Page 11 of Slapshot Summer
Lexi was smart, down-to-earth, fun.Why was she trying so hard to impress a dude with more teeth than personality?
Though Josh was on the sidelines, the discomfort was palpable, and he found himself wanting to take the awkwardness out of the evening for her.A different side of him, though, wanted it to play out so she could see Neil for the tool he was—the one who had exposed himself to Josh during their meal.Not intentionally, but Neil had let the act slip just enough that Josh got a good view of what hid beneath the counterfeit charm.
The object of Lexi’s desire had just chugged his third margarita on the rocks.Not only was the asswipe a phony, but he was also disrespectful as hell.The entire time they’d been seated, his gaze had blatantly riveted on every passing pair of tits.Lexi possessed a spectacular rack of her own—at least according to Josh’s imagination—yet Neil barely gave her a glance, so Josh could only conclude the guy was stupid too.
Either oblivious or undaunted, Lexi launched into a fresh set of questions.“What do you like to do in your free time, Neil?Are you into bicycling?Wine tasting?Movies?”
Christ, talk about giving a guy all kinds of openings!Lexi was trying her damnedest, and Josh flinched a little for her.He wanted to tell her not to try so hard, that the jerk wasn’t worth the effort.He tuned out Neil’s half-assed answers and instead imaginedhimselftelling her what he was into and finding out what she liked at the same time.Did she like hockey?Break dancing?Maybe she sang or acted in community plays or spent her free time getting signatures on petitions.
His mind fanned out, suddenly hyperfocused onherand every expression on her pretty face.An unexpected protectiveness that had been simmering in his gut began to roil, which was weird.He had no claim on this girl.If she wanted to throw herself at Neil fucking Afton, who was he to try and talk her out if it?
But she was agoodgirl, maybe even a little naive and vulnerable, and being alone with Neil was not in her best interest.Neil was a predator, his head on a constant swivel, like a magpie whose attention darted to every shiny bauble.Occasionally, he turned his fake charm on Lexi, and Josh clenched his jaw because he knewexactlywhat the jackass was doing.He was hedging his bets for a fuck buddy later on if nothing else panned out.Couldn’t she see through the guy’s MO?
And what the hell did she see in him besides his perfectly arranged hair and his movie star good looks?His oily personality canceled those out.Yet Lexi sat there smiling at him like he was some kind of deity.Or maybe it was the indulgent smile of a mother toward her wayward child.
Women baffled Josh.
Lexi asked Neil—for what had to be the fifth time—about his job.Neil leaned back in his chair, looking at her down his nose.“I’m part of upper management at corporate for ...”He reeled off the name of his company, then jabbed a thumb toward Josh.“In the same town as this guy.Did you know he’s a … a …” Neil paused as if his brain had just blanked, which it probably had because it was doing the backstroke in alcohol.
Lexi’s gaze bounced between them, a little pleat forming between her brows, though her voice was all sweetness, showing no trace of the annoyance so evident in her expression.“And what city is that?”
“We’re both from Philly, but we hadn’t met until today.My company sponsors his team.”
The crease between her brows deepened.“Team?”
“He’s a goddamn goalie!”Neil smacked the edge of the table as if this was the funniest damn revelation on the planet.
A jolt of electricity made Josh’s spine turn rigid.Normally, he didn’t divulge his profession to strangers because they inevitably wanted something from him.But if the stranger was a woman he was hoping to hook up with?Yeah, he told her.First of all, he usually met someone like her in a bar with his teammates, so shealreadyknew who he was and what he did.Oftenshecame on tohim.Secondly, that little factoid did most of the heavy lifting for him.The amount of charm he needed to turn on dropped way the hell off.Unfortunately, it also left him open to stalkers.
Not that he had to worry about stalking withthisparticular woman, though, because she didn’t give two fucks about him—she wanted Neil and only Neil.
Neil snorted.“Oops!Language.My bad.A lady is present.”
Lexi frowned at him—good!—then turned wide eyes to Josh.“What kind of goalie?”
“He plays for the Philadelphia Foresters,” Neil interjected, suddenly a Josh Wylder expert.
Josh shot him an icy glare.“That would be ‘Forge.’”Asshole.At least get the name right.
Neil shrugged and looked away, his attention yanked to a woman whose boobs were falling out of a dress that looked painted on and whose hips moved with an exaggerated swing.
Meanwhile, Lexi kept her eyes locked on Josh, and he was grateful she hadn’t seen Neil eye-fucking the woman.“Is that soccer?Hockey?I’m afraid I don’t follow sports, so I’m not familiar with—”
“I’m a goaltender in the NHL.”
Her eyebrows and her lips pursed, as if she was trying to puzzle out a riddle.“A professional jock, then.”
He burst out with a laugh.She wasdefinitelynot impressed, which removed some of the usual pressure.But it also caused his competition gene to spike and set into motion an odd chain reaction: He wanted to knowwhyshe wasn’t impressed, and he wanted to know what it would take—besides looking and acting like Neil—to impress her.
Neil stood abruptly, pushing his chair back from the table with a spine-decalcifying scrape.Conversation quieted, and half the restaurant patrons turned toward him as he announced, “Gotta hit the head.”He took off in the same direction Betty Boobs had gone.
Lexi watched as he stumbled from the table.“Do you think he’s all right?”
“I’m sure he’s fine.”And hopefully he’ll face-plant in the toilet and not come back.Or face-plant in his target’s cleavage and not come back.Either way, I hope he doesn’t come back.“He’s been pounding the drinks, and I bet he’s feeling them.”Hopefully, Lexi read the warning between the lines: Stay away from this fucked-up snake in the grass.
“I wonder …” She trailed off, fiddling with her silverware.
Was she finally opening her eyes, coming around to the real Neil?God, he hoped so.
