28. Wearing My Name On Your Back
28
WEARING MY NAME ON YOUR BACK
KYLIE
Ben had promised me that Seth wouldn’t have been playing games with me. That he wasn’t that sort of guy, and I should hear him out. So, against my better judgement, I allowed them to bring me along to the bar. After spending the entire game sitting on the edge of my seat next to Grandma, watching Seth take hits, get knocked to the ground and getting smashed into the glass panels, I’ve been a nervous wreck for hours.
We’d told my grandparents that I couldn’t see properly, so Grandpa had happily taken my seat. I’m pretty sure he’d worked out something was going on though, because Adele said he’d been eyeing Seth off for the next two periods.
I’m so close to ordering a wine, but I need to stick to my no-drinking resolution, especially when I know I’m in for a hard conversation once Seth arrives. Adele orders beers for herself and Ben, and I settle for a lemonade. A commotion behind us catches my attention, and I turn to see a group of women wearing an alarming amount of makeup and designer clothes moving towards our table. Seth and Lincoln have now arrived, and I baulk when I see one woman run a hand through Seth’s hair, clearly flirting with him.
“Dammit. Just what we need, puck bunnies,” Adele mutters beside me, and I wrench my eyes away from the scene behind us.
“Puck bunnies?”
“Women who chase after hockey players. NHL guys earn big money. Like, millions. And these women want in on it. Every sport has an equivalent, I’m sure, but yeah, they can be pretty ruthless in their pursuit of a life of luxury.” Adele glares towards the table, and I look back over.
I’m relieved when Seth gently pushes the woman’s hand away while shaking his head. His gaze meets mine, and I can see the discomfort in his expression. Lincoln appears to be trying to send the women on their way, but they don’t seem to get the hint.
Adele pays for the drinks and marches towards the table, and I trail behind her.
“Ladies, don’t waste your time. These guys aren’t interested. If you can’t tell.” She slams the drinks down on the table and levels each of them with a determined look.
“I didn’t realise they needed a guard dog,” says the blonde who was touching Seth moments ago.
Oh, hell no.
Something inside me snaps, and I clear my throat. “What my polite cousin is trying to say is, kindly fuck right off.” The woman’s eyes widen, and she gasps. “I’m Australian. I have no issues with saying it like it is.” And then I sit in Seth’s lap, freezing when I realise what I’ve done.
He plays right into it, pulling me in closer to his chest. I don’t miss the look of disbelief on the women’s faces while they run their eyes over me.
“Seriously? Her?” Blondie says, ignoring me and looking at Seth.
“Yep, me. So, I repeat - fuck off.” I have no idea when I became so bold, but something about these women is getting on my last nerve, and after the night I’ve had, I can’t be bothered holding back.
Blondie opens her mouth again, but Lincoln speaks up finally. “Seriously, Victoria, we’ve asked you before to leave us alone when we’re here. Don’t make me get Buck.” He nods towards the older man behind the bar, who is watching the scene while serving drinks to other customers.
Victoria snaps her mouth shut and glares at me. I smile while wiggling my fingers at her. She turns on her heel and storms off, closely followed by her entourage. Once they are out of sight, I stand up and move to the seat beside Seth.
He watches me for a moment, seemingly waiting to see what I’m going to do next. With the ball firmly in my court, I jump to my feet and grab his hand, dragging him outside.
Once we’re away from the noise, I lean back against the wall and glare at him while I cross my arms. “Explain, Seth Davidson .”
He visibly cringes when I emphasise his last name, but stays quiet for a beat, gripping the back of his neck with his right hand while he looks at me, his eyes scanning me from head to toe. Almost as though he can’t believe I’m real.
“I’m sorry… I just… How are you here right now?” He moves to touch my face but drops his hands to his sides when I continue to glare at him.
“I’m staying with my grandparents for a while. A change of scenery… We can get into that later, though. I need you to explain why you lied to me.”
He continues to stare at me, swallowing hard. Just when I think he’s returned to the version of Seth that can barely speak to me, he finally starts to talk.
“When I met you, I’d just had the worst month of my life. Linc convinced me to go on the trip to get my head right. No one knew who I was, and for the first time in my adult life, I could just be me. Then I met you.” He pauses, stepping closer and resting his forearm against the wall above my head, forcing me to look up into his eyes. “The more I got to know you…” He hesitates, like he’s trying to find the right words. “I’ve never been able to trust that any of the female attention I’ve had wasn’t because of what I did for a living. What you just witnessed in there is just the tip of the iceberg.” His expression darkens a little, and he looks away for a moment. “You were like a breath of fresh air. So full of life, with no agenda. I thought about telling you so many times, but I needed to hold on to the fantasy life for a little longer. Even if there could never be a future between us, I couldn’t handle the idea of you knowing about all of this and what it might do to you. Do to us.”
I try to hold on to the anger and hurt I’d been feeling earlier, not quite ready to forgive him so easily, but there is a vulnerability behind his expression that I’ve never seen before. I place a hand on his chest, and he immediately covers it with his, rubbing his thumb over the back of my hand.
