I clenched my fists, trying not to let those thoughts embarrass me, but I still had to shift because my pants were suddenly more constraining. As she turned away, she caught sight of my smile. She grinned back—bright and gorgeous—before she trotted after her group.
The back view was just as good as the front. She wasn’t overly tall but she was well-rounded in all the right places. Her trim legs flared into her rounded ass before tucking back in at her waist. She strode forward, unfaltering, even though that bin weighed fifty or more pounds. Her ponytail swished between her shoulder blades like a clock pendulum.
Much as I wanted to fist pump, that felt like too much, so I just moseyed back to the locker room once she slid out of sight.
“You ran out in a hurry,” Cruz said, dropping my skates on the bench next to my locker.
“Wanted to give the teacher the skate I found.” I’d held it back when I found it on the ground under a bench so I’d have a moment to talk to her alone.
“That all you wanted?” Maxim asked. After so many years in the States, only hints of his Russian accent still inflected his words, and anyway, the man practically growled most of the time. But he was a good teammate and a better person. Maxim had never enjoyed my level of fame—or infamy, lucky him—because he wasn’t showy. Instead, he maintained a stoic, even distant persona with the media and fans. I clapped him on the shoulder.
“No, it wasn’t all I wanted. I’m taking Keelie to dinner tonight.”
“Look at that,” Nik said, sliding in next to me and elbowing my ribs. “Mac’s got game.”
Maxim nodded, his face still in neutral lines. “He’s one of the best in the game.”
“Not hockey, dipshit,” Nik replied.
That got Maxim to smile enough to see his crooked lower front tooth, which made Nik grunt and Cruz guffaw.
I loved my teammates, but I shook my head as I strode toward the showers.
“Are you going to give us the play-by-play tomorrow?” Nik asked.
“Not in a million years,” I replied.
“Aw, c’mon. You getting some action is five years in the making. You haven’t been out with anyone since—”
“Shut up,” Maxim hissed at Nik. I heard flesh hitting flesh and assumed Maxim had smacked him, but I didn’t look back to find out. I’d refused to talk about my divorce or my lack of a love life. That wasmybusiness.
Just like Keelie was.
I don’t knowhow to date. I’m going to be so damn bad at this.I popped another breath mint because why not? Then I fiddled with the door handle. Should I get out? We were meeting at 7:30, and it was still a few minutes until then. I fidgeted, unsure what to do.
I hadn’t been so nervous…ever. Shannon and I had known each other since middle school, and I’d known she liked me before I asked her out. I hadn’t been overly interested in the few women I’d taken out since my divorce, so I hadn’t cared what they thought about me.
But I cared what Keelie Hayes thought. I wanted her to be as attracted to me as I was to her. I checked my hair. It looked like hair. I rubbed my still-smooth chin, thanks to the late-day shave.
I glanced over as a woman walked by—a woman in a pretty dress that showed off toned legs with tight calves that slid up under the soft hem of her skirt. Heat gripped my belly.
I shoved open my car door. “Keelie!”
She turned, her hand coming up to rest on her heart. “Oh, Cormac. You…you scared me.”
“Sorry. I’m sorry.” I patted my pockets, making sure I had my keys, wallet, and phone. I shut the door to my vehicle and locked it with the fob before striding toward her. “I’ve been sitting here, wondering if I should go up to the door, worried you wouldn’t show—”
Her brows pinched. “I’d never stand you up.”
I licked my lips, my heart rate kicking up. “Thanks.” My tone was huskier than normal, and I know she didn’t understand how important her words were to me. Shannon had treated me as a hockey player—practically indestructible, without feelings. I’d coddled her, wanting to protect her from the hurts of the world, but she’d never shown me the same consideration.
I hadn’t realized that, or how much it hurt, until now. But maybe Pete was right. Maybe I’d returned to being friendly with Shannon just because she was the only woman in my life.
But not anymore. I smiled at Keelie, who continued to peer up at me, tilting her head to the side. She wanted to figure me out, too. I was a puzzle, but I hoped by the end of our meal, I would be more than that.
“I almost called to cancel, though. I, ah, Googled you…”
My chest compressed as if someone slammed me into the boards. “You saw me acting out back when I played for Toronto.”
