Chapter 48 Parker
PARKER
Nerves rattle through me as our eye contact holds across the ice.
When I first woke up this morning, I thought it was all a dream. But then I rolled onto the other side of the bed, and there he was. Not in person, of course; he’d already slipped away. But his scent was there.
I kept my eyes closed and just breathed him in.
It was ridiculous, and I felt so pathetic, but I couldn’t stop myself.
Since the moment we drove around that corner and saw my building burning, Linc has been incredible. He’s had no obligation to do any of the things he’s done for me in the last few weeks, and last night was just another example.
He was there for me, his support unwavering as he did exactly what he said he would and gave me everything I needed.
That kiss.
My hand twitches at my side with the need to touch my lips. They tingle with the memory alone.
I focus on Linc as he shoots around the back of the goal, puck gliding across the ice in front of him. He’s a vision to watch. It’s easy to forget about the more brutal side of the game when he’s like this. It’s like watching a dancer. He moves so effortlessly, so fluidly. It’s intoxicating.
The way he moves his hips…
“Donnelly.”
I gasp loudly as something—or someone—taps me on the shoulder.
“Earth to Donnelly,” Mitchell mutters. “Christ, don’t you have a job to do instead of standing here checking out the players.”
I blink, staring at Mitchell without really seeing him as the image I just had in my head of Linc melds with embarrassment and anger.
Heat races through my body, and I pray that he can’t see the flush that is no doubt spreading across my cheeks and down my neck.
“I’m focused on my job,” I seethe.
“Is that why you didn’t hear me calling your name a million times?” He quirks a brow, and my fist curls with the need to punch it off his face.
I hate this guy.
Suddenly, there’s a loud bang in front of me, and I shriek as I take a step back. But when I look up, I find Linc glaring at Mitchell beside me.
It takes a couple of seconds, but everything about his expression changes when he turns his eyes on me.
“My quads are tight,” he shouts through the plexiglass. “Can you check me over after?”
I frown. He doesn’t look like he’s struggling, but I guess he knows his body better than I do.
“Yeah, of course,” I agree as his eyes continue to hold mine. They’re darker than usual, and the thought of him thinking about our kiss, about our night in my bed, has my thighs clenching.
Nothing happened, but from the way he’s looking at me, you’d think so much more was going on here.
And Mitchell is observing every second.
“Thanks, Donnelly. You’re the best.” He winks before shooting Mitchell a glare and skating off.
Mitchell scoffs at the blatant insult and saunters off with his shoulders tensed.
When I look back at the ice, Linc isn’t paying his surroundings any attention; instead, it’s all focused on me.
My chest tightens, and my heart rate increases. Looking at him through plastic gives me some kind of protection, but in an hour or so, he’s going to be lying on my table, and I’m going to have my hands on him.
I’m not sure how I’m going to handle that after everything.
Much to my relief, Mitchell disappears after morning skate, leaving Jarad and I to work on players in the trainers’ room, not that any of them seem to mind having us instead.
Linc doesn’t appear, and I hate that I spend more time worrying about where he is than I do focusing on Kodie, who’s lying before me while I work on his shoulder.
Thankfully, he doesn’t say much, but then, Kodie never does. The only time I see him truly smile is when he’s with Casey and Sutton. Here at work, he’s nothing but focused.
I’m almost done when his deep voice suddenly rumbles through the room.
“You and Casey have a table booked at seven tonight.”
“W-what?” I stutter, convinced I just misheard him.
“I’ve booked you a table.”
I frown. “Why?”
“Because I feel like you need a girls’ night.”
I shake my head, a smile playing on my lips.
“And what makes you say that?”
“Storm. He’s in a weird mood, and I’m guessing it’s got everything to do with you. He’s got something he needs to say but won’t, and I figure you might need to get something off your chest as well.”
“Nothing’s happened,” I say quietly, aware that my boss is standing only a few feet away. He might be deep in conversation with another member of the team, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have one ear on what we’re saying.
“I didn’t say it did. But he’s stressed, and selfishly, I need him focused on the rest of this season.”
“So do I. I want you guys to go all the way this year.”
“And we can. But not without Linc.
“Go out with Casey tonight and—”
“You just want the gossip,” I tease. Whatever I tell her will undoubtedly get back to him.
“I can assure you, I don’t.”
I can’t help but chuckle as the thought of Kodie sitting on his couch, crossed-legged, waiting for Casey to get home to spill the beans pops into my head.
I bet he loves the gossip, really.
“And while we’re out, what are you doing to be doing?”
“Seeing if I can talk some sense into your boy.”
“He’s not mine,” I counter quickly.