“I can understand, to a degree… But I feel like, after we spent that last night together, I deserved to know the truth. You knew me well enough by then to know that I wasn’t like those women. Hell, I don’t care about any sport, let alone one that is barely even played in the country I’m from. You let me believe you worked behind the scenes with the team, when you’re actually the captain. I didn’t keep anything back from you, but it feels like now I barely knew you at all. You didn’t even tell me your real last name.” My voice catches, and I swallow hard to stop from tearing up - my body’s automatic response to all emotions.
“I know, and I’m so fucking sorry. Professionally, I go by Seth Davidson. But my full name is Seth James-Davidson.” He takes a breath, releasing it while he continues to watch me closely. When he speaks again, his voice is rough and full of emotion. “I’ve missed you so much these last few months, but I’d convinced myself that there was no way we could have anything more than that perfect three weeks. How could we, when we lived on two completely different continents? But everything else that you know about me is the truth. To be honest, aside from Linc, it feels like you’re the one who knows me the best, which I know sounds insane after only three weeks spent together. But you brought out a side of myself I’d forgotten existed. And I like who I am when I’m with you.” He has continued to rub his thumb in soothing circles over my hand throughout his whole monologue, potentially the most I’ve ever heard him say at one time.
His eyes search my face, and I can feel all my resolve crumbling. While I hate he lied, and how I found out the truth, I can hear the sincerity in his voice. And everything he has said about missing me echoes how I have felt about him.
“Will you please give me a chance to prove that I really am that person you met on the trip?” he asks, his voice cracking while he steps closer still. “I’ve been so close to contacting the tour company and trying to get your details. I can’t believe you’re standing right here in front of me. This is too much of a coincidence…”
I scan his face for the longest time.
He’s right here. How can I just walk away now when I’ve been dreaming about him for months?
I wrap my arms around his neck and raise on to my toes to look him in the eye. “You are on probation. And I think we need to take things slow. I need to wrap my head around all of this. The crazy world you live in seems so far outside of anything I’ve ever known.”
He sighs and buries his head in my neck while wrapping his arms around my waist and pulling me flush against his chest. “We’ll do this however you want.”
“Damn straight we will.”
He chuckles softly before straightening and looking at me. “Can I please kiss you? Cause it’s kind of all I’ve been able to think about since I realised you were wearing my name on your back.”
“What, this old thing? I considered ripping it off once I realised what was going on, but I guess you can kiss me before I do that.”
He groans. “If we’re taking this slow, please no talking about ripping off your clothes.” He lowers his mouth to mine in the sweetest kiss while running his hand up my back and cupping the back of my head.
Tentatively, I kiss him back, and it feels like I’ve come home. The months apart melt away, and my libido kicks into gear, begging me to wrap myself around him and let him take me right here. I deepen the kiss, opening my mouth to him while I raise myself onto the very tips of my toes.
He pushes me back against the wall, and the kiss becomes hungrier, hands beginning to explore while we become reacquainted with each other’s bodies.
When he pulls away, breathless, I let out a little whimper and he shakes his head with a smile. “Slow, remember?”
I pout, my arms still around his neck, and his eyes drop to my lips. But he’s a perfect gentleman, and I know he’s right to pump the brakes before I forget all about my need to take in this new reality I’ve found myself in and let him take me home.
“Fine. We should probably go back inside. You haven’t seen your friend for a while and he’s only here for the weekend. And I’m sure Adele will be out in about thirty seconds if I don’t reappear.”
He kisses my forehead. “Come on, I can feel you shivering. I should have made you bring your jacket outside.”
I lean into his embrace, sliding my arms around his back inside his suit jacket. “Well, I was fired up, so my anger kept me warm. I approve of this whole suit thing, by the way.”
“Oh you do, do you?” I can hear the humour in his voice while I burrow in closer to his chest to steal more of his warmth.
“Yep, very sexy. And the beard. Never thought I’d be into a guy with a beard.”
He laughs. “I grow one during the season. It’s kind of a team tradition.” He guides me back towards the door, turning me so my back is flush against his chest and wrapping his arms around me to keep me warm until we get inside.
We join the other three at the table, and Seth slings his arm along the back of my chair while I lean into his side.
“So… we’re all good now?” Lincoln asks, while Ben glances over at Seth, one eyebrow raised in a silent question.
Seth nods to his friend, and I narrow my eyes while I look at Lincoln. “Well, Seth and I are. But you and I are on shaky ground. You lied to me too, buddy.”
He places his hand on his heart and gapes at me. “Miss Kylie, I never. I told you I worked for a sports team. It’s not my fault you didn’t ask questions.” He flashes me a cheeky grin. I tsk, and he laughs. “I missed you, too, you know. And Tara. How is she?”
“She’s okay. Maybe we can call her later. I’m sure she’d love to speak to you guys, and now that your secret identities have been revealed, she will definitely have some things to say.”
Adele has been watching the entire exchange with wide eyes, her head moving between the three of us. “I still can’t believe this. So you met these guys on your trip, and they just happen to be two of the best players on the Mounties, but you didn’t know that when you randomly decided to move here? This is like something out of a movie.” She claps her hands together.
I want to get caught up in the excitement, but I’m still reeling from tonight’s revelations. And I can’t shake the feeling that my life is about to change far more than I’m prepared for.