3. Sofie
The Nest is the Snowhawks” campus. A combination training facility, arena, corporate office, and housing. It”s a revolutionary idea, with no expenses spared in its creation. The entire campus is open to the public, making it a draw to fans and tourists alike.
It”s also a voyeur”s wet dream. I should know, I”ve had a lot since I started walking here, all starring Parker.
He”s in the gym with Erik and Sawyer, all three shirtless and pumping enough iron to sink a battleship. There”s a lot of sweaty, well-muscled male on display, but I only have eyes for Parker.
I can still feel his kiss, his hands. The strength of him left me aching.
Dakota and Payton are flanking me, the former studying the boys to ensure they”re not going too hard, the latter pushing them even harder. Dakota takes her manager duties seriously, but Payton is hungry for posts for our growing social media.
I ran last night because I couldn”t take it, and jumping him in the middle of the quad wasn”t really an option. I ran because getting involved with a player has traditionally been a horrible idea.
Dakota seems happy with Kai, though, and it”s clear that management doesn”t think there are any conflicts of interest.
But my anxiety still ramps up every time I remember last night. I have negative self-control when it comes to Parker Knight. It”s too easy for him to switch my brain off. It makes me feel frazzled. Overwhelmed.
Parker doesn”t just make it hard to think; he makes it impossible.
”Sofie, help me out here. You”re on my side, right?” Payton asks.
I blink, shaking myself. I”d almost forgotten I wasn”t alone.
”Uh, sure. Sorry, what side is that?” I ask, hiding my flush behind my camera as I take another shot.
”The side of Erik being a giant idiot.” She keeps her voice low to stop it from carrying across the gym. ”I don”t care how good he looks with his shirt off.”
Payton crosses her arms in front of her chest.
”I hadn”t really noticed,” I shrug one shoulder.
Payton and Dakota both share a look. The three of us are supposed to be making exciting content for Payton”s new social media drive. She always has something brewing to build hype for the Snowhawks. Fan events, contests, music, and shoe sponsorships— Payton works nonstop to ensure people talk about the team. She lives in the spotlight that I spend all my time trying to avoid.
”Alright, girl. Spill. You”re even quieter than normal, and I didn”t think that was possible,” Dakota reaches out, gently nudging the camera down to expose my face.
”There”s nothing to spill. Nothing happened between me and Parker—” I snap my mouth shut, realizing my mistake.
”Uh, we didn”t ask about Parker,” Payton says, an evil grin appearing on her face.
Whoops. He isn”t even near, and Parker has switched off my brain.
”Dios,” I mutter. ”It”s nothing. Forget it.”
The girls share a silent look that says a whole lot.
”Sofie,” Dakota waits for me to look at her. ”What”s going on? You can talk to us.”
Payton”s eyes narrow as she looks between me and the weight bench across the room.
”Parker has been looking at you for weeks now. Everyone knows he”s crazy about you,” she says matter-of-factly. ”Do you want me to tell him to back off? I know you hate confrontation, but that doesn”t mean you have to put up with unwanted attention. I know how cocky pro athletes can be.”
Dakota doesn”t argue. She knows better than anyone that Payton is telling the truth.
”Thanks, Payton. I appreciate it— both of you— really. But I”m okay.” I look between them. ”I mean it. Everything”s fine. Especially Parker,”
Dakota is the sister I never had. We”ve known each other since college. And while I”ve only known Payton for a few months, she”s already become a close friend. They”re a lot alike in many ways.
Both are pretty much my opposite. Extroverted extroverts. Both of them can work a crowd like they own it. And both of them could see right through my bullshit.
”Fine?” Dakota snort-laughs, playfully smacking me on the shoulder. ”Still doing your stalker routine, huh?”
I wait for the floor to open up and swallow me whole.
”Stalker routine?” Payton asks, smiling as she glances back and forth between us.
”Sofie is crushing hard, but she”s too shy to do anything about it. So she takes pictures, watches.” She throws an arm around my shoulder, squeezing me close. ”You know, classic psycho stalker,”
She”s laughing softly, but color rises to my face anyway.
Dakota is one of the few people in the world that I won”t shy away from. The other is currently benching twice my bodyweight halfway across the gym, his muscles glistening like some kind of Greek god.
”I did something about it last night, pendeja,” I huff at her.
This is why I”m quiet, why I keep to myself. Because when I”m riled up, my mouth bypasses my brain altogether.
”Hold on, that sounds juicy. Spill,” Payton says again.
