Page 61 of Playoff
But I did. And somehow this made the whole thing feel tawdry. Best sex of my life, and this was how it ended up.
I was so, so stupid. I couldn’t do this again.
Chapter 26
My ‘Sex with Alek’ bingo card
Alek
* * *
I was going to get a hard-on for granny panties after sex with Jess. When she was dressing I wanted to ask her if I could keep them, but how weird would that be? I didn’t keep souvenirs. Just, this couldn’t happen again, and I wanted something to remember it by.
The kind of loyalty she had with her brother? I was jealous. I didn’t know if it was the twin thing but I’d never had that kind of connection with my sister. I’d never had it with anyone. And now it was one more reason Jess and I couldn’t hook up again. Couldn’t even let on we knew each other as more than incidental acquaintances on the periphery of our lives.
I didn’t want this to be over. Not yet. Jess didn’t look like she was interested in another round, however. She’d scrambled into her clothes, including those boring panties, and wouldn’t meet my eyes.
Regret. She might claim it was some of the best sex of her life, and I’d agree with her, but it wasn’t enough. Nothing I had was enough.
I shoved those dark thoughts aside and followed her out of the room to the elevator. She hung out by that same boring painting while I returned the key card, and then we had nothing to do but wait for the valet to bring the car around.
It was a quiet ride back to Toronto. Traffic was almost gone, and what remained was mostly people leaving downtown. The G-Wagon behaved beautifully, but I was more aware of the quiet woman sitting beside me.
“Could you let me off at the doors?”
“The elevator doors?” So she could take the first car up and not spend another minute with me?
“The front doors. Just in case…”
Right. Just in case her brother was wandering through the lobby of the building. Or was parking in the garage at the same time as we pulled in. This felt wrong on so many levels. Like I was cheating on a teammate. I’d never done that, but this was close.
Without a word, I stopped in front of our building. She got out of the car and slammed the door behind her. I should have driven into the underground parking, but I was too unsettled and there was no one I could talk to. Instead, I pulled out into traffic, and for an hour just drove mindlessly. I didn’t care where I went, but I needed time and space before I went back to the condo.
It was late when I finally parked. Late for a hockey player in the season, but I was optimistic about sleeping, at least. I didn’t hear another car in the garage until I was standing by the elevators, and someone walked up beside me.
JJ. Shit.
I expected silence, like his damned electric car. He wasn’t a big talker at the best of times, and he wasn’t a fan of mine.
“Thank you.” His quiet voice broke into the random echoes of the garage.
For a brief moment, I thought he’d somehow found out about what Jess and I had been doing, but I couldn’t imagine him thanking me for it. That would be more likely to get me a punch in the face.
I turned to him, frowning. “What for?”
He met my eyes for a moment, then looked back at the elevator, which was finally approaching our parking level. “The name thing.”
“Oh, right.” The elevator dinged and the doors slid open. We both stepped in, hitting the buttons for our respective floors. “Not a problem.”
“We’re still adjusting, so things were kind of messy today. But having the guys call you Alek did help keep me out of my head and the problem I have with your family. I wanted you to know I appreciate it.”
“All I’m doing is answering to my own name. The rest of the team—they’re doing most of the work.” They obviously valued JJ and wanted him playing at his best.
He looked at me again. “It’s a good group, the Blaze. I’m glad to be playing for them. I kinda hope you’re here after the trade deadline.”
The doors slid open for my floor. I got out, managing a nod but nothing else.
Damn it, I didn’t want to be traded, not now. This team—they were different. I liked playing here. I’d almost forgotten that the Blaze might decide I wasn’t needed, if the team wasn’t making the playoffs.
