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“I mean, I just didn’t really see you as a kid kinda guy,” she says, a quiet laugh slipping by her lips. “But I can see I was wrong for judging you by your reputation. You’re patient with them and not too hard on them like a lot of coaches are. It’s the reason there are so many injuries in youth sports… because they have unrealistic expectations placed on their shoulders.”
“Hockey is supposed to be fun for these kids.” I pause, dragging my gaze out onto the ice, which is still scuffed from today’s practice. The uneven, marred ice is a constant reminder that you can always start fresh the next day. The next time you step out onto the ice,youhave the control. I’ve always been good at control and holding it tightly in my grasp. “I’m here to teach them, but at the end of the day, they’re kids. They’ve got a long time before they enter the draft, and not all of them even have that goal, so to me, teaching them the mental aspect and discipline of the game is just as important as running plays or slapping a puck.”
“Well, you’re doing a great job. You’re practically a god to these kids,Romeo.” She uses my nickname, causing me to smirk, and her shoulder bumps mine gently. “You may not have struck me as a guy who likes kids, but it’s clear that you have something special.”
“Helps that all my friends have an entire damn Brady Bunch brood of kids, and I’m stuck hanging out with the daddy daycare.”
Caroline’s laugh rings out around the empty rink, and I can’t fucking help the smile that breaks out on my face.
It’s infectious that way. She’s infectious in ways that I really didn’t understand, even more so now that I’ve had an actual conversation with her. Her smile, the way her laugh makes me feel a little lighter—it’s more than sexual chemistry, which, based on our night together,obviouslywe have no issue with.
“Ah, makes sense now. So, you’re the cool uncle?”
“Maybe, for now. Not sure how much longer I’ll be cool to them, but I’ll take what I can get,” I tell her with a laugh. “Either way, they’re my nieces and nephews. They may not be by blood, but they are in the only way that matters to me. There is nothing in this world I wouldn’t do for them.”
Her voice is soft and tender when she speaks, leaning in closer. “That’s sweet, Hudson. They’re lucky to have you.”
Suddenly, her phone pings with a text, and she swipes it off the bench, cursing quietly. “I’m late for dinner with my roommate. See you Thursday?”
“Yep. Apparently, with pizza for the entire damn team since you whipped our asses today.” I smirk, showing her that I’m only teasing, and it earns me a sweet smile.
“Don’t be a sore loser, Hudson.” She stands, grabbing her backpack off the bench. “Maybe next time, I’ll let you win. Depends on if you’ve earned it or not,” she says with a wink.
We’re dancing on lines that we can’t cross.
But damn if I don’t love a challenge leaving her smart mouth.
7
CAROLINE
Slowly but without a doubt, I find myself going from dreading seeing Hudson at our practices to anticipating walking into the rink and seeing him leaning against the boards, with that wooden clipboard in his strong hands.
I shouldn’t… but that doesn’t seem to stop the thrill swirling in my stomach from starting the second I walk into the rink.
The last two weeks have passed like the first week did. He did his best to remain professional, just as I did, but there is no denying that things are changing between us. Subtle flirting that neither of us can help.
It’s almost like we’re becoming friends, although neither of us are ready to assume a title that would tie us together in any way.
No, we’re both comfortable pretending that night didn’t happen between us, although the tension when we’re alone is a constant reminder that it very much did.
We could spend every day dancing around it, but when it’s just the two of us, that fact makes itself present, and it is by far the loudest thing in the room. Like the day in the break room when he teased me about my lunch, and the innuendo was so ridiculous we both died of laughter until Laura walked in and asked what she missed.
“Caroline, can you make sure this is straight for me?” Glancing up from my laptop, I see Hudson walking toward me in a fitted black tux that has obviously been custom-made solely for him. The expensive fabric hugs all of the lines of his muscles, showcasing his broad shoulders, and I bite back the urge to tell him just how handsome he looks.
Sorta-friends don’t do that, I remind myself.
And that’s all we’ll be due to his moral compass, even though I still desperately want to climb this man like a tree.
I sigh, abandoning my pencil and notebook where I had been sneaking in extra studying during the quiet times at the rink.
I expected my Friday nights to be much more eventful than they have been, but with the amount of homework I have already, I’m trying to keep from falling behind this early in the year.
“Sure. Big date tonight?” I tease as I stand on the bench in order to reach the black tie that sits crooked around his neck. This is the first time we’ve been this close since that day in the closet.
We’ve been careful to keep a professional distance between us, until now.
My hand is slightly shaky as I adjust the tie around his neck, righting the knot so it sits perfectly center at the column of his neck. His throat bobs as he swallows, and my gaze lifts to the five-o’clock shadow that’s dusted along his chiseled jaw.