I blow out a breath.
”Well, Parker did ask me out. I told him no, and then— I don”t know. He touched my hand, and then we were just, uh. Kissing,” I fumble. My sharp tongue flees in the face of the hockey inquisition.
It”s nice to have girlfriends. Sisters. I never had either growing up, and there”s something about the easy camaraderie that loosens my tongue.
”Ok, ok. So then what?” Dakota asks, smiling like a cat that ate all the canaries.
I open my mouth to tell her I ran away when Payton interrupts me.
”Wait, wait. First of all, how was it?” Payton asks, her naughty grin sliding back into place.
His kiss quieted the wild hurricane that is my brain.
No, I can”t tell them that.
”Good. Sweet. He was a gentleman about it. But, um, I wasn”t. I pulled him back in when he tried to back off,” I admit. Their smirks are worse than corkscrews in my fingers, torturing the story out of me.
”And then?” Dakota prompts.
Then I wanted to fuck him right then and there.
”Then I ran away,” I sigh. ”Sofie”s social awkwardness wins again. The end.”
Silence stretches between us as my friends digest my confession.
”Can we get back to work now? We”re missing some prime shots.” I raise my camera again and bring the boys back into focus.
Erik and Sawyer are good-looking, but I only have eyes for Parker.
”Told you. Terminal shyness,” Dakota says to Payton. I can”t see her, but I can hear the smugness in her voice.
I don”t deign to answer her, letting the shutter of my camera answer for me. My feelings are too complicated, and I can feel myself overanalyzing them.
”Okay, fine. But that”s solvable, right? You just need to go on a date with him, right? He”s clearly interested,” Payton says, sounding confused.
Dakota snorts in derision. She knows me better. I”m not about to risk my career for a guy, even a perfect one like Parker.
”Sofie likes to keep her distance. She”s like a cat,” Dakota says.
Parker finishes his set and starts toweling off. There”s something about the way the sweat clings to his skin that derails my train of thought. I”m filled with the overwhelming urge to lick every drop off of him.
”Well, that just means someone needs to intervene,” Payton huffs. ”What else are friends for? Hey Parker!”
Much to my horror, all three of the guys come over. Maybe if it was just Parker, I could handle it, but in front of his teammates? No, never.
”Don”t worry. We”ll get the other two out of here. Dakota, you go talk to Sawyer about team stuff. I”ll deal with our big, dumb goalie. But since I have to spend time with that idiot, Sofie, you owe me. If you don”t end up on a date with Parker, I”ll do this again in front of everyone.”
I glare at Payton, but she only sticks her tongue out at me as Dakota giggles. I want to strangle them both, but the guys arrive before I get my hands around their throats.
”Sawyer, Dakota needs to go over some schedules with you. Erik, I need you outside. Social media never sleeps,” Payton says, looping her arm through his and dragging the big Swede away.
Leaving me alone with the man who took my first kiss last night. My second, too. The man I want to take my first everything.
”Well, that was about as subtle as a bag of bricks. I”ll take off, alright?” Parker flashes me a smile. ”I know you need your space.”
Fuck. Why does he have to be so goddamn perfect all the time? It makes it so hard to be human by comparison.
”No,” I say. My voice is barely a whisper.
”No?” Parker raises an eyebrow, still smiling.
”I need a shot of you. Payton asked me for one.”
Parker”s smile grows, his eyes sparkling. He”s still shirtless, still sweaty, and still sexy. No, not just sexy. The man is a walking wet dream.
”Well, come on. I thought about how you don”t do crowds and what I would do when you let me take you out. Come on, I”ve got the perfect thing,” Parker says, offering me his hand.
His hand is how all of this started. I was fine last night until he touched me. Until our hands brushed, until our fingers wove together. That was all it took for me to forget everything but him.
It was the first time in my life I stopped overthinking everything, stopped thinking, and just was. I”ve never felt that before, and it was as terrifying as it was terrific.
”Alright,” I flash him a smile. ”But you”re going to have to put your shirt on.”
Parker blushes a bit, tugging his shirt back on. I don”t really want him to, but the last thing I need is the distraction of his glistening pectorals or inky black tattoos.
”Alright, but you”re going to have to take your shoes off,” Parker shoots back as he takes my hand.
Those same sparks from last night race through me. His touch is electric, obliterating everything else in my mind. For once, the constant slideshow of images slows to a crawl.
”Oh no,” I say adamantly. ”I”m not getting on the ice with you, Parker. No. Nope. Never.”