“Uh, yeah.” I smile. “Everything’s fine.”
“You look upset.”
“Do I?” I shake my head. “I’m not. Just thinking. Shocked, maybe.”
“Shocked, why?” Felix loops his arms around my waist. I love the way he doesn’t even hesitate to touch me. I’m his in every damn way.
“I just got a job offer. A coaching job at a university.”
“Really!? That’s amazing. Where?”
I look at Felix. “In New York.”
“What?” I lose his arms. “That’s all the way across the country.” Sadness hits his brown eyes. “Are you leaving?”
“I need some time to think about it, and I won’t be leaving.” Relief hit his eyes. “But maybewecould.”
“What?”
“If I take this job, I’d want you to come with me.” I smile at him. “You have your whole life ahead of you. This could be a clean start. Away from him, in a new place, to discover what you want to do.” I cup his face. “I need to think about this. It’s a big change, but I want you to think about it too. We’re a team, Felix. These decisions need to be made together.”
“New York.” I nod. “I will think about it.”
“Hey.” Oli comes out wearing dark jeans and a linen shirt with the buttons undone showing off his tattooed chest. “Come on. I want to have some drinks with my friends. One more day as a single man.” Atlas trails behind Oli, his eyes meeting mine then looking away.
“You haven’t been single since Andre walked into our locker room like he owned you.” The moment Andre was traded, Oli was already gone.
Oli flips me off. “Felix, you’re welcome to come.”
Felix looks at my friends before shaking his head. “You go.” He smiles at me then plants a kiss on my lips. “I want to go back to the room for a bit anyhow.”
“You sure?”
He nods.
“Hang out with your friends. I’ll see you later.” With another kiss, he leaves.
Oli throws his arm around my shoulder. “Come on. I need a drink.”
Oli laughs,taking another shot. “You should have seen it, Grey. That fucker knocked him right over into their bench. The guys swarmed him, knocked him into their bench. The Vipers fans lost their minds.”
“It was insanity.” Atlas shakes his head. “I couldn’t see shit, just people throwing punches. One minute I’m on the ice and the next I’m face down in the opponents’ bench, face down in Knox’s crotch.” He laughs. Some of the light has come back into his eyes.
I laugh as they talk about the last away game in the playoff season. “It’s funny how different the chaos is behind a screen.” I shake my head while taking a sip of my beer. “Being on this end is new, but stressful as shit.”
“How are you holding up with it all?” Oli asks. “You look so much better. Happier.”
“You know, when this whole thing happened, I thought my life was completely over. I didn’t just love hockey; I breathed hockey. Now I don’t know.”
“Well, having a hot man warming your bed definitely is a mood booster.” Oli wiggles his brows.
“It’s what I’ve been telling you guys for years!” Ryker says. “Only with women.”
Oli shakes his head. “Can’t wait to see you settle down.”
“Never happening.” Ryker shivers. “No woman alive can tame this beast.”
“You just wait.” I laugh, even though I can’t even picture the person Ryker would settle with. He’s going todie with a bed full of beautiful women and a smile on his damn face.
