Chapter 3
THREE
ALEX
Water droplets fly from my freshly showered hair as I scrub it with a towel and amble through the locker room to my cubby after practice. Once I tug on a pair of boxers, I get my phone from my duffel bag.
Scrolling through my contacts, I find her number still saved.
Alex
Hey, practice just ended. Keep an eye out for Reeves. Look for the backwards hat.
“We’re out,” Easton announces.
The talented rookie slings an arm across Cameron’s shoulder and messes with his backwards hat. The two of them wrestle good-naturedly.
“Reeves, hold up.”
Cameron turns back at my call. I ball up my white and blue alternate colors, then toss it. He catches the jersey against his chest.
“Got it,” he says.
“Got what?” Easton glances between us. “Do we need our alternates? I thought Coach Kincaid said regulars.”
“Don’t worry about it,” I say.
Cameron fixes his hat and leaves. Easton follows him out.
Theo emerges from the showers with a towel slung around his waist and sprawls on the bench next to my locker. “I’m starving. Feel like going to my dad’s tonight for wings?”
I stare at him like he’s crazy. “Before game night? Nah, man.”
He frowns. “I don’t feel like cooking. I’m fucking beat after Coach Kincaid’s new drill sequences.”
Our back up goalie leans around me from my other side. “It’s your night.”
“Don’t worry about it, Holland. I’ll take his night and cook.”
We finish getting dressed and leave the locker room together. I check my phone, but there’s no response from Lainey.
On our way back to the house, I unlock it to read a new notification, but it’s not from her either. Just some sorority girls tagging me on social media. I type out another text in case she missed my first message.
Alex
Did the rookie find you? Feel free to practice your cheering for tomorrow night by trying it on
Throughout prepping and cooking enough pasta to feed a house full of hungry hockey players, I leave my phone handy on the island, continuing to tap the screen to see if she answered.
Normally I’m not so hung up on the chase, yet an unfamiliar anticipation keeps tugging at me.
Even during practice, when I’m always in the zone on the ice, I couldn’t stop thinking about the look on her face when she gained enough confidence to hang her flyers or how her lashes fluttered when she gave me permission to kiss her.
“You waiting for a booty call, Keller?” Jake Brody, one of our d-men, elbows me with a grin. “Got any hot pics of her to share with the class?”
“Shut up, man.” I brandish the wooden spoon at him until he backs away. “Why the hell would I do that?”
Theo catches Brody’s shoulders on his way into the kitchen and snorts, taking a seat at the island. “Don’t mess with the man making dinner, Brody.”
He grunts in response and retreats from the kitchen. I shake my head, willing my heart to stop drumming so hard. Brody’s guess made me picture Lainey and I felt the same fierce protectiveness that overtook me earlier rear back to life. I’d never let anyone see photos of her she entrusted me with.
Not that I’m imagining my best friend’s sister sending me any kind of sexy photo.
My gaze guts to Theo and I clear my throat.
Except, fuck, I absolutely am. Once the idea is there, I can’t stop it. Images flit through my head of how she might look engulfed in my jersey instead of the oversized sweaters she wraps herself in.
I’m supposed to be the one to tell Theo I’m with Lainey now, not fantasizing about her in front of him. I promised her as part of our agreement. Thankfully he’s absorbed in the garlic bread I set on the island to cool, unaware of my crisis.
“Dinner’s ready,” I force out in a rush, grabbing my phone.
“Aren’t you going to eat?” Theo calls after me as I make a hasty exit from the room.
“Later,” I toss over my shoulder on my way up the stairs.
I don’t stop until I’m in my room, leaning against the closed door.
Did I just run away? Yep. Am I proud of myself for it?
Nope, but my dick is hard from the brief thought of Lainey in my jersey.
The irresistible fantasy toys with my imagination, so no fucking way am I going back downstairs to face her brother until I get myself under control.
Closing my eyes, I blow out a husky laugh.
I might not have noticed Lainey Boucher much before, but now that I have there’s no going back to being unaware of her.
My phone alerts with a new notification.
Warmth fills me when I see the screen. She finally responded.
Alex
She lives. Thanks for the proof of life. I was starting to worry something was wrong.
Lainey
Could’ve been that you didn’t have my number saved right. Maybe you were texting someone else this whole time who was wondering who you were and how you got their number.
I crack a smile, picturing her leveling me with a matter of fact expression to go with her response.
Alex
Good thing I watched you program your number yourself when your dad wanted us all exchanging numbers in case of emergency on move-in day last year. I always wonder what their life is like when I get a text from a rando. Do you?
Lainey
Yes.
Alex
So you got the jersey?
Lainey
Yes.
Alex
Did you try it on?
Lainey
No.
Alex
What are you doing?
Lainey
Reading.
Alex
What are you reading? Is it for class or for fun?
It takes her a while to respond again. She begins to type, then the bubble disappears. It happens twice more until she answers.
Lainey
For fun.
Alex
Yeah? Is it a good read? Should I pick it up?
Lainey
I don’t think it’s your vibe.
Alex
I mean, I don’t read a lot, but if you like it I want to try it.
Again, the typing bubble appears and disappears several times. I don’t know what’s spurring me on to find out about the book she’s reading other than the insistent spark of curiosity. One I’ve never really had when it comes to the girls I hook up with.
Talking to her isn’t about getting into her pants.
In every one of the few memories I have of her in my head, I’ve never seen without a book.
The only thing I have in my life that relates to that level of interest is hockey, so I want to know what it’s like for her to love something as much as I love my sport.
I push away from the door and collapse into a sprawl across my bed, eyes glued to the phone.
Lainey
I doubt you would. It’s a new romance release I had on preorder. We just got the delivery this afternoon.
Alex
What’s it called? Are there still copies? Put one aside for me, I’ll pick it up sometime this weekend.
Lainey
But it’s a romance.
Alex
I can’t read romance? Why not? Is it because I’m a guy?
Lainey
Um, no that’s not what I meant…
Alex
Then because I play hockey?
Lainey
I didn’t think it would interest you.
Alex
But you like it.
Lainey
Of course I like it, it’s my favorite genre to read!
This time her response is immediate. I can almost picture her getting as worked up over this as she did when I asked if I could kiss her on the quad only to brush my lips over the edge of her mouth.
I swipe a hand over my jaw, imagining what it would be like to do it for real instead of pretending with her.
Alex
If you love reading romance, I want to give it a try. I want to know about something that’s your favorite.