Page 11 of Trick Play

“I’m working on it,” I said. He offered his hand in a high five and I slapped his palm. My interest in Kelli wasn’t very subtle.

It wasn’t late when we wrapped things up. Some of these kids were too young to be out long, but at least they’d had an option for the night that was fun and didn’t end up with anyone in trouble. There were bags of candy and gift cards available for them to take when they left, and I was able to weasel out of cleanup to take Kelli home. I’d managed to pull off the seam binding tape and get out of the oversized clown costume. Most of the makeup came off with soap in the men’s room.

We made small talk on the drive—about the event we’d been at, about our families—while the back of my brain was debating if I could ask her to come home with me. Would she think it too fast? She wasn’t a puck bunny, looking for a player for the night, so she might say no. But I wanted to get to know her. I wanted to see her without the Raggedy Ann costume and makeup.

With the two of us hidden behind ridiculous makeup and costumes tonight, I felt seen for who I was, not what I did. Too often I was the Asian guy, the hockey player, not just me. And unless I was greatly mistaken, we had chemistry, even though I hadn’t seen what she really looked like. That was new.

We pulled into her mom’s driveway. It was now or never. “I’d like to see you again.”

She whipped her head around, mouth dropping in shock. “Really?” Her voice squeaked.

“Maybe, after you get your things, I could drive you home? Or you could come to my place.”

She blinked at me, teeth chewing on her bottom lip. “I’d really like to go home and get out of this—” Her hand swept over her costume. “And I need a shower. Badly.”

“Okay.” If she didn’t want to do something tonight, maybe she would another time?

Her eyes dropped. “But if you wanted to come up…”

Chapter 6

Check, please!

Larry

* * *

She lived on the east end of the city, in the opposite direction to my place. I didn’t care about the extra time it took to get there, but I missed holding her hand on the shifter. She lived in an older high-rise, with guest parking for my Porsche.

I followed her inside, noting the trembling of her hands. Was she having second thoughts? Nothing had to happen, but I wanted to see her again, and that wasn’t a conversation to have in the hallway.

Her apartment was smaller than mine, unsurprisingly, but cozy. She’d taken the time to put up pictures, cushions on the couch, plants. There was a coffee cup on the breakfast bar, a cute one with cartoon teeth on it. Things I hadn’t done since I’d bought my condo a couple of months ago.

“I’ll be back in a few minutes. Make yourself comfortable.” She left in a hurry, closing a door down the hallway behind her. Leaving me with a dilemma.

Did she want me to be here when she opened the door again or not? I was honestly confused. She could have said something about changing her mind at any point from the time I put the car in park till she opened her apartment door, but hadn’t. On the other hand, I’d been with women who were anxious to fuck, and she wasn’t showing any of those signs.

I shrugged and sat on the couch, pulling out my phone. I wouldn’t assume anything was going to happen, but in case she did want me here, I’d stay. I wanted to, anyway.

Ten minutes later, after I’d checked on the games around the NHL, the door opened. A woman with pink sweats hugging a shapely body walked toward me, wet dark hair swinging around her shoulders. I recognized the bright blue eyes I’d been staring into all night, but the fair skin with a pale blush on her cheeks was new.

She was pretty, and I still had no memories of seeing her as a kid. She and her brother didn’t share features, and Kelli looked more like her mom. Not classically beautiful—her mouth was a little too small, her face too round for that—but she looked more appealing than anyone I’d seen for a long, long time.

Why couldn’t I remember the girl she’d been? Dylan had said she hid, and between that and my obsession with hockey, I’d never noticed her. My loss.

She twisted her hair with a finger. “Hi. Sorry, I felt really gross and needed to clean up.”

“I get it. You were nervous too, weren’t you?”

She sighed. “Sorry.” She was apologizing again. “I’ve only slept with my boyfriends, so I’m trying something new here.”

I stood up, shoving my hands in my pockets. “We don’t have to do anything.” I was disappointed, but I could be patient.

Her eyes widened. “I want to. Really. I mean, my school crush is here, and I’d be an idiot to say no.”

I stood in front of her and gently picked up her hands, rubbing my thumbs over the backs. “What if we waited?”

Her forehead creased. “Would you like something to drink first?”