Chapter 15
Chapter
Fifteen
West
It takes us about thirty minutes to find Serena’s car. I knew approximately where it was but we missed it the first time we passed by because another car went off the road near it and both cars were covered in ice. On our second pass, I finally spotted it and we pulled over.
“This not good,” Vik murmurs in his broken English.
“I don’t think she’s gonna start,” Bodi says as I slide into the driver’s seat.
Sure enough, the engine doesn’t even sputter.
“We need to call a tow,” I say, pulling out my phone. I have Triple A so I make the call and then the three of us get back in my SUV. It’s still cold out so I turn on the heat and we sit there.
“So, you gonna tell us about Serena?” Bodi finally asks.
“No.”
“She is bad?” Vik asks from the back seat.
“No!” I glare at him in the rearview mirror. He just arches his brows in response.
“Then why so secretive?” Bodi asks.
“I’m not—” I cut off abruptly.
I am being secretive.
And it makes no sense. I don’t have anything to hide.
“It’s complicated,” I finally admit. “She’s great. Beautiful, sweet, a great mom, but…”
“But she’s got a kid. Like your ex.” Bodi says it like it’s a foregone conclusion that it’s a bad thing. Which it kind of is.
“Yeah.”
“And you’re done with single moms.”
“Yeah.”
“You’re a dumbass.”
If he’s trying to offend me, it doesn’t work. “I can be.”
“She seems awesome,” he says. “I know someone else hurt you but not all women are the same.”
“I know that. But here’s the thing—she’s not into hockey players. Her ex, Joey’s dad, plays.”
“He’s a pro?” Bodi’s eyes widen.
“I think so. We made the decision not to talk about the past and just enjoy each other’s company while we were iced in. So, I didn’t ask for details.”
“And now you brought her home with you,” he says quietly. “To the home you share not just with your teammates, but with Jayne and Lindy. That says something.”
“What does it say?” I counter, feeling a little ornery about being put on the spot.
“It says you care about her. Trust her. Like her.”
“We are here,” Vik points out needlessly.
“No shit.” I rest both hands on the steering wheel.
“What do you want?” Bodi asks. “Sex?”
“No. I mean, yes. Always. But that’s not all. I just don’t want to be a dick about it.”
“Then do not be a dick,” Vik says, once again meeting my eyes in the rearview mirror. “Be nice. Treat nice. Then everything is nice.”
I chuckle. Vik tends to oversimplify things, but this time he has a point. “I just don’t want to say, hey, I like your company, I really want to sleep with you, but also, don’t get attached. That sounds shitty.”
“You guys didn’t…?” Bodi scrunches up his face like he can’t believe it.
“No condoms,” I admit. “But that’s not the point. The point is how to handle it going forward.”
“Well, if you’re both wary, what’s the harm? Spend a little time together, have some fun, and if nothing comes of it, no one gets hurt.”
“Is anything ever that easy?”
“Life isn’t easy but you can’t hide your heart forever.”
“I’m not trying to hide.”
“Yes, you are hiding.” Vik reaches up and squeezes my shoulder. “Is okay. Me too.”
Bodi and I both turn to stare at him in surprise. Partially because of the language barrier, and also because he’s a pretty quiet guy in general and rarely talks about his personal life. As far as I know, he’s been single for the last few years.
Vik arches his brows again. “What? You think I am monk? Vik has the broken heart too. I hide. You hide.” He eyes Bodi. “You hide until Jayne. The right girl, you stop to hide.” He glances out the window. “Look. Three A’s arrive.”
“Triple A,” I grumble, getting out of my SUV.
I hate when my friends call me out.
They’re right about one thing, though: I can’t protect my heart forever.
It might be time to put myself out there.
I know it’s not my car, and I should probably check with Serena first, but the truth of the matter is that she’s going to panic and then protest. By simply taking care of it, I’m eliminating a source of anxiety for her and an argument for me.
Well, we might argue now that it’s all done, but I don’t expect anything in return.
I just want to do something nice for her.
Because she didn’t have to invite a stranger into her home. She could have sent me on my way, but she didn’t.
Because she didn’t have to sleep on the couch with me or trust me to sleep in her bed the second night.
