“What?” Ida Jane’s eyes bugged.
I frowned. “You will spend the night in my guest rooms. As my guests.”
She relaxed but her eyes remained wide. What had I said to cause that look?
“I’d know you’re safe. I have good security and lots of bedrooms. Plus, from what you showed me, he’s been hounding you all week.”
“He has. It’s the most attention he’s paid me, ever.”
I scowled. What adick. Dillon hadn’t gotten his way, so now he was going to make her life difficult. Bullies were universal, it seemed.
“So you’ll stay?”
“If Millie will go for that,” she said. She seemed more confident when she wasn’t talking about her ex. I didn’t have to wonder why; Nadia had been the same way. I’d hated it then, with my sister, and I hated it now. But, this time, I could—and would—ensure a different outcome. And being able to keep Ida Jane safe would help me win her over to my marriage plan.
“Without effort you won’t even pull a fish out of a pond.”
“What’s what?” she asked.
I hadn’t realized I’d said that aloud. “Something my mother used to say. Never mind.”
“Ah, okay.” She fiddled with the ends of her hair. “Your friends are fun.”
“They are. So are you.”
Her expression told me she assumed I was feeding her a line. I wasn’t. Ida Jane had me chatting and laughing. Since I was typically a loner, I’d caught a few of those side-eyes from my teammates, but I didn’t care.
“Ah, I get it,” Ida Jane said. “That saying—it’s Russian?”
I nodded and she continued, “Like ours—no such thing as a free lunch. As in you have to work for things.”
“Yes, exactly.”
“Hmm. Do you believe that?” she asked.
“Of course. Just as I believe that life is a struggle but that doesn’t make it any less beautiful. In fact, the more one struggles, the more one appreciates the fruits of their labor.”
Ida Jane pursed her lips as she considered me.
Her friend reappeared with Stol. Millie’s flushed cheeks and rumpled hair gave them away, and I didn’t need to guess what they’d been up to. Part of me wished I’d done the same with Ida Jane. At least then she’d look at me with the sleepy, satisfied grin Millie tossed Stol.
Stol leaned down and whispered something in Millie’s ear. The woman’s lips parted. She was softly pretty in an understated way. I bet she fed right into one of Stol’s fantasies—he seemed to have a lot of those. Then again, he was young, only twenty-three, and this was his second year in the NHL after a few seasons in the minors. Most of the young players went woman crazy.
Millie nodded again, turning her gaze to the side. Stol kissed Millie’s cheek, his lips lingering.
“I’ll see you soon,” Stol said, his voice throbbing with interest. Hmm. Maybe he really liked the girl in glasses. That would be an interesting turn of events. Cormac was into Keelie, and I was interested in Ida Jane. If Stol started dating Millie, then nearly half the team would be in relationships. After being part of a bachelorhood for years, the idea of all of us settling down was…nice.
“Ready?” I asked.
“Sure,” Ida Jane said.
Millie cast a lingering glance at Stol, but she trotted up to Ida Jane and the women walked in front of me as we headed out Naese’s front door toward the line of vehicles parked in the semi-circle drive. Ida Jane’s thick, blond waves draped down her slim back to the flare of her hips, meaning I couldn’t get a great look at her ass. But I knew it was spectacular. More, I wanted to grab it, mold it to my palms while I kissed her senseless.
Not now. If I was lucky, soon.
The heat and humidity slammed into me like a fist to the gut. It was December and still the weather was in the eighties. This was my least favorite part of this city. Well, this and the flying cockroaches. Those pests, called palmetto bugs, were a horror I never wanted to experience again. Naese found it hilarious when one zoomed in on me—until I batted the scary fucker toward him, and it went down his shirt. I smirked, remembering his squeals and dumb little dance.
I glanced around, ensuring none of those monsters were nearby to bother the ladies. I wished I were takingjustIda Jane home, but I’d already noted how much more comfortable she was when Millie was around. Oh, what I wanted to do with her. To her.
