Page 40 of Game Misconduct

“That’s really amazing.” I met his gaze. “I didn’t even know what elective I wanted to take back then, let alone what I wanted to do with my life. I still don’t.”

He dropped his eyes. “I got lucky.”

“That’s only a small piece of it. You’re also talented and disciplined and hardworking. There’s no other way you could have made it this far.”

He shrugged one shoulder.

He had every reason to be arrogant and stuck up, but he wasn’t. It was so admirable. And with his blue eyes and easy smile combined with his shirt that was just tight enough to show off those well-earned muscles, he was undeniably attractive.

I cringed at the thought. I wasn’t supposed to think of my best friend like that. We were platonic. I needed to remember that. I had to. Otherwise, I was going to end up hurt.

Fourteen

Parker

Vivi invited me up to her apartment after dinner, and I quickly accepted. I wasn’t ready to go home, and she was the only person I wanted to spend time with. I made myself comfortable on one end of the couch while she went to change.

“Ice cream?” she called as she appeared out of the hall in black sweats and a faded shirt with the Grand Canyon’s outline of the front. She was twisting her long hair around on the top of her head, and in some sort of magic trick, she lowered her hands and the hair stayed in a messy bun.

“Is it cookies and cream?” I asked while trying not to stare at her. The length of her neck was exposed, and I had the sudden desire to trail my finger along the flushed skin.

“Are there other options?” she teased.

“In that case, yes please.” I couldn’t put my finger on exactly what it was about her that drew me in like never before. She’d dressed up tonight, and I’d seen her after work, looking polished and pretty. This was different. Truer.

“Is it weird for you to go out?” she asked while handing me a bowl of her favorite, cookies-and-cream ice cream. “I only caught one or two people staring, but I imagine it can get worse.”

I poked the spoon against a chunk of black cookie, hoping she hadn’t caught me watching her from across the room. Friends don’t stare at each other. “Not usually. It’s pretty rare that I get recognized. Hockey players generally aren’t as well-known as other athletes, plus being new here means that most people haven’t even heard my name yet.”

“Is that what you prefer?” she asked while settling into the spot opposite me on the couch.

“Yeah. I can’t imagine what it would be like to have strangers stop you on the street. I thought living with Mitch would expose me to that, but he said it rarely happens to him, and he’s been here for a while.”

“I don’t think I would like that either. There would be too much pressure to always be on. You couldn’t just leave the house like this”—she waved a hand down her body— “without someone spotting you. I’d hate to have a picture of that floating around the internet.”

“I think you look great.” The words slipped past my filter and were out there hanging between us like a bomb.

She lifted her head and grinned. “If you’re aiming for a second helping, it’s yours. You don’t need to try to flatter me.”

I swallowed. “I wasn’t.”

She laughed and placed a spoonful of ice cream in her mouth, then slowly pulled her spoon out with a satisfied smile. Her lips were so nice looking. Soft and plump.

What was happening to me? This was Vivi, my friend. I wasn’t supposed to think of her like this.

Why was I fine when she was in a tight dress that showed off her curves in the best way possible, but the moment she appeared in sweats, I started losing my mind?

Would she let Mitch see her like this?

I doubted it. I wasn’t sure where that thought came from, but it made my heart thump. She wasn’t vain, but I’d never seen her without makeup and a coordinated outfit. Now, her eyes had smudges under her bottom lashes, and I noticed a mysterious stain on the left sleeve of her shirt.

She was letting me see her at her most relaxed. No pretenses or effort to show me the version of herself she shared with the world. This was her, in her home, being herself. That meant she was comfortable around me, right? My stomach tightened a bit.

I’d never been around a woman like this. They were always trying to impress me. Most of them were fake, pretending to be what they thought I wanted.

Vivi was never anything less than genuine. She was so different from every other woman I’d ever let into my life. Neither of us was trying to be something we weren’t. I didn’t strain myself to be more talkative or outgoing to please her. I didn’t have to go to clubs and bars because it was where she expected me to be.

She let me be myself and accepted it. No manipulations or forcing me into the box of what she thought I should do or how I should act.