Chapter 22 #2
I’d cheated, sneaking into her living room and checking out her collection of music, movies, and pictures. There were very few with her in them. The one she had pictured with a guy, the glass had been smashed and she’d left it turned down on the shelf.
My guess was the ugly dude in the photograph was her ex-boyfriend. I’d been angry all over again. No one should treat a woman like shit.
And I’d done so the night before.
“You have a five-car garage. Let me guess. You have five vehicles,” she tossed out hatefully.
“Six, but I keep one parked on the driveway.” I could tell I wasn’t making anything better.
Shrugging, I headed toward the door while she struggled to drag her things.
When I finally grabbed the heaviest bag, she tried to jerk it from my hand.
I tugged again and it sent her flying into the air and onto her butt.
“I told you I was fine and didn’t need your help.” Her glare remained and I honestly had no clue how to make the situation any better.
“Come on. Let’s call a truce. Okay?” I swung the bag onto the porch and offered her a hand.
She refused to take it, getting to her feet and dusting off her behind. Her very cute behind. Why was it when I was around her my thoughts turned filthy?
It was impossible not to grin as I opened the door, taking a wide berth so she could go inside without making any physical contact.
She walked through the foyer, wrinkling her nose when she noticed my selection of artwork. “Interesting.”
“I like weird stuff.”
“I would agree with you.” She didn’t wait for me to show her around, stopping just inside the living room. While she didn’t make a sound or call out any of my furniture, I could easily tell what she was thinking.
Mancave.
Maybe I was a little eclectic with my tastes, but I was almost never here. I only used the building to sleep, shower, and occasionally spend some time when the cleaning lady was here. Other than that, I was usually on the ice. Or at an away game.
In my off time, I enjoyed partying maybe a little too much.
Maybe that’s why my mother had been nagging me to settle down.
I left Lily’s bag in the foyer and trailed behind her until she reached the kitchen. She stood near the island, surveying the space. When she noticed a pizza box, she walked toward it, glancing inside.
The way she looked at me was a clear indication she thought I was a slob. “Sorry. I didn’t anticipate not coming home last night. Let me get that.” I took the box from her, immediately taking it to the trash. Which was full.
“You don’t spend much time here. Do you?”
“How can you tell?”
“There’s no life in your house. No plants. No pictures of your family.”
I shrugged and used brute strength to shove the box into the full bag. “I haven’t had the time to really decorate the way I want.”
“How long have you owned the house?”
“Two years.”
She chuckled. “Let me guess. You still have boxes laying around.”
My laugh was short lived. “It doesn’t feel like home. Not really.” The admittance was odd as I’d purchased the house because I needed to do something with the excessive money I’d earned. “Maybe you can give me some pointers.”
“With all the money you make, I think you can afford to hire a decorator.”
“Yeah. I guess you’re right.”
The tension was higher, more so than usual and I was the cause of it. “Lily, about what I said.”
She threw up her hand. “I don’t need to hear it, Saint.
We’re not engaged except in the press. We’re not even dating.
And this living together thing is a nightmare I created with my own caustic mouth.
You don’t need to explain it to me. I’m an adult.
I’m just another conquest in a long line of them.
You’re a playboy and you do it with flair.
All I ask is that you don’t make me look like a fool.
I’ve had enough of that to last me a lifetime. Okay?”
The sudden sense of vulnerability caught me off guard. She was such a strong woman, but I reminded myself she’d been snubbed by a jerk who’d ignored the incredible beauty by his side.
“Can I finish now? Please?”
Every time she was flustered it was because of something I’d said or done. I Around her, I felt guilty all the time. Something else I’d never felt with another woman.
“Sure.”
My tongue was suddenly tied, my hands clammy. I had no clue how to make her feel better. I grabbed two beers, popping the tops without saying a single word. That created additional tension.
She remained silent as I handed her the bottle, jerking back the moment our fingers touched.
“I’ve never had a steady girlfriend, unless you count dating the principal’s daughter for a few months in high school. I never wanted a relationship. Nothing against them. My parents are happy, but it just wasn’t me. The playboy thing is mostly like everything else about me. Fake.”
