Page 27 of Rookie Move
“God, I’m sorry.” The rough timbre of the voice in her ear made her neck tingle.
Georgia leapt backward, removing herself from Leo Trevi’s chest. “Sorry,” she echoed, her voice a squeak. “Didn’t, uh, watch where I was going.”
Leo grinned at her, his smile spreading slowly across that handsome face. “I was just looking for you.”
At close range, it was hard not to notice how broad his shoulders were now, and how massive his arms looked inside the sleeves of his suit jacket. She was staring. “Um, what?”
His smile became a chuckle. “I was looking for you. We really should talk.”
“Talk?” Apparently she was only capable of speaking in one-word sentences.
“Yeah, Gigi. Talk—for once in six years. I suggested coffee. But you wanted to have a publicity meeting, right? Well here I am.”
Here indeed, sucking up all the available oxygen with his smile and all that muscle.Pull it together, Georgia. “Um, sure. Where shall we talk?”
He lifted those massive shoulders in a shrug. “I’m the new guy. You’re supposed to know these things.”
Right.
Georgia glanced around herself. Privacy was at a premium in the stadium, even on the VIP level where they were now. There was a very posh bar just down the corridor, but anyone might be in there. Instead, Georgia led him several yards down the giant, curving corridor and over to an upholstered bench along the wall. She sat down and crossed her legs self-consciously.
The bench shifted slightly under Leo’s weight when he sat down. It was a roomy enough place to sit, but still it felt unbearably intimate. Even from this distance his scent was distinctive—clean shirts and a woodsy aftershave.
She put her damp palms on her knee, over the hem of her skirt. “So.” Where to begin?
“So,” he echoed, his voice warm. “This is your meeting. What does the queen of PR do to break in the rookie?”
Was it her imagination, or was the question meant to sound so... suggestive?Gah. “Well, um. There are some events you’ll be asked to do. There’s the, um, benefit I mentioned the other day. Those black-tie events don’t come up that often, though. It’s usually a hospital visit, or skate with the team to raise money for cancer research...”
“That doesn’t sound too hard,” he said, his hand landing on the cushion between them.
Georgia lifted her chin so she wouldn’t have to think about all the marvelous ways that hand used to touch her. But that was a mistake, because it meant she was now looking right into his beautiful brown eyes. There was heat in them, too, or was she crazy?
Yep. Definitely losing her mind. And her train of thought.
Damn it. She cleared her throat and got back to business. “There’s a spiel I give everyone about being in the public eye. I’m sure you’ve heard this all before, but the stakes are higher now, because people will pay more attention.” She relaxed a little bit now because she’d delivered this speech many times before, and it was a comfortable topic. “Whether you like it or not, you’re representing theteam at all times. So when you’re in a public place, always assume that someone may photograph you. Anything you say online will be scrutinized. I always follow players’ social accounts just to make sure there aren’t any red flags.”
Leo stopped her with an elbow nudge and a grin. “But you unfriended me on Facebook, Gigi.”
And,crap. She had. After she’d said good-bye to Leo, he hadn’t changed their relationship status. So every time she logged in, it made her heart hurt. For some reason, she just couldn’t click that box to make it say “single” again.
Then, during their freshman year of college, her feed began to fill with pictures of Leo surrounded by new faces. Teammates she’d never meet. Girls. Those photos made her crazy. That’s when she’d done it. She’d unfriended him completely so she wouldn’t have to see that he’d moved on.
She swallowed hard. “Well, uh, I meant Instagram, Twitter if you use it...”
Leo snorted. “Not a fan.”
“Okay,” she said quietly.
“Look, I won’t be your problem child. I’m easy. So long as your father doesn’t ship me back to the minors, I’ll be a good boy.”
“He won’t,” she said automatically. Even though she hadn’t been ready to see him again, she wasn’t ready for him to disappear, either. Leo’s eyes widened, and she realized too late that she’d made it sound as if she had inside information. “I meant, I hope he won’t. Or, uh, I think he won’t. Just, uh, speculating.”
Leo nodded, his eyes boring into hers. When he looked at her like that, the years just fell away. They’d been so close for so long. Even if this was all very complicated, Georgia felt herself lean toward him by a few degrees. The connection between them was still there. Like the fishing line her father used when he took the boat out on the Sound. Invisible, yet strong.
Someone cleared a throat, and Georgia sprang up off the bench, as if she’d been caught doing something wrong.
“Sorry to startle you,” Becca said quickly. “But Coach is looking for Leo. He needs you to suit up.”
