Ashley? Was that the girlfriend he’d had? I had questions. “We’re, uh, well, it’s still pretty new…but thank you.”
“I can tell you care about him.”
Ugh. Why did she think that? I mean, I was coming to care for him, but…I forced a smile.
Before I could say anything, she added, “And he’s crazy about you.”
My heart contracted sharply.
“I know he’s kind of spoiled and sometimes he can be thoughtless. He’s so talented.” She rolled her eyes, but it was affectionate. “Everyone loves and admires him. He can be full of himself. I’m impressed that he’s gotten involved with your organization. When he talks about the kids you’re helping, it sounds like he really wants to help too. It’s awesome that you’ve taken him outside of himself and given him someone else to care about.”
I blinked at her, my chest tightening.
“I don’t mean that he doesn’t care about people. He does.”
“I know.” I nodded, remembering his unexpected gifts to the school, his kindness to the kids.
“It’s just that everything’s always come easy to him. Even his hockey—not that he didn’t work hard at it—but it seemed like he was blessed. But when it comes to relationships…I think maybe he’s afraid to try. I’m glad he is with you.”
My smile felt painfully phony. I had no idea what to say. “Er, okay.”
I drove to my place, knowing Cam would be going home right away since they were leaving for Denver in the morning, and he’d spend a last night with Lark.
Lark had completely misread things. Shit! I knew I shouldn’t have met her and the kids. Now she was going to go home and probably talk to Cam’s family, and they’d all think Cam was a reformed commitment-phobic bachelor, and…shit.
Cam was not crazy about me. I stopped at a red light, gripped the steering wheel, and closed my eyes, swamped with all kinds of feelings.
We hadn’t been seeing each other very long. But since that first date when we’d gotten into some pretty personal questions, then puked together—a laugh fell from my lips remembering how crazy that was—I’d felt close to him. Even when I’d found out he’d used me to win a bet, he’d somehow managed to charm away my anger and convince me he’d kept seeing me because…because he liked me. I still had that nagging disbelief and amazement that this gorgeous, captivating, sought-after man liked me, but he’d also made it clear that it wasn’t going to be long-term. Even Lark said he didn’t do relationships.
But…like Paisley had said…maybe his feelings were changing too.
And what the hell had happened with Ashley? He’d never had a girlfriend since her? Had she been the love of his life and he’d never recovered from that? What?
That made my stomach churn.
Paisley, Noah, Julia, Jack, and I went to a sports bar Friday night where we drank beer, ate chicken wings, and watched the Aces play. They won easily, which made all the patrons in the bar very happy, the game ending with a spontaneous chant of “We want the Cup!”.
The city was feeling playoff fever, and the excitement at the Aces’ prospects this year was rising. It made happiness bubble inside me, a shivery, hopeful joy. Maybe Cam would get what he wanted so badly. Hell, the whole damn city wanted it.
After tonight, there were only three games left in the regular season—they came home for a few days, were off to St. Louis, then St. Louis came here for the last home game, and they ended the season on the road in Winnipeg.
Then it was the playoffs.
I gulped down the last of the lager in my glass. I was both excited and terrified. I’d watched playoff hockey and cheered for the Aces before, and I’d been disappointed when they’d lost. But I’d never felt this kind of intensity…this kind of investment in the outcome. I was terrified of how Cam would feel if they lost…terrified for him.
I pressed a hand to my suddenly tight stomach.
“You okay?” Paisley asked.
I gave myself a mental shake. “Yeah. Just thinking about the playoffs. I’m nervous.”
She grinned. “You’re not even playing.”
“I know! How am I going to survive watching this?”
“We’ll watch together,” Noah said. “The away games, anyway. I’m sure you’ll be going to all the home games.”
I rubbed my mouth. Cam and I hadn’t talked about that. Because the bet would be over by then. I kind of felt like throwing up. Somehow I’d developed this crazy hope that maybe, maybe…Cam would really lose the bet.
“Okay,” I said. “First playoff game’s at my place. We’ll eat and drink and throw popcorn when the Aces score.”
* * *
—
Cam got home very early Saturday morning, in time to get a couple hours of sleep, see Lark and the kids off at the airport, then go back to bed. I had stuff to do at my place—laundry, cleaning my bathrooms, shopping—so we planned to go out for dinner and a movie Saturday night. He had a few days off now.
“And I want to make the most of it,” he said over our deep dish pizza dinner. “Once the playoffs start, we have to focus on hockey. No distractions. You know what that means.” He lifted an eyebrow.
“What?”
“I’m taking you to my place tonight and not letting you out of my bed until Wednesday.”
“Hmm.” I tried to sound reluctant, even though that sounded like a fabulous idea. “I guess I could call in sick.”
He grinned expectantly. “Really?”
“No.”
“Bah.”
“But I could take a couple of personal days.”
“Yeah?”
“Sure. But we might have to get out of bed at some point over the next three days.”
“I don’t see why. Grubhub will keep us from starving.” But his eyes gleamed. “Okay, we’ll go do some fun things and then go home for afternoon ‘naps’…and then have dinner and go home and go back to bed.”
