Page 7 of Slashed By You (Chicago Steel #5)
Chapter 7
Josh
F ollowing dinner, I feel my eyes getting heavy. I need to wake up. Just shifting my weight has me groaning. I had a brutal leg day today, and right now, they are screaming. As I’m stuck at this event, the only thing I can do to ease my discomfort is to get up and move around. Really, I need to get home and spend some TLC on my muscles with my Theragun after an ice bath.
Joining some of my teammates, I notice Coach glaring at someone across the room. I follow his eyes and see a man talking to a familiar woman. It’s Stephanie, Coach’s friend. Wink, wink. Then I notice the absolutely stunning woman standing next to her at the dessert table. Wrapped in a shimmery gown, she glows like she has a halo above her head. Her smile takes my breath away and the twinkle in her eyes makes me smile.
Desperate to know about her, I ask, “That’s Stephanie, but who’s the goddess next to her?” Lucas and Mika snicker, and I glare at them.
Coach breaks his focus and answers, “That’s Kenzie, she’s the baker who made all the desserts for tonight.”
My mouth falls open, and I stutter, “S-she’s the one who made the cupcakes for the Fourth of July?” They were absolutely sinful. I think I ate four of them. My eyes trace over all the desserts displayed. “And she made all the desserts for tonight?” I pat my stomach. “You know how I love my sweets. I think I’ll go introduce myself and grab a business card if she has one.” Lucas and Mika snicker again, and I whip my head to them. “You know, in case I have a dessert emergency.”
Mika groans while Lucas mutters, “pathetic,” under his breath.
“Go for it,” Coach answers distractedly, and I feel my heart pound in my chest. I have to meet her. Heading that way, I see Stephanie step away to another table. Guess she can’t introduce us. Sweat breaks out under my tux. As I get closer, I’m dumbstruck by how breathtaking she is. Wrapped in a pink dress that hugs every one of her decadent curves, I’m transfixed. I lick my lips. She looks like a gift, one I’d like to unwrap. I haven’t responded like this to a woman. Ever. What is it about her?
Out of the corner of my eye, I see my teammates moving closer. What are they doing? Probably spying on me. Looking back, I mutter, “Assholes.”
As I approach the table, I give her my best smile, the one that’s charmed many women in the past. “Hi,” I say, purposefully dropping my voice.
“Hi,” she shyly answers.
“Did I hear right? You made all these desserts?” I ask, blown away by the variety in front of me.
“I did. Can I get you something?” she offers.
“What’s your favorite?” I ask, hoping she’ll keep talking.
I watch as her ocean-blue eyes look over all the desserts. When she’s done, she replies, “My favorite isn’t here.”
Looking again at the table, I wonder how that’s possible. “There are so many options here. What’s missing?”
“A plain old chocolate chip cookie,” she replies with a laugh. There’s no denying it. This goddess intrigues me in so many ways.
I laugh. “Those are the best, especially when they’re still warm and gooey.”
She nods her agreement, but then her eyes flick to all the desserts in front of her. “Is there anything you’d like to try?”
Pointing to a cupcake that reminds me of the ones I demolished at Lucas’s, I say, “That cupcake looks amazing. What flavor is it?”
An electric smile appears across her face. “It’s death by chocolate, and it’s the number one seller at my bakery.”
The name confirms it’s the same, and I know it’ll be divine. “You don’t say? Then I have to try it.”
As she hands me the delicious-looking cupcake, our hands brush. It’s the briefest of touches. A whisper of skin on skin, my callused fingertips sparking off her smooth, alabaster hand, but it’s a spark that flickers and ignites, shooting up my arm. The surprise and pleasant tingle of it causes me to almost drop the cupcake. Did she feel that, or am I imagining things? I look at her for confirmation, but nothing registers in her expression. Meanwhile, my body is on fire. All neurons are firing and craving more of her touch. I haven’t had nearly enough. My heart races in my chest, making me feel lightheaded. My mouth feels dry and I’m suddenly parched. Calm down, Josh. Taking a drink of water, I swallow past the nerves wreaking havoc in my body. The woman I know only as Kenzie the baker stares at me, waiting for me to take my first bite. A panicked look stretches across her face, and I wonder why.
“Are you going to try it?” she asks, a tinge of nervousness in her voice.
I nod and bite into the cupcake, then groan. “That. Is. Amazing.” The decadent flavor explodes in my mouth, and right now, I couldn’t be happier. Really? Okay, maybe if this delicious creature in front of me was letting me lick this rich and creamy icing off her nipples, I would definitely be happier. But, since we haven’t even been introduced, I’m going to settle for second best. This cupcake is named appropriately because it may be the death of me or the cause of serious blue balls—those little fuckers I’ve been sporting since I spotted her.
Lost in my thoughts of her, I barely hear her say, “thank you.” I just smile.
