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TWENTY

Blake

Since it’s a day off, there’s nowhere to be the next morning, and I stay with Rowan. We’ll have to find a way to sneak me out of her room without getting caught, but I don’t care about that. Breakfast with the team is optional, which means we can stay in bed and order room service.

Rowan has just come out of the shower, in that same bathrobe she wore last night, and it takes a lot of self-control not to rip it off her again. But we had so much sex last night it seems greedy to want more. Especially since we don’t know what the rest of the day will bring. Coach said there would be no practice after last night’s long game to give our bodies time to rest and heal, but there will almost definitely be a meeting of some kind either this afternoon or at dinner.

“Thank goodness for coffee,” she murmurs, pouring herself a cup since breakfast arrived while she was in the shower. I’d been in there with her in the beginning but then she was doing some conditioner mask on her hair and shaving her legs, so I left her to it.

“You hated coffee in high school,” I said. “I know damn well you only drank it for me.”

She laughs. “In the beginning yes, but then it grew on me. By the time I went away to college—since it was nearly a year later—I couldn’t function without it.”

“Did you work that first semester?” I ask curiously.

She nods. “Yeah. I got a job at a gym. It paid better than the mall, and I got to work with trainers, see how they did things.”

“And then you went to community college?”

“I took three classes that second semester of what should have been my freshman year. It was good to get English 101, College Algebra, and some random humanities class out of the way. Those were all easily transferable credits, and it saved a little money too, since I graduated with a 4.0 and could go to any state school on a scholarship.”

“I’m sorry you lost a year because of me,” I say. “I know you would?—”

“Stop.” She peers at me over the rim of her cup. “You’ve apologized enough. We’re past that now. It’s not entirely your fault. I was also young and stupid, riding my boyfriend’s coattails as long as I could because I was afraid of losing you. I should have been more independent, more cognizant of what was happening.”

I pick at the eggs in front of me. “They say love is wasted on the young and you don’t understand it until you’re not young anymore.”

She chuckles. “Eh, life is a journey and love isn’t the destination—it’s part of the ride. What fun would it be if we already knew exactly what was going to happen and when? Where’s the adventure in that?”

I smile.

She’s always been thoughtful like this.

And I let this beautiful, smart, hard-working, sexy woman slip right through my fingers.

I was truly the dumbest of dumbasses.

“What happens now?” I ask after a moment.

She knows what I’m asking without me having to spell it out, and I’m pretty much holding my breath as I wait for a response.

There’s more to us than sex.

Even an idiot like me knows I might not get another chance like this.

“I don’t know,” she says at last. “I’m not sure what we can do. I signed a contract with a no fraternization clause.”

“Yeah, but chances are I’m going back to Phoenix, so the fraternization will be over soon.”

“That’s a very cynical perspective, but for conversation purposes, let’s look at that scenario. What do we do if you do get sent back down? The long-distance thing? It’s about an eight-hour drive to Phoenix, and we both travel during the season. How would it work?”

“It’ll be hard for a while, but next season is probably going to be my last. I can’t afford to keep playing in the minors. My car is falling apart, I live in a tiny two-bedroom with Bodi where we’re on top of each other constantly. I really need to go back to school to finish those last few classes, get my degree.”

“And then?”

“I’d like to open a training business. Maybe even a gym. But I’d have to save up, build up both my reputation and my client base. One of the guys I played with a couple years ago who already retired is doing that, so I might work with him.”

“Where is he based?” she asks.

“Phoenix.”

Our eyes meet.

Fraternization clause or not, this will be complicated.

“I know, it’s not going to be easy if we want to keep seeing each other,” he says. “But I started coming up with the plan before… you. Us.”

“Blake, there isn’t an us,” she says. “I mean, I guess there’s starting to be, but right now we’re running on hormones and memories. I don’t think we’re in a position to make future plans this early in the game.”

“That’s very true. So why don’t we see what happens before we think about the logistics? Right now, I want to enjoy being with you again while I focus on maybe winning my first—and only—championship.”

She looks momentarily undecided, as if this is a huge decision for her, and I find myself holding my breath again.

I really fucking want her to say yes.

I want—no, I need—to get another chance with her.

“All right,” she says after what feels like an eternity. “But sneaking around is going to get old.”

