Page 6 of Tempting the Goalie
“What’s going on?” he asks.
“She got fired from her job in Montreal. She’s heading back home,” I share, knowing those words will worry him.
“Shit,” he hisses. “To my dad?”
I nod. “She said he’s been doing okay from what she knows, and that it’ll be all right. I told her to get in touch with Phoenix. He’s been looking for help.”
“Thanks,” he says. “My dad is never okay.”
“I can help her out with babysitting when I head back home after exams,” I offer.
“I told her the same thing, but it’s a short-term solution,” he replies.
“Maybe give her a call. She’s alone with that cute baby of hers.”
“My nephew is a handsome dude,” Luc agrees. “But don’t look so starry eyed. A baby is a lot of work.”
“I know.” Ever since Mom left and our family fell apart, I’ve missed that feeling of being whole. Where some people dream of a career, I dream of having lots of kids and staying home with them. I guess that is why I was drawn to childhood psychology. I want to understand the different stages of growth and help nurture and raise healthy children.
Luc frowns. “Forget about the jerk. Maybe go out with some friends and have fun or something.”
“What’s fun?” I joke.
“Maybe I should take you to a party with me, on second thought, it’s probably a bad idea,” he retracts.
“Hey, why is it a bad idea?”
“Because guys will hit on you and I’ll want to beat them up.” He gives me a crooked grin. My heart shouldn’t flutter from that grin I’ve seen a million times, but it does. It soars and I must remind it to chill the heck out.
“Have a good night. Call if you need anything.” He gives me half a hug and he’s out the door. All I can think is, my best friend could be the perfect guy for me, but he’s completely off-limits and unattainable.
CHAPTER TWO
Luc
My head has been spinning since yesterday. I love Izzy with my whole heart, but that girl doesn’t know the hold she has on me. I’ve crushed on her for as long as I can remember. I’ve leaned on her and shared my darkest secrets with her. There isn’t much she doesn’t know about me, except for the minor detail that I’ve had it bad for her since we were kids. My feelings don’t mean anything though because I’m not cut out for relationships, and Izzy deserves the best. I wasn’t lying when I said that to her. Now that we’ve spoken about sex, and I know she’s never experienced pleasure, well. . . it’s changed the rules of the game. She has me so hot and bothered I could barely sleep last night, and it wasn’t because I’m deprived of sex. Hell, sex became so monotonous for me I keep searching for something more to keep me intrigued. Hence my preference for threesomes. Unfortunately, Izzy just blew my simple pleasure of enjoying threesomes into oblivion after her small confession. Now I can’t stop picturing her naked or giving her pleasure. I’ve obviously had these thoughts over the years. Izzy is the prettiest girl I’ve ever seen, with the best heart and best personality.It’s a lethal combination for a guy like me. It’s why I made a promise to myself to never let things between us become more than friendship. The lines have blurred more times than I care to count. When we were fifteen and her father was dating a woman who wasn’t very nice, Izzy was upset and asked me to sleep over. She had pushed her ass into my cock and made me hard. She turned around and looked into my eyes, her chocolate-brown eyes reeling me in like a fish out of water. I still remember the way she swallowed hard and watched me, her breathing fast. She licked her lips. I knew then all I had to do was lean in and taste the forbidden fruit and it’d be mine. But I was never going to settle down. Love always ran its course. I don’t know when my parents’ marriage went to shit, but I don’t remember a time they were happy. Mom always took Elyna and me places without Dad, and it was better that way.
Izzy’s dad, Mr. Thorne, is the director of the police force in our small town. Her mom and my mom had been best friends from when they were younger. When Mom died in a car wreck, it didn’t take long for Helen to walk away from her family and leave town. No one was expecting that kind of response from her. Mr. Thorne was a good man. I remember Helen always smiling and taking care of her five kids. When she took off, it hit everyone hard. Not only were we grieving Mom’s death but now we were also grieving Helen’s absence, who was like a second mom to Elyna and me. Izzy’s dad was busy taking care of police business and her four brothers and Izzy, who is the youngest of the five. Her brothers always made sure to tell her she was too good for just any man and, truth is, they were right. They watched out for her like it was nobody’s business. Luckily they trusted me enough to let me into her bedroom, probably because they knew I’d never touch her. A cold chill runs through my body as my past hits me like a Ford pickup truck.
My drive to the arena is short. I pull into a spot and head inside earlier than the rest of the guys for morning skate. If I can’t sleep, I might as well get some extra stretching in. As a goalie, I ensure my muscles are warmed up properly to avoid injury.
I walk into the Sports Complex picturing Izzy’s plump lips. The way she stared into my eyes yesterday. I hate to see her hurting more than anything.
I bump into Coach Bailey on the way to the locker room. “Bonjour.”
“That French charm isn’t going to work this morning, Chabot. I’m surprised to see you early, considering the shitstorm you’ve created.”
“Huh, what do you mean?” I’m confused.
“Your sexual escapades are your own business, until you share them on social media,” she snarls. She looks so angry; I fear steam might leave her ears soon.
“Excuse me?” Has she lost her mind?
She must read the confusion on my face. “You posted a sex tape on your Instagram account yesterday that’s gone viral. Why are you acting like you don’t know what I’m talking about?”
Oh shit.
The balls start rolling in my mind. I realize the girls from yesterday must have somehow used my phone to tape our interlude. They probably posted the video when I got up to go to the bathroom after our first round of sex.
