Page 107 of Hockey Halloween
He could only nod numbly, and the trio drifted off into the rest of the crowd.
Teddy reclaimed her seat beside him and leaned over so her voice was soft in his ear. “I help you assimilate with the bizarrely connected and interwoven team family, and you help me convince twenty-two guys to learn the CitiRokk dance.”
She’d actually need to convince twenty-threeguys, because he had no intention of doing…whatever that was. And then her hand found his knee like it had in her car. It was casual, flirty but friendly like you’d expect from a girlfriend. Which his team now thought she was. That was the underlying offer. She’d pretend to be his girlfriend to give him street cred and a way into the tight-knit Sinners family. Would it be worth occasionally making an ass out of himself on the internet if he could stay in Vegas? It wasn’t like pretending to be her boyfriend would exactly be a hardship. And his introverted tendencieswerealready getting in the way of making a place for himself here.
He released a hard sigh. “Fine.”
Anyone else might have taken offense to that response. Teddy looked amused and leaned in to kiss his cheek, lingering. “I promise this’ll be painless,” she purred against his skin.
He shifted in his chair, her promise already broken as he tried to adjust himself without drawing attention to it. “Just don’t go overboard, okay?” It came out almost a growl because of his…situation.
“Me? Never.” Her fingernails trailed whisper soft down the back of his neck, and his eyes closed in reflex. This woman would be the death of him.
Before he could say anything else, she was up and tugging him toward the dance floor. He couldn’t even dig in his heels and slow the momentum because it happened so fast. Under the neon lights, she danced with grace and skill like in her videos, flashing those blue eyes at him. He just stood there at first, no idea what to do.
As if sensing he needed some help, Teddy took his hands and guided him side to side then in a circle around her, leading him through steps he didn’t have to think about. And once hestoppedthinking, it was fun. He couldn’t remember a single time in his life when dancing had been fun, just something to be avoided like the inevitable embarrassment that would follow it. But he wasn’t embarrassed. In fact, he wasn’t thinking about anyone else in the room except the silly, slightly crazy, beautiful woman laughingwithhim, not at him. It opened up something in him he wasn’t expecting. Not a door yet. A window maybe.
The next thing he knew, an hour had passed, and Teddy took his hand again, leading him to the bar with the other guys. She angled him in next to Dylan Cole, where he was welcomed into the conversation about the game. And then she…disappeared? Archer glanced around discreetly while the guys talked penalty kills and saw her off to the side, sipping a glowing pink drink. She gave him a smile, a finger wave, and a thumbs up, her halo bobbing over her head. He bit the inside of his lip to hold in a grin. Didn’t quite succeed and shook his head. She was something else. And now she was his. Sort of.What is happening?
Teddy
Tuesday, October 28
“Five, six, seven eight!” Teddy clapped out the numbers and walked through the basic steps to a modified “Thriller” dance for the tenth time to tired hockey players who were quarter-assing it at best after morning practice. But this was the only time to do it before they left for a swing of away games, and she needed the video to post on actual Halloween.
There were a few issues. Despite Saralynn informing them theyhadto do this, there was a wide range of interpretation on the definition of “participation.” The ones who did try like Archer, even though his movements were small and self-conscious, couldn’t get the hang of mirroring her movements versus copying them as she faced them, so half of the room zombie-walked left when they were supposed to go right. She needed help. But right now? No time. She snapped her fingers to halt this attempt and turned off the music. “Okay, this is pretty good.”Good enough. “Let’s do this for real, and then you can go home.”
That got a round of cheers. Teddy pushed the record button on her phone, cued the music to the beginning and mouthed thenumbers to count them down. She held her phone steady in one hand and used the other to point and gesture what they were supposed to do like a hybrid choreographer/conductor. It was not the most effective, but knowing they were being recorded, the guys got into it more. Not necessarily the correct steps, but some enthusiastic ones, making faces she had to bite her lip to keep from laughing at. When they got to the minute mark, she stopped the video and cut the music.
“Got it! Thanks guys. I know you were tired after practice, and this was the last thing you wanted to do. I really appreciate it. You’re saving me. You don’t even know.”
Even the grumbliest guys softened at that and waved away her thanks with a “No problem.” Archer just stared at her with a small, shy smile that made her stomach flip.Not real. Not real.Important to remember that. But the rest of the guys needed to believe it.
She tucked the confusing feelings away and strode up to her fake boyfriend, pulling him in for a soft kiss. The guys who hadn’t left immediately after being dismissed raised their eyebrows and whistled, gently shoving Archer, teasing. He didn’t seem to notice. His full lips were pliant under hers, surprisingly velvety, and an inadvertent low hum in this throat made her smile before she stepped back. She waited until they were alone in the space outside the locker room before sighing. “Sorry about that, but I saw an opportunity. Looks like they’re embracing you.”
Archer blinked like he’d been in a bubble that just popped, and it took him a second to process her words. “Um. Yeah. They mostly tease me about you, but today they also talked to me about my experience in Carson City, and they invited me out for drinks tonight when we get to San Jose.”
She playfully punched his arm. “That’s great!”
“Yeah.” Except his brows were in a straight line parallel with his mouth.
“What’s wrong?” Her hand went to his without thinking about it, giving it a small squeeze.
He looked down at it then back to her and swallowed. “I’mnervous. I don’t know if you noticed, but socializing isn’t my strong suit. Hanging out at a bar, trying not to drink enough that it’d affect my play the next day while attempting to hold conversations with guys who intimidate the hell out of me? How am I supposed to do that?” His cerulean blue eyes reflected the anxiety, and she felt a pinch in her chest.
His introversion was oddly endearing since she spent most of her time around extroverts and her job demanded she be the queen of them. She slid her thumb gently over his knuckles. “Can I give you some tips?”
His gaze darted down to their joined hands again, but he wasn’t letting go. He nodded.
“Blending in is easy. All you have to remember is that interested people are interesting. You don’t actually have to talk about yourself. Keep asking questions about them. And it can be subtle. When they tell you something, repeat the last few words back to them like a question. They’ll expand on their thought, and they’ll keep going as long as you do.”
His brows rose. “That works?”
“Every time. And if you need to change it up a little, make an obvious observation about something they said. Let’s practice. Tell me something about you. Anything.”
“Uhh. I’m allergic to peanuts.”
“It must be so hard managing at restaurants with an allergy like that!”
