“What’s wrong with what I’m wearing? At least I have shorts and a tank top on, which is more than I can say for you.”
I swallowed hard, not really having a comeback to her response because she was right. Instead, I took a sip of my protein shake and left her sitting in the kitchen.
This morning threwme off my game. I hadn’t been able to clear the image of her sitting in my kitchen, stretching, out of my mind. I’d been happy to get out on the ice, hoping that a little game play with the boys would clear my head and bring me back to neutral.
It had been working until a whistle blew and I noticed Bianca waving at me.
I continued to skate around the rink, continuing with the drills, completely ignoring the set of waving hands I saw each time I passed by where she was standing.
Was I being a jerk? Yes.
Did I know it? Absolutely.
Did I care? Not really.
When I noticed she’d given up and left, I skated over and stepped off the ice, handing my things to Asher, the equipment manager, and took off down the chute to the locker room. I was just about to reach the door when Bianca stepped out in front of me from another corridor, blocking my way.
“What the hell are you doing here?
“Evan, you can’t keep pretending I don’t exist.”
“Is that so? Well, just you watch me.”
She was so tiny compared to me, I could easily just pick her up and place her off to the side, or up on the countertop and have my way with her, but I stepped around her and continued down the hall, striking that thought from my mind. I adored how she looked at me, at the fire in her eyes, but I also loved the way she stood her ground despite our size difference.
She stepped in front of me again, this time stopping me. She was wearing her team polo and black leggings, her hair pulled back in a high ponytail, every inch of her professional. However, all I could see was the girl who’d been barefoot in my kitchen this morning, humming as if she belonged there.
You could get used to her.
“Evan, I’m serious. Now please stop pretending like I don’t exist,” she repeated.
I looked down into her eyes when I heard a noise behind me.
“Jesus, why don’t you two just kiss already and kill this sexual tension we are all feeling?” Matt, the team’s newest rookie, yelled out, causing some members of the team to laugh.
Something snapped inside me, and I whipped around, glaring at Matt. If Coach had been around to hear that, I’d be dead because he’d think I was talking smack in the locker room.
“Say it again, I dare you,” I growled.
Most of the guys who’d laughed went back out onto the ice while Matt went silent.
“Man, it was just a joke.”
“Does it look like I’m laughing?”
The anger, the violence in my voice surprised even me. My reaction was too big for some stupid comment about nothing. This was classic of us; they were just guys being guys. He’d said nothing different from what I would have said to any of these guys to get under their skin. However, it bothered me because I’d thought it more than once, and I couldn’t allow myself to think it. That I wanted her. That I was already halfway to needing her.
Bianca met my eyes, her cheeks holding a pink hue, muttering to herself something about me being impossible and the others being immature, and then she stormed off. I couldn’t help but watch that ponytail swing side to side over her tight ass. I really needed to tone down the attitude with her. I thought about how the coach had asked me to make things easier for her, and I’d honestly done nothing to make things easy on her.
I felt a pair of hands on my shoulders as Kells grabbed me, causing me to flinch silently in pain. He let out a low whistle.
“Jesus, man, you sure Matt isn’t right because I can feel it from here, Callahan.” Kells chuckled, bumping Nightly in the arm, causing him to laugh.
“Fuck, man, honestly, you should just go get her. Otherwise, you’re going to drive yourself mad.” Cromwell chuckled, tappingme on the ass before passing by, each of the guys behind him doing the same thing.
“Jesus….” I sighed under my breath.
If only they knew half of it.
