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Before I can respond, he adds, “Do we have a deal or not? I’ll be quite busy this semester with coaching and being a student, so we’ll barely even see each other.”
It’s with the desperation I feel to keep my pride intact with my family that I square my shoulders and make a deal with the devil.
“It’s a deal.”
We quickly exchange numbers so that he can text me his address and I can come over to visit. Then I rush out of his office before my father could ever know I was here.
Chapter 2
Elio
I slam the front door to my condo closed, cursing under my breath.
What the fuck did I get myself into?
I’ve never let anyone into my home willingly before. I’ve never even brought a girl over in the nearly ten years that I’ve lived on my own.
And I invited one to live with me today.
I like my space, preferring quiet nights at home. My hockey era made me look like an entitled, rich, playboy asshole. But that couldn’t be further from the truth. Except for the rich part because that’s true.
Yes, I have fucked around quite a bit, but I wouldn’t call myself a playboy. And I also worked my ass off to get to where I was in the league, but the media always liked to focus on the story they were spinning. The one Jasmine seems to buy into.
I meant it when I said I’ve been wanting to help her ever since I stumbled on her videos a few months ago, shortly after I came to RLU. There’s potential in her content, but her account lacks good marketing.
I had no idea how to approach her because, from the first day we met, I found her intimidating. And that’s never happened to me before.
Ever.
But there’s something fiery about Jasmine underneath that perfect daughter persona she likes to put on for her family. Part of me wants to unravel her layers and discover who she really is underneath.
The other part of me wants to stay as far as I can be because I’m not sure what I’ll do if I get to know her more.
She’s beautiful beyond belief, and I already can’t do a damn thing about it. I never will. Especially now that we’re going to be roommates.
Why the hell did I think this was a good idea? Inviting temptation right to my door and giving it the opportunity to stay.
I’m twenty-nine and she’s eight years younger than me. She’s also the daughter of a man I look up to as a father figure and whom I consider as one of my closest friends, which makes her as far off-limits as someone can be.
Ned Park is my lifelong coach and friend, and he called me with a job offer months after I completely tore my ACL, taking me out of the NHL for good. I accepted, because I still enjoyed hockey and wanted to help those aspiring to make it to the league.
Although I was happy with the offer, I knew I’d need more to do with my time, so I decided to go back to school and finish my degree since I was drafted during my junior year and was never able to complete my degree.
I don’t necessarily need to complete it, not with my money or intelligence, but I want it. To me, it means that I accomplished something, and I thrive on setting goals and reaching them.
For this school year, I want to get the team to the championship, have a ninety-nine average in my classes, and increase Jasmine’s profits by at least seventy-five percent before the holiday break.
Oh, and to keep my damn hands off her.
Aside from those, I should also figure out what the hell I want to do with my life. Explore and see what else gets my blood pumping other than hockey. Before I can spiral down that thought train, an incoming call from my youngest sister, Bria, pulls me out of my thoughts.
“Ciao, Leoooo! How’s it going?” she says as soon as I answer.
“Ciao, bella, I’m good. Just got home from practice. You?” I ask, instantly feeling better whenever I talk to one of my sisters.
“I’m at headquarters. I’m spending the night doing an observation with one of our satellites in orbit,” she says, excitement clear in her voice.
Pride blooms in my chest. Bria is an astronomer and works for NASA at only twenty-four years old. “Sounds nerdy and fun for you,” I tease, plopping onto my couch.
