Chapter 6
Chapter
Six
Roxie
Holy shit, I felt powerful.
Generally, I wasn’t combative, especially when it came to someone I was working closely with. There was just something about the way Coach Hayes had walked in at the end all cocky and stubborn, like me being there was the worst thing to ever happen to him or his team, rubbed me the wrong way.
He could hate me all he wanted, but what I said was absolutely true. My paychecks were signed, my terms had been accepted, and I wasn’t going to pretend otherwise just to stroke his fragile ego.
Man, was it fragile.
Coach Hayes officially had it out for me, and unfortunately for him, that changed nothing.
I just hadn’t expected the welcome to be quite so hostile. Hayes and I were literally going to spend months together. He was making it awkward and we had barely spoken.
As I wrapped up the introductions and walked out of the room, leaving him to look his team in the eye after being such a fucking asshole, I instinctively pulled out my phone and typed out a long message to Rylan giving him the update.
There were already three texts waiting for me asking how it was going and sending me memes just in case. After our date I was already set on making him mine. I was just waiting for him to make the move.
“Hey, Roxie, wait up,” one of the players called out as he rushed forward, stopping a few feet away. His gym bag was slung over one shoulder and he had a lopsided smile on his face. He reminded me of a golden retriever with his hopeful eyes and endearing smile.
He was also hot as fuck. The delta was fit with thick, muscled thighs and I just knew his ass was impeccable without even seeing it yet.
His hair was dark and messy, just brushing over his ears and gelled back. He had hazel eyes that seemed to cut right through me, studying me right back.
“I’m really sorry about all that,” he said quickly. “It was out of line.”
“It was,” I agreed, offering him a smile in return. “He’s not the first alphahole I’ve met, and he certainly won’t be the last.”
“Well, not all of us are douchebags.”
“Oh really?” I teased, unable to stop myself. He was a flirt and so was I.
Then he stepped forward, and the full brunt of his scent hit me.
It was unexpected enough that I nearly choked.
Pecan, maple, lemon zest, and fresh buttery pastry had my eyelids fluttering as I breathed it in.
I swear every delta had that electrified quality to their scent, but his was the first where I got hit with an electric burst of lemon zest. It was acidic with just enough bitterness to round out the rest of his sticky sweet scent.
Fuck, it was decadent. I wanted to sink my teeth into it.
“Oh fuck,” I ground out, unable to stop myself.
For the first time, his smile faltered, and I could see the vulnerability in his eyes mixed with the same surge of desire I felt moments ago.
Then a cold wave washed through me. I was still trying to get Rylan on board and then this happened. He was going to freak the fuck out.
And this man was my worst fear. A hockey player. That wasn’t something I could tie myself down to.
“We’re scent-matches,” he said, those pretty, almond shaped eyes widening with shock.
“I noticed,” I managed to respond despite my hands now shaking.
“Why do you look like that’s the worst thing that could’ve happened to you?” he questioned, head tilting to the side.
It was refreshing how open and willing he was to talk about it.
“It’s not exactly you. It’s more what you represent,” I said, realizing just how fucking crazy it sounded. “I just… I don’t date hockey players.”
“Whoever made you feel that way was a fool,” he said firmly.
God, he was killing me here. I wanted to believe him, to soak in that scent for a little longer so I could commit it to memory.
“I have to go,” I said quickly, not even a lie. “I’m meeting someone for lunch.”
“Is it a work meeting?” he questioned carefully.
I found I couldn’t lie to him, and I shook my head.
His grin was back instantly, like nothing could faze this delta at all.
“Perfect. Then can I tag along?”
At least he was asking instead of telling me he was coming. That and he wasn’t sitting here trying to tell me I shouldn’t have written off hockey players.
Maybe Kota was doing the same thing in his own way, but I just… wasn’t intimidated by him.
Honestly, doing my homework and researching each player on the team leveled the field.
Although, him being my scent match complicated it right back.
It was going to be difficult to remain impartial. I wasn’t going to avoid him because of what we were, but that wouldn’t be able to come between me and the writing.
I was already fighting my internal bias against the sport as a whole.
There was a reason I’d been so eager to help Lana get her story out, to give her a voice I didn’t have as a kid growing up without a dad because he was too fucking full of himself to do more than sign a single, large child support check.
“So, where are we going for lunch?” he questioned, grinning back at full force.
I hesitated and his expression softened. His hand shifted like he wanted to reach for me but stopped himself.