“What do you want to do for fun?”
“Hmm. I just did a bunch of touristy things with Lark and the kids—the aquarium, the children’s museum, Navy Pier. Sears Tower.”
“We could go to the zoo. Oh! I know! A Cubs game.”
“Hell yeah.”
I pulled my phone out and swiped and tapped at the screen to find the Cubs schedule. “Yes! There’s a game tomorrow afternoon.”
Cam had his phone out too. “I’ll get tickets.”
“I was going to do that.”
He ignored me, intent on his phone.
I sighed.
He looked up and smiled. “Chill, legs. It’s all good.” He paused. “What about inviting Chaser and Jordyn to come with us?”
“Sure.” I liked Chase, although Jordyn intimidated me a little.
“Okay.” He sent off a text message.
“On Monday, I could take you to the Field Museum.”
He scrunched up his face. “I’m not much into museums.”
“It’s a cool museum though. There are mummies.”
“Huh. Okay.”
“And if the weather’s good, we could go for a walk on the beach. Or a run.”
“Yeah.” He nodded. “Okay. Also, I’m going to get a sex toy.”
I choked. “What?”
His grin was a little evil. “It’s called Venus. It’s made for a woman’s pleasure.”
“How thoughtful of you.”
“That’s me. I’m a giver.”
“I have no complaints,” I admitted. “Maybe I should get a toy for your pleasure.”
He tilted his head. “Like what?”
I tapped my chin. “Maybe a penis pump.”
His head jerked back. “As if I need that!”
“Or a vibrating co
ck ring. Oh! A prostate massager!”
His eyes gleamed as he flashed me a sexy smirk. “Okay, that’s better. I’m up for just about anything.”
“I know.” I cocked an eyebrow. “I like that about you.”
“Ha.”
“Maybe one of our outings should be to the Passion Palace. We could pick out things together.”
“That would probably be more fun than the Field Museum.”
“It’s on then.”
Our eyes met in a heated connection of shared amusement and excitement. I had so much fun with him. I pushed away that annoying voice reminding me that we were almost done.
“Tell me about your past relationships,” I blurted, thinking about Lark’s comment about Ashley.
He gave his head a shake. “Wow. Rapid change of subject.”
I made a face. “Sorry.”
“Why are you asking about that?”
“I don’t know.” I dropped my gaze to my plate. “Just curious. You know about Jason. And my other boyfriend.”
“Yeah.” He didn’t say anything, and I lifted my eyes to watch him poke at the half-eaten piece of pizza on his plate. “I had a girlfriend when I played for the Tigers. We went out for a couple of years, but when I got drafted there was all this…drama.”
“Drama?”
He shrugged. “She didn’t want me to leave. Or she wanted to come with me.”
“You didn’t want her to go with you?”
He hesitated. “This is going to make me sound like an asshole, but…no.”
I nodded slowly, relieved that he hadn’t been heartbroken. “That’s the only girlfriend you’ve had?”
“There were a few others, but nothing that lasted very long. I just like having fun.”
Just as Lark had said. She’d also implied he was selfish.
Cam didn’t seem selfish to me. Yeah, he liked to have fun. Should I consider myself lucky that he’d stuck around this long?
“What movie do you want to see?” he asked, changing the subject again.
“Hmm.” I suggested a couple.
“Okay.”
“But what do you want to see?”
He gave me a weird look. “Really?”
I frowned. “Yeah, really.”
I was okay with his suggestions too, so we debated the choices cheerfully and in the end agreed on a new action-adventure movie that was getting good reviews and turned out to be pretty funny. I loved how we both laughed at the same things, glancing at each other and squeezing each other’s hand.
* * *
—
Somehow Cam got club box infield seats for the four of us at the game. The weather was cool and overcast, but that was okay. We had access to the 1914 Club if it started to rain, and we enjoyed the food and beverages and the excellent view of the field. Jordyn wore a Cubs shirt, a hat, and big sunglasses, and cheered on the home team boisterously.
“Hey, babe, take it easy on your voice,” Chase gently reminded her at one point.
“I’m fine,” she protested, but she did get quieter. I remembered hearing about the surgery she’d had to have, and as a singer it was probably wise to protect her voice.
Jordyn and I discovered a mutual love of blues music and chatted about the four of us going out to a club sometime. Jordyn had grown up in Chicago too and talked about her dad bringing her here to Wrigley Field as a kid, as well as to hockey and football games. We also learned that we both loved chocolate but tried to resist as much as possible. I was pretty sure Jordyn had never been overweight, with her petite frame, but she apparently tried to eat healthy, so I didn’t feel bad trying to go for healthier choices at the ball game while the guys devoured huge hot dogs.
“I’m taking a cooking lesson next week,” Jordyn mentioned to me at one point. “I need to learn how to cook.”
“That’s cool.”
“Are you a good cook?”
“Eh. I can cook. I like food though.”
Jordyn laughed. “Me too. You should come to the class with me. We’re going to make homemade pasta.”
