When Hillary's gaze met Sasha's, she would swear she could see the gears turning. Murphy was getting way too comfortable around her.
As the afternoon went on, some of the players relaxed and played poker while others had been filmed doing snow activities. Sasha was thrilled. This was going to make fantastic content. When everyone was finishing up lunch, Coach Wagner and Conner came into the room and got everyone's attention.
"I hope you all enjoyed a little downtime today. We’re leaving in the morning and headed to Vancouver, but we thought we might have a nice team dinner at the restaurant a block down the road," said Coach Wagner.
"And after that," Conner said, grinning ear to ear. "Karaoke."
Half the team groaned, and the other half cheered.
"Haven't we all seen you sing 'Simply the Best' enough?" Cash groaned.
Conner made his way over to their table as the low din of voices got back to their conversations after the announcement.
"You must be Happy," Sasha said as Conner joined them and kissed her on the cheek.
"A fancy steak dinner followed by Karaoke? Is there anything better? You guys are coming, right?" he asked.
"Oh, I?—"
"Of course, we wouldn't miss it," Sasha said before Hillary could protest.
Once Conner and Sasha were lost in conversation, Hillary scanned the room. She was not looking for Murphy, but still her gaze zeroed in on him. He was already looking at her with a grin.
What was she going to do? She would be lying if she said there wasn't a small part of her that thought about what it would be like to be with someone like Murphy. She knew he would keep her laughing and orgasming, but she also knew he would take care of her.
That thought pulled her up short. How could she be so certain that he would take care of her? Shouldn't she be worried that she would have to take care of him? Don't most women end up taking care of the men of appropriate age they dated? That was why she didn't date much. She didn't have the time or desire to take care of anyone.
Her phone dinged on the table.
Sydney - Grandma's coming home today
Hillary - That's good. I told you it would all work out.
She slipped her phone back into her pocket and stood. "If you'll excuse me. I think I'm going to head back up to my room for a bit."
Sasha's all too perceptive eyes gave her a questioning look. "Okay, I'll see you at dinner if I don't before."
Hillary stepped into the elevator lobby, smoothing her blazer and pressing the call button. A burst of laughter echoed down the hallway, and a second later Murphy appeared with two of the younger players at his side.
“Man, I haven’t played outside like that in years,” one of them said.
“Snowball MVP right here,” the other added, jerking his thumb toward Murphy.
Murphy only grinned, easy and bright, but Hillary felt the weight of his gaze land squarely on her. Her pulse jumped. She clasped her hands in front of her, careful to keep her expression smooth.
The group reached the elevator just as the doors slid open. They all stepped inside together, shoulder to shoulder. The guys chattered about sledding clips Sasha had filmed, about how funny Conner was going to be at karaoke tonight. Murphy laughed along with them, his voice warm and playful, but his attention kept circling back to her.
Hillary felt it like a touch. Something about it felt steady, right, like gravity pulling her closer. But she shoved that thought down hard.
“You coming tonight?” Murphy asked suddenly, looking straight at her.
Hillary gave him a polite smile, the kind she wore at every press conference. “Yes. I’ll be there.”
The elevator dinged at her floor. She stepped forward as the doors opened. Behind her, the guys were still talking, theirlaughter spilling into the hall. She glanced back just once—just enough to catch Murphy’s grin. And then, as the doors slid shut between them, he winked.
Hillary’s breath caught. She turned briskly on her heel, heels sinking into the carpeted hall. Professional. Untouchable. Absolutely fine.
So why did she feel anything but?
