Chapter Three #3
He’d just had a huge fight with his dad.
The usual stuff. His training schedule and him not getting to do anything else.
There’d been no parties or hanging out with classmates.
No dates or dances. Everything in his life had revolved around hockey.
Training and drills, practice and games.
But the season was over and he’d wanted his dad to loosen the reins a little.
As usual, it had blown up in his face. Because only losers didn’t take things seriously.
“You opened the door and without saying anything, grabbed my hand and dragged me down the street to the park on the corner.” She smiled then, a full-blown grin that damn near knocked the breath right out of his lungs.
“And then you laid on the ground and stared up at the sky, just waiting. When I asked what you were doing, you said ‘waiting for the stars to speak to me.’ So, I laid next to you and we just watched.”
He couldn’t believe he’d forgotten. Or that she remembered.
But now, that night blazed in his memory, bright and vibrant.
It had been chilly, but he’d reveled in the cold.
It was familiar, and in a weird way, comforting.
He’d been so angry and frustrated. And embarrassed, because he was pretty sure Alexandra had heard the blow out with his dad from the sidewalk.
She’d asked what he was doing, and when he told her, she didn’t say anything, just got down on the grass with him. And they laid there, in the silence, watching the sky blaze to life.
It had been peaceful and private. Special. He remembered now, that a part of him had wanted to take her hand, to hold it. But he’d been so afraid she’d reject him, he hadn’t dared. He’d been inexperienced with girls, and although he’d been almost eighteen, he hadn’t really known what to do.
So, he’d done nothing.
He’d like to say he regretted missing out on the moment, but it would be a lie.
The memory was barely a footnote in his story.
He’d graduated from high school not long after and then he’d been drafted.
Lincoln, Nebraska and Alexandra Bridger had quickly become his past, and he only backtracked when he had absolutely no other choice.
“I can’t believe you remember that.” He couldn’t keep the surprise out of his voice.
She shrugged, although her cheeks turned the sexiest shade of pink. Was she blushing all over?
For fuck’s sake, he needed to stop. Like, yesterday.
“Anyway,” she said, and looked away for a second, as if trying to get a hold of herself, too. When she looked back, her professional mask was back in place. Disappointment jabbed him in the ribs. “Where are you staying again?”
“Why, you want to stop by or something?” He tried to keep a teasing note in his voice—even though he was not the teasing type—because he wanted to see what she’d do. He liked the glimpses he’d managed to get behind that thick coat of armor she wore.
The pink in her cheeks darkened, spreading to the tips of her ears. So damn adorable.
She moved her mouth like she wanted to say something, but nothing came out.
He thought for a second he just might die of adorableness overload. Flustering her was fun as hell.
She snapped her mouth shut and crossed her arms over her chest. Very defensive. “That’s not what… I mean… you know… I didn’t mean…” She stopped and took a deep breath. “You know that’s not why I was asking.”
He couldn’t help but laugh. It still sounded rough and rusty.
She stared at him for a few seconds, and then one side of her mouth turned up in a lopsided smile.
Some of the random tension in his chest, tension he didn’t realize he carried, shifted, eased a little.
“You did sort of set yourself up for that one.”
She gave him a very motherly, I-call-bullshit double eyebrow raise.
He bit the inside of his cheek to stop from laughing again. Or maybe grabbing her and kissing the daylights out of her. “The Four Seasons.”
Her features tightened, just for a second.
She turned back to the equipment rack. Fussed with the weights, making a show of straightening them, even though they were already lined up perfectly.
“The reason I asked is because I wanted to know if they had a pool, since we decided you should continue with swimming. But they don’t.
At least not one that’s usable in the winter.
” She tapped her finger against her lips.
“That’s fine. We can get you a pass to one of the public pools. ”
She was back to being all business, which is exactly what he needed. Order and rules and structure. When left to his own devices he did shit like imagine his strength and conditioning coach naked.
“Sure.” He slung the towel around his neck. “You’re the boss.”
“I’ll try not to let that go to my head.” She spun around and headed for the door. “Once you’re finished your shower, come to my office and I’ll get you the information for the pool.”
As she walked out of the room, he tried, and failed to not stare at her ass. He so needed to get his shit together. And maybe if he said it to himself enough times, it would actually sink in.