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“I do. The guys need to meet you first. It will make it so much easier for you.”
She takes several deep breaths, likely trying to avoid a panic attack. I’m throwing her right into the gauntlet. No better way to see if she can handle this. If she gets in good with my teammates, she’ll handle the paparazzi fine.
I watch as stark determination replaces her fear. This woman is strong. Courageous.
Dangerous.
She’s the kind of girl worth falling for.
God, you’re not trying to fall.
“All right. I’ll get dressed,” she says, staring at the bags.
“Wear whatever you’d like. They’re yours.”
She starts going through the bags, and I have to admit that it makes me strangely happy that she’s accepting the clothes so easily. I thought I’d pissed her off with the gesture, and she’d refuse out of independence.
It’s a good sign that she’s willing to go with the flow. It’s exactly what I’ll need from her in order for this to work.
“I’ll give you some privacy.” She doesn’t look up from her perch on the floor, sorting through the products. “Take your time.”
She doesn’t acknowledge my comment, so lost in the task at hand.
I shoot off a quick text to the group chat. One of them will have the details. Hudson is most likely the party planner of the group.
Me: What are the details for tonight?
Hudson: WHAAAA You’re actually showing your face?
Mason: Is the Stanley on the line? Are you being bribed?
Dane: You guys are assholes. Leave the man alone.
Me: What he said. Just send me the location.
Mason: Glad you’re comin’, man.
Hudson: Lux. It’s a few blocks from the hotel.
These guys are the closest thing to family I have. They might be the only people in my life now, aside from Mike, who know anything about my quirks. They don’t know all of them, but they know enough to know it’s more than the typical hockey player superstitions. They never bring them up, which makes them solid in my book.
Of all the guys, Dane is the most like me. Closed off and reserved. He’s the kind of guy you can trust. They all are. Just in different ways. He’s one of the good ones, and those are hard to come by in this profession.
Everybody is out for themselves. And I get it. A lot of money is on the line in a sport where our playing time is limited.
I pull up my online banking and sort out my recent pay. Five hundred immediately goes into a separate bank account like it has for as long as I can remember.
I don’t like the thoughts swirling around in my mind, so I shut down the app and throw my phone to the side. If we’re going to this party, I need to get my ass in gear.
On my way to my bedroom, I pass the room I’ve arranged for Cassidy. The hotel suite has two, and I already made the primary one mine, so I’ll have all her new stuff put in the other while we’re gone. Our rooms are next door to each, which at this very moment seems like an awful idea, seeing as I just had a hard time keeping my dick in check as I caught her staring at me. I’ve vowed not to touch her, and I need to stick to that no matter how badly I want her.
And I do.
Thoughts of Cassidy’s naked body responding perfectly to my commands filter through my mind, and I groan, rushing back to the shower since she arrived before I could fully wash off. I’m going to have to take a cold one to calm down.
This might be the one time my rituals will come in handy. I’ll be too busy getting ready to think about her anymore.
Stepping under the frigid water does the trick. My dick is no longer running the show, and by the time I’ve washed myself in the order I like, I’m no longer acting like a teenage boy with a raging hard-on.
