Page 13 of Never Bet Against A Hockey Player

The problem was that I wanted more than that.

I wanted to know what was scaring her away.

When we finished, Conrad and I both laid down more money than our check was worth, tucking it under the edge of our plates.

She was still out of sight as we walked outside. Conrad stopped on the sidewalk and looked at me.

“We have to figure out what’s going on,” Conrad said. “Something’s holding her back. I keep coming up with all these horrific scenarios in my head, and I can’t stop.”

“Maybe she just doesn’t want a pack,” I said, putting words to the awful insecurities that I was already feeling.

I’d never had anyone make me feel that way.

I was confident and could flirt with the best of them. I’d never had someone react to me like she did.

“Let’s see how she handles us both at the arena tonight. We’ve got to get to practice,” he finally said when neither of us could come up with an answer.

My phone started to ring, and he nodded.

“I’ll catch up with you at the arena,” he said, walking ahead and leaving me to answer.

My best friend Kota Mori’s name scrolled across the screen.

“Hey, Kota,” I answered, greeted with his face close to the screen. My best friend hated phone calls and would only do video calls. “How’s it going?”

“I can’t believe you’re my rival now,” Kota said, teasing me.

He was my best friend. The one I promised I’d never leave behind and then did. Yet here he was, all smiles like usual.

He took everything in stride, and now that he was a bonded delta, he was even more optimistic about life.

“Not too bad, even though I was abandoned,” he said dramatically.

Then his eyes narrowed and he leaned closer, as if he could somehow see me better even though we were on a normal video call.

“Why do you look like that?”

“Like what?” I deflected. “I just ate breakfast and now I’m heading to practice.”

“No, it’s something else.”

“Apparently, I just found my scent-match,” I found myself blurting it out.

My feet carried me toward the arena while I unloaded everything that happened during breakfast.

“Coming from someone who had two reluctant omegas to contend with, just give her time. Keep being yourself. Make her smile. You’ll wear her down.”

“Conrad thinks it’s something more. That whatever’s holding her back isn’t about us at all. She looks scared.”

“It might not be,” he agreed. “Do you think she’s safe?”

“I’m not sure. She’s got a kid brother that she seems to parent. She also cleans the arena at night so he can play for free in the junior league, so clearly money is tight. Dhara’s working at this diner in the mornings, too.”

“Tell me you did not leave an obnoxiously huge tip.” Roxie’s voice came out of nowhere, and her face popped into frame, eyes narrowed and accusatory.

“I may have.” I scratched the back of my neck. I’d stopped walking at this point, ready to hear what I’d done to fuck this up already.

“Look, even if she’s struggling, she’s not going to want to feel like a charity case. You can drop a bigger tip, just don’t drop something that’s so out of left field that she feels like she owes you something.”