“Why would I sneak into your room when I’m the one with my own room and you have to share with one of your stinky teammates?”
“Two of my stinky teammates.”
“Even better. You can sneak into my room.”
“Well, that’s an offer I can’t refuse, Hawaii. So”—he tapped the book—“got any ideas from this for us to try out? Because I can’t imagine you should just assume what you read in there is any good. We should test it out.”
I rolled my eyes. “I’ll be sure to make us a list.”
“Come on, Leo!” Devon yelled.
“Christ,” he grumbled.
“Just go, really. I promise our budding friendship will not diminish in your absence.”
He grinned. “Okay. But if you find any good ideas in there, text me. That way I have time to think about how to rock your world.”
I chuckled. “You’re serious, aren’t you?”
“You know, as playful and charming as I am, I’m generally pretty serious when I speak.”
“Alright, here goes.” I picked up my phone and started typing.
Me:He made her come through nipple stimulation alone.
Me:Sounds like a crock of shit.
Leo laughed into his phone.
Leo:Challenge accepted.
He kissed me on the cheek before jumping up and landing a few rows back in the seat next to Devon.
“Why are you sitting with the reporter?” I overheard Devon ask in a loud voice.
“Because she’s better company than you. So, what the fuck do you want?” Leo asked, clearly pretending to be annoyed.
I smiled into my phone and responded to my family group chat, already containing new messages.
Uncle Eric:Does Elena leaving mean I can also get out of this chat? And the other one?
Dad:No, they’re all ridiculous except for Sophia and I need you here to point that out to them. Your role in this group chat is critical.
Uncle Eric:Great.
Me:Thanks, Dad. Elena will be back by the end of the week. And Dave, seriously, if you want to get away with something, don’t tell this family.
Dave:You really are the smart one.
I was pretty sure the smart one wouldn’t be sitting on a bus full of hockey guys with butterflies in her stomach from the way her fuck buddy seemed so bothered by being pulled away from her. Because that would mean I’d gotten myself into a very dumb situation that would only end in disappointment.
Chapter Twenty
Leo
The guys talked throughplays for nearly an hour before they seemed satisfied and ready for a nap. We had an hour until we arrived but Coach had sat down next to Sophia after I’d vacated the seat, and he’d nodded off twenty minutes ago. I’d been watching for the moment when he got up and the guys stopped talking my ear off about their new strategy for winning tonight’s game so I could sit with her again.
Despite my impatience, I’d been invested in the guys’ conversation. Even if I was feeling more distracted lately, I’d been living and breathing hockey for most of my life. I couldn’t imagine any other career fulfilling me in the way I knew playing professional hockey would. There hadn’t been any question about whether I’d enter the draft at eighteen. I was eligible, I already knew a lot of key players in the Bruins franchise from all the specialized training I’d done growing up in Boston, and it was what I wanted. If there was anything that could hold my interest, even whenI was wishing I was somewhere else, it was a conversation about hockey plays.
