But it shows you my weakness that I allowed him to spend time with me and corner me. I had been milliseconds away from him kissing me before I remembered I don’t date athletes. My reason should have been Joran, but I’m not really his girlfriend.
The first period ends, and I feel ready to just go home at this point. I’m annoyed by everything.
A boy around thirteen or so heads down the stairs and approaches us. He’s dressed in head-to-toe Fury gear.
“Saige?” he asks, holding out a piece of paper.
I don’t say anything because I’m skeptical about why this kid knows my name and wants to hand me a note.
“I’ll take that, kid.” Tedi snags it out of his hand.
“Are you Saige? I was told it was for her only.”
I lean forward to look at the bench and see Ford Jacobs wink. Now there’s a man who could use someone to clean up his image online.
“Did Ford Jacobs tell you to give this to her?” Tedi asks.
“So you aren’t Saige?” The kid takes the note out of her hand and holds it out to me. “Please? He gives the meanest noogies.”
I smile at the kid and accept the note, just thankful it’s not from Aiden. “Thanks.”
He jogs back up the stairs and disappears.
“Well, open it.” Tedi nudges me with her bony elbow.
I put my beer in the cup holder and unfold the piece of paper. The note-passing has earned me some attention from nearby fans. The woman next to me is pretending not to be leaning over to read what it says.
All that’s written there is, Carmelo’s after the game.
I pass it to Tedi, and she squeals. “We’re going, right?”
I shake my head.
“Come on,” Tedi whines, almost in full-on toddler tantrum mode.
“Why?”
“Hello, I know you’ve been glued to your phone and ignoring all the hot guys on the ice in front of us, but Tweetie keeps giving me the eye and do you want to be the reason I can’t scratch sleeping with a hockey player off my fuck-it bucket list?”
“I thought you scratched that off your list two years ago.”
She stops and looks at the ceiling. “Oh.” She nods. “But he was in the AHL. That doesn’t count.”
I blow out a breath. Tedi and her fuck-it bucket list. But she does a lot for me for not the best salary, so if I have to endure a bunch of hockey players for a few hours so she can get laid by one of them, so be it. “Fine.”
“Seriously? I thought for sure this would be one of those times you put your foot down.”
“It’s fine, but once it looks like you don’t need me, I’m out, okay?”
She leans forward and down toward the penalty box where Tweetie currently is, smiling and waving as if she’s some sweet innocent girl. She’ll be hanging from his rafters if he takes her home tonight.
I’m distracted by a body slamming into the boards, and I’m shocked when I glance up to see Aiden is the one who did the slamming. The other guy shakes off his gloves, and Aiden does the same. They circle one another once, then both grab the other’s jersey and fists fly. The refs eventually skate in between, trying to stop them.
“Oh my god, it’s so hot. Like cavemen.” Tedi tears off a piece of my pretzel again. I’m not even hungry anymore, so I hand her the entire thing, concentrating on my beer.
Tedi’s right though. I want to tear my gaze from the brawl, but I can’t find the willpower. Aiden gets pulled off the guy he shoved into the boards and his lip is bleeding, along with a spot right above his eyebrow. Somehow, it only adds to his sex appeal. Damn it all to hell.
Chapter Five
Aiden
When Maksim and I walk into Carmelo’s, the entire bar explodes into a cheer of “Lucky 13, Lucky 13!”
Maksim slaps me on the back. “Yeah, man, you’re back.”
It feels fantastic to actually be contributing again with some goals and assists. Especially tonight, when we were tied one-one and only twenty seconds left on the clock. Ford passed me the puck, and fucking Langley thought he had me with his fancy footwork and shit, but I passed it to Tweetie. Ford went in and took Langley to the boards, Tweetie passed back to me, and I slap shot the goal in from the far right with barely an opening in the net.
At the next face-off, the Sharks tried but failed at getting it past our goalie, Trigger. The only shitty part is that I wanted to see Saige to tell her thanks for doing me a solid with the drink in my face, but by the time I got out of the huddle with the guys and skated over to where she was sitting, she and her friend were already walking up the stairs.
After saying a few quick hellos, we walk over to the bar to grab a drink. Most of my teammates are already here, some sitting around a booth in the back, others lined up at the bar. Everyone’s on cloud nine because although the Sharks aren’t our biggest rivals, everyone knows Ford’s rivalry with Warner Langley.
Ford’s flirting with the bartender when we approach him at the bar.
“Can’t you ever just enjoy a guys’ night?” Maksim asks him.
“You guys are boring as fuck,” is Ford’s response.
I flag down the other bartender and order, then look at Maksim. He nods and I order him a vodka. Since this is the Fury hangout after every game, most of the bartenders know us.
“You should be thanking me,” Ford says to me, nodding toward the front door.
I turn around and there stands Saige and her friend, Tedi. Why the hell are they here? I’m glad I’ll be able to thank Saige in person, but she’s in this bar with every one of my teammates who decided to go out and celebrate tonight. There aren’t a ton of girls here, which means she’s gonna draw the attention of my testosterone filled teammates.
“I figured why should you just be getting it before the game? Celebratory fucks count too.” Ford smacks me on the back and walks toward the two women with his arms spread wide, the bartender long forgotten. “Ladies.”
Saige looks over and her gaze glues to mine. I shouldn’t have the feelings I do racing through my veins. She’s my agent’s girlfriend—or the woman he’s dating at least. I have no idea if they’re exclusive or serious, but I’d put money on the answer being no. Not with how much Jaron ignored her on New Year’s Eve. Regardless, I need to squash my interest in her and only think of her as a means to an end—she throws the drinks in my face, and I play a great game.
Ford escorts them over to a booth next to some of the other guys on the team and waves me over. I blow out a breath and join them because I’m not about to leave Saige in Ford’s hands. Not a chance in hell. The thought of his hands anywhere near her makes me want to choke him.
The waitress reaches them before I do and takes their drink orders. Then I approach the table.
“Shamrock,” Tedi says and raises her hand for a high five. “Way to go tonight.”
I high-five her back and slide in next to Saige. “Hey,” I say like some thirteen-year-old boy who’s never talked to a girl. What is my malfunction?
“Hi. Great game.”
I want to ask her if she saw any of it because every time I looked at her seat, she was on the phone or not there at all. But that would alert her to the fact I was checking up on her.