Page 57 of Dreams
“Hey.” Josh shuffled his feet, slightly uncomfortable by their display. He wasn’t a prude. He’d been with his fair share of women, but he was never so cavalier about it. And it’d been a couple months since he even wanted to go out with Mack and take advantage of his status as a professional athlete.
There was a loud crack, and Josh moved to the window to watch as the storm clouds built and warred with each other for dominance.
“They’re a little much, aren’t they?” Mel came up beside him and he knew she wasn’t talking about the clouds.
“I’m used to it.” Josh shrugged.
She laughed, the low sound pleasant and inviting. Josh smiled at her.
“I just wanted to let you know ahead of time, I’m not going to sleep with you tonight.”
“What?” he sputtered.
“I’m not a - what do you call them - puck bunny?”
“Thank God for that.”
“It’s just, Sadie dragged me along and I thought the ball could be fun, but that’s it.”
Josh regained his composure and chuckled, finally seeing the humor in the situation. He liked her bluntness. “Alright, but listen, there’s kind of this girl I’m falling for, so I’m hoping to find her as soon as the team stuff ends.”
“Then this is the perfect date because I planned on ditching you anyway.”
Josh laughed at her candor.
“Good, now that we’ve got that cleared up,” she said. “We should probably go unless we want to get caught in the rain.”
“Yeah,” Josh agreed. “Can’t have Mack melting before we get there.”
They made it before the rain started, and Josh and Mack were immediately dragged away from their dates to do some team stuff. There were some pictures, and then some mingling with the foundation’s biggest donors.
The ballroom was massive, with smaller rooms off one end for those who wanted a little more quiet. The foundation pulled out all the stops to make the night amazing. It was a winter theme, as that was coming very soon. Ice sculptures guarded the entrance, and the entire space was bathed in a soft blue light. The arena chefs were responsible for the food, and they went all-out. Everyone was happy.
“Boys.” Coach Scott came up behind them and put a hand on each of their shoulders. “It’s good to see you outside of the rink for once.” He eyed the drink in each of their hands. “Mackenzie, if you get sloppy tonight, so help me God. Walker, he’s your responsibility.”
“Sure thing, Coach.” Josh smirked at Mack as their coach disappeared into the crowd.
“I’m a grown man,” Mack grumbled.
“I’d watch it if I were you. You’ve been on thin ice with Coach all season.”
“Whatever.” Mack took a long drink and led them over to stand with Olle, Carter, and Zak.
“Saw you two come in with some fine specimens,” Zak said.
Josh cringed. Viktor Zakharov had now been in the country long enough to pick up on the way some Americans spoke. He tried to emulate Mack when talking about women, but it sounded super-weird with his thick Russian baritone. Until he started hanging around with Mack, he was a quiet bear of a man. Now, they’d created a monster.
“Mine isn’t really a date,” Josh admitted. “We were kind of forced on each other.”
“Then you wouldn’t mind if I took a shot at her?” Zak’s eyes were hopeful, and Josh couldn’t help but nod his head in agreement. He couldn’t wait to see Mel’s reaction to his Russian Mackisms.
“Hey, Josh.” Mack elbowed him. “You know they were coming?”
His eyes snapped up to where Mack was looking, his jaw hanging open. Taylor hadn’t seen him yet as she made a beeline to her father with Abigail and some guy following close behind. Her dark green dress hung to her knees, revealing perfectly toned calves. It hugged her hips, making their sway almost hypnotic. His eyes moved up her frame to where the dress dipped low, revealing just enough skin to tease, but not enough to satisfy.
She looked beautiful with her short hair curled perfectly and her makeup hiding every flaw - not like he thought she had any. She’d ditched her glasses for the night too, but Josh was surprised he missed them.
“Who are those lovely creatures?” Zak asked.