The way she tipped her head meant she didn’t believe me.
“I liked being in the club. Women on my arm, puck bunnies tossing their panties at me.” I laughed and when she frowned, her nose crinkled up. She had no idea how sexy she was without even trying.
“You don’t need to tell me this. Quite frankly, I don’t need to know how accomplished you are in the bedroom.”
“That’s what I’m trying to tell you. The few women I’ve been with were fun, don’t get me wrong, but being with them never felt right.
Like I was missing something. I couldn’t put my finger on why, so I kept playing around.
It gets old real quick. And lonely.” I took a long pull on my beer, more awkward than I’d been as a teenager.
“What I’m trying to tell you is that I didn’t want to be the kind of guy to screw around on a girl. ”
“So you just screwed all of them instead.” She sucked in her breath, blowing it out slowly as she looked away. “I’m sorry. That was mean and I’m not that kind of person. You bring it out in me.”
My laugh was half-assed. “I do that to a lot of people. Seriously. I don’t screw around or at least I don’t want to.”
“I don’t have any idea what you’re trying to tell me. You don’t owe me anything but decency while we pretend we’re in love. Then you can go on your merry way fucking anyone you want to.”
Not only was she turning my words around, she was also misunderstanding them.
That’s because I had marbles in my head and gravel in my mouth.
I took a purposeful step toward her, crowding her space enough I thought she was going to run away like a rabbit.
But she held her own. “You might not believe me and that’s fine, but when I’m with you everything feels different.
I know we’re not really dating or engaged, but when I say we are or I’m asked questions about you, I have this strange feeling in the pit of my stomach.
As if what we’re sharing is very real. And I like it.
A lot. I don’t think about what I’m missing with other girls or wish I could get out of our engagement.
I want to be with you. I like you. A lot. ”
Boy, I wasn’t going to win a contest for being a linguist.
Her nose remained scrunched and she eyed me suspiciously. Finally, a slight smile broke out on her face. “That’s really nice. That’s about the nicest thing a guy has said to me, especially since we aren’t even dating.”
“Something else. That guy you were with. What a jerk. An asshole. I can’t believe he treated you so badly and if he were here, I’d tell him off. No, I’d punch him in the face.”
Her laugh filtered through the room and I felt the same possessiveness and need to protect her as before. “I think I’d enjoy watching.”
I stepped another two inches closer. “You would, huh?”
“Yes,” she whispered, suddenly nervous around me. “I would.”
Why was it that there were so many awkward moments between us?
“You’re a very special lady and I won’t do anything to make you look bad.”
“I know you won’t.”
“I hope you do.” I brushed my hand against her face and she allowed a slight moan but slipped away from me.
“Why don’t we figure out about something for dinner. That is unless you have something else you need to do.”
“Yeah, that sounds cool, although I’m not too sure how much food is in the house.” I laughed and realized my life outside of hockey was a joke.
When she offered one of her mischievous looks, I grinned. “You’d be surprised what I can make with just a few ingredients.”
“Nothing about you would surprise me any longer. You’re like some superwoman who can do everything.” It was good to hear her laugh.
A blipping sound caught my attention. She groaned. “More.”
“Social media?”
“Yep. We were trending. Why don’t we see what’s being said now.” She pulled out her phone, dramatic about the way she moved through various screens. Her smile quickly faded and she lifted her head, the look turning into one of horror.
“What is it?” When she didn’t answer right away, I pulled the phone from her hand.
Now I was getting angry, so much so I took several deep breaths to calm the building rage. The headline was from the Sungazer, a rag online magazine that had a huge following. Since I’d snubbed them six months before, they’d had it out for me.
This time they’d gone too far.
The headline was on the front page.
Shocking Pictures of Star NHL Player Saint ‘The Savage’ Masters in the Wild
While that was bad enough, the photographs were worse.
Instead of being intimidated or falling into the pressure, my Lily flower shored her shoulders, stared me right in the eyes, and initiated plan B.
“Now, this means war.”