Because she’s beautiful and funny and—damn her and all redheads—I like her. I can pretend not to but that would be dumb. I’ve invited her into my home and my life.
At this point, how can I not help her with the car situation?
“She will be mad?” Vik asks, all but reading my mind. For a guy who doesn’t speak English very well, he’s uncannily intuitive.
“Maybe,” I admit as we pull up to the house. “But it’s done. We can argue about the bill later.”
He nods. “Will be okay.” Then he pats my shoulder like I’m a little kid.
We walk into the house and Serena immediately comes to greet me.
“What happened?” she asks.
“Let’s talk,” I say, grabbing her hand and tugging her into another room.
My friends scatter, leaving us alone in the great room.
“I have Triple A,” I say. “So having it towed was free. I chose a mechanic that’s not too far away, so it won’t be a hassle to get there when it’s time and he’ll give you a fair price.”
“Okay. Thank you.” She seems to be mulling over the information. “So, we have no idea what’s wrong?”
“Well, I can tell you both front tires were flat, so those will need replacing. The engine wouldn’t even turn over, so it’s probably more complicated than my knowledge of cars goes.”
“I figured.” She sighs. “But at least it’s not on the side of the road anymore. Hopefully, it won’t be super expensive to fix.”
“Let’s talk about that,” I say.
She starts to protest but I lift a finger to cut her off.
“I know. It’s a little weird. Probably a bit presumptuous on my part.
You’re an adult, completely capable of handling your own crises.
I get it. But here’s the thing—I don’t have to do this.
I know that. The truth is…I want to. I like you.
We had two really fun days together, despite the circumstances.
We haven’t discussed what’s next, not really, but I want to see you again.
And I’m just not the type of man who’s going to let someone close to me struggle over something I can help with. ”
She doesn’t respond at first, merely gazes up at me with her pretty gray eyes. Like she’s trying to figure out whether or not to accept. Or maybe what I’m going to ask for in return.
“And if me helping you means no more fooling around, because it would feel transactional to you, that’s okay too.”
Even though not touching her might kill me.
“West.” Her gaze is locked with mine as she slowly shakes her head from side to side. “You are truly…special. I don’t know who your ex left you for, but she was crazy.”
That’s a subject I won’t touch with a ten-foot pole, so I dip my head.
“It was complicated.”
“Well, you didn’t really ask me any questions, so I’ll address each thing separately.
First, yes, I do need help, but I don’t want a handout.
Whatever the cost comes to, I will pay you back.
That’s non-negotiable. But saving me from paying all that interest is a huge favor I’m grateful for.
I get paid every two weeks and I’ll agree to this if we come up with a fair payment plan that won’t put undue stress on me. ”
I nod. “That’s fine.”
“And second, we already planned to spend time together. Did you forget about our cook-off? We can call it hanging out or whatever, but it amounts to the same thing because there’s no way I’m agreeing to the third thing.”
“The third thing?” I’m momentarily confused by her train of thought.
“Sex. The fact that you’re worried about my comfort level means the world to me,” she whispers, eyes growing misty. “But when it’s all said and done, why on earth would we take something that feels so good off the table?”
“I just want to be sure…you don’t feel obligated because I’m lending you money.”
“Obligated to…what? Put out?” She shakes her head vehemently. “God, no.”
“It crossed my mind before too. When we were at your place, it was close quarters. No way to kick me out really. And let’s not kid ourselves, I’m physically imposing.
You had your kid to worry about in the event I got angry or violent or something.
I feel like the attraction between us is obvious, but sometimes, as the man, I need to be absolutely sure. ”
“West.” She puts her hands on my shoulders. “If we’d had condoms, it would have already happened. Women like sex too.”
That’s good to hear. I drop my lips to hers, kissing her soundly but chastely since Joey’s five feet away and the house is full of people.
Then I step away.
“Well, before anything physical happens, I need a shower.”
“Yes, you do,” she teases, shooing me toward the stairs.
I press a quick kiss to the tip of her nose and then take the stairs two at a time. I have a lot to do, including showering, laundry, packing, and figuring out dinner. But spending the evening with Serena is at the top of that list.