Chapter 19
19
Elle
I ’m not able to sleep a wink. No, I keep looking at my phone, flipping between two different text logs.
One is with Preston, waiting for him to tell me he had a safe flight. My sent message shows as “Read” but no dots have appeared to show him typing back a response.
The other texts, well, those are from Christian. The most recent one came in about an hour ago, asking if he could come over. Obviously, it’s a booty call. I guess his options aren’t as plentiful after losing the first two homes games of the championships. He must need some…comforting, and I was the first person he thought would be desperate enough to agree.
Thankfully, I can’t even think about anyone but Preston after that crazy hot kiss that felt more like foreplay than a goodbye.
If we had been at my place or his hotel room, I have no doubt about how it would’ve ended.
I wanted him so badly, right then and there. But then his phone had to ring, showing a woman’s name, and his coach yelled for him to get on the damn bus to get to the airport.
I think the reason I’m so disappointed is that I know a night with Preston would mean something, unlike with Christian.
Texting me was probably more about competing with Preston anyway, trying to get me to choose him as soon as the Warhawks left town just so he could rub it in Preston’s face at the next game.
So, while I wait for Preston’s response, I type out a careful response to Christian that can’t be construed in any way but the one.
No, I don’t want you to come over. I don’t want you to text me again, either. Goodbye, Christian.
I really should block his number. I’m about to do just that when my phone dings with a new message from Preston.
Are you still awake?
Okay, that doesn’t answer my question about getting home safe. I still answer it.
Yes.
Before I can ask him if everything is okay, my phone buzzes in my hand with an incoming call from Preston.
“Hey,” I answer right away. “Are you okay? Did you and the team make it back safely?”
“Oh. Yeah. The flight was fine. I should’ve mentioned that.”
“Yes, you should have,” I tell him with a smile he can’t see. “I stayed up waiting to hear from you.”
“Good. I’m glad, even though you’ll hate me for it tomorrow,” he says, making my smile widen.
“So, what’s up? What was so important you had to call?” I ask him.
“How would you feel about seeing me this week?”
“Seeing you? I’ll see you on television.”
“No, in person. I…I miss you and I want you to come to our two home games.”
“You-you want me to come to D.C.?” I skip over the part where he said he missed me, wondering if maybe I misheard him. He just saw me a few hours ago.
“I know that you have the salon to run and probably a bunch of appointments booked, but I would really like to see you here in town, cupcake. Is there anything I can do to convince you to come here for both games?”
“Both games?” I ask in surprise, since there will be a day off in between.
“Yes.”
“Why is it so important that I come up there?”
“Because if you’re in the arena, I’ll have a good reason not to hit Riley.”
“Oh.”
“That not a good enough reason?”
“I don’t know,” I admit honestly. And while I’m being honest, I tell him, “He just texted me a few minutes ago.”
There’s a long pause. “Riley texted you tonight?”
“Yes.”
“What did he say? What did he want?”
“What do you think?” I mutter. “He wanted to come over.”
“That son of a bitch!” Preston exclaims. “Did he forget he hurt you and walked away? Or that I warned him to leave you alone? If I were still in town, I would whoop his ass.”
“It’s not a big deal.”
“Could you…will you tell me how you answered him?”
“I told him I didn’t want him to come over and not to text me again, either.”
I can hear the whoosh of Preston’s relieved exhale through the phone line. “Good. I’m glad you told him that.”
“Did you expect me to say yes after that kiss tonight?”
“God, I need to stop kissing you in public. If we’d been alone…the things I would do to you, Elle.”
Now it’s my breath that catches. “We were alone the other day,” I remind him. “In your hotel room.”
“I remember,” he grumbles, his voice lower than moments before.
“And you only kissed me.”
He sighs heavily. “You’re still not over him, Elle.”
“What?”
“Riley. You’re not over him. I hate it, but I’m pretty sure it’s true. So, until you are, I don’t want to be a rebound…puck.”
“A rebound puck?” I repeat, a smile on my face, even though I know he’s right.
“You know, when someone aims for the goal, but it bounces back off the goalie so someone else gets to take the shot while he’s distracted and score?”
“Right. I thought you meant a rebound as in the first person you date after a breakup just to try to bounce back.”
“I guess both of those would work. Or a revenge…puck. Either way, I don’t want to be that guy. I want to be the clear shot you make on purpose.”
“And if I could move appointments around to come to D.C. would there be a chance of a clear shot?”
“I don’t know, Elle. I want to say yes, but I think that has to be left up to you.”
“How good would the seat be in the D.C. arena?” I tease him.
“The seat? Oh, it would be so fucking great.”
“Then I guess I have to come and make another sign. Let me check with my clients and Audrey tomorrow to see if she can cover for me.”
“So, just one seat for you?”
“Yeah, just one seat this time.”
Going alone to a rival team’s city for a man I’ve only been fake dating for a few days but would love to real date sounds a little scary.
Still, I really want to give it a shot.