And now I was risking it by kissing one of the players?
I didn’t know what the rules were for something like this, but I was pretty sure it was a bad idea to kiss one of my players. The rest of the team wouldn’t trust me. They’d look at me like I was just some girl that accepted the job in order to sleep with a hockey player. To say nothing of the way the coach or executives on the team would react. At worst, I would be fired.
I ran straight to my car and left the parking lot like I was afraid Rhett or someone else would track me down. I was in such a hurry that I even turned the wrong way out of the lot. I only lived half a mile from the stadium, but now I had to circle around through traffic.
And since I was already out of the way, I stopped at Chick-fil-A. It was my favorite comfort food, something I only indulged in when I was in a really bad mood. That would derail my diet this week, but I didn’t really care.
I chowed down when I got home, but the food didn’t cheer me up. Neither did three episodes of Great British Bake Off. I couldn’t shake the feeling that I’d made a terrible mistake, that the sound guy had seen us kissing and was currently emailing everyone on the team about it.
The worst part? The kiss wasamazing. It ignited something deep inside of me that had been dormant for a while. I could still feel his lips on mine, a memory that I knew wouldn’t fade any time soon.
I replayed the kiss while trying to fall asleep. The way he wrapped his arms around me, pulling me close. He was sweaty, but I didn’t even care.
I got out of bed and found the shirt I was wearing. I inhaled deeply; his scent was still there, sweaty and strong. That lit a new fire inside me, enough that I closed my eyes and slid my fingers down between my legs.
With my shirt held against my cheek, I didn’t even need a vibrator to get myself off. I came within seconds from the combination of my fingers and Rhett’s scent. That relieved some of the tension inside of me, but not all of it.
I fell asleep thinking about him.
The next day, I drove to the airport for our three-game trip to the West Coast. It was strange parking in the lot marked Private Aircraft, and even stranger walking out onto the tarmac where all the other players were gathered. That was one perk of working for a pro team: we didn’t need to go through security.
I was terrified of seeing Rhett, but he was nowhere to be found. I got in line behind the other players, hoping that I’d be able to board and take a seat before seeing him.
There was a light touch on my back, and I practically yelped as I spun around.
But it was Cole, not Rhett.
“Easy there,” Cole said smoothly. “You almost jumped out of your shoes.”
“Sorry. I was in my head, thinking about last night. The game, I mean.”
Cole nodded solemnly. “I hear that. It doesn’t matter how many games we win, the losses always haunt me.”
“I wish there was more I could do to help,” I said as the players began to board the jet, the lining slowly moving forward.
Cole shook his head. “You’re doing exactly what you need to do. Taking care of the teamoffthe ice. Especially Rhett. Getting him up to speed will help us more than anything. Speak of the devil…”
I turned to where Cole was staring. Rhett approached, a leather bag slung over one shoulder and a suitcase rolling behind him.
“We were just talking about you,” Cole said.
Rhett’s eyes flared in surprise for a moment. “Uh oh. Nothing bad, I hope?”
“Implying there aregoodthings we can say about you?” Cole joked.
Rhett showed him his middle finger.
“We were talking about how important it is to get you back on the ice as quickly as possible,” I told him.
Rhett relaxed a tiny amount. Enough for me to notice. “Hell yeah. I don’t think I’ll be back for any of the games on this road trip, but the first home game after we get back? I think I’ll be ready. Right, June?”
I wiggled my palm. “Ehh. Fifty-fifty. We’ll see how the next week goes.”
“Do whatever she wants,” Cole told him. “June’s the most important person in your life right now, all right?”
“You got it, captain,” Rhett said.
Cole waved at Coach Jay, then jogged off to speak to him about something. Rhett and I looked at each other awkwardly as the line slowly moved forward.
