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“Tell me which ones are single. You have to have some kind of insider information on these guys.” Lyla’s eyes were scanning the bench and I watched her look at Mac as he climbed back over the boards. He glanced over his shoulder, his eyes meeting mine as he flashed both of us a smile. “Oh my. Now who is he?”
Heat crept up my neck before rapidly spreading across my cheeks. The butterflies in my stomach fluttered while my heart threatened to pound through my rib cage. Lyla’s eyes widened slightly as she saw my reaction. I tried to recover from it, but my attempt was feeble. “That’s Mac Sullivan.”
“Goddamn, he’s fine,” she said with a slow grin spreading across her lips. “But judging by the look on your face, I’m guessing you agree with me on that one.”
Clearing my throat, I shrugged. “He’s my neighbor, so we’re acquainted.”
And he’s seen me naked and has been inside me.
“He’s your neighbor and you haven’t mentioned him once?” She paused for a second. “Let me guess. He either has a girlfriend or he’s a complete douchebag.”
I couldn’t help but laugh, but the laugh came out as a choking, coughing sound. I needed to get my damn self together here. “He’s not a douchebag, but he’s no different from the rest of them. The ones that are single all tend to be exactly as you would imagine a professional athlete to be with women.”
“Ah,” she said with a knowing look and a nod as we both settled into our seats. “I’m guessing a playboy. The type who isn’t really looking for anything serious, until they find that one girl who changes everything for them and then they finally settle down.”
I mulled over her words for a moment. She wasn’t wrong with the conclusion she had drawn. I’d grown up around guys like this. Guys that were exactly as she was describing. And there was so much truth to it. They always fucked around with different girls and then out of nowhere, they’d meet one who they decided to settle down with.
That was never in the cards for me. I was never one of those girls that ended up being the chosen one. My ex in college made that abundantly clear. He played hockey too, but we went to separate schools. The long distance wasn’t easy and after my accident, things only ended up getting worse.
I wasn’t the girl he wanted to settle down with.
And now he was married to the girl he started dating after me.
I would never be someone’s endgame.
“I’m not really looking for anything serious, so a guy like that would be perfect,” Lyla chimed in, breaking through my muddled thoughts. I quickly pushed them away, my attention back on Lyla. That stupid feeling filled me again as I thought about her and Mac. The same one I felt when I found out he met up with some girl at the club that one night.
Jealousy.
"Trust me, you don’t want anything to do with Mac. He’s not really your type,” I added for good measure, attempting to keep my voice even without the envy creeping in.
Lyla tilted her head to the side, mischief dancing in her eyes as she looked back at the bench. “You know what, I think you’re right.”
My gaze trailed after hers and collided with Mac’s. The play had stopped because of a penalty that I missed, and he was standing on the other side of the bench. His helmet was off and he pushed his damp tousled hair back as he stared at me with a half-smile.
“I don’t really go for guys who have their sights set on someone else.”
I watched Mac skate back to the center of the ice before looking at Lyla again. “What do you mean?”
She laughed, shaking her head before downing a mouthful of her drink. “Girl, I know you’re not blind… or stupid, for that matter.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I lied, pretending like I had no idea what she was saying.
“It’s so obvious, Juliette. Look at the way he looks at you,” she said pointedly. “That man sees no one but you.”
It was my turn to laugh and I half snorted while rolling my eyes. “Please, Lyla. It’s nothing. He’s my neighbor, nothing more.”
She gave me a look that clearly said she didn’t believe me. “Whatever you say, Jules.”
“Seriously,” I insisted, trying to convince her otherwise. “With my dad being his coach, that’s just a scandal waiting to happen.”
Lyla gave me a devious smirk. “You know, it’s only a scandal if you get caught.”
“You’re like the devil on my shoulder right now,” I told her, laughter spilling from my lips. She was not helping at all, especially when I had already broken my vow of silence by speaking to him tonight.
Lyla shrugged with a look of innocence written across her expression. “Hey… all I’m saying is, he’s hot and he’s clearly into you. Wouldn’t it be fun to just live a little instead of constantly having your guard up?”
Mulling over her words again, we both tuned back into the game. She was right and wrong. I could keep my guard up, but I could still live a little. I could still have fun with Mac and not let him in. And I wouldn’t have minded having a repeat of what happened between us the other night.
