Page 49 of In My Hockey Era
I also want to kiss her so badly it’s making me insane.
But I won’t do any of those things.Not tonight.
Because there’s something she doesn’t know about me—something I should have told her by now.But every time I get close to saying it, I back off.Coward.
It’s not like it’s some dark, earth-shattering secret, but it is something that matters.Something that’s shaped me more than I like to admit.And I have no idea how she’ll react when she finds out.
Tonight, though, isn’t the time for that conversation.
I shake the thought away and push back the covers to stand up.Lucy barely glances at me—until I reach for the hem of my shirt and strip it off in one easy motion.
Her breath catches.
It’s quiet, barely a sound, but I hear it, and I see the way her eyes go wide, her lips parting just slightly before she snaps her gaze back to the nightstand like it personally offended her.
I bite back a smirk.
“Relax, Quinn,” I murmur, tossing my shirt onto the chair.“I’m just getting into bed, not auditioning for a calendar.”
She scoffs, but it’s a little too sharp, a little too fast.“Like anyone would buy that calendar.”
I grin.“You’d buy it.”
“Not a chance.”Her eyes meet mine, and then slide lower—silently appreciating my defined pecs and each one of my abs, honed from hours spent at the gym and on the ice.I want to stand here a little longer, I want to flex—show off a little—but I won’t.
So instead, I chuckle and slide into bed, folding my arms behind my head like I don’t have a single thought in my brain.When in reality, every single thought is about her.
She huffs and turns off the lamp before climbing in beside me, keeping a respectable distance between us.But I can feel the warmth of her just a few inches away, and it’s enough to make my entire body tense with awareness.
I stare up at the ceiling.It’s going to be a long night.
20
DAMAGE CONTROL
Lucy
Iwake up to the sound of my alarm blaring and a text notification buzzing immediately after.
Bennett:Rise and shine, Quinn.Time to go be my PR girlfriend for the day.
I groan into my pillow.Every single morning shift I’ve ever worked, my body has gotten up without complaint.But today, the combination of travel exhaustion and the knowledge that I apparently slept through Bennett waking up, getting ready and leaving makes me want to throw my phone across the room.Had he seen me drooling?What if I snored…or worse…farted?
Instead, I sigh, grab it, and type back.
Me:Not your PR girlfriend.
Bennett:That’s what a PR girlfriend would say.
I don’t dignify that with a response.Instead, I drag myself out of bed, shower off the last traces of sleep, and get dressed in my assigned media credentials—jeans, my podcast’s logo hoodie, and sneakers.By the time I make it downstairs to the hotel lobby, the event staff is already herding players, media, and various VIP guests onto shuttles.
Bennett finds me easily.“Morning, sunshine.”
“I hate that you’re this awake.”
“It’s called being a professional athlete, Quinn.”He smirks.“You should try it sometime.”
I roll my eyes, but follow him onto the bus.
