Page 26 of He Has Game (Boston Brawlers Hockey)
Okay. Back to square one. Now I need to figure out what he should be expecting from me, and tell him.
He follows me inside and fills my small apartment with his size and energy.
“What the hell, Vivvie? I can’t believe you live here. My college dorm room was bigger than this.”
“I’m a college student. It’s only for the semester.”
“That’s right. Then you move on to bigger and better things. To become a novelist.”
“Don’t mock me.”
“I’m not. I admire you. And I think you have what it takes. A romantic soul, a warm heart, and a very intelligent mind.”
“You’re not so bad yourself when you talk like that,” I say. Then I remember why I asked him up here. “We should talk about letting people know ahead of the press release. I have to tell my parents and my friend Grace. Who do you need to tell?”
“Shit. I should tell Aiden. Come with me. It’ll make the announcement more convincing.”
“Seriously?”
“We should get moving before he calls the cops to report his dinner missing.”
I laugh in spite of my morose mood, because it’s all so absurd. But then I see the way he’s looking at me and it feels like so much more. The man’s sensuality should be bottled and kept under lock and key.Toughen up, Vivvie.
The minute we walk in the door to his penthouse, I feel like the heroine in a gothic novel being taken to the wealthy and powerful baron’s castle for . . . who knows what. This is where my imagination falls apart because the naughty tendencies are beaten down by the much more well-practiced good girl tendencies. Either way, my jaw drops at the jaw-dropping view.
“Pretty good view, eh?” he says. As if it’s no big deal.
“It’s about fucking time,” a loud voice booms from down the hall and before I have a chance to prepare myself, the infamous Aiden Liam Cavanaugh appears. In the flesh. And I mean a little too much flesh.
Finn grabs me from behind and spins me around.
“Go put some clothes on, you fucking moron,” he says and then whispers, “Sorry you had to see that. You’ll probably be traumatized for life now.”
A giggle escapes me as my heart thunders, but not from the grand view I had of Aiden—though he is a well-built man I have to think, even based on my limited sampling—it’s the sensation of being wrapped in Finn’s arms that does this to me every time. He’s made a habit of holding me this way whenever we meet it seems, save for that first time. But then I would have probably died of a heart attack if he’d touched me that day.
“You’re funny. You really are,” I say because it’s easy to admit. Easier than telling him he makes me so excited I want to touch him—do not go there, Vivvie.
“Don’t sound so surprised. If you’re a true admirer, you would have observed this long ago in my many postgame interviews where my full irreverent sense of humor is on display.”
“You’re right, but somehow it’s different when it’s up close and personal.” That’s as much as I can admit to without giving myself palpitations and throwing my pacemaker out of whack. I separate from him. He slips my new fluffy coat from my shoulders and I try not to think he’s disrobing me, because of course it’s going to stop there. That’s how lusty he has me. A strange, new, and crazy state of affairs, that would be far more enjoyable if I weren’t a little bit worried about my heart. Physically and emotionally.
Aiden reappears wearing a grin along with his T-shirt and gym shorts.
“You should warn a guy,” he says, not in the least embarrassed by his previous display. I, on the other hand make up for his lack and then some while I try not to avoid his eyes.
“Surprise,” Finn says.
“So what’s the occasion? A little afternoon nookie—”
“Shut your fucking filthy mouth, Aiden or I swear to God—”
“All right, I get the picture.” Aiden turns to me and says, “Sorry. Don’t mind me. I’m not used to Finn bringing home respectable ladies. Or any ladies, come to think of it.”
“That’s right and don’t you forget it.”
“He likes his privacy. He takes them to—”
In a move so quick I don’t realize it’s happened until after it’s over, Finn lets go of me and lunges at Aiden, punching him in the eye. Then they both fall to the floor in a wrestling match. It’s the oddest sensation having Finn protect me—from what? Knowing about his wolfhound ways? The scuffle doesn’t bother me only because I’ve seen the like hundreds of times before, courtesy of my three older brothers. I grew up learning to step over the heap of wrestling bodies on the floor. My mother used to take care of it by whistling, but only after a couple of minutes. She said it was easier to get them to stop after they got a couple of shots in, and more importantly after they received a shot or two because the realization that it hurts to fight would finally register.
