Page 42 of Cheap Shot
“Talk to her, please,” he pleads, holding the phone toward me and shaking it. “Apparently, my promises that you are doing just fine aren’t enough.”
I giggle softly before grabbing the phone from his outstretched hand. I don’t even say hello before she starts rapid-firing questions. “Is he there? Did he immediately sweep you off your feet and profess his undying love for you? Or did you just walk right up to him and lay one on him? Shit, am I interrupting something? I’m so sor?—”
“OMG, Stacey. Take a breath.” She inhales loudly, but doesn’t say another word. “No, to all of your questions. Parker and I are the only ones here. Wait, that's a lie. One player just came in.”
“Which one?” Parker asks, grabbing the manila folder on the edge of his desk. “We have a few guys coming in to get taped up before the first training session, but I didn’t know we had any appointments this early.”
“I don’t know. I didn't get a good look at him. I only noticed because he walked past the training room on his way somewhere.”
“Hello. I’m still here,” Stacey screeches, causing both of us to laugh.
“Sorry, didn’t mean to ignore you. Just doing my job and everything.”
“Fine. Go be fabulous and all that jazz. But call me if you see him! I want to know everything, and I mean it.”
“Yes, ma’am.” I give her a mock salute, as if she can see me. “You’ll be the first to know.”
“That’s all I ask.” Stacey giggles before saying goodbye and ending the call.
I shake my head, holding Parker’s phone out toward him. “Sorry about that. She caught me polishing the hardwood floors in the kitchen last night when I should’ve been sleeping.”
My eyes widen in horror, but Parker chimes in quickly. “Calm down. I didn’t say a thing to her about your minor freakout before walking into the locker room.”
I tip my head back and exhale loudly. “Thank fuck. She’d be stuck to me like glue, ready to fight off anyone who dared look at me funny.”
“She does it because she loves you, Michele. You know that, right?”
Stacey and Kyle have been my fiercest protectors since the day we met. Sometimes they even have to protect me from myself. My anxiety can get out of control sometimes, even with my meds, but those two are always right there to calm me down and help my issues seem a little more manageable. I love them for it, but sometimes my protectors are a little more mama bear than I’d like.
“Of course, I know that. Stacey has had my back since the day we met. She is my ride or die, and I feel the same way about her. But sometimes she can go a little overboard.”
“Trust me, I know. I’ve been threatened within an inch of my life if I let anyone so much as make you cry when you’re in this locker room.”
“You all seem to forget that I grew up in a hockey locker room. I know my brain can be an asshole sometimes, but I swear I can handle a bunch of rowdy hockey players.”
“I know you can.” Parker winks before handing me the manila folder he was just looking through. “Why don’t you go say hello to the player in the locker room? Figure out which one of those he is and why the hell he’s here so early.”
I flip through the folder, noticing Cole’s profile in the mix. I’m not the least bit ready to face him again. Actually, that’s a lie. My mind is ready to face him, but my libido may have other plans.
“You got it, boss.” I wink at him before tucking the folder under my arm.
“What did I say about you calling me that?”
“That you want me to do it every chance I get?”
“Get the hell out of my office and do your job,” Parker shouts as I swallow down a laugh before heading out of his office and into the locker room.
The locker room looks exactly the same as it always has, but also different at the same time. The space is serene, missing the chaos the room always brings. The air is clean, almost sterile like a hospital, instead of like sweat and the sharp bite of menthol from all the muscle rub that players use to soothe their aches and pains before and after games. Every surface is clean, no piles of gear and jerseys lying on the scuffed benches. The only thing out of place is the man, crouched down in front of a locker, digging into his hockey bag.
Inhaling deeply, I throw my shoulders back, chin raised slightly as I stroll toward him. I plaster a smile on my face, although inside I’m silently freaking out. First impressions are lasting impressions, right? This will be my first interaction with anyone on the team. I need to make a good impression to set the tone for the season.
“I can do this,” I mumble to myself, just as the man stands to his full height, stopping me in my tracks.
Tall. Broad. Shirtless. Tattoos across his shoulder and ribs—lines of ink that looked like they were meant to be read in silence cover his back. My mouth waters as I watch his muscles tighten, pulling a set of shoulder pads over his head, covering his gorgeous tattoos. Who the fuck knew a back could be so tempting? I don’t know what the hell I’m going to do when he turns around.
“Are you just going to stand there and stare?” He chuckles before turning around, our eyes locking instantly.
Fuck me.My cheeks heat for what feels like the millionth time in the last hour as I tuck a few strands of my hair behind my ear, my eyes looking anywhere but at the man I’ve been dreaming about nonstop since he asked me out a few weeks ago. Of course, I couldn’t have had any lead-up to seeing Cole Hendrix again. That would’ve been too easy. Instead, I’m caught ogling him in the middle of the locker room on my first day of work. Just fucking peachy.
