Everyone had cleared out of the locker room by now, and I sat on a bench, still in my towel, with my elbows on my knees as I wracked my brain for a solution to the now monumental problem I was faced with. I didn’t think Jackie was capable of this type of evil treachery. Hell, I didn’t thinkanyonewas capable of being this two-faced. Except maybe Fio. But Jackie was, and Fio was, and why was I surprised anymore when people acted so selfishly around me?
One more member of the team left with his bag, Jeremy Finnegan.
“You alright, LeBlanc?” he asked, pausing for a moment.
“Fine,” I grunted out.
“You look fucking morose,” he said.
My mind was spinning out of control, and I couldn’t tell why. I reminded myself that Cat had come to the stands to visit me for the game, and that made me smile.
I turned to him. “And you look like a crazy hobo,” I joked, trying to be light-hearted.
“Oh come on, man. Don’t take low blows on the regular season beard. I’ll shave it when the playoffs start. I promise.”
“You better. It’s bad luck if you don’t.”
“Aye aye, Capitan,” he said, in some combination of pirate speak and Spanglish. With Jeremy, you didn’t ask.
I stood up. “I’m just thinking about our next game. Go on, get out of here. I’ll see you at practice tomorrow.”
Taking a deep breath, I paused. The game had run late tonight, so most people were in a hurry to get out of the stadium. Even Coach Slanch, who was almost always the last one out, had left. I was wondering where Cat was. After I saw her in the stands, I texted her to come meet me in the locker room.
I walked into Slanch’s room, which he had left unlocked tonight. I thought about what I would text Cat when I next had the chance. How I would phrase the shit storm that was coming. And I wondered if there was any possible way out of it.
I didn’t even turn the light on in Coach’s office. Some spare light from inside the locker room sneaked in through the blinds. I folded my arms and tried to focus on the good things in my life.
There was hockey, of course. But I couldn’t believe Jackie was willing to take that away from me, essentially destroying our chance at a championship this year. And all just to prove a point about who is boss.
When I thought about the other good things in my life, there was one that stood out above all the others, though. Maybe even above hockey.
Well okay, not above hockey. But it was damn close. And it was her.
I swallowed hard as she popped into my mind, and I instantly noticed my dick twitch. Fuck. This wasn’t appropriate locker room behavior.
But it didn’t matter. The more I tried to block her out, the more space she occupied in my mind. It made no logical sense that I had found such a good girl from a one-night stand turned arranged marriage.
I closed my eyes and pictured her beautiful lips, her full hips, heard her sexy voice and heard her giggly laugh. With every beat of my heart, my cock grew harder and fuller and I stopped trying to block out thoughts of her.
Fuck it, I finally thought.
If they were going to pull this shit with me, might as well go full out. In love and war, there were no rules. And I was so damn in love right now.
With my towel still wrapped around my waist, I reached down below and fisted my now-erect cock.
In my mind’s eye, Cat had on her red dress, just like the first night—my most cherished memory of her. She got on the bed and rolled her dress almost all the way up her thighs, inviting me to come and enter.
As I ran my hand up and down my cock, I swore I could smell her, I had such a vivid memory of her. And then I felt a hand on my abs and a chin rubbing into my shoulder blade, and my heart thumped like a tribal drum.
I whipped around and saw Cat standing there, grinning.
“Well, hello there.”
She giggled. “Hello there.”
“What are you doing in this office?” I joked. “Players and coaches only.”
“Youtoldme to come here,” she said. “And what areyoudoing here?”
