Page 6 of Meet Me in the Penalty Box

Ava and I parted ways and I took the elevator down to the ice level floor. As the doors slid open, the cold air washed over my skin. A shiver rolled down my spine and I fought the urge to pull my hood up over my head. It wasn’t as cold as it was right by the ice, but this floor was definitely the coldest in the building.

I made my way over to where the players’ entrance was and I set my bag down on the floor before making myself comfortable. It wasn’t the easiest to do, given that the ground was concrete, but I tucked my legs underneath myself and it provided a little comfort and warmth.

My settings were already set up on my camera and I lifted it to my eyes as I took a few practice shots to make sure I had the perfect angle for when they came walking in. Once I was in the right position, I checked my phone for the time and made myself as comfortable as possible.

The first few guys who walked in greeted me and I took my shots of them as they strolled down the hall in their suits. I recognized some of them after checking out the team roster. I offered my name to the ones who asked and they kept on moving.

The guys came in waves and some of them were in pairs. Hockey players were known for being ritualistic creatures and being ones of habit, so I wasn’t not surprised when they didn’t seem to miss a beat as they all walked past me.

A group of four all came walking in and you could feel the air leave the building as their presence consumed the entire hallway. They were walking in pairs, with two in the front and two behind. I couldn’t see the two in the back as they were a few feet behind them and I needed to move to get their pictures too.

I swallowed nervously and continued to take my shots as they were laughing about something. One of the players in the front was wearing a suit that needed to see a dry cleaner to get it pressed. His white dress shirt was wrinkled and so was his suit. His tie was cocked to the side and it made my eye twitch from wanting to fix it for him.

Rising to my feet, I went to move to the side, but the one in the wrinkled suit stepped in front of me. His brow furrowed together and he cocked his head. “I feel like I’ve seen you somewhere before, but not here.” His bright blue eyes were shining as his lips pulled into a smirk. “What’s your name?”

“Harper,” I told him, my voice soft. “I’m not sure that we would have ever met before. I just moved here.”

“I’m Wes,” he said as he tucked his hands in the front pockets of his disheveled dress pants. His lips parted and he was about to say something as someone ran directly into his back. “Shit, Cirone,” he mumbled as he stepped out of the way.

The air left my lungs in a rush and my eyes widened as his gaze collided with mine. I watched the recognition pass through his expression and my brain tripped over itself as it quickly tried to connect the dots. I didn’t make the connection until now. He looked older and different than he did in his rookie picture.

Which is probably why I didn’t realize it sooner.

Nico from the club was Nicolai Cirone. One of the star up-and-coming centers for the Orchid City Vipers.

“This is Harper,” Wes said to him with a smirk.

Mischief danced in Nico’s dark eyes. “Hey, Harper.”

I nervously pulled my lip between my teeth and watched his eyes drop down to my mouth. Instinctively, I released it and smiled at him. “Hi, Nico.”

Wes lifted an eyebrow at me and I instantly regretted not addressing him by his full name instead. Wes glanced over at Nico. “She’s new to the city. Maybe we could show her around sometime…”

His jaw tightened and a shadow passed through his expression before he grabbed Wes’s shoulders and swiftly turned him around, giving him a light shove in the back. “Let’s go. We’re going to be late.”

Wes glanced at him over his shoulder with his eyebrows together. “For what, exactly?”

Nico glared at him but didn't bother responding to him as he directed him away from me. Somewhere within those ninety seconds of interaction, my stomach must have fallen onto the ground and my camera wasn’t where I needed it to be.

“Shit,” I muttered under my breath as a few more players came in. I quickly got back into position and the shutter of the camera clicked as I snapped some shots.

My phone vibrated in my pocket and when I had another short break, I pulled it out. My heart pounded erratically in my chest as I saw I had a text message. It was a number that wasn’t saved in my phone, but I knew exactly who it was.

Nico Cirone.

CHAPTERTWO

NICO

Nico

Are you busy after the game?

My mind was still reeling after seeing her.Harper.I didn’t get her name that night, but now I knew it and it was stuck like glue to the insides of my brain. Wes was rambling on about something beside me, but my eyes were cemented to my phone as I watched the three small bubbles appear and disappear.

“Yo, are you even listening to me?” Wes said as he obnoxiously snapped his fingers in front of my face.

I lifted my gaze to his, my eyes narrowed. “I’m a little busy, if you can’t tell.”

---