Page 91 of Break Out

“Thanks.” I flash him a thin smile before unbuttoning my shirt.

He nods and goes back to getting changed. I shove my earbuds in and turn on my pre-game playlist, getting lost in the music. Once I’m changed, I walk to the stationary bikes and warm up my legs and go through the rest of my pre-game routine.

“Let’s do this, boys!” Caleb shouts as we stand in the tunnel that leads to the ice forty-five minutes later. “Let’s get another two points tonight.” Everyone shouts their agreement, and Aleksi, who is in net tonight, leads the way out.

I’m one of the last down the tunnel, exactly the way I like it, enjoying the extra few seconds of silence to get in the zone. As I step onto the ice, a weird déjà vu feeling hits me, and I glance around, trying to figure out what’s going on.

That’s when I see her.

I close my eyes and open them again to make sure I’m not seeing things. Aubrey’s really here?

I look around for one of my teammates, needing them to confirm the sight in front of me. Caleb choses that moment to skate up to me. He claps a hand on my arm and says, “Happy Birthday.”

“You did this?” I ask, turning to my friend.

“I had some help. But, yeah. And Coach gave his approval for you to fly out on Wednesday instead of tomorrow morning with us. You’ll miss practice that day, but you won’t miss the game.”

“Seriously?” I glance between Caleb, Coach standing behind the bench, and the love of my life sitting in the stands.

“Of course. We could see how miserable you’ve been. Plus, it’s almost your birthday,” he says with a smirk.

“Well, shit,” I mumble, at a loss for words.

“Let’s go win this thing,” Caleb says.

I nod, and we turn to skate around our side of the rink. Hunter winks at me when I meet his eyes. Wes tips his chin at me. Cole raises his stick.

How did I get so lucky to have such a great group of guys? And why the fuck did I spend so much time fighting their friendship?

Chapter thirty-eight

Aubrey

I will never forget the look on Brody’s face when he spotted me in the crowd. When Caleb called me a few weeks ago to ask if I could swing a trip to California while the team was here, I jumped at the opportunity. I wish I’d thought of it, but work has been such a whirlwind that some days I don’t even remember to eat lunch.

It’s been an adjustment going from teaching to being out in the field doing research and handling all the paperwork that comes in from other researchers requesting time on the telescope. There are a couple of staff members, but a lot of the work falls on my shoulders.

But now, I’m here in LA for the next two days, and I refuse to check my work phone or email.

The game gets underway, and from the first whistle, it’s a constant battle between us and the Knights. I’m on my feet the entire game cheering and yelling. To no one’s surprise, Brody scores not one, not two, but three goals. Yep, he managed to get a natural hat trick, the fourth of his career and the first one I got to see in person. He also gets assists on two of the three other goals the Storm score. When the final buzzer sounds, the Storm win six to three.

Caleb told me to wait in my seat when the game was over. That someone would come find me, so I sit and watch as the arena clears out.

“Hey.” Brody’s voice comes from my left twenty minutes after the game ends, and I jolt out of my thoughts.

“Hi,” I say, jumping to my feet and launching myself at him.

With a laugh, he catches me, crashing his mouth against mine, and I get lost in his lips and his touch for what feels like forever. He finally breaks our kiss, and I let out a groan.

“I know, but if we don’t stop now, I might not be able to,” he says, taking my hand. “Let’s get out of here.”

“Brod,” I giggle as I take him in. “Maybe fix your shirt.” I gesture to his shirt that’s sticking to his chest and not buttoned properly. And where is his tie? “Did you even dry your hair?” I ask, running a hand through his hair that is soaking wet.

He grumbles something incoherent, dropping my hand before rebuttoning his shirt. “I ordered us a car,” he says as we make our way down the stairs and toward the players’ entrance. “I can’t believe you’re here, Aubs.”

“Me neither.”

The ride to the hotel is surprisingly fast, and before I know it, he’s ushering me into the elevator.