LUCY
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
I glance over my shoulder at Tucker on the other side of the room with Vasily sitting in front of him.
He pulled something in his knee last week, so we’ve been taping it for extra support while he’s on the ice.
The doctors didn’t find significant damage, so thankfully it hasn’t kept him off the ice.
Grabbing the tape, I carry it over to Tucker in one hand, while holding a carrier of drinks in the other. All the players have different electrolyte drinks to go in their stalls before game time. Tucker thanks me as he takes it and I head out into the hall and step into the locker room.
Cross is in the corner on the phone with his back turned to me, so I quickly make my way past the stalls, leaving their preferred drinks and snacks. He still doesn’t notice me as I disappear from the room to get the rest of the drinks.
When I return, he’s gone, but the room isn’t empty.
“Hey, Freckles.”
An immediate smile curls on my lips as Theo stands up from where he was sitting. “Hey, you.”
“Let me get those for you,” he says softly, attempting to take the drinks, but I don’t hand them over. His hand is gentle as it wraps around my wrist.
“It’s my job, Theo.” I snort, twisting my body away from him. My shoulder and the side of my arm knock into him, brushing against his solid chest and torso. Theo’s eyes are on mine, hooded and dark as he sucks in a sharp breath.
I’m frozen in place with my arm pressing against his warm body. My lips part slightly, my chin lifting to hold his gaze. What are you doing, Lucy? Move. I can’t. His gaze is latched onto mine and I inhale his scent.
His palm is warm on my skin, his fingers lightly wrapped around my wrist. His flesh radiates heat through the thin material of his T-shirt, sending a trail of fire along my arm. Something shifts between us. It feels like he’s everywhere, drawing me in. Consuming me.
The air around us feels different. Unspoken tension, yet he’s still familiar and safe.
But his eyes… the way they burn into mine. A shiver trails down my spine. I’m not so sure I want to move.
The muscle in his jaw tightens and his thumb moves against my skin. “Lucy,” he rasps, his voice strained. I don’t know what the hell is happening, because instead of walking away, I’m turning my body back to him, stepping into his space. Warmth builds in the pit of my stomach.
I lean into him and his eyes drop down to my mouth before flicking back to my eyes. I’ve always wondered what his lips felt like, but he was always kissing anyone but me.
“Theo,” I breathe, his name falling from my lips like a subtle plea. The way it sounds, the blatant desperation, it pulls me out of the moment and back to reality. I jerk away from him, immediately severing the moment.
His hand falls away and his expression darkens.
What am I doing? This is Theo, my best friend, the one who always kept me in the friend zone. He’s my fake boyfriend, not my real one.
“I—” My eyes are wide. I take another step back, unable to shake away the heat that still spreads through my body. Goddamn hormones. “I’m sorry. I don’t… I didn’t mean to get in your personal space like that.”
His eyebrows knit together. “Lucy.” He pauses, raking his hand through his perfect, silky waves. “That was my fault. I—fuck,” he mutters, his eyes on mine, lips parting as he goes to continue.
But he’s cut off by Shaw as he strolls into the locker room to the right of us. “I swear to god, if my ex texts me one more time, I’m filing a fucking police report.”
My heart pounds against my rib cage as I tear my eyes from Theo’s and glance over at Shaw as he tugs on the wires of his headphones, removing them from his ears. “Hey, Shaw.”
He looks at Theo and then back to me, a smirk dancing across his face. “Hey, Lucy. Simms.” He nods his head at us. “I’ll be back. I forgot something in my car…”
His voice trails off, but he quickly slips out through the door he just walked through. I turn back to Theo, laughing nervously. “That was strange.”
“Yeah. I need to see what’s going on with him.” Theo chuckles, rubbing the back of his neck. “You know, Luce… Everyone thinks we’re dating, so it’s not weird if they see us together.”
I know he’s right, but whatever that moment was that just passed between us—that was not part of the fake dating. That wasn’t him pretending to be my boyfriend or me pretending to be his girlfriend.
That was something unplanned, something neither of us seemed to have any control over.
Maybe he didn’t feel it. Maybe I just imagined it all.
“Yeah, you’re right.” I smile, shaking away the thoughts. “I guess it would be weirder if they didn’t see us together.”
His smile doesn’t quite reach his eyes. “We have a story to sell.” He takes a step toward me, reaching for the drink holder, and I let him take it this time.
He sets it down on the bench, turning back to look at me.
His fingers brush the side of my face as he pushes the hair behind my ear.
“We have to make it believable, remember?”
“I know,” I whisper, my heart in my throat as I step into his space. This is foreign territory for me—touching him like he’s mine. My tongue darts out to wet my lips and I take a chance, sliding my arms around his lower back, hooking my hands together.
His hand lingers on the side of my face, trailing down along my jaw as he lifts my chin. “Do you trust me?”
“Always,” I breathe.
And it’s the truth. If there’s one person I trust with my entire life, it’s Theo.
His left hand cradles the back of my head while his thumb moves against my skin. The pad of his thumb is soft as it brushes against my bottom lip. “I imagine Shaw and the other guys will be back in here soon.”
“Anyone could walk in.” My voice is low, my heart hammering away.
I don’t know what the hell we’re doing here.
We’re toeing a line that could get us both in trouble.
Sure, we have a fake relationship to sell, but trying to sell it at the one place where we’re not supposed to be near one another is not the move.
“Should I stop?”
I should tell him yes. I could tell him yes.
“No.”
His face inches closer to mine, his minty breath fanning across my face. “Luce,” he rasps, my name falling from his lips as they inch closer to mine. Heat radiates from his body. His hands are gentle, cupping the sides of my face and his mouth is only a breath away.
“Yo!” Shaw’s voice cuts through the air, immediately jerking us back to reality. “Coach and Frost are coming,” he says quickly, his voice low. “They can’t see you guys.”
Theo’s hands fall away from my face like they’re on fire. He takes a step back, conflict washing over his expression as he rubs the back of his neck. “Shit,” he mutters, shaking his head. “I’m sorry, Luce.”
“It’s okay.” I grab the drinks in haste, shaking my head back and forth. “It’s okay,” I repeat, not sure if I’m saying it to him or myself. “I have to get back to work.”
“Lucy…” Theo calls out to me as I quickly put the remaining drinks and snacks into each stall. “Hold on.”
I spin on my heel to look at him. “Theo. It’s okay. I have to go, we’ll talk later.”
I leave the room before he has a chance to say another word. My heart hammers harder in my chest. My hormones and emotions are crazy, that must be the explanation behind this all. It’s the only reasonable explanation for why I almost let that happen here, of all places.
What we have—it’s fake and I can’t be careless like this around him.
I can’t risk my job over something that isn’t real.