“Look, it doesn’t have to be anything more than friends for now. I can’t say I won’t try to charm you in the meantime, but I have respect and no intentions of making you uncomfortable,” he promised.
He was so serious now, imploring me to believe him. Somehow, I found myself telling him where I was going.
“Do you want to ride with me?” he asked. “I can bring you back for your car.”
“Sure,” I said, mainly because I barely knew my way around. “You probably know North Crossing a whole lot better than I do.”
“I’ve been here a while,” he agreed. “I can definitely help show you around later if you want.”
“My roommate’s given me a couple tours,” I said carefully.
“Is that who we’re meeting for lunch?” he asked, not looking put out at my hesitation.
“Yes.”
And he’s your scent-match. I found the words on the tip of my tongue to tell him that Rylan wasn’t just my roommate.
Fuck. ‘Complicated’ didn’t even begin to describe the shitshow that was my life.
There was no time to warn him and that wasn’t something you simply texted, so I followed him out to the parking lot.
I was genuinely surprised when Kota led me to his car. It was a nice pickup truck. I’d expected something that flaunted his money a bit more.
Especially because I’d done my homework. This man was known for his style and position.
There was far more to this man than I realized.
He turned the radio on quietly as he drove to our destination, not forcing me to chat. I was freaking out a bit and he was giving me space for that.
I felt like I was betraying my omega’s trust. Rylan wasn’t expecting anyone but me and here I was walking in with a fucking scent match.
“Rox!” Rylan called out the moment he saw me.
His eyes didn’t even veer behind me where Kota was walking. Rylan was looking at me like I was the only girl in the world, like he always did.
The way I was gone for the omega was truly insane. I knew scent-matches intensified things, I just always assumed it wouldn’t be this quick.
Especially when he was so hesitant. That seemed to fade more each day we spent together.
“Hey, Rylan,” I said as I sat.
“How’d it go with the hockey players?” he asked.
The way he said ‘hockey players’ was a testament to how much he disliked them, too, something I knew Kota wasn’t going to miss.
“Oh, you wound me,” the delta teased as he took the chair beside mine.
Rylan’s eyebrows raised as he looked at me. “You brought a stray with you?”
I choked on air. It wasn’t laughter, but horror. This was a fucking trainwreck.
Not just on a personal level, either. Here I was preaching that I was unbiased, and even my roommate was making jokes about hockey players.
“Oh, you two are going to be so much fun,” Kota said, his grin widening further.
He clearly didn’t have a filter, either.
“I take it you’re one of the hockey boys,” Rylan drawled, completely unimpressed by the flirty delta. I couldn’t do anything but swivel my head back and forth as they verbally sparred.
“Now I have to know what they did to you two.”
“Who?” Rylan demanded, almost affronted but also defensive, giving himself away completely.
“Whatever hockey player put that scowl on your face, cutie.”
Rylan’s scowl only deepened and I answered to save him from having to.
“Let’s just say for me it’s daddy issues, but don’t worry, I will be unbiased in the article. I promise.”
“I have no doubt about that,” Kota said. “You don’t seem like the type to be that petty.”
Rylan snorted because we both knew damn well we were petty as hell.
The waitress walked up to take our order, and we each took a minute to browse the menu as she grabbed our drinks.
“I’m going to give you a minute to gossip about me while I run to the bathroom,” Kota teased as he stood, knocking once against the table before leaving us behind.
“We’re scent-matches,” I blurted out immediately before slumping against the table, my face pressing against the cool surface.
Rylan was quiet long enough that I worried he hadn’t heard me.
Finally, he found his voice as he reached over and gripped my arm.
“Are you kidding me?”
“No,” I whispered, almost a whimper.
“Well… it’s not the worst thing in the world, right?” he offered weakly.
I sat back up and gave him a look because we both knew this was worst-case scenario for us. Hell, his hands were gripping his wavy, black hair as if he was ready to rip it out over this.
“I’m not sure there’s enough therapy in the world to make me trust him. Hockey always comes first for hockey players,” Rylan said. His voice was intense, begging me to believe him. I already did, but my omega was begging me to give him a chance.
“What does this mean for us?” he asked as he stared at me.
“For us?” I questioned. “I’m not sure. Is he your match, too?”
My omega shrugged, looking downright miserable. “He’s not gotten close enough to me yet. This place has scent filtration.”
