Page 16 of Power Play
I turn on Lacey. "You're hitting on other men, while you're pregnant withmychild!?"
Her eyes widen for half a second in disbelief before she bites the inside of her cheek to stop from laughing. But instead of the blown-out lust I saw on her face before, now she has a playful glimmer. Good. That's what I want to see on her.
She plays along. She rests her hand on her flat stomach. "I'm sorry, babe, but you know how these pregnancy hormones make me soooo horny."
Now it's my turn to stifle a laugh. God, this girl is so much fun. Whip smart and playful.
Dude-bro chokes on air before spinning so fast he stumbles and literally runs away.
I look down on Lacey as a moment passes between us before we both burst into laughter. I don't step back, though, and I don't remove my arm from around her waist. When was the last time I'd held a woman? When was the last time I'd wanted to? I'd pretty much signed up for the bachelor lifestyle. It wasn't so bad after you got used to it. I'm my own man. I have my own place. And I can do whatever the fuck I want, whenever I want.
I did the whole domestic, married life. Fuck that noise.
But, in this moment, I do have to admit, having a beautiful woman in my arms, her soft smile, the strawberry scent of her shampoo is nice. Lacey is strong, lithe, with the body of an athlete, but here, she's soft. She rests her weight against my chest, and I get the feeling she'senjoying the physical contact just as much. Neither one of us wants to break the spell this contact has over us. Maybe we are playing in to our carnal needs. Maybe we are just weak to basic human touch. But she doesn't pull away, and I don't step back.
Eventually, I need to do a temperature gauge.
"Do you think dude-bro left?"
She turns her head up at me. "Dude-bro? In my head I was calling him douche-bro."
I laugh again. "What sport do you think he played?"
"Football."
"Me, too!"
"But like... D level High School quarterback. Peaked in eleventh grade."
I pull her closer. "Fuck, that's exactly what I was thinking. You've got a vicious side to you."
She shrugs, pretending to be unaffected. "When you've got a douche-canoe hitting on you and getting in your personal space, you say some pretty unflattering things in your head."
I bristle again. His "she wanted it" comment and the invasion of her personal space have me angry. How far would he have taken it? Would he have taken advantage? Pushed her? Raped her?
Now I want to find the guy and fucking kill him. She'd been scared. Scared to make a scene, scared he'd take it too far. Fuck that.
I lean down and whisper in her ear. "Want me to go finish him off?"
She laughs again and it sounds lighter this time. "'NHL coach gets into a bar brawl with a washed up high school QB?' No thanks. It's not worth it."
It is to me.
Holy fuck, I need to reign in my internal caveman.
"Alright, let's close out our tabs and head back to the hotel, before I get into a bar brawl."
She smiles at me again and I swear it lights up the entire room. Lacey doesn't smile a lot, but when she does, holy fuck, it's startling. I can't help but look around me, and I'm not the only one whose noticed how fucking radiant this woman is.
It makes me want to quit my job and spend the rest of my life finding things that make this woman smile.
I shake my head. What a stupid thought. I love my life. I get to coach some of the best hockey players in the United States. I'm living my dream. I will not throw that away for a simple crush.
"Alright, Rocky, let's get you to safety."
We close out our tabs and grab a cab together.
After tonight, I know two things: I’m ridiculously attracted to my PT, and acting on it could ruin everything. But fuck, staying away from her might ruin me.
