunter might be right, she wouldn’t last long.