“What if he is?” I questioned right back, needing to know his reaction.
“I want a match,” he admitted softly. “But I don’t know. Is he part of a pack?”
“I don’t know anything about him,” I admitted.
“He literally cornered me afterward to apologize because Coach Hayes was an absolute asshat the whole time. The coach is taking it personally that I’m there.
I don’t know if it’s because I’m an omega, because I’m a woman, or because he just doesn’t like bureaucracy, but his coaching skills are not enough to redeem the fucking Narwhals. Not after that trauma.”
“You’re right about that,” Kota said as he sat back down.
This time next to Rylan.
My eyes stayed glued to the omega, watching as his shoulders tensed and his eyes widened. His panicked gaze met mine.
I knew immediately that he was a match, too.
Of course, Kota’s smile grew wider. He was in heaven.
“Two omegas in one day? Are you kidding me? This is fantastic.”
I could tell he meant it. Kota was one of those people with such expressive eyes that even though they were a deep, dark brown, I could still see every emotion on his face.
He was elated while we were terrified.
Then his smile fell as he looked between the two of us.
“Wait… do I even have a chance here?” The fear in his expression nearly broke me.
Rylan and I looked at each other, fighting through our own inner demons.
“If you would’ve asked me before I scented you, I would’ve told you to go fuck yourself,” I admitted simply.
“But now?” Kota hedged. “Now you can’t resist my charm?”
The pure hope and innocence in that statement had some of the fear fading away. It was hard to be anything but charmed by this delta.
He was sweet and funny and so endearing. His playfulness didn’t come from cockiness. He was just genuinely happy and open.
Thankfully, our waitress chose that moment to walk up, saving us both from answering.
We’d chosen a quick lunch spot since Rylan had to get back to work, and I already had a feeling he was going to have a miserable rest of his day. We were both so thrown off by the revelations that I knew I wasn’t going to have much better luck.
Not to mention I still had to go face off with a coach who hated my existence and had no say in my involvement with his team.
“Do you have a pack?” Rylan asked as she walked away.
Well, demanded, really. It was said with such intensity that I froze, glancing over at Kota.
The delta was completely unbothered by the jagged edges of the omega’s attitude. He simply smiled and shook his head.
“Not as far as I know. I’ve got some friends on the team, but no one I would consider pack.”
I swear the two of us collectively slumped in relief, and he just shook his head.
“You two are going to be so much fun.”
Our food was dropped off and we dug in, the quiet taking over for a moment. It was, thankfully, not tense.
When we finished, Kota gathered our things and tossed them in the nearby trash. He sat down and leaned forward slightly as if he wanted to breathe us both in again. “Can I at least get your phone numbers? How can I properly charm you if I can’t get a hold of you?”
The way he pouted was adorable. Rylan was cracking just as quickly, which was the most surprising part of this lunch. This delta had a way of putting you at ease.
I slid my phone over to Kota so he could put his number in before turning to Rylan. The omega stared for a few beats before doing the same. Kota looked so damn pleased it was hard not to crack.
“I have to get back to work before Karen steals my soul,” Rylan said when Kota slid his phone back, his mood taking a further dip.
“Coworker troubles?” Kota asked gently. Fuck, he was caring, too.
“You could say that.”
“She’s got it out for Rylan. I swear, the sooner he can say ‘fuck you’ to that lady, the better.”
“Which will be never,” Rylan groaned. “It’s literally the only place I could find within a thirty-mile radius. At least she’s close to retirement age.”
“I could always come over after work and cheer you up,” Kota offered.
Rylan rolled his eyes and gathered his things, dropping some money on the table for a tip.
“I’ll see you at home,” he said to me, not even sparing a goodbye for our newly found delta.
Kota didn’t look offended in the least. He looked excited, like this was about to be the best game of cat and mouse of his life.
“Are you heading back to the arena?” he asked me as he stood, throwing his own tip on the table, which was about triple what either Rylan or I put down.
Another point in his direction. I judged people a whole lot by how they treated service workers.
“I am. Coach and I need to have a little chat.”
“Then I get the pleasure of driving you and walking you back inside,” he grinned, leading me out.
His hand hovered just behind my lower back. I could feel the heat of it searing through my shirt, but he kept his distance as if he knew I needed time to come to terms with this first.
I had no choice but to let him take me back to face off with a coach that would rather see me crash and burn than his team succeed.
It was going to be an interesting season.