Page 16 of Playoff (Toronto Blaze #4)

People had some weird stuff

Jess

Another long day. One of the partners at the office was pushing a new investment, but the risks were high so I wasn’t recommending it to my clients. However, I wouldn’t tell anyone at work that.

Once I was home, and Justin and I had finished dinner, I looked for flights online.

After talking to Mom, I felt like I needed to see Grandma, and I could use a break as well.

Finding out Denny was living in our building?

Made my anxiety spike. I kept expecting to see him in the elevator.

Why I sometimes felt disappointed when I didn’t was something I preferred not to contemplate.

Justin and the team were going on a six-day road trip, so I’d booked a few days off work.

I didn’t have any in-person meetings and could handle clients remotely.

The team would have better weather down in Florida and the Carolinas than I’d experience in Vancouver, but while Justin was traveling, I didn’t feel responsible for him.

I was hoping a chat with Mom and Dad would convince them to stop bombarding us with questions about Denny and whether we’d had a chance to talk with him about his parents and what they’d done with the family money.

If Mom ever found out I’d slept with him…

He wasn’t going to brag about his hookup in the locker room.

Justin would freak out, and the other guys on the team would be upset about breaking the sister code.

That sister code was sexist bullshit. If I’d wanted to date one of Justin’s teammates, I’d have pushed back on that, but I’d never been interested.

We’d had an unspoken agreement—he didn’t date my friends and I didn’t date his teammates.

But the way he’d drawn in on himself the last five years?

I’d be happy if he was involved with anyone .

Unfortunately, my friends in the city were already spoken for, and the women in my book club were either partnered or totally wrong for him.

I hit go on the website to book my last-minute airplane tickets.

The Blaze jet was flying out tomorrow morning, and I could catch a ride to the airport with Justin.

My flight was a couple hours later, but I didn’t fly private, so would have to deal with check-in and security, which would eat up the extra time.

I just needed to pack enough clothing and toiletries for the trip and I’d be ready to go.

My luggage was down in the storage locker, along with some of the clothes I wanted.

According to the weather app, it was about ten degrees Celsius warmer in Vancouver right now and predicted to rain the whole time I was there.

I picked up the keys for the locker door so I could get my bag and rain gear that I’d put away last fall.

I wanted everything ready before I went to bed.

“I’m going down to the locker,” I called to Justin as I walked to the door.

“Get your flight booked?”

“Just did.”

“Tell Grandma we’ll be there next month.”

Grandma wasn’t supposed to be that cognitive now, but I’d pass on the message. Some people thought she was still aware, even if she couldn’t respond. And on the off chance, I’d do it.

I picked up a flashlight before leaving the condo.

The storage lockers could be a little creepy at night.

People had some weird stuff in those cages, and the shadows looked…

well, creepy. This was a safe building, with enough security to keep determined hockey fans out, so I didn’t really think there’d be any problems, but…

I should keep my imagination in check. I hit the button for the first subfloor and leaned on the side of the elevator.

Two floors down the car stopped and the doors slid open.

I froze. The moment I’d been dreading (mostly) had finally happened.

My hookup was there, wearing sweats that clung lovingly to his thighs and a long-sleeved T-shirt stretching against his arms, covering the tattoos.

Well, arm. I could only see one, along with part of his face.

The rest of him, including his chest, was hidden behind a surfboard.

My mouth dropped open. A surfboard? In Toronto? In January?

He paused as well, eyes running over me head to toe before he stepped inside, moving the board through the doors easily. He turned to look at the floor indicator but didn’t hit a button as the doors slid closed and we started to descend.

I cleared my throat. “Do you want me to hit a floor number for you?” Though where he’d be going with a surfboard was beyond me.

He nodded his head at the one lit button. “That’s where the storage lockers are, right?”

Damn it. He was going there too? “Yeah.”

He shrugged. “Not like I’m doing anything with this anytime soon.”

I couldn’t help myself. “Why do you have a surfboard?”

He smirked. “To surf.”