“Well, now that I’ve tasted your incredible baking, and it changed my life, I feel like I need to introduce myself.” I offer her my hand and say, “I’m Josh Logan, the captain of the Chicago Steel. And you are?”
Upon hearing my name, a frown covers her face, and she steps back. What is going on? I usually don’t have that sort of reaction from women. Then she says, “I’m Kenzie. Can I get you anything else, Josh?” Is she dismissing me? Her tone is emotionless, and it’s clear she’s uncomfortable. I can’t wrap my head around what just happened. I feel like I have whiplash. I guess it’s best to answer her and leave. Apparently, whatever I felt between us, I imagined. But why do I feel so drawn to her? Everything was going fine until she heard my name. Weird. I don’t understand. I’m a pretty good guy, but her reaction makes me question what she thinks she knows about me.
Not wanting to leave, but feeling unwelcome, I say, “No, thanks. But that cupcake was amazing.” I step back. “It was good to meet you, Kenzie.” Grabbing one of her business cards, I add, “I’ll definitely be stopping by.” Then I give her a smile and a wink before returning to my teammates, a.k.a. the spectators of my fumbled attempt at flirting.
“What just happened?” Mika asks when I rejoin the group.
Not wanting to feed into their antics, I answer, “What do you mean? I just met the woman of my dreams.”
Lucas laughs. “Yeah, and she wants nothing to do with you. Good luck with that, buddy.”
I scowl at him. “What are you talking about? We had chemistry.”
Mika joins the fun, rolling his eyes. “No wonder he was with Kayla for so long. If he thinks that was chemistry, he’s destined to be a stalker or only date psychos.” They don’t know about Kayla and what really went down during those years we were together. I’m not ready to tell anyone the truth of all that happened. So, I shove the last bite of the delicious cupcake in my mouth, effectively silencing myself. Frowning, I replay the conversation Kenzie and I had. Then it hits me.
Clearing my voice so they’ll all listen, I say, “Maybe she doesn’t date athletes?”
Lucas laughs again. “Who would pass up a chance to date a professional hockey player?”
All the guys shrug and go back to their conversations, but I’m left wondering if that’s what it is. Looking back at Kenzie, I can’t deny the attraction I feel to her. Finding out why she pulled away is something I have to know. I just hope it isn’t too painful. Maybe she knows about Kayla? How would she, though? We’ve been over for months. Because social media changes so rapidly, I figure I’m no longer appearing on anything Kayla’s posted recently, but I honestly don’t know. I’m still so angry with her. I’ve avoided her or anything having to do with her after I kicked her out. Stepping away from the boys, I pull out my phone and pull up TikTok. I have social media accounts, but my assistant monitors them for me. And she hasn’t mentioned anything.
Only moments after loading her page, my face appears. I see that I’m the object of dozens of her posts over the last few months. Slipping my AirPods into my ear, I select the first video. My heart drops and my gut churns as she tears me apart. Everything’s choreographed to music and special effects. What has she done? Her words register deep and then I realize she’s describing herself during our relationship. Relationship . I hate that word; it tastes like pungent ash on my tongue. Yes, I guess we were in a relationship for years, but it was never romantic. Looking back, I would have done so many things differently, but fears paralyzed me.
At first, we were having a baby, and the tremendous responsibility that was, weighed on me. Then she lost the baby, and I was fearful of how to handle her and her emotions, let alone deal with my own. By the time I’d addressed mine, so much time had passed and I didn’t know what to do. I’d just given up. I felt destined for the life I was stuck living.
Had Kenzie seen this? Opening Instagram and Facebook, I find similar messages. Apparently, Kayla used all her platforms to smear my name and reputation through the mud. And now it’s affecting my life. I have to stop her. But how? Freedom of speech is a real thing. You could do or say pretty much anything you wanted to across social media. And for the most part, it’s tolerated, shared, and liked by millions of people you don’t know. People who aren’t privy to the truth, just the version being spread. I don’t want to get into a legal battle with her. She’d already stolen years from me.
Angered, I pocket my phone, knowing I can’t do anything about it tonight. Tomorrow, I’ll call my assistant and see about getting some good press out about me. We’re going to change the narrative being shared. We just have to be careful about how we do it. I don’t want to lower myself to Kayla’s level, but I’m going to make it known I’m not any of those things she’s calling me.
It’s tough not to wonder what Kenzie’s reaction to me would have been if she hadn’t seen all that’s been spread about me. It frustrates the fuck out of me that six months later, Kayla is still screwing with my happiness.
Despite her uneasy reaction to me, I stopped by CakeStop’s dessert table throughout the night with the excuse of grabbing something for one of my teammates. Each time, I avoid Kenzie so that I don’t make things uncomfortable. I just can’t seem to avoid the pull I feel toward her.