Page 58 of Conner

She wanted to believe that what she and Conner had was real. It felt real, but how could she be sure? She was clinging to him as a protector, and from everything she knew about him, the role of protector was a role he could get lost in. He was just so damn good. The honorable Connor McPhee would protect anyone, and while she didn't think that protection would come with some of the amazing perks that hers had, being a protector was just who he was. Could she trust what was between them to be something sustainable outside of this extraordinary circumstance? Another thought she tried to push away.

She lost track of time as she watched the practice. Her phone went off and she had a message from Hillary.

Hillary - Are you available for a meeting in conference room D at 1:30?

She checked the time. It was noon. She could do this. At that moment Conner happened to look up and see her sitting there. He skated over boards and motioned her down.

He skated over to the door and got off the ice. He was so much taller than she was with his skates on. Paired with his pads, he really did look like her knight on hockey skates, but she knew even he couldn't save her from what was about to happen.

“Did you talk to Hillary?”

She nodded.

“How did it go?”

“As good as can be expected, I guess.”

“What's happening next?”

“At one thirty there’s a meeting with the security team, maybe the police and I'm not sure who else. There will be a cyber forensic detective there to look at all the accounts.”

“What time is it now?”

“Just after noon.”

“Okay, I'm going to go shower, then I'll be ready to go with you. Have you eaten anything?”

“No, I'm not hungry. But Conner, you guys are busy here. I can do this.”

“No, I want to be there. For you and for me. Knowing what is going on will help with my peace of mind. So, if you’re going to make it hard to be there for you, then I will be there for me,” he said as he slipped his hand out of his glove and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear.

“You don't fool me, Conner McPhee,” she said looking up at him through her eyelashes.

“I’m going to hit the showers and tell Coach. Do you want me to meet you in your office?”

“No, I think I'm just going to hang out here.”

“Okay. Why don't you meet me in the lounge next to the weight room? We can get a bite to eat before we head up.”

She nodded, “Okay, see you there.”

She wanted to kiss him, even though he was a sweaty mess, but she still wasn't sure exactly what was going on between them. She just craved being next to him for the safety he gave her.

She watched the ice for a few more minutes after he left. Then she turned and made her way into the lounge. She didn't want to face this, but having Conner there with her would help.

32

Conner

Conner had been able to distract himself on the ice, but when he saw her sitting out in the stands by herself it all hit him like a ton of bricks. He had told Coach earlier that he might need to duck out. He wasn't happy, especially since he couldn't tell him why. But he'd been skating here and for the coach for six years and had been captain for three. Coach trusted him.

He got his pads off as fast as he could and got in the shower. He needed to be with Sasha. She was someone who was put together and he knew being this vulnerable in front of people wasn't easy for her, he would be there for her.

Once he was cleaned up, he made it into the gathering room, and found her sitting at one of the stools at the counter looking out the window. He snuck in behind her and slid her arms around her waist. She jumped almost completely off the stool and turned. Instant regret flooded him. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," he said as he nuzzled her.

“It's fine. I'm just a little jumpy.”

“Are you sure you're not hungry?” he asked.

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