“That sounds kind of advanced,” I said doubtfully.
“If I can do it, anyone can. It’s Thursday night.”
We exchanged phone numbers and planned to meet up for cooking class. Me and a famous pop star. Huh.
I enjoyed watching Cam interact with his friend, gabbing about the game, smack talking each other. When Cam spilled some beer, Chase said, “Wow, you usually don’t start spilling till your fourth beer.” Cam flashed him a middle finger.
The Cubs were losing, and Chase leaned forward to ask Jordyn, “Hey, what do you call forty millionaires sitting around a TV watching the World Series?”
“Oh, shut up.” She smiled though.
I lifted an eyebrow.
“The Chicago Cubs,” Chase told me.
I laughed.
“That’s my joke,” Jordyn said. “Only when I tell it, it’s twenty-three millionaires watching the Stanley Cup. And it’s the Leafs. Chase is a Leafs fan.”
“And a Blue Jays fan,” Chase replied.
“Me too,” Cam admitted.
Jordyn and I exchanged glances of mock dismay, shaking our heads.
* * *
—
Cam didn’t even play two of the last three games of the season, watching from the press box. He was annoyed because this season he’d played in every game. Lots of players missed games here and there for injuries, but he’d managed to go all season without missing a game. But he understood why the coach was scratching him—it was more about giving him a rest and letting a couple of the guys up from the farm team play in NHL games that didn’t affect the team’s standing.
The last home game of the regular season was crazy. They presented player awards and gave fan appreciation awards of game-worn jerseys. The fans were super excited, including me. It would have felt completely different if the season was ending with this game, but since the Aces were in the playoffs, the fans wanted to show their thanks for an amazing season. The noise level had my ears buzzing for hours after the game. I could only imagine what it was going to be like when the playoffs started.
I sat with Jordyn, Kendra, Jodie, and James’s girlfriend, Marley, who didn’t know everyone else very well either. Jordyn and I had taken that cooking class, and I felt like I had a friend in the group (although when I thought about who she was, I had to work at not being a crazy fan girl). She was pretty real though, despite her fame and talent, and we had fun together, which was good because Chase was Cam’s best friend.
The Sunday after the season ended, Tanner Bennet and his wife, Katelyn, hosted a party for the whole team. Tanner had an amazing condo near the river, with a huge balcony that wrapped around the corner unit. The spring weather was perfect, sunny and mild, and the guys got the big barbecue going and cooked up piles of steaks, hamburgers, and chicken breasts. Some of us stood at the balcony wall holding drinks, looking out over the city from the thirteenth floor, while others sat on arrangements of wicker furniture. The guys were all cracking jokes and lighthearted, yet an undercurrent of excitement and energy crackled around us. I could tell the team was just itching to get back on the ice and back to business. The business of winning the Stanley Cup.
Cam approached me carrying his beer. “How’s it going, legs?”
“Good.” I smiled at him, and he moved into my space, pressing me between his body and the balcony wall.
“Good.” He leaned down to kiss my forehead. “This balcony would be great for having sex.”
I choked on a laugh. “I guess it would. You have two balconies at your place though.”
“Yeah. We should do that, now that the weather’s warmer.”
“I think people could see us.”
> “Yeah.” His eyes gleamed wickedly. “That could be hot.”
“I don’t know…you know the rule.”
“What rule?”
“The sex rule. Never do anything that you can’t explain to the paramedics or the cops.”
He burst out laughing.
“Hey, we’re taking a poll.” Bomber appeared beside us. “Which would you rather watch? Girl-on-girl porn or guy-on-guy porn?”
“We’re going to watch porn?” Cam’s eyebrows flew up into his hairline.
“Nah, bro, just hypothetically speaking.”
“Ah.”
“So which is it?”
Cam grinned. “Girl-on-girl. Hands down.”
“Olivia?”
I bit my lip. “I like both.”
“That’s what all the girls are saying!” Bomber held out his hands, palms up. “Really?”
“Wait. You like porn?” Cam turned to me. “Why did I not know this?”
“She’s a keeper, man.” Bomber punched Cam’s shoulder and moved on to continue his poll. To what end, I had no idea.
I looked back at Cam, trying not to laugh. “Well, it’s not like I watch it all the time.”
“Guy-on-guy porn? Really?”
“Sure. What’s better than one hot guy? Two hot guys.”
“Huh.”
“Food’s ready!” Tanner shouted.
We wandered over to the big table loaded with salads and side dishes, and now platters of meat, picked up plates, and started filling them.
Much later when many of the other guests had left, we somehow ended up playing a game of truth or dare. I was snuggled in against Cam on the couch in the living room.
Jodie had to go first, and she chose truth.
“Tell us about the last time someone unexpectedly walked in on you while you were naked,” Katelyn said.
Jodie laughed. “That was the first time I met Nick.” She nudged him next to her in the big armchair they shared. “At Max’s birthday party.”
“What!” Kendra exclaimed.
“I didn’t walk in on you,” Nick protested.
“No, you were passed out on my bed.”
Game On Page 19