I rolled my eyes. “Not in Toronto.”

“They sent all my stuff from LA. I didn’t have time to sort things out before I had to catch the flight here.”

That made sense. “So you surf—when you’re in California.”

A real smile crossed his face. “Yeah. Whenever I can.”

“Is the team okay with that?” I knew there were some risky activities athletes weren’t supposed to do while they were under contract.

He shrugged. So, a risk-taker. Just another reason to put that night behind me. Where it was, obviously. The doors dinged for the storage level, and he stood back to let me exit first.

I walked ahead, too aware of him behind me. I knew he was staring at my ass. Of course, this had to be the time I went out wearing a ratty old pair of yoga pants. I rolled my eyes at myself. No, it was good that I was. I looked over my shoulder and caught him.

He shrugged again, unrepentant. I kept walking, since I didn’t have a lot of options. I heard the sound of metal rattling, so he must have found the door for the locker he was sharing with Fitch.

Ours was farther back. I stuck the key in the door and pulled it open. Justin had some golf clubs and a bike in one corner. Shelves across from that held our luggage and some bins of off-season clothing. Mine. Justin didn’t have a lot and kept his in his closet year-round.

I pulled out my suitcase and opened it, setting it on the floor. Then I grabbed the labeled bin and picked out my raincoat and waterproof boots. I looked through what else I had in there and grabbed a fold-up umbrella as well.

That should do. I zipped up the suitcase with the rain gear inside and put the bin back on the shelf. I turned and jumped. Denny had managed to get to the doorway without making a sound. I held a hand to my chest, breathing deep. “This place is spooky enough without you sneaking up on me.”

“I didn’t mean to. Didn’t realize you were nervous.”

I released a breath and dropped my hand. “Well, I am. Sometimes.”

“Are you traveling with us?” he asked, nodding at the suitcase.

I looked at it like I had no idea what I’d come down here for. “Oh, no. I’m flying west to see family while you guys are gone.”

Something flickered in his eyes. Then his polite mask was back. “Need a hand?”

I frowned. “Not really. The suitcase has wheels.”

He nodded. I grabbed the handle but he stayed in the doorway, so I paused.

His gaze lifted from the floor to my face. “You know, I was kicking myself after you left that night.”

No need to ask which night. I shot a glance around us, worried someone could hear him.

The corner of his mouth quirked up in a mocking smile. “No one else is here.”

As if I was being needlessly cautious. “You don’t want to publicize what we did any more than I do.”

“Of course not.”

He was still standing there, so I gave in to my curiosity. “Okay, I’ll bite. Why were you kicking yourself?” I could understand if he’d known who I was, but he hadn’t, right?

“I wished I’d gotten your name. And your number.”

My heart stopped, then jerked into an uneven beat. I felt my cheeks heating up. My whole body warmed and I licked my suddenly dry lips.

“Why?” I whispered.

He was still for a moment, and then took two steps forward. "Because of this." He placed a hand on each side of my face and kissed me.

The kiss was gentle, without any force, but behind it was heat and the promise of the same passion from that night. My blood fizzed and my heart raced. My brain was sounding alarm bells, reminding me this was dangerous. I would push him away, any second now…

I finally stepped back, lips warm, and I had to fight the urge to press my fingers to them. Or to grab his face and take that kiss up several notches.

I shook my head. "My brother is your teammate. Your parents…” There were so many reasons this could never happen again.

"I know." He stepped back, giving me room to pass by him with my bag rolling behind me.

It was a quiet ride up in the elevator, but the air shimmered with tension. There were very good reasons why this couldn’t happen. It wouldn’t happen. But…

The doors opened on his floor. He stepped out.

“If you’d asked, I’d have given you my number. And answered when you called.”

For once, I’d timed it right. The doors slid closed as his eyes widened, and he jerked as if he wanted to step back in the car.

I drew out a shaky breath as the elevator climbed the two floors to my floor. Why had I said that? How had I found the nerve to say that?

It was playing with fire, and that wasn’t me.