Page 17 of He Has MVP (Boston Brawlers Hockey)
“Don’t worry about me, Pink. Go if you need to go. In fact, I insist.” Anything to wipe that tragic look from her face. She bites her lips, those perfect kissable lips that I’m dying to suck into my mouth again—along with all kinds of other body parts.
“Are you sure? I—that’s really decent of you.” She looks at me with the kind of look that makes my heart race, the kind that saysmy herobut without being cheesy.
When we get back to the car, I drive her straight to the airport only three miles away, although I’m hoping the whole time she’ll change her mind. She has Curly in her lap and she’s talking to the puppy, consoling her when I’m the one she ought to be consoling. But she doesn’t know that. Or does she?
She knows I’m into her since I’ve made that perfectly clear. But she doesn’t realize how much. Maybe I’m not sure either. All I know is I don’t want her to go, but I can’t stop her, wouldn’t want to get in her way.
I pull into the front end of the main parking lot, which is almost empty. After giving the pups a brief bathroom break, we leave them to amuse themselves. We go inside and, even in her heels, she rushes to the only open counter and I’m right there with her, barely.
The friendly lady from Cape Air gives us good news and bad news. Pink can catch a plane, the last one cleared to take off today, but it leaves in thirty minutes. Her face lights up and she gives me a brief squeeze-hug, taking some of the sting off the good news of her impending sudden departure. We run back out to the car. She’s ahead of me, all excited that she’ll have working Internet and outlets where she can charge her phone and computer.
“I have just enough time before my flight to send some crucial emails,” she says as we reach the car. My chest tightens with each word she says because it becomes clear she’s forgotten about me already, about our night and the promise of more. I’m already a memory to her and it’s not clear if it’s a pleasant one or just a minor annoyance in her scheme to take over the Boston business world. I get inside the car and grip the wheel. Taking a deep breath, I release it and get a grip on my head, on how I feel.
I’m happy for her. I really am. Not even kidding and it’s fucking weird because I don’t want her to go.
“I’ll miss you,” I say. I don’t think she’ll miss me. Which is also weird. She’s standing on the other side of the car and bends forward into the open passenger seat window.
She reaches in and pets the dogs because I’m letting them travel out of their cage to keep me company. She says nothing.
“It’s just me and Moe, Larry, and Curly for the duration,” I say, forcing good cheer. “We’re gonna bond over the storm.” Clouds darken the daylight and small sporadic drops of rain spit from the sky.
“I owe you, Aiden,” she says. “Let’s get together. I’ll call you.” She smiles and I see some reluctance as she lifts one of her bags through the window. “I can only take one bag on the plane. So I guess I’m asking another favor.”
“I’ll see that the rest of your stuff gets back to you.”
Her face lights up with that too rare playfulness. “Then Iwillsee you. Sometime this week when you deliver my luggage.” She doesn’t move away from the car.
I nod, enjoying the sudden difficulty she’s having with her departure when she was so excited to leave a minute ago. She stands there petting Curly through the window and stalling.
“Make sure you give Curly her due attention when I’m gone.”
“I will.”
The wind lifts her hair, whipping it across her face. She shakes her head, removing shiny blond strands from her mouth. She looks reckless and wild and something swells in me—not my dick, something in my chest, making me hurt with longing. I thought I was fine with her leaving. Thought I was okay with letting her get away with so much promise unfulfilled. Figuring I’d make sure there’d be another time. But now . . .
“Guess I should go. Get some work done finally.” Still leaning on the window she reaches inside with both hands to pick up Curly and give her the hug and kiss that rightly belong to me. A stab of regret shoots through me, but I keep my smile fixed and nod at her when she waves goodbye, then blows me a kiss.
She turns and runs between the raindrops back inside the toy airport, disappearing behind the closing glass door.
“Well this sucks,” I say to the puppies. May as well get started with my new one-sided conversations. Curly bounds onto my lap and licks my face.
“Leave it to the girl dog to understand a broken heart,” I say. Moe barks. Or it could have been Larry. Truthfully, I’m not always clear who’s who, but they know their names so it all sorts itself out in the end.
On the way back to the house, I stop at a drugstore and buy a portable cell phone charger that operates on battery power, dog biscuits, and a box of Funny Bones because that shit is perfect consolation food. I also buy the last big-ass battery-powered lantern in the store, some extra batteries, and the latest Jack Reacher thriller novel to go with it. Then I head back to the empty dark house.
The pups maintain their energy, though, so it’s impossible to stay down. I was prepared to spend the weekend alone with them in the first place, wasn’t I? It hadn’t been my idea to invite Pink to join the fun. She’s not my type. Never was. How could I have thought I was so into her, even for a few lost moments last night?
Why the fuck am I allif only she was still here? What’s that shit about? She was a pain in my ass.
A hot fun pain in my ass. A never boring pain. Oddly intriguing.
Fuck.She’s my girl.
I pull into the driveway, grab the leashes, and open the door. Moe, Larry, and Curly are thrilled to be home, yanking good and hard on my arm, leading me to the front door. Once we get inside the dark space, I set up the lantern, light a couple of candles, feed the dogs. Then light the fireplace.
The stage is set for a seduction if I only had the one missing piece of the production. The seductee. I’m not going to bother wasting a bottle of wine on my solitary evening.
“Guess it’s you, me, and the book tonight guys—and girl.” Talking to the pups doesn’t feel weird at all.
