Page 66 of Shootout
“Have you met anyone special?”
“Fuck no, if I had, you’d be the first to hear about it.”
Braden had had his heart broken in college by a cute little cheerleader who led him on until the football team’s quarterback showed an interest. She’d dumped Braden faster than a puck hits the net. He’d been in love. She’d been biding her time until something better came along. After her, he’d become as big a man slut as I was, never sticking with any woman very long. I’d watched him hop from one meaningless encounter to the next with sadness because he wasn’t that type of guy. I was. Or I had been.
“Okay, well, I assume you’re not celibate.”
“Of course not.” He laughed, but his laughter rang hollow.
Well, damn, he had been celibate. I resisted the urge to give him unsolicited advice on love and sex but wisely said nothing. I had enough of my own issues without taking on his.
ChapterTwenty-Five
THE SCHEME
~~Banks~~
We flew home to Seattle from Portland the next morning and went straight to practice. I didn’t get to see Jessie that night, as she had to work late, but we’d made plans to meet up after the game the next night, and we did. The Sockeyes won, and we joined the team for a late-night snack before snacking on each other. Wild had gone out with that same blonde from the gala, and I’d taken the risk of doing the wild thing with Jessie in Wild’s condo. I wondered if she felt our growing emotions for each other as I did. I didn’t say anything, but I tried my damnedest to tell her with my mouth, my hands, and my body. Yet she gave no indication she’d noticed anything had changed.
I still wasn’t in my new condo as there’d been some issues with the plumbing that needed to be repaired. I was told it’d be another week or more. Damn. We were into the second week of November. I desperately wanted to be one floor away from Jessie and out ofAnimal House.
On Friday, I planned on surprising Jessie by showing up at her team’s practice. Throwing my skates over my shoulder, I slipped into the rink and took a seat in the bleachers, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible. Practice was about halfway done. I’d promised I’d give the kids some tips, but I wanted to watch them first without them knowing I was there. I also wanted to watch how Jonas treated Jessie. I hadn’t had a chance with my own schedule to spend much time at her games or practices. Today, things worked out.
My gaze immediately zeroed in on Jessie. She’d looked hot in that glittery gold dress, but nothing compared to Jessie in hockey gear. Holy fucking crap. I chuckled to myself. Who’d have ever thought I would find Jessie to be sexier than any of the models and celebrities I’d dated over the years? But she was. The skates ratcheted her allure up a further notch.
Fuck, I was in love. I really fucking truly was. Not just falling. I’d already fallen. She’d slammed me to the boards to the point where I didn’t know which end was up and didn’t care.
This guy, prior to Jessie, would’ve run for the hills at the first sign of getting attached, but I didn’t run. Not this time. I stood my ground, waiting for the right moment to tell her this wasn’t fake anymore. It hadn’t been for a long time. Doing so would put me in a position of vulnerability I’d never been in before, but I’d never been accused of being a coward, and I wouldn’t be this time.
Jessie glided across the ice with the grace of a figure skater and the power of a hockey player. She combined both in a way that was profound and special.
“Banks.”
I glanced up at the sound of my name and grimaced. Boris must’ve seen me enter as he sat down next to me. I suppressed a sigh and managed a slightly welcoming smile. The man was too wrapped up in his greatness to notice my lack of enthusiasm.
“Hey,” I said, my attention drawn back to Jessie.
“What the fuck is wrong with your girlfriend? She’s adamantly against putting any of the girls on the first or second line. That’s all kinds of fucked up. You’d think she’d support her own gender.” Boris’s outburst caused me to turn in my seat and stare at him.
“What?”
“You heard me.”
“Who told you that?” I snapped. I didn’t make any attempt to placate him. I was pissed. I knew where he’d gotten such bullshit, but I wanted to hear it from him.
He jerked back as if I’d slapped him then his eyes narrowed with menace. The guy wasn’t used to being questioned, and he didn’t like it one bit. I didn’t care. He had no control over my career despite how powerful he imagined himself to be.
“Where did you get a ridiculous idea like that?” I repeated. I leaned toward him with undisguised hostility and annoyance. He surprised me by jerking back.
“Well, Jonas did. In confidence, of course. He’s really frustrated with her.”
Red-hot anger surged through me. I wanted to throttle the snot out of Jonas and expose him for the snively lying prick that he was. Boris wasn’t as clueless as I’d thought. He watched me warily as if expecting me to drop the figurative gloves any moment.
“Think about it. Why would Jessie treat the girls with less respect than the boys when she’s had to fight that battle all her life?” I glared daggers at him to punctuate my words. I knew I could be intimidating, but I’d never expected to intimidate the great Boris Spechek.
He frowned as if he hadn’t quite thought of things that way. The guy was so enamored of his own fame he had a hard time seeing past Jonas’s ass-kissing to his real motives. Jessie wasn’t an ass-kisser, so in his book, she wasn’t worthy of his consideration, not to mention she was a woman.
“I’ve been asking myself that question. I think she’s more interested in furthering her career by catering to the boys. There’s more money and fame coaching boys’ teams than girls’. It just is what it is.”
