Gametime, page 23
“She’s smart, all right.” He pulled out his phone. “I’m going to text her now, ask her if she’s available.”
“Thanks.” I leaned back in the seat and closed my eyes.
Happy fucking New Year.
Despite the bad news for me, a couple of my teammates and I headed to a party not long after we got back to school. Paxton went home to meet up with Naomi, his girlfriend, but Tate and I didn’t waste any time getting to the party. He was looking for his girlfriend, and I was looking for a distraction, so the timing was good. Honestly, I didn’t know how the guys who lived in what we called the hockey house could put together a party while still on the road, but they’d managed to. We were some of the first people there and cars were already lining the street. This was obviously going to be a good one.
I headed inside and went right through the house and onto the back deck. That was always where the kegs were, and tonight was no exception. I grabbed a red plastic cup and filled it up before going back inside and taking stock of who was there. Half the team had shown up, most with dates, though a few were on the prowl, but I didn’t see any fresh blood. I’d already hooked up with most of the cute single girls on campus and had gotten a little bored with that whole scene. Mostly, I wanted to get my degree and get the hell out of dodge.
I’d loved college to date, probably a little too much if my grades were any indication, and I’d had more than my fair share of fun. In fact, I’d spotted one of my two favorite ways to spend a weekend, dancing on the other side of the room. I had two friends with benefits that I hooked up with fairly regularly, but I was getting tired of it. And them. I’d hoped they wouldn’t be here tonight, but they always were. The goal now was to try to avoid that kind of thing. Four months until the end of the school year. Four months until I had to make a big decision.
A flash of blond hair distracted me and I thought it was Desi at first, one of my two favorite hookups, but the girl who turned was younger and softer than Desi, giving me pause. I squinted, trying to get a better look at her through the throngs of people dancing. I didn’t recognize her, so I took a few steps in her direction in an attempt to check her out. It wasn’t often someone new showed up at a hockey house party, so I was curious.
She had a red plastic cup in her hand and was talking to someone I didn’t know, but the closer I got, the cuter she was. Long blond hair, cute figure, and an adorable, little upturned nose. I couldn’t tell what color her eyes were, but from where I stood, she was extremely attractive and had a great laugh. Her ass looked fantastic in a pair of tight black jeans, and though it didn’t appear she had much in the way of a chest, her trim body made my mouth water.
How did I not know this girl?
Well, I was going to rectify that situation right now. I’d almost reached her when her eyes met mine. There was a moment of…something, and then warm, wet lips suddenly fastened to mine.
“Patrick! You’re here.” Cheryl Bernard had her arms around my neck and was pressing her perfect thirty-four double Ds against my chest. “Why didn’t you tell me you were back?”
“Oh. Hey.” Now that I’d spotted someone new, I was a lot less interested in Cheryl, but she already had one hand in my pocket, groping me through the fabric of my jeans.
“Let’s go upstairs,” she whispered. “We haven’t hooked up in weeks…and I’m soooo horny.”
“I just got here,” I protested mildly, tugging her hand out of my pocket. “Let me finish a beer, okay?”
“Fine.” Her lower lip protruded a little as she watched me. She was still practically fused against my chest, and short of giving her a shove, I couldn’t dislodge her, so I half walked, half dragged her outside. She hated being cold, and if I took my time, she’d go inside without me.
“Paaaatttyyy…” she whined, shivering. “Why are we out here?”
I hated when she called me Patty.
“I’m getting more beer,” I responded. “You want one?”
“I hate beer,” she muttered.
“Okay.” I toyed with the tap, pretending something was wrong with it, hoping she’d get bored and go away.
“I’ll meet you inside,” she said with a scowl, abruptly turning away.
Thank god.
I took my time refilling my beer, and instead of going back in through the kitchen, I jumped off the deck and walked around to the front of the house. I was freezing my balls off, but it would be worth it if I could lose Cheryl for a while. Normally, I was good with a quickie with Cheryl, Desi, or both of them together, but tonight I had other shit on my mind.
