After a one night stand on New Year's Eve, Lia and Derrick don't expect to see one another again. After all, she's a Harvard PhD student and he's a professional hockey player for the Boston Knights - there's no way their paths should cross again.
E...
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That night, Ryan badgered me every time I checked my phone, finding it hilarious that the hours rolled by without me receiving a single message from Lia. "Incapable of closing the deal," he'd teased when I finally retired to my room, but I'd more or less let the words roll off me, unscathed.
Sure, there was a small sting being that it was the second brush off she'd given me, but by the time I awoke the next morning, my focus had shifted. There was a game tonight, an important one, and there was still a lot of preparation to be done if we wanted to win. Game film needed to be watched, workouts needed to be completed, and our morning practice needed to go without a hitch.
Which it did, and come one o'clock, my adrenaline was up as I sat down for lunch, only to glance at my phone and see a message from an unknown number.
Lia.
Thanks again for yesterday. Sorry I didn't message sooner, but my friends dropped by after I got home and stayed pretty much until I crashed
Huh. Interesting.
I didn't doubt she was telling the truth, though as wires in my brain began to cross to formulate some sort of response, my facial features betrayed my internal thoughts. Particularly as my lips pulled into a grin.
"You got porn or something on there, Wellsley?"
Orlov chuckled as he straddled the bench beside me, trying to take a glimpse at my screen.
I rolled my eyes and flipped my phone face down. "No, idiot." I surveyed the sweat-soaked clothes he still wore. "But if you could take your stink away from my food, that'd be appreciated. Don't want to lose my appetite, you know."
"This?" He raised his arms and wafted the stench around, punctuated his movements by flexing. "This is all man, baby."
"You know you reek, Orlov," Nyberg said as he joined us. "But Wellsley here probably has a creepy smile on his face because he finally got a text from his girl."
Any teammate within earshot instantly perked up.
"Girl?"
"I don't have a girl," I drawled with denial. It'd been years since my last foray into an actual relationship, and that had ended in a burst of flames. Since then, and for the foreseeable future, short and casual suited me just fine. "Nyberg's just talking out his ass."
"Oh yeah?" Nyberg challenged, lifting a brow as he reached across the table. "Then let me see your phone real quick." Reacting out of instinct, I snatched up my phone and slid it into my sweatpants pocket. Nyberg's smirk grew as the guys around us laughed. "I rest my case."
"Look, it's really nothing," I said, running my hand through my hair with light frustration. "We—" I gestured to Nyberg. "—just happened to pull over to help a woman whose car had broken down on the highway last night—"
