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TWENTY

victoria

I groan as I sit up in bed, cracking open one eye. My shoes lie on the floor. My purse rests on the dresser. I’m still wearing the same clothes from last night. On the little nightstand, there is a cup of tea, still steaming, and two ibuprofen. Someone left this for me, and I know exactly who—the same person who should get an award for being the world’s best kisser.

Something soft flutters in my chest as I replay the memory and everything that happened afterward. The way he wrapped his arm around my waist so I wouldn’t stumble getting to the car, how he carried me to my bedroom, and then tucked me in.

Leo broke the rules for my good—to take care of me, even though I didn’t deserve it. Just like he promised, my safety buddy was there for me, and I got a glimpse of a side of him I thought was gone.

I tiptoe to the door and slowly poke my head out, making sure everyone has left for the day. When I reach the bathroom, the door flies open, and on the other side is a freshly showered Leo.

“You’re up,” he says, surprised.

My eyes graze down his shirtless torso. Water droplets pool on his shoulders and the nicely sculpted lines of his chest.

“I was just going to use the bathroom,” I stammer, dragging my eyes up to his face and blinking away the mental picture of him shirtless.

He smirks. “You sleep okay?”

“Like the dead.” I rub my forehead, feeling a pocket of pain behind my skull.

“Did you take the pain reliever I left for you? The tea is Earl Grey.” He studies me. “I didn’t know if it was still your favorite?”

He still remembers that?

“It’s perfect, thank you,” I say, feeling flattered that he memorized a detail like my favorite tea.

“I knew you’d have a wicked headache this morning. Maybe we should skip practice today.”

I shake my head. “I have to keep practicing if I’m going to be ready in time.”

Leo frowns. “Take it from me, when your body is hurting, it doesn’t do any good to abuse it more.”

Maybe he’s trying to find an excuse to stay away. After last night’s kiss, it’s understandable if he wants some space.

“Have you checked your phone this morning?” he asks.

“No, why?”

“Someone was trying to call you this morning, at least two or three times. I just wanted to make sure it wasn’t important...”

Before he finishes, I head back to my room and see a voicemail message from Robbie at Pro Ice Gear. Then I remember the lady I met in the bathroom who gave me a business card. My stomach twirls nervously.

“Anything wrong?” Leo asks.

“Not at all,” I say, pretending everything is fine.

“Then I’ll get dressed. If you need anything, let me know.”

He leaves me alone so I can listen to the message from Robbie, who tells me how thrilled his mom was to meet me and wants to discuss the possibility of a sponsorship.

I sink onto the bed. I was so caught up in that kiss last night, I totally forgot about everything else, including mentioning this conversation to Leo. Not that he would be interested. We’re not a couple, and he’s not hurting for money the way I am.

As I’m about to dial Robbie’s number to decline his offer, a text message from Jaz appears on my screen.

Jaz

I’m sorry to break the news, but Lauren our PR person scouts our team’s social accounts, and this is spreading on social media.

She links to a post from a stranger who caught Leo and me kissing on their camera. Apparently, the picture has been shared so many times, it’s gone viral. As if my head isn’t hurting bad enough, now I need to muddle through a social media mishap before Leo finds out. I shoot her a quick text.

Victoria

I’ll take care of it.

Leo comes out of his bedroom, staring at his phone, wearing jeans and a T-shirt. “Did Jaz send you the picture?” He threads his fingers through his wet hair, then leans one arm on my doorframe. He looks so good right now, like he could be posing for a sports magazine.

I glance from his phone, back to him. “She did. Leo, I had no idea...”

“Did you see the comments?” he asks, his jaw clenching. “What they’re saying about us?”

I glance at the long thread of reactions below the photo. They range from criticizing me as being “desperate” to Leo for taking advantage of me “in my state.”

Nothing could be further from the truth. I was more than a willing participant.

“Leo, I’m so sorry,” I say. “I’ll get this cleared up.”

He turns to go, then stops. “Hey, do you know some guy named Robbie? He called while I was in the shower and said his mom talked to you last night.”

Uh-oh. I wasn’t expecting Robbie to track down Leo’s number, too.

Heat rises in my neck. “You’ll never believe it, but I met her last night in the bathroom.”

“Why does he want to talk to both of us?” Leo asks.

I bite my lip. “His mom said he’s interested in a sponsorship... but only if we come as a package deal.”

Leo blinks. “Because I’m your skating partner?”

“No...” I answer, glancing at the floor. I might as well rip off the bandage now. “She assumed we were more than that.”

He frowns. “ More? What kind of more?”

I rub my head, wishing I wasn’t dealing with all of this right now. “She assumed we were dating. And I didn’t correct her. Then you kissed me after that, which probably sealed the deal. She said Robbie’s had this idea to have two high-profile athletes who are dating become the face of the brand. I don’t know what he wants, but I was planning to tell him no.”

He stares at me. “Why would you do that?”

“Because we’re not dating.”

He pauses. “I think you should take the deal.”

I shake my head. “Wait... I don’t understand. Why would you want me to take the deal and make people think we’re dating? It’s not like you need this sponsorship.”

“But you do,” he says. “And people already think we’re dating—because of this.” He holds up the picture of us kissing. “You said it yourself—you need more sponsorships.”

I frown. “But what’s in it for you?” It seems like a big sacrifice to ask of him.

“Don’t look at me like I’m a saint—I’m not,” he admits, rubbing the back of his neck. “People are blaming me for taking advantage of you. If we tell them we’re dating, it’ll stop the comments.”

So maybe he’s not as altruistic as I first believed, but it makes sense. “Okay, so we fake that we’re dating, then what?”

“Hopefully by then, you’ll have another partner, and I’ll be playing hockey again.”

I sink onto my pillow and stare at the ceiling. “I don’t know. What if this doesn’t work?” It seems too risky, especially since I’m terrible at pretending. With the way I feel about Leo, pretending wouldn’t even be necessary. The real challenge will be figuring out how to pull away when this is all over and go back to being just friends—if that’s even possible.

“How could it not work?” he says. “We dated before. It’s the perfect solution to this social media messand for getting you out of that terrible apartment.”

“Wait a minute,” I say, sitting up. “Is this why you want me to say yes? You want me to move?” No wonder he’s so gung-ho about the sponsorship. It’s not just his reputation he’s worried about. It’s me.

He gives me a pointed look. “There’s a reason it’s called Hellgate, Victoria. It’s not because it’s paradise.”

“Okay, fine,” I finally say. “As long as you find two apartments.”

“Two?”

“I’m not leaving unless Delilah and Big Bertha have a place too.”

He rolls his eyes. “Fine. But that stupid bird had better appreciate it.”