10
I only had about ten minutes to change before we were all supposed to meet back in the lobby. In that short amount of time, I was able to dress in a pair of light-wash high-waisted denim and a pink corset tube top, pairing the outfit with nude heels (thank god I packed a cute outfit in case an occasion like this occurred). I used gel to slick my hair into a bun, letting two pieces of hair frame my face.
My gaze met the floor-length mirror in the hotel room's closet door, and this time, I let my scrutiny meet my face. When I was a teenager, I was hit on all the time, and that's not me being arrogant. It's just the truth. I was confident, and I felt beautiful. My body was thin and petite, yet carried the weight in all the right places, and my face was proportioned just right with wide brown eyes, full lips, and a cute button nose to match.
But now...
Now all I see is a failure when I look upon the jagged scar striking the center of my face. Sure, my body is banging, but this scar is the reflection of what I carry on the inside. I'm a fuck up.
Blinking away tears, I try not to let them fall, afraid I'll cause my mascara to run. I grab my phone, ID, credit card, and hotel key, stuffing them into the back pockets of my jeans before leaving the room. With a handle on the door, that annoying, nagging voice seeps into my head. Did you grab your hotel card? What if you can't get back in?
Yes, I just witnessed myself put it into my pocket, but I know how this will turn out. Rather than fight myself on it, I drag the cards back out of my pocket, verifying that the key is there, and then twist the handle of the door three times to ensure it's locked.
***
The elevator doors open to the lobby with marble floors and grand chandeliers. This place is swanky and more expensive than any hotel I've stayed in. As my eyes scan the room, it's not hard to land on the six-foot hockey players crowding the corner.
When I approach, Levi, Matti, Cal, and Connor are talking amongst themselves. Matti notices me first since he's facing me, eyes growing wide. "I'll be damned, darlin'. You clean up nice as hell."
Connor glances over his shoulder, stilling when his eyes meet mine. He rakes his gaze from the top of my head to my baby pink toes in the nude heels, pulling his bottom lip back between his teeth. I shouldn't seek his approval for anything, but I hold my breath as he completes his observation, my heart lurching when he wraps a large hand around my waist and draws me into his chest.
The other three see this, but at this point, I couldn't tell him no, even if I wanted to. His touch feels too good, too right, especially when I can feel his fingers through the thin satin material of the corset top.
And what does that say about me? This is precisely what Connor did with the last photographer, right? I'm becoming a puck bunny. I'm exactly who his friends are used to seeing Connor with.
"Ready to go?" He asks, his voice filled with smoky desire.
I almost gasp when he hooks a finger through the belt loop of my jeans, keeping me tucked into his side as we file out after the rest of the group. We remain a couple of paces behind them, out of earshot, when he adds, "I don't know if anyone has ever told you this, but you're fucking breathtaking Aria."
My brows shoot to the top of my forehead. I'm distracted when he moves his thumb along my back, where the skin is showcased above the band of my jeans. I feel dizzy and utterly weightless as that thumb moves in teasing strokes.
I need to change the subject. Desperately.
"Why didn't you want to come out with them tonight?" I ask.
He shrugs, his jaw ticking as if he's contemplating whether or not to open up. After a few seconds, he sighs and says, "When things like that happen during games, regardless if it's my fault, it weighs on me. I feel responsible. I could have reacted differently, and I let them down tonight. Didn't feel like my performance was worthy of a celebration."
Why am I surprised that he's taking responsibility? Matti said he was a good leader, but maybe I let his goofy, charming personality make me believe there wasn't any depth to him. I saw the briefest of glances behind the mask he wears, especially tonight when he got into that fight, but right now, another crack is filtering into the mask. This man already carries the brunt of a lot of stress, and even though he doesn't need to, he takes on the burden of their loss for the rest of the team. That says a lot about him as a person. He has a big heart.
Connor scoffs. "Did you just laugh?"
Did I?
"I'm sorry," I apologize. I didn't mean to; I just... I don't know. I guess I wasn't expecting you to be so..."
He raises a brow, willing me to continue.