“It’s only constrictive on the road,” I say. “Once we’re back in L.A., it’ll be easier. No one is going to see us at your apartment or if we go out to dinner or something.” An idea occurs to me. “Speaking of which, I want to take you out on a date.”

“Is that so?” Her eyes twinkle now. “Do you remember our first official date that wasn’t something school-related?”

I throw my head back and laugh. “I do. Back row of the Montrose Movie Theater. We saw Godzilla. And I don’t remember a single thing about the movie.”

She grins. “Neither do I.”

I suddenly have a million ideas for date nights.

I’m broke—at least until we get our bonus for this round—and don’t even have full-time access to a car, but I’m going to be the most romantic fucker a broke minor league hockey player can possibly be.

Okay, technically, I am not currently in the minors.

I’m playing for the Phantoms, in the playoffs, and doing a hell of a job.

But I’ve been in a position like this before—at the college championship level—and still wound up spending ninety-nine percent of my career in the minors. So I know better than to take anything for granted.

Including getting a second chance with the only woman I’ve ever truly been in love with. It was young love but it was real. I don’t know where this can go, or if it can go anywhere, but I sure as fuck plan to find out.

“Fuck, we just got an all-hands text,” she murmurs, looking at her phone.

I snap out of my romantic fantasy and grab my phone.

Yup.

Meeting to watch video from last night’s game at three, team dinner at five, lights out at nine—we’re on a curfew tonight.

That’s okay.

The only place I want to be at nine o’clock is in bed with Rowan.

“We have hours until three o’clock,” I say.

Her eyes meet mine. “I plan to go work out.”

I make a face. “Ew. Why on earth would you want to do that when I could be eating that awesome pussy of yours?”

She rolls her eyes, though she’s chuckling. “I do love when you do that, but workout first. You can come with me—invite Bodi. We’ll do a light workout at the hotel gym. That way, no one will think anything of us hanging out. Then we’ll come back here, get naked, shower again, and get ready for the meeting.”

I pretend to sigh heavily. “Fine. We can work out.”

“For a guy who wants to be a personal trainer, you aren’t overly fond of working out.”

“Do you like to work out when you’re not working?”

“Actually, I do. I like the rush I get from pushing myself.”

“Who are you and what happened to sweet, laid-back Rowan who preferred cuddling on the couch with a movie?”

“She grew into a woman with a very physical job. Now eat your breakfast and tell me about your life in Phoenix.”

“It’s super boring,” I say. “Bodi and I have a two-bedroom, two bath apartment in a decent part of town. There’s a few of us on the team who hang out a little, we watch football at a local sports bar sometimes, occasionally go axe throwing.”

“I love axe throwing!” she says, grinning. “That would be fun to do as a group.”

Of course she does.

We’ve always enjoyed most of the same activities, though I wouldn’t have pictured her axe throwing.

“Yeah. Last summer we bowled in a league, which was pretty fun, but this year I’m planning to work more hours at the gym.”

“That’s it?”

I shrug. “Like I said, I’m boring. What about you? What do you do that’s exciting?”

“I don’t know about exciting, but I keep busy. Obviously, during hockey season I’m pretty swamped, but I do a bit of traveling in the summer. I go home and spend time with my dad. Last summer we went to the UK. We did a bunch of touristy stuff in London, but then we went hiking in Scotland, golfed at St. Andrews, stuff like that. It was really fun.”

I feel a wave of envy.

“I haven’t done any traveling that isn’t related to hockey as an adult,” I admit. “Just can’t afford it.” It kills me to admit that out loud.

She doesn’t seem upset by that information, though. “Well, there’s lots of cool stuff to do both in California and Arizona that doesn’t cost a lot. Maybe we can do a road trip when the season’s over… oh! Have you been to the Grand Canyon? It’s so beautiful —I’d love to go back. It wouldn’t cost us much if we drive, and there are cheap hotels if we don’t stay on the grounds.”

“That sounds fun,” I say. “And I can afford a decent hotel for us once I get my bonus for this round.”

“It’ll also give us a lot of quality time to talk and get to know each other again,” she whispers, rolling on top of me.

“As opposed to non-quality time when I’m inside you?”

“That’s quality time,” she murmurs, nipping at my lips. “Just a different kind of quality.”

“It’s a good thing you’re already naked,” I say, palming her ass.

“Yeah?” Her eyes twinkle. “How come?”

“Let me show you.”