Page 37 of The Chase

She had a point. The odd thing was, I didn’t feel guilty after TJ went down on me. At all. I had been happy and sated, and that was super scary to me. I didn’t understand why it didn’t make me feel bad about myself. It was like there was something about TJ that made me drop my guard and be okay with giving in to my desires. It both confused and scared me.

I glanced up at the TV again and saw TJ carrying the puck over the blue line with Noah right there with him. He deked around the Chicago defenseman and passed to Noah, who went for the backdoor wraparound goal.

“Fuck yes!” Rox squealed beside me when it went in.

I smiled at her while I watched Noah and TJ celebrating with each other. Hockey players were so cute when they got excited about a goal. Goal cellies were one of my favorite parts of the game.

My thoughts drifted off to TJ again. Maybe he wasn’t the jerky hockey player I thought he was. A part of me was still worried, though. TJ was on the road a lot, and he was known for being a no-strings-attached guy. We never said we were exclusive, but that didn’t mean I liked the idea of him hooking up with other women.

Rox poked at me. “Hey, where do you keep going?”

I swatted her hand away. “Nowhere. Is it hard doing the hockey girlfriend thing?”

She peered at me for a moment and then sighed. “I won’t lie to you—it is. When Benny and I got together, he was around a lot because it was the offseason. It got harder when I started playing hockey again, too, but I’m going to fight for him.”

“TJ told me you two hated each other for years.”

She ran a hand through her dark hair. “Yeah, I guess I saw what I wanted to see.”

“He worships the ground you walk on.”

She scoffed. “He does not.”

“He so does!”

She grinned. “Sometimes he calls me a goddess…”

I smiled at that. “Oh, my God! That man loves you so much.”

She placed her hands on her heart and smiled really big. “Yeah, he does. It took us a bit, though. We snuck around because I wasn’t sure it was serious.”

“You look happy together. You think he’ll pop the question soon?”

She wrinkled her nose. “Gross, no.”

“No? Don’t you want the whole marriage, kids, and the happily ever after?”

She shook her head. “I have my happily ever after. Not everyone’s idea of that means marriage and family. Don’t give me that pitying look. Benny feels the same way. Despite the nagging from both of our families.”

That seemed like a sad existence to me but to each their own. If that’s what they wanted, maybe it worked for them. I wanted marriage and kids…but I wasn’t sure I deserved it. I wasn’t sure I’d ever find it.

Our conversation shifted back to the game. The team ended up winning, and Rox and I went on our merry separate ways.

Once I got back to my house, I tossed my phone on the bathroom counter while I took a shower. When I got out and checked my phone again, I saw I missed a call and a text from TJ.

TJ: Hey, baby girl, are you still awake? I miss you.

My heart thrummed at his message. On the one hand, I missed him too, and this baby girl nonsense was growing on me. On the other hand, I worried he was just drunk and horny. I stared at my phone while I blow-dried my hair and thought about if I should respond.

My phone buzzed on the sink again, lighting up with another text from TJ.

TJ: Can I call you?

His message confused me. Lately, he had been so sweet that I wondered what the catch was. When would the rug be pulled out from me when he returned to his playboy ways? TJ didn’t do relationships. He slept with as many women as he could and never called them back. Where was the guy who did that to me last summer?

I unplugged the hairdryer and got into my bed. I sunk down into my covers and decided to video-chat with him.

He answered right away, his image materializing on my screen in a matter of seconds. He was in his hotel room, his dark hair wet from his shower, and he wasn’t wearing a shirt. Of course he wasn’t.