"You're different than I expected. That's all."
"In a good or a bad way?" He asks.
"I don't know yet," I reply honestly. "I don't know you well enough to determine that."
Music is thumping loudly outside the bar. Connor opens the door for me, and I inhale the woodsy scent carried by his cologne as I pass by him. He's wearing a long-sleeved button-down, a pair of light-wash jeans like me, and that same backward cap from earlier, looking like an absolute meal.
Matti, Levi, and Cal already grabbed seats at the bar for us, and a tray of shots had already been delivered. Then again, when you're a famous hockey player, I suppose you get anything you want super quickly.
"Keep them coming," Cal grunts, throwing one back without so much as a wince. Now that he's without the uniform, I analyze the full sleeve of tattoos exposed from the white t-shirt lining one arm. When I meet his gaze, he lifts his brows, catching me staring, so I quickly look away and grab a shot off the tray instead.
The bar is packed for a Saturday night. It's a typical run-of-the-mill place with different sports memorabilia and liquor bottles lining the shelves. The smell of fried food wafts through my nose, causing my stomach to grumble. I haven't eaten since this afternoon, and I'm starving.
I toss the shot back, letting the liquid create a burning path down my throat. Almost instantly, my body begins to buzz and feel warm. It's more than likely because I'm drinking on an empty stomach.
Connor cages me in from behind, reaching over to grab a shot for himself. His mouth brushes against my ear before he whispers, "Take it slow, baby."
"Okay, doofus." He chokes on a laugh after he takes the shot. "What? I told you not to call me that. It's only fair if I bring up your forbidden nickname." Spinning to face him, he's still caging me in, his fingers wrapped tightly around the edge of the bar beside me. His eyes scan my lips, dropping to my cleavage on display from the corset top.
"Guess I can't be mad then, hm?"
Before I can reply, a pair of manicured fingers taps his shoulders, forcing him to turn around. Three women in Daisy Duke shorts and crop tops eye him like they have one thing on their mind. The one that tapped him, dragging that same hand down his chest, says, "Saw your fight. We were at the game. Are you always that angry?"
Literally, gag me.
Grabbing another shot off the tray, I throw it back, then another before I wander outside when it gets too hot. Resting my back up against the coolness of the brick, I release a heavy sigh and close my eyes.
I didn't want to linger to see what his response would be. Three women are willing to return to his hotel room with him, and I'd be an idiot to think he'd pass them up for me. I don't know why I want him to pass them up for me.
But haven't I always suspected this would happen? Those feelings that transpired that night in the Maldives didn't just vanish. I pushed them away to try and forget them, but I was a goner as soon as I saw his face again. All of those feelings resurfaced like a fucking tidal wave, knocking me directly on my ass.
And now I'm fucked.
The door to the bar opens again, and Levi steps out to stand beside me. In an outfit similar to Connor's, he leans his back against the brick, whooshing out a breath before asking, "What's going on between you two?"
I don't need to ask him who he's referring to.
"Nothing."
"Alright, let me ask again, and this time you can be truthful. What's going on between you two?"
"Why don't you ask him? Didn't you say you were best friends?"
"I have," he admits, "but for whatever reason, he's being secretive about you."
The liquor is coursing through my veins. It's been a long time since I've had any alcohol, and currently, the three shots have me feeling good. Maybe that's why I decide to be truthful. Or perhaps it's because I feel as if I can trust Levi. He's a good person, and I've been itching to talk to someone about this without being scrutinized. "We slept together, but it's not what you think. It was before I started working here. Five years ago, we were both in the Maldives and—"
Levi barks out a laugh. "You're the girl from the Maldives?" Rubbing a hand over his face, he claps his hands together excitedly. "Oh, this is so fucking good. Everything makes sense now. Everett is going to have a field day when he meets you."
"Who?"
"Connor's brother," he replies. Doing another once over of me, he cracks a smile. "If we're being honest, I'm relieved."
"Relieved by what?" I'm so fucking confused. Why does he know about me? Why would Connor's brother know about me?
