Lucky Score (The Hawkeyes Hockey Series Book 6)

Three weeks later…

‘You ready for our first home game tomorrow night?’ Lake Powers says, starting the treadmill next to me and jumps on.

He messes with the speed until he falls in perfect rhythm with me, matching my stride step-for-step. His eyes reach up to the large screen TV that has the sports channel on.

‘The team looks tight out there. It won’t be an easy win tomorrow, but as long as we play like the team practices, we’ll put up a win.’

I’m glad to be back to work. I need the distraction to keep me from thinking about the one thing that continues to play on repeat in my head—Brynn’s answer to my last question.

If we hadn’t been standing at the airport with her flight about ready to take off and Daniel lurking around, I would have pressed her harder on it, though I don’t want to force her answer. I want her to give it to me freely.

‘Tessa talked to ticket sales, and we’re sold out for every game this weekend. We’d better give them a good show,’ he says, his breathing starting to labor just slightly.

‘Don’t we always?’ I smirk.

I’ve played for the Hawkeyes for longer than anyone else on this team and there hasn’t been an opening weekend that we haven’t sold every single ticket. Still, it’s reassuring to see that the fans still want to come. Without them, none of us have a job.

The program on the TV takes a break and the weather report comes on.

‘Rain expected tonight with possible thundershowers later in the evening,’ the meteorologist says.

Immediately, I think of Brynn.

I haven’t talked to her since she left for Seattle with Daniel, but I know that Cammy has been in touch.

I’m tempted to text Cammy and ask her to reach out to make sure that Daniel is in town tonight but the shit I already get from Cammy about how I didn’t fight harder for Brynn will only earn me more backlash. If I so much as bring up Brynn’s name in the presents of my daughter, she’ll start her rants all over again.

After hitting the showers and then heading out of the locker room, I check my phone for the weather to see if anything has changed in the last thirty minutes. Obviously, it hasn’t in that short of a time.

I’m angry with myself for keeping the blinds to my apartment shut since the day I got home. The last thing I want to witness is Brynn in her apartment with Daniel, moving on like nothing between her and I ever happened, but now I have no idea if he’s there to comfort her tonight.

The memory of Brynn on my guest bedroom floor, cradling her legs in her arms and shivering from a panic attack, has me about ready to swallow my pride and text Brynn myself to at least warn her about tonight.

It’s a short walk back to my apartment building and I can’t stop myself from taking long strides to my apartment balcony, opening up the window shades. I search every window for Brynn’s apartment, but I don’t spot her in any of the windows directly across from me. Some windows have the lights turned out or their shades pulled down… I might have to wait and check back later if she’s not home.

I check the windows below and the windows above. Maybe I had it wrong that she was on the exact floor as me but still no luck on either of the floors either.

I give up and decided to check back later when I realized that I’ll be late to meet Conely if I don’t leave now. I agreed to sign Hawkeyes merch for a charity auction at a local children’s cancer hospital today.

I pull my window shade back down and head for the front door of my apartment.

Unfortunately, stalking Brynn like a creep will have to wait until later. Maybe by then I’ll have come to my senses.

But I’m not holding out hope.

Brynn

Breathing a sigh of relief, I step into the dry comfort of my apartment, completely soaked from head to toe.

I knew that rain was forecasted for this evening, but I didn’t anticipate the torrential downpour that we got caught in after dinner and celebratory drinks following the meeting earlier this evening with the publisher.

Not a single dry spot left on my body, but the publishing house loves the first book in the series and are hoping to move up the deadline for book two. With only a few notes back from the editor, I’ll have this book wrapped up and then I can focus my efforts on the next book.

A text comes through from Cammy.

Cammy: That’s great news! When are you headed back to Rita’s to write book two? Please tell me it’s over the Christmas break. I’ll go with you!

Although I love the idea of spending Christmas with Cammy and Rita, I can’t imagine that Cammy would leave Seven behind, and I don’t think spending the holidays together is the best idea. Not to mention, what would I tell Daniel?

Though we’re still taking things slow, I don’t think he would take it well to know that I’m going on a Christmas vacation with the man I slept with during our break.

Brynn: Let’s discuss it over coffee tomorrow.

Cammy: Looking forward to it.

I can barely keep my eyes open as I kick off my shoes at the entrance of my apartment and set my keys on the key hook hung on the wall next to the door.

I look out my window to watch the rain continue to pour when a flash of light comes streaming through the sky, and then the thunder rolls right after.

My entire body jumps at the loud crackle that echoes through the sky. Goosebumps cover my body and I can already feel my hands begin to shake.

My phone had given me an advisory warning on the rideshare back to the apartment that lighting and thunder were expected this evening, but I had hoped that my phone’s weather app was exaggerating.

I make a fist, balling up my hands to resist the signs of a panic attack. After everything I’ve learned in Mexico and all the things I’ve overcome, I know this is a test. A test I need to pass.

I consider grabbing my phone out of my pocket and asking Daniel to come to the apartment tonight, but I know that he has an early morning tomorrow with a deposition and he won’t want to risk not getting enough sleep tonight to accommodate me. It might also blur the lines on the casual dating situation that we currently have in place.

Stepping closer to the window, I reach for the shades to pull them down, but just as I’m about to reach for them, my phone pings with an income text.

I look down at my phone that’s still in my hand to see the incoming text.

Seven.

My heart gallops the moment I see it, and I can’t open the text fast enough.

Seven: Where’s Daniel?

What? That’s what he sends me?

Seven and I haven’t talked in three weeks, and the first text he sends is about Daniel.

