Playing Defense (A Dallas Demons Hockey Romance)

by Aven Ellis

  For the next five years.

  He really has been burned by his dating past.

  “Well, it depends on what you ask me,” I say, picking up my burger and taking a bite. I chew thoughtfully and then answer. “For example, my shoot today was brutal. My body is sore. So if you were to ask me to go indoor rock climbing tomorrow, I’d say no.”

  “You indoor rock climb?”

  “You’re not a good Connectivity stalker,” I tease. “I’ve posted pics of me doing that.”

  “I didn’t know stalking was something I should excel at.”

  “You might have a valid point there.”

  He laughs, and I can’t help but join him.

  “No, I wouldn’t ask you to climb tomorrow, although I do love indoor climbing,” JP says, his eyes lighting up. He grabs an onion ring and holds it up to me. “Thanks for leaving me one, by the way.”

  “Shut up. I gave you at least four.”

  JP smiles, and oh, what a brilliant sight that is to behold.

  “I’m running parachute sprints with Matt tomorrow morning,” JP says. “I came back early to Dallas because we want to start training together before the season starts.”

  “Ooh, those are fantastic for increasing your speed,” I say, knowing from experience as I’ve done them as part of my training. “Ugh, but not when it’s a thousand freaking degrees out.”

  “Yeah. Not so excited about that part. Summers in Switzerland are more to my liking.”

  “Switzerland seems majestic,” I say, taking a sip of my shake.

  “It’s breathtaking. I’ve traveled the world, but no place comes close to Switzerland for me. In Zurich, you have the mountains in the background and the water of the lake, which is crystal clear. There are fountains everywhere and lots of garden terraces. In the summer, there are festivals and concerts and open-air bars. It’s perfect.”

  “I can tell how much it means to you,” I say.

  “Really? How?”

  “Your appearance changed,” I say. “Your eyes lit up when you began talking about Zurich.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Yeah,” I nod.

  “You’re the first person who has ever commented on that. You’re observant. Must be those cat-like eyes of yours.”

  “Yes. You should test my night-vision,” I tease, playing along. “It’s phenomenal.”

  “Then let’s test it.”

  “How?”

  “Depends on how brave you are.”

  Brave? JP obviously has no idea how brave I’ve been simply by eating with him tonight.

  “I’m brave,” I say, although my heart is now hammering against my ribs.

  “Okay. Friday night. An outdoor activity. I’m not going to tell you what it is until I take you there. So I guess this is my way of not only casually asking you out but arranging to test this feline-like vision you claim to have.”

  I feel my breath catch in my throat. Everything inside me is crazy jittery. I don’t know how to explain this reaction I am having to him. It’s new. It feels scary, yet somehow exciting.

  And it’s all driven by the sexy Swiss man sitting across from me.

  “No clues? Hints? Details?” I manage to ask.

  “None. You’re going to have to trust me if you accept. No longer hypothetical. I’m asking.”

  I smile at him, and he and I both know two things before I even speak.

  My answer isn’t hypothetical.

  And it’s going to be yes.

  Chapter 4

  September 13th

  Today’s Schedule: Coffee with Holly, The Roast & Grind, 9 AM

  I step inside The Roast & Grind café, embraced by the comforting scent of espresso and the sound of Ed Sheeran’s voice filling the air. Ah, I love going out for coffee. I hate to say it’s an expensive habit of mine, but it is. A daily cup of coffee, and on most days, served simply over ice with a splash of coconut milk. Bliss.

  However, this morning it’s more than coffee. It’s also a date with my bestie, Holly.

  I quickly spot Holly in this cozy space. She’s sitting with her laptop at the steel counter in front of the window. She has her earbuds in, and she’s scowling at the screen in front of her. Holly told me she was working on edits for her first book this week and asked if I wanted to come over and meet her for coffee so she could clear her head for an hour.

  I eagerly agreed. I need to clear my head myself.

  Because I can’t stop thinking about JP.

  I slowly move toward the long counter, my muscles screaming with each step I take through the café. Ouch, that photo shoot killed me yesterday.

  But I think JP’s smile killed me more.

  JP, JP, JP.

  It’s like the switch in my head has been turned to JP, and it’s stuck. I’ve tried flipping it. I’ve tried jerking it. But it remains set to ‘All Thoughts Mapped to Sexy Swiss Man’ and I can’t turn it off.

  I drop my purse in front of the chair next to Holly. Her face lights up as she sees me, and she takes out her earbuds.