Like the blonde who’d made eye contact with me across the dance floor. That kind of thing was a big part of the reason I was in the trouble I was in—I had no self-control. Dammit. Not when it came to women and partying, anyway. The problem was that after two and a half years of mindless hookups, I was tired of it. They all looked alike, felt alike, tasted alike. I wanted something different. Someone different. Someone who might actually keep my interest beyond thirty minutes of foreplay and a few rounds in the sack.
I ran my hands through my too-long hair and made a mental note to get it cut. I’d let a lot of things go lately with all the partying I’d been doing, so I made the spontaneous decision to avoid women altogether for the rest of the night and hang out with my friends and teammates instead. Lex was here now and I moved in his direction. He lived here at the hockey house, which was a Victorian-style mansion that they’d converted into a fraternity house type of place, with a huge living area for parties, a big-ass kitchen and deck, and what seemed like a thousand bedrooms. It was probably only five, but I’d never counted them, so I wasn’t sure.
I’d almost made it to Lex when I saw her again.
The blonde.
She wasn’t dancing anymore. She was just standing against a wall, looking a little lost and forlorn, as if the happy-go-lucky personality I’d seen when she’d been dancing had been an act. I wasn’t sure why I thought that, but my gut told me there was more to this girl than a great ass and a sweet face.
I approached her with a friendly smile.
“Hi.” I leaned against the wall so we were facing each other. “You want to dance?”
She hesitated a fraction of a second and then nodded. “Sure.”
We moved into the middle of the room, since there wasn’t an official dance floor, and she closed her eyes as we started to move. She was delightful to look at, her features delicate and feminine. She had fair skin and her hair was a delicious honey-blond color, reminding me of summer sunshine. It flowed around her shoulders as she danced, soft waves that made me want to run my fingers through it.
The song came to an end and a slow one came on. Without saying a word, she moved into my arms and I put one arm around her lower back and used the hand of my other arm to hold one of her hands. Her eyes met mine, an unspoken question in them, but I didn’t want to talk. Not yet. I wanted to enjoy the feel of her slender body against mine and lose myself in someone with no expectations. Maybe she knew who I was and was angling for a hookup, but I didn’t get that vibe. She hadn’t been giving me inviting looks, hadn’t approached me, and there hadn’t been any recognition in her eyes at all. My gut told me she didn’t know who I was any more than I knew who she was.
When the song came to an end, I reluctantly let her go and she smiled.
“Thank you for the dances,” she said. She was yelling since a loud, fast song had come on and someone blasted the volume.
I didn’t want to let her go just yet so I reached for her hand.
“Let’s do a shot,” I said, motioning to a table set up along one wall. It had originally been intended for food but had morphed into the shot table, with someone pouring them and placing them in rows by drink. Jägermeister, Jack Daniel’s, and Fireball were the three I recognized, and I reached for the JD while she grabbed a Fireball.
“To a new year and new friends,” I said, lifting the cup.
“Cops!” someone yelled.
“Shit! I have to get out of here,” she said frantically. “My mom will kill me if I get caught drinking—again!”
“Come on.” I grabbed her hand and tugged her through the kitchen, out onto the deck, and then I vaulted over the side into the snow. “Come on!” I yelled up at her. “I’ll catch you. Jump!”
Grab your copy of Overtime and keep reading.
You Will Also Enjoy…
More Moo U Hockey:
Boyfriend by Sarina Bowen
Blindsided by Victoria Denault
Slapshot by Rebecca Jenshak
Holdout by Jaqueline Snowe
Overtime by Kat Mizera
Halftime by Kim Findlay
Darkroom by Kate Willoughby
Playmaker by Sierra Hill
Snowballed by Melanie Ting
Goalkeeper by Andi Burns
Jami Davenport’s Sports Romances:
The Scoring Series
Seattle Sockeyes Series
Seattle Steelheads Series
Acknowledgments
A huge thank you to Sarina Bowen for the opportunity to write in her world with all these amazing authors. I’m humbled by the faith you’ve put in me to write in your world.
A special shoutout to bestie Kat Mizera for collaborating with me to bring the Graham twins to life.
Thank you to Stacy for always being there when I need you (even when your world has been turned upside down) and giving this a final read-through.
Jami Davenport, Gametime