Brynn: I’m not sure. He’s living with a friend right now. I don’t know about his whereabouts at the moment.

Another text comes through.

Seven: He won’t be with you tonight for this storm?

Brynn: No, he has a big court case tomorrow. It’s better if I don’t keep him up.

Seven: Did you call to ask him?’

Brynn: I already know he’ll say no. How did you know that Daniel isn’t with me?

Seven: Look out your window.

I look directly across the dimly lit night with the rain clouding my visibility, but there’s no missing the large man standing on his balcony practically right in front of me.

There is he, and he’s been right there for all these years.

Brynn: Are you spying on me?

I watch as he pulls his phone up to read my text. The blue light of his phone lighting up his face.

I can’t see his facial features, but I can see his fingers moving quickly over the phone to respond.

Seven: Just checking in on you. I don’t like that you’re alone tonight.

That makes two of us.

Another streak of lightening and a clap of thunder has me jumping out of my skin a second time. There’s no way I’ll sleep tonight.

I look down at my phone and start to type up a response but mid-way through, I look up and Seven’s gone. No longer standing on is balcony and he turned off all the lights to his apartment.

Did he go to bed?

Without saying goodbye or goodnight?

Getting to talk to him again after three weeks apart is the most exciting thing to happy to me since I left. That and the meeting with my publisher.

I debate still sending my text but I change my mind.

He obviously was ready for this conversation to be over and after I told him that he never was in the running, I don’t blame him.

I head for my bedroom and pull off the rest of my wet clothes. I pull on a t-shirt and a pair of pajama bottoms, and then head for the bathroom to wash my face and brush my teeth, when I hear a knock on my front door.

It’s after ten o’clock at night and I can’t think of who would be knocking on my door this late, though my neighbor locks herself out regularly and now leaves a key at my place for emergencies.

Looking through the peephole, my heart leaps the second I see Seven standing in my hallway in a pair of sweats and a t-shirt.

I bite down on my lower lip to keep from smiling from ear to ear but it doesn’t stop the smile from spreading in the least. I turn to the mirror hanging next to the wall to make sure I don’t have mascara under my eyes or that any of my hair is sticking up.

I check back again through the peephole to make sure I’m not imagining it.

‘Are you going to keep staring at me or are you going to let me in?’ he says.

I flip the deadbolt and the handle lock and swing the door open.

‘What are you doing here?’ I ask.

‘There’s a thunderstorm tonight and you need someone to sleep with,’ he says, giving no more explanation.

He walks past me and into my apartment.

I can’t believe Seven walked across to my building, found someone to let him in and figure out which apartment is mine.

But I shouldn’t be surprised. I’ve never met someone as resourceful as him. He always seems to find a way to get done whatever needs to be done, and he’s always prepared.

‘Wait… don’t you have a game tomorrow.’

I ask, closing the apartment door and locking it.

It’s a force of habit but if he needs to leave, we can unlock it just as easily.

‘Yeah, I do,’ he says, looking down the hallway. ‘Come on. Let’s get you to bed.’

He walks down the hall toward my bedroom, and I quickly follow suit, catching up behind him.

Is he really here to sleep with me through the storm tonight?

He pulls the comforter up and then motions for me to get in.

I do what he says, and then he walks over, turns off the bedroom lights, and scoots in behind me, laying an arm over my middle as I face away from him, his chest at my back.

‘Once you’re asleep, I’ll move to the couch. I won’t leave until the storm is over, though, OK?’

I don’t want him to sleep on the couch, so I grip his forearm.

‘Please don’t sleep on the couch. Stay with me.’

He nods against my hair, and I savor the feeling of having him this close again.

Silence falls between us.

The sounds of the rain and Seven’s breathing are the only things that fill the air around us.

‘Seven?’

‘Yeah?’ he says, the sound of sleep in his throat.

I don’t know what spurs me on to say it, but I do.

‘I haven’t slept with Daniel since before he left for Australia.’

‘Why are you telling me this?’

‘I just thought you should know.’

‘Do you think that makes it any easier on me? It barely helps to settle the twisting in my gut when I think about how this inevitably ends. With you married to him.’

I attempt to twist around to face him but his hand grips my hip to stop me.

‘Don’t turn around Brynn, or I’ll leave,’ he says, his voice demanding.

He’s serious.

‘Why not? I want to see you.’

‘Because if you turn around, I won’t be able to stop myself from kissing you. And if I kiss you, I won’t be able to stop myself from touching you. And if I touch you, it won’t be long before you’re under me, coming with my cock buried inside of you.’

I let out a shaking breath, wanting nothing more than what he just told me he’s barely stopping himself from doing.

‘He and I aren’t together. We’re seeing if we have anything in common anymore or if the only thing holding us together was our mutual experience during the tornado. We’re not exclusive.’

‘I’m not going to fuck you tonight, Brynn, because every time I do, I lose a little more will to walk away. And as long as Daniel is in the picture, you don’t belong to me, and that makes me the second choice.’

I wish he didn’t see himself that way… as anyone’s second choice.

‘I don’t belong to him either and you’re not the second choice.’

‘But I’m not the first either.’

We don’t say anything for a while after that, and even though the thunderstorm is louder tonight than I anticipated. I end up sleeping through it all.

I wake up early the next morning, hoping that Seven and I can talk, but when I wake, I turn to find Seven isn’t in bed anymore.

I get up and head for my living room to check the couch.

My heart sinks when I walk out, only to find that Seven isn’t there either.

I go to the window to see if I can see him in his apartment, but his window covering is down, and I can’t see him.