Page 22 of Chips & Checks
“Murph.”
Ash blinks. “Murph?”
“Because it’s short for Bowen Murphy. First-round draft pick. Hockey royalty. Star winger in the NHL with the stat sheet to prove it. Newest member of the Vegas Venom. And, oh yeah—my one-night stand.”
Her mouth drops open just as the towel starts to slip from her head. “No.”
“Yes.”
Ash starts laughing so hard her face mask crinkles like a dried-out leaf. “You… Vi Sawyer… slept with a hockey player?”
“I broke my own rule. My one goddamn rule.”
“You always said if you ever broke it, it would be for a guy who looked like he belonged on a cologne billboard.”
“Well.” I sigh. “He does.”
She loses it again, gasping through her laughter. “Well, look on the bright side. You knocked a biggie off the bucket list.”
“Fuck the bucket list.” I down a gulp of tea. “Do you realize what I’ve done? I have to treat him, Ash. Physically. With my hands. And now he won’t stop texting me.”
Her laughter stops cold. “Wait. He’s texting you?”
“Right now.” I swipe away a notification that pings across the top of my screen. “He got my number from his team onboarding packet. Official channels. So technically, he didn’t even ask. He just has it.”
Ash leans closer to the screen, mask forgotten. “What does he want?”
I swipe away another message. “Who knows. Probably to make a joke. Or say something charming and maddening in that voice. You should’ve heard him earlier. He said ‘pleasure’ and I almost folded in half.”
Ash’s eyes widen. “Vi.”
Another notification appears. This one says:See you tomorrow. Goodnight.
I don’t swipe it away right away.
“Vi,” Ash says again, softer this time. “Was he… good?”
I hesitate.
I hate that I hesitate.
“Not enough that I want to see him every day at work,” I lie. Badly.
Ash’s mouth curls. “That’s not a no.”
I scowl. “If you’re about to do your smug eyebrow wiggle, just know that mask makes you look like a frog dipped in candle wax.”
“Harsh,” she says, but her grin doesn’t budge.
I slump into the cushions. “Why does it have to be him, Ash? The one time I let myself have a little reckless fun… and it has to be him. The one guy I can’t avoid.”
“For what it’s worth,” she says, patting the mask back into place, “I don’t think it’s that deep. Set some boundaries. Keep it clinical. Don’t let him charm you again.”
“I can do boundaries,” I say, trying to convince both of us.
She raises an eyebrow. “Vi.”
“I can.”