Despite me still having my hands on his shoulder, Kodie pushes from the table and twists to look at me.
“Parker,” he says, his eyes bouncing between mine as if he’s looking for a secret. “I hate to tell you this, but Linc has it bad for you.”
I swear to God, my heart stops. But while hope and all my teenage dreams might threaten to bubble up at his words, I force it all back down.
Instead of jumping up and down like an excited little girl, I keep my eyes locked on Kodie’s.
I sigh. “Linc isn’t made for a life like you have with Casey. He’s a player—he loves the game, the limelight, the celebrity status, and the puck bunnies who come along with that.”
“When was the last time you saw or heard about him being with a bunny?” Kodie asks, his brows lifted.
“Since you moved in, what has he been doing with his evenings?”
“Uh…” Images of him chilling on the couch watching TV or gaming fill my head. Him hanging out with friends, their dance mat battle. Nights on the road where he might go for a drink with the guys, but then head to the room not long after Kodie.
That isn’t the Linc we all used to know and…tolerate.
He’s…he’s different.
“Exactly,” Kodie says with a smug grin.
“It’s so easy to get swept up by the glamor of this life.
We’ve all done it. I know it might be hard to believe, but back in the day, I was out every chance I got and making the most of the benefits.
” Now it’s my turn to lift a brow. I’m teasing, though—thanks to Casey’s lifelong obsession with the man sitting before me, I’m aware of what his life was like before Sutton came along.
He was no different to all the others. To Linc.
But now, he’s a family man who’d choose spending time with Casey and his daughter over anything.
“It gets old, Parker, and guys start looking for other things. For a quieter life. Maybe that time has come for Linc.”
My mouth opens and closes like a fish.
“And maybe you’re the reason.”
Christ.
Kodie and I finish up in silence. Even if I wanted to continue a conversation, I’m not sure I could form the words.
It’s not until he’s dressed and about to walk out that I speak.
“Where is he?” I question, my concern for his lack of presence only getting worse.
“He stayed out on the ice with Killer and Brit; they’re working with the rookie.”
A smile appears as I think of Hayden. On the outside, he seems overly confident, and it looks like he fits right into life on the team, but as a rookie, I find it hard to believe that’s the case.
“I’m sure they’ll all be in to hound you soon. Enjoy the rest of your day, and your dinner.”
“Wait,” I call as he ducks around the door. “Where are we going?” I ask quietly.
As I clean up, Jarad finishes with his player, and as soon as he’s done, he disappears into the office, leaving me waiting anxiously.
It’ll be fine.
It’s not like he’s going to come barreling in here telling everyone who will listen how he slept in my bed last night because I was crying like a baby.
Grabbing my iPad, I sit at the small desk and attempt to write some notes into Kodie’s file, but I soon discover that I have the attention span of a gnat. And it’ll remain the same until I see him.
Before me, the screen goes blank, and my mind drifts back to all the things Kodie said.
Is he right?
Does Linc actually like me?
Something akin to hope flutters in my stomach as I think back over our time together recently, and before long, I drift even further back.
He sure said and did all the right things that night to make me believe he thought of me as more than just his best friend’s little sister.
I remember the way he touched me. The soft words he whispered in my ear.
My cheeks burn all over again.
It doesn’t matter how much time has passed; the memory still affects me as if it happened yesterday.
I hear them long before I see them. Their deep voices and laughter echo down the hallway that houses both my training room and office, and their locker room.
My stomach knots as my eyes lock on the door.
The sound of their skate guards on the concrete floor acts like a countdown to them approaching the door, and by the time I spot a shadow, my hands are trembling.
As predicted, Linc leads the group, and the second he appears in the doorway, his eyes scan the room.
Disappointment floods me that I wasn’t his first thought, but that’s all forgotten when he finds me.
His eyes darken, and his lips pull up into a smirk as he holds my gaze.
“I’m gonna shower, then I’m all yours, Donnelly,” he says, his voice a deep rasp that hits me in places it shouldn’t.
“What gives you first dibs on her?” Killer complains behind him.
“Roommates’ rights,” he states before marching off.
The others linger, looking between the two of us before they eventually follow him to clean up.
The minutes seem to turn into hours as the room remains quiet. It’s unusual, and I can’t decide if it’s a welcome silence or not. At least if there were some guys in here stretching or even complaining from the ice bath, I’d have a distraction.
But eventually, heavy footsteps draw closer, and suddenly those long minutes seem like no time at all, because he’s standing in my doorway, wearing nothing but a pair of athletic shorts, his T-shirt thrown over his arm and his chest still dotted with water droplets from his shower.
“Were you in a rush to get in here or something?” I muse as I push to my feet.
“Babe, you have no idea.”