Page 69 of Keeper
She blinked. “You thinkIhad something to do with your win?”
“You did.” I set my hand on her knee and squeezed. “After our night together, I was, uh—well, let’s say a little sore. And because of that, I had to change how I approach the game—you know?”
Her brow furrowed. “Sore? Why?”
“Well.” I grumbled. “When a man gets excited … butstaysexcited, for too long …” I couldn’t speak the rest. I gestured at the crotch of my pants instead.
Her eyes widened. “Oh my God. Tanner!” She covered her mouth and giggled. “I amsosorry!” She clenched at my forearm with her delicate hand. “I knew I’d gotten you too worked up! Oh no, I feel awful.”
“No—really—it’s okay. Like I said, I had to change my approach to the game. Not just how I moved around in net, but mentally, too. During my slump, I was attacking the game too much. What I really needed was to stop being so aggressive and let the game come to me instead.”
“And being, um,tender,” she said, pointing between my legs, “helped you with that?”
“Absolutely. Ihadto change the way I played or I would’ve gotten lit up like a Christmas tree.”
“That’s so bizarre!” She had another attack of the giggles. “I shouldn’t laugh, sorry, but it’s kind of hilarious!”
I laughed, too. “No, it’s fine, I can take it. Trust me, the boys roasted me over it all night. I don’t mind.”
“You actually told your teammates?!” She curled up in her seat and turned to me, her face lit with delight.
“Yeah, after we won.”
“What’d they say?”
“Well, the thing you have to understand about hockey players is that we give each other shit all the time. So they absolutely loved it. But they couldn’t believe I screwed up and never got your number. Everyone was calling you my Cinderella—except you didn’t leave me with a pair of slippers to find you with.”
She buried her face in her hands and laughed. “Oh no.”
“You can imagine all the Cinderella and the ‘ball’jokes they managed to come up with all night long.” Ainsley and I shared an embarrassed laugh. “We even went back to Plush last night so I could maybe find you again.”
“I stayed in,” she said solemnly. “I’m not exactly a party animal.”
I snickered. “Yeah, I think that’s what Coops was trying to tell me.”
“Who’s Coops?” she asked, confused.
I told her about my backup goalie, Cooper, and how he was a family guy and a veteran in the twilight of his career. I explained how he’d told me to watch out for signs—andthatwas the real reason I’d come to the photo shoot, after all.
“Aw, that’s cute,” she said. “Coops sounds like a great guy.”
“He is. All the guys are great, really. You’ll meet ’em soon enough.”
A quiet gasp escaped her.
“You know, you really should be careful,” she said, speaking quietly. “When you talk like that, you can get a girl’s hopes up.”
“I don’t say something unless I mean it.” I smiled at her. “So when can I see you again?”
She stammered, speechless. “God, I don’t know … I’m not sure if it’s a good idea.”
I grabbed her hand. “Ainsley. Please. Ineedto see you again.”
She squeezed her eyes shut and gulped. “Okay, um, maybe after we’re all wrapped up here?”
“Perfect.” I passed her my phone. “This time, I’m not letting you go until I get your number.”
She tapped in her number and handed me my phone back. “You’re done with the photo shoot, I take it?”
