Page 4 of The Chase

It was always weird to me that Rox was the only person who called TJ by his full name. I hadn’t been sure where ‘TJ’ came from, but Rox told me that when their mom got tired of yelling ‘Tristan James’ whenever he was in trouble, it got shortened to ‘TJ.’ Rox and their parents still called him Tristan, but to everyone else, he was TJ.

I waved her off. “Hey, TJ. Good game tonight.”

“Aw, thanks, baby girl,” TJ said with his signature lopsided grin.

I rolled my eyes at him. TJ was the definition of the playboy hockey player, so this ‘baby girl’ nonsense was not a shocker.

“Tristan,” Rox snapped.

I watched Benny slide her dark hair off her shoulder and kiss her neck. I think he did it to distract her, because she closed her eyes and bit her blood-red lips at whatever he whispered in her ear. I could guarantee it was something really dirty by the way she turned around and looked up at him like he hung the moon for her.

“What are you drinking?” TJ asked me.

“Pinot Grigio, please.”

His hazel eyes darkened at the word ‘please,’ and then he smiled. “You got it.”

“Another, Max?” Ayden, the bartender, asked as he took my empty glass.

I went to high school with Ayden and the rest of the Holmstrom clan. They were a bunch of big blonde hockey players, his little sister included. Ayden’s dad used to play for the Bulldogs back in the day, but when he retired, he and his teammate opened this bar in South Philly near the arena.

I think they did all right business-wise, especially when TJ brought in crowds with little stunts like the one he pulled tonight. It certainly got the attention of the puck bunnies who hung around. Like the five who were glaring at me because TJ’s hand was on my back.

I pointed to TJ. “He’s buying,” I said to Ayden.

The two men exchanged money, and I rolled my eyes at the way they sized each other up.

Men.

TJ placed the glass of wine in my hand, and I took it with thanks. I noticed Rox and Benny were nowhere in sight, but I had a good idea what they were up to.

I was pretty sure Benny distracted his girlfriend with sex so his teammate could hit on me.

“You look nice,” TJ said.

His eyes burned across my body, like he was mentally peeling the dress off of me. A part of me wondered what it would be like if he did.

“Oh…I was supposed to have a date.”

He furrowed his brow and took a swig of his beer. “Supposed to?”

I shrugged. “Same old story. The guy never calls, he ghosts me, or doesn’t show up at all.”

TJ cringed and ran a hand through his short-cropped dark hair. “Listen, Max—”

I held up my hand. “It’s fine. I’m used to it.”

He gave me a look of pity, which boiled my blood. I was sick of pity. I was twenty-five years old and had endured enough pity when I became an orphan at eighteen. I was used to people feeling sorry for ‘that poor girl.’ I already felt so guilty for surviving when they didn’t, and the pity from others didn’t help.

I sipped on my wine, and TJ ran a hand across his five o’clock shadow. Not for the first time, I noticed he had big hands, and I wondered what else was big.

Okay, I was supremely horny.

“It’s okay, TJ. I know what you’re about,” I said, breaking the silence between us.

Everyone knew. Rox had alluded to him being hurt in high school, but she refused to explain. It wasn’t my business, so I didn’t pry. The TJ who flirted with me last summer and asked for my number was cocky and a real charmer, but the one standing in front of me looked nervous. The difference confused me.

He gave me that lopsided grin again, and it made his eyes sparkle. He reached up and tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear. I knew that was a move. He looked like he wanted to devour me while his hand lingered on my face. I didn’t mind the hungry look in his eyes, though. I kinda liked it and wanted him to keep on touching me.