“Yeah. That asshole Loki,” I reply and instantly regret it as I realize he’s talking about Levi’s nickname.
“Loki it is!” Duncan proclaims.
“Oh hell no,” I bark, annoyed, and it just makes his smile get bigger. Damn it.
He turns to Jude, who is approaching with two Starbucks cups in his hands. “Eli’s nickname is Loki.”
“Really? I was thinking Hammer.” Jude sips from one of the cups. “Because Thor needs his hammer to win, and we need our goalie to win.”
Duncan is quiet for a moment and then he says in awe, “Wow. That was deep. And I like it. Hammer it is, kid!”
“Okay, fine, whatever. Just stop with the ‘kid’ shit.” I follow Jude as he starts toward the door. “Are you freaked about leaving Zoey right now after the scare?”
“A little bit,” Jude admits and his eyes cloud over. “But the doctor swears she’s fine, and she hasn’t had any more fake contractions.” Levi and Tom are following a few feet back, but I can hear them chatting. The sound of the guy’s voice annoys the crap out of me.
I enter the plane just behind Jude and follow him down the aisle. I don’t see her, and I’m about to spiral into disappointment when she appears from the galley kitchen at the back. She looks past Jude and right at me. She doesn’t smile, but I can see warmth in her eyes even though she’s trying to mask it. Jude walks up to her and hands her one of the coffee cups. “They’ve launched the pumpkin spice lattes, so I got you one.”
“Forget everything I’ve ever said. You’re a great brother.” She gulps down a big sip.
Jude drops down in a seat and I move to pass him, which means I have to pass her. The aisle is narrow, like on any plane, and I make a point of taking up more room than necessary so even when she turns sideways to let me by, our bodies connect, brushing torsos. Pink automatically starts creeping into her cheeks, and I bite back a smile of satisfaction at that. “I’ll save you a seat.”
“I’m sitting up front,” she replies softly but with tension in her tone.
She turns and marches up the aisle away from me, aptly twisting and slipping past player after player as they board.
I shove my bag into the overhead bin and sit in an aisle seat so I can look ahead easily and see her. She’s in the second row from the front, window seat. Tom drops down into the seat beside her. My fists clench again.
The entire flight was a nightmare. They chatted almost the whole time. I couldn’t hear what they were saying, but she was smiling. A lot. When she finally pulled out her laptop and he pulled out a book and stopped yakking her ear off, I tried to sleep but couldn’t, probably because instead of counting sheep I was counting ways to make Tom look like an idiot in front of Dixie. I was honestly worried she’d fall for his bumbling charm. After all, he’s safe. There’s no HR policy about dating reporters.
Now I’m in my hotel room unpacking and more frustrated than ever. I wanted to know what room she was in but I didn’t get a chance to ask because Tom sat beside her on the bus to the hotel and rode with her in the elevator. They both got off on the seventh floor. My room is on the eighth. The idea that he has a room on her floor makes me crazy. Well, crazier than I already was.
There’s a knock at my door, and I stalk over and swing it open. Levi is standing there and the smile on his face fades when he sees the look on mine.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” I mutter. “Come in.”
He does, the door closing behind him, and he drops down on my bed, crossing his ankles and lacing his fingers behind his head. I walk over to the nightstand and check my phone to see if Dixie might have texted me and I missed it. She didn’t.
“So…I wanted to ask how things went with the sports psychiatrist, but judging by your mood I probably shouldn’t,” he tells me.
“What?” I look up from my phone. “No. It’s fine. The sessions went well.”
“Oh. Good.” Levi’s jaw is tight and his eyebrows are pinched together, which proves he’s unconvinced. “So you think it helped?”
“I guess we’ll find out next time I play,” I mutter. I decide to text Dixie and ask her what her room number is.
“Coach told me you’re starting tomorrow night,” Levi reveals. I press Send on the text and look over at him, dropping my phone back onto the tabletop.
“Really? For sure?”
Levi nods. “I’m not supposed to mention it, but I wanted to tell you.”
“Thanks.” I give him a quick smile.
“So if it’s not the shrink that has you looking like you want to punch something, what is it?” Levi pulls himself to a sitting position, his back against the headboard.
I walk over to my suitcase as I debate what to say to him. I need to talk to someone. Dixie’s sisters know about us, but I don’t have anyone to bounce things off of, and I really feel like I need it right now. I sit down on the chair next to the luggage rack and run a hand through my hair, then rub the back of my neck. The shrink’s words float back into my head. Instincts. Trust them. My instincts are telling me I can share this secret with Levi.