"Because since you're the girl, I'm willing to help the both of you keep this a secret, but Coach and Brian can't figure this out. You'll be fired on the spot, and that would make not only you but Connor very upset."
"We aren't dating," I reply. "Nothing is going on between us to hide. I mean that. We haven't even kissed since I started working here."
"Yet," Levi muses. "All I'm saying is your secret is safe with me, alright? And the team will keep it a secret, too. They'd do anything for Connor."
I toe at rocks with my heel, kicking them onto the concrete. "Is that why you came out here? To get the down-low on our love life?"
"No. You've had three shots and stepped out in downtown Phoenix alone. As soon as Connor realizes you're gone, he'll—" His voice fades when the door opens, said person stepping out. "Perfect timing."
"Jesus, Aria, I've been looking everywhere for you."
"Sorry." I step away from the brick, ignoring the hand Connor extends to help me over the gravel. He's probably in a rush to get back to his threesome, and I don't want to partake in any more of his overly friendly touches.
Connor whips his head to Levi. "What the hell did you guys talk about?"
"Oh, nothing..." Levi picks a piece of invisible lint off his t-shirt. "Random stuff, for the most part. You know, tropical destinations, specifically the Maldives."
Connor curses under his breath.
"As entertaining as this is," I drawl, "I'm going back inside."
"I'll join you in a second," Connor says.
His response aggravates me. We aren't together. He's not responsible for me, so I storm back into the bar, ignoring the group of girls now shooting their shot at Matti, who seems to be thoroughly enthralled by the conversation. I don't even want to think about the possibility of Connor turning the women down. I don't want to linger on what Levi admitted and what it meant that he and Connor's brother knew about me long before I started working for the team.
Leaning around Cal, I grab two more shots off the tray, sending him a sympathetic glance. "Sorry. I need them. I can send you money if you need it."
Cal waves me off, continuing to remain quiet and broody. "It's fine. Take them."
I do so with pleasure, trying anything to forget about that night five years ago. The way Connor's hands felt gliding down my body, the way his tongue moved between my thighs...
"Damn," a random voice shouts behind me. I twist my head to look at the stranger who has undoubtedly taken his fill of liquor tonight. His eyes widen from my visible scar, but that doesn't deter him. He takes a step closer, dropping his eyes to my cleavage. "Can I buy you a drink?"
I place a hand on Cal's arm, which stiffens beneath my grasp. "No need. I'm drinking on his tab tonight."
"Not even one drink?" He asks. If he were sober, he'd take one look at the death glare Cal is sporting and leave without another word, but he's continuing to press, closing the distance between us.
Cal stares over my head from where he's seated on the barstool. "You going to make him go away, or..."
Connor slips onto the barstool behind me with another one of those cocky, arrogant smiles. He takes a shot off the tray and tosses it back, holding eye contact with me over the rim when I turn to stare at him. "She seems to have it handled."
Now that there are two six-foot hockey players behind me, the man gets the hint, backing off and disappearing back into the crowd of people. Cal huffs and mutters to Connor, "You should have kicked him in the balls for not going away when she asked him to the first time."
Connor lifts a brow, resting his elbows on the bar. His long legs are sprawled out on the floor even though he's sitting on the barstool, and with the liquor coursing through me, I fight the urge to crawl on his lap. "Why? Aria is fine as hell. She's going to be hit on, but trust me when I say I have no doubts about whose bed she'll end up in eventually."
Cocky, arrogant bastard.
But a smart one because he's right.
It's hot as hell that he's so confident in his abilities. Connor knows what he brings to the table, and he realizes he outranks any man in this bar.
Deep down, I know it, too.
Author's Note:
We have reached the end of the voting game!!! Thank you guys so much for all of the support on these first ten chapters!
Now that the voting game is done, updates will be posted every Monday. I know this isn't as frequent as everyone would probably like, but keep in mind that Maddie and Cameron's fourth book (The Final Countdown) will begin posting in a few weeks! I am writing both stories at the moment, so please bear with me :)
I hope you all continue to vote and comment. It's truly the inspiration I use to continue writing!
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