  “Hey, how are you?” she asks, getting up from her chair to greet me with a hug.

  “I’m good,” I say. “How are edits going?”

  Holly wrinkles her nose. “I’ve told you how much I hate them, right?”

  I laugh. “Maybe once or twice. Your editor didn’t ask you to kill Heath, right?” I ask, referring to the hero of her fantasy novel.

  Holly laughs. “No, but kill some of his dialogue? Yes. Ugh.”

  “Hold that thought,” I say, retrieving my Coach wallet. “We’ll discuss after I have some coffee.”

  I head to the counter, pausing at the delicious pastries beckoning to me from behind the glass case. Blackberry muffins. Croissants filled with chocolate. Lemon-blueberry scones. Ugh. I practically ache for a scone, but I’m back on the eating plan today after my cheeseburger-fries-onion rings-Oreo milkshake indulgence last night.

  I place my order and wait at the end of the counter for my iced coffee.

  Once again, my thoughts drift back to last night.

  We sat in that booth for hours, long after our burgers were eaten. We picked at the fries while we talked about topics ranging from our mutual love of competitive sports to living in Dallas. I learned that JP lives in the Harwood district of Dallas because he likes being able to walk to all the restaurants and parks. He called it his “urban oasis.” I told him I live downtown as well, but over in Uptown. JP’s into the environment and being green like I am. I already drive a Toyota Prius, and JP said he’s going to get a hybrid BMW i8 sports car for city driving. I joked that I could show him all the places with charging stations downtown once he picked it up.

  What amazed me is how easy the conversation was. It never lagged, and I found myself wanting to know more with each sentence he spoke. I was surprised that we closed the place down, reluctantly leaving but then continuing our conversation via text after we each got home.

  “Reese,” the barista calls out, setting my iced coffee down on the pick-up counter.

  I grab my cup, grateful for a cold brew on such a hot morning, and make my way back to Holly. I carefully sit down on the stool next to her and wince. My glutes are in full revolt now.

  “Ugh, I’m so sore,” I groan. “Hopefully I can pull off being flexible by next week for that yoga shoot. Anyway, what lines does your editor want you to cut?”

  “Too many. I’ll cut some where I think he’s right because I can take editorial input, but I won’t edit out Heath’s super-romantic lines to Calla.” She lifts her large ceramic cup to her lips and takes a sip of her latte. “I believe in those words.”

  “You’re living your own romantic fairy tale with Matt,” I say, gazing out on the Uptown sidewalk in front of us, w
here the bright sun is already bathing Dallas in heat. “I consider you an expert in romance, and I know you wrote those words because they are true to you.”

  Holly blushes as she sets down her cup. “I’m lucky that Matt and I found our way together, and I know that same love is out there for you, Reese. You simply haven’t found it yet.”

  Love.

  What does that word mean, though? I haven’t come near experiencing what Holly feels for Matt. The closest I’ve even had to a serious relationship was with my last boyfriend at SMU, but that included a lot of group dates and was not much of an “adult” relationship. Sex, of course, was part of that relationship when we were alone. But I never wanted to share my deepest thoughts with Drake. Hanging out was fun, but the more we were alone together, the more I felt the need to escape.

  Besides, I’ve seen firsthand what happens when love goes wrong. My parents were supposedly in love when they married, and that ended in a drawn-out bitter divorce that tore my family apart.

  “Reese?” Holly asks, interrupting my thoughts.

  I blink. “I’m sorry?”

  “Where did you go?”

  “Sorry, just remembering something,” I say, brushing it off. Talking about my parents’ divorce is still hard, even after all these years. Holly knows it was awful, but she doesn’t know the details.

  Or how vividly the memories haunt me.

  “So, JP is back in town,” Holly says, changing the subject. “He’s running sprints at a high school track with Matt this morning.”

  Heat sweeps over my face. Shit, I need to tell her about last night. I mean, JP might be telling Matt right now for all I know, and then Matt will tell Holly and she will wonder why the hell I hadn’t brought it up.

  Ooh. I wonder if JP is talking about me.

  Wait. No. I don’t care if he is.

  Besides, guys don’t talk about stuff like that. They are talking hockey and sprint times.

  Right?

  Ugh.

  I nervously clear my throat. “Funny you should mention JP. I ran into him last night.”

  “Really? Where?” Holly asks.

  “At a burger place here in Uptown,” I say. “He happened to be right behind me in line. Isn’t that crazy?”

  “Are you serious? That is crazy,” Holly says. “So did you talk?”

  And here we go.

  Truth time.

  “Yeah, we did. We ended up having dinner together. It was . . . fun,” I admit. “JP’s very nice.”

  As soon as I say the words, my cheeks burn hot. What is this madness? I don’t blush. Ever.

  “Are you blushing?” Holly asks.

  “No!” I say, picking up my iced coffee and taking a sip. Go away, stupid blush.

  “You are,” Holly says. “You like him!”

  “Of course I like him. He’s a nice guy.”

  “You can lie to yourself all you want, but you can’t lie to me. I know you, Reese. I can tell by how uncomfortable you are right now that you’re interested.”

  I squirm on my stool. “All right. Yes, I am. But this is nothing serious,” I say quickly, putting my hand out to emphasize my point. “JP and I are going to, you know, hang out.”

  “Hang out?”

  I twist my stacked silver rings on my left hand. “Well, he asked me to go out on Friday.”

  Holly is silent for a moment. I can feel her staring at me, but I don’t look up from my hands for confirmation.

  “What did you say?” Holly prods.

  “I said yes.”

  Holly lets out a squeal. “This is the best news ever! I’ve wanted you guys to go out for so long.”

  I lift my gaze and see her face shows nothing but happiness for me.

  “It’s just casual,” I repeat, reminding myself of the rules JP and I put in place. “Neither one of us wants anything serious.”

  Holly doesn’t say anything.

  “What?” I ask.

  “Don’t be scared,” Holly says softly. “I wouldn’t say this if I didn’t mean it with all my heart, but JP is worth the risk.”

  Her phone buzzes, and I’m saved while she picks it up and reads a message.

  Her words roll over in my head. How does she know I’m scared? I mean, I’m not. I’m merely bracing for inevitable disappointment.

  I’m not scared.

  I’m being logical.

  Besides, I don’t want to hurt JP in the process.

  “It’s Matt,” Holly says, texting him back. “He says they just finished. Oh, and he sent this.”

  Holly turns around her phone. Matt recorded JP, shirtless, running his parachute sprint. JP is going full out, his muscular body moving at explosive speed on the track as the parachute opens behind him. He’s absolutely ripped. Ripped. Sweat is dripping off his bronzed skin, and, oh holy hell, did someone shut off the air conditioning in here?

  Because I’m really hot.

  “I can replay it if you want,” Holly teases.

  Now my face is the color of a Hot Tamale candy.

  “Oh, you’re so sassy,” I tease, deflecting her comment.

  Holly laughs as she types back into her phone.

  “I don’t think I’m sassy, but you sure are flustered when the topic is one JP Rochat.”

  “Shut up,” I say, laughing.

  She waits for a moment, obviously reading something Matt has typed back, and then she lifts her head.

  “I don’t know if sassy is the right word, actually,” she says, a smile playing on her lips. “Mischievous might fit better.”

  Oh, shit. I don’t like the sounds of this.

  “What did you do?” I ask, arching my eyebrow.

  “I don’t know. The guys are done. They’re so hot—from running, obviously—and you know how Matt loves a cookie dough blended iced coffee . . .”

  I gasp. Oh, no. She didn’t.

  Not when I’ve pretty much rolled out of bed and thrown on some more workout clothes with a graphic T-shirt layered over the top. Not when I have no makeup on. Not when my hair is in a messy bun and all I’ve done is brushed my teeth.

  Fantastic.

  What does today’s shirt say?

  No talkie before coffee.

  Shit, shit, shit!

  “Please tell me you did not.”

  “Call me Cupid,” Holly says sweetly. “They’ll be here in about five minutes.”

  Chapter 5

  “How could you ask them to come over here?” I sputter, grabbing my handbag and rifling through it for my makeup bag. “Do you not see how I look right now?”

  “If you are quote, hanging out, unquote, why do you care?” Holly challenges.

  I pause for a moment to give her a mock glare. “I’m so not your best friend anymore.”

  Holly laughs. “Ha-ha. You should love me for delivering a hot sexy Swiss man to you to go along with your iced coffee.”

  I pull out my compact.

  Maybe I don’t appear as horrific as I fear I do.

  I brace before flipping it open and GAH! It’s worse.

  In addition to not having any makeup on, I have dark circles under my eyes causing me to look as exhausted as I feel. I draw the mirror up closer to the natural light and see a random eyebrow hair I need to tweeze.

  “Damn it, my eyebrows are a mess,” I say, setting my compact down and searching for tweezers.

  “What are you talking about?” Holly asks. