Page 28 of Blindsided

After acquiring him through a trade, the Grizzlies had assigned Owen to the Parliament for development. I didn’t expect him to be with us long; he was talented and had played four years of college hockey. He was also the twin brother of Grizzlies player Tobias Belcher. I suspected some of the reason for the placement with the Parliament had been to give him time to become his own player without having to share the ice with his twin brother. Those would be big skates to fill.

For being twins, the two looked, sounded, and acted nothing alike. It was still early in the summer, but I didn’t think anyone had figured out they were related, much less twins. The revelation would inevitably cause a stir with the media and with fans once it was discovered. Toby and Owen both seemed happier to not have that news splashed across the front page of the sports sites.

However, Owen had made a splash… fully clothed and in a pool surrounded by a group of people staring at him in shock. Somewhere in the yard, I heard a groan. “Deeeeeke, what have you done?” A bark preceded another splash, resulting in the deep voice cursing. “Dammit, dog. You’re going to be the death of me.”

I began to chuckle and glanced over to see Lincoln’s reaction, only to find him nowhere in sight. “Where the hell did he go?”

CHAPTER 13

LINCOLN

I’d survived the cookout the day before, if only barely. Had it not been for the dog knocking Owen Belcher into the pool, Easton and I might have kissed. And that would have been bad. So bad. Very, very bad. I knew it would have been; I just couldn’t quite figure out why a kiss would have been so terrible.

“I haven’t talked to you this much since you moved to Oz. You good?” Bodhi’s Australian accent filled my ear and I smiled, some of my anxiety already diminishing. Her day was ending as mine was beginning, but it meant I knew she’d be awake, not at work, and able to talk.

“We almost kissed.”

Silence followed my statement, at least for about three seconds, and then she began to laugh. “Of course you did. And now you’re freaking out and hiding under your desk to avoid him.”

“I am not under my desk, asshole. I’m in my chair.”

I didn’t have to see her to know she’d stuck her tongue out at me. “Does this mean you actually went to the party yesterday?”

“For about an hour. His skate was in the oven, we almost kissed, Owen fell in the pool, a dog jumped in after him, and I freaked out and left.”

A longer silence followed my statement. “I know you were speaking English. I understood every single word. I just can’t figure out why a skate was in the oven and how that led to an almost kiss, someone falling into a pool, or a dog going for a swim.”

“Does it really matter? We. Almost. Kissed!”

“It does! Did the guy fall in the pool because you almost kissed? Did the skate burn him so you were kissing it better? There are so many details I don’t have! My mind is making up all sorts of crazy things!”

My strangled scream was totally warranted. “You are impossible, Bodhi! His skate was in the oven because he sprained his ankle earlier this year and it no longer fit. The guy fell in the pool, well, I don’t know why, and the dog jumped in after him… at least I think. I didn’t stick around to figure it out.”

“Well, that cleared up nothing, and you skipped over the kiss part.”

“Almost kiss. We almost kissed. We were talking, he stood up, next thing I knew our mouths were close together, then splash, guy in the water, double splash, dog in water, and I exited stage left.”

She sighed, disappointment clear before she opened her mouth. “Because of course you did.”

“You aren’t helping! Every time I so much as think of him, my mind goes straight to that book Daisy gave me and I think about being pinned against the wall while he spanks me! Do you have any idea how hard it was to see him and not press myself against the wall and beg him to fuck me senseless?”

The answer didn’t come from the phone but from across my office, in a smoothly confident, deep voice I knew without looking at the speaker. “Damn, wish you would have told me that yesterday.”

“Oh my god. Please no.” I spun my chair around to see Easton standing against my wall, his arms crossed in front of his chest, his red hair slicked back and still wet from his shower, and a smirk playing across his lips. I, on the other hand, was sitting in my chair, my brain, feet, and mouth refusing to work at all. The only thing I could do was uncontrollably blush while praying for the floor to swallow me.

Bodhi’s voice sounded in my ear, nearly echoing my words, only sounding much more excited than I was. “Oh my god! Yes, please!”

I disconnected the call before she could say anything else, but that left me only able to stare across the room in horror while my face continued to heat.

“Tell me more about this book and being fucked against a wall. It sounds very hot. I think I need to ask Daisy for some book recommendations.” Easton waggled his eyebrows, not making a move to leave.

“Pretty.” My voice came out as a squeak, an awkward, high-pitched sound that made me wince, and I cleared my throat.

Easton looked around the room like I was talking about something in here. “What’s pretty?”

The question had my voice starting to work again, though my face still felt unnaturally flushed. “The book. The main character. Pretty, he was wearing this sexy pink lingerie and these stilettos, and he hooked up with a guy he didn’t know who ended up being his teammate, but they didn’t figure that out until later. Phantom, he fucked him against the wall and spanked him.”

Not only did Easton’s eyes show understanding, the bulge in the front of his loose shorts had begun to grow. “Oh, that sounds hot. I could definitely see you in a pair of pink panties.” He chuckled, the sound rougher than normal. “Damn, I wish we’d thought of that before.”

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