“And can I just say how great it is to have our crew from the athletics department here? I was a little shocked when they showed up, but I think this works better.”
“I think it’ll work best, too. And they all report directly to us.”
“Oh, I heard about that as well. It pissed the AD off royally from based on the rumor mill.”
“Good. This is our team. And he can take a walk.”
“Off a short pier?”
“You said it.”
He laughed, cackled was a better word, and I joined in. The doors opened, and the assistants rolled in.
“Morning, everyone. Let’s get downstairs. I wanna greet the team as they arrive. Unless I’m too late,” I said as I glanced up at the clock, noticing that it was just after six-thirty.
“Not this morning. We told the boys not to report until seven.”
He smirked, and I knew the age-old tradition held true, of seeing who our go-getters were, as it had when I was here. If a coach told you to show up at a certain time, you made damn sure you were thirty minutes early.
“Let’s go.”
The four of us walked toward the locker room and player lounge, and sure enough, there they were. My eyes scanned the room, counting heads, and while I couldn’t see all their faces, I knew they were all here.
“Good morning. Before we begin the day, I wanted to introduce myself and the guy in the room getting the most attention. I’m Sasha Storm, and this,” I laid my hand on Hawk’s head, “is Hawk. He’s a service animal. He is very friendly, knows and does his job well, but doesn’t act like most dogs. You’ll learn his quirks just as he’ll learn yours as time passes.”
SIXTEEN
AIDEN
Chills ran through me as Alex’s—Sasha’s—voice washed over me, removing all doubt that Alex was,is,Sasha Storm. Since my back was to him, I took a moment to center myself, a technique my therapist taught me years ago. I didn’t see her anymore, but I still used the coping mechanisms I learned from her.
I closed my eyes before taking another deep, centering breath and holding it before letting it out slowly. Then I repeated the cycle a second time, hoping for… an… epiphany or something because I still didn’t know what I was going to do. I knew I had to turn around. There was no question about it, but could I do it so he didn’t see my face?
He’s the coach. You can’t avoid him forever.
Maybe I can transfer?
Yeah, that was a stupid idea. I’d only worked myself into the ground to get here. I tossed that ignorance out the window before it could take a firm hold. That wasn’t a possible solution.Not if I wanted to prove to the scouts I was ready for an NHL contract.
The fear of seeing recognition dawn when he saw my face, and of how he would react to me as being a member of the Maulers, overwhelmed me. Would the best night of my life ruin my hopes of ever playing in the big leagues?
Steeling myself, I turned, my eyes still tightly closed. When I opened them, Lady Luck had to be on sabbatical because Alex’s crystal blue gaze met mine as if he’d been waiting for me to turn around all this time. His eyes widened. Hawk, who’d been sitting quietly, so quiet and still you’d have thought he was a statue, at Alex’s… Sasha’s side whined, looking up at his o.
Sasha never looked away from me, and just like the other night at the club, once my eyes found his and I knew he was interested, I couldn’t look away. He became my sole focus.
Silence stretched between us as the team sat waiting for him to continue.
SEVENTEEN
SASHA
Aiden.
My mouth fell open as steel gray eyes met mine—the same eyes that ensnared me Saturday night did the same now. Memories of them flashed through my mind. My favorites were watching them flood with tears as I fucked his throat and his virginal ass.
Holy shit.
Realization slammed me, rocking my grip on reality the way getting knocked into the boards by a defenseman would. I took a step forward, only to stop when his eyes widened and glanced around the crowded room. Mine followed, and my world crumbled, crashing down around me. And the words I’d planned to say next died in my mouth, my stomach hitting the ground. All life and energy drained from me, leaving me shaking, weak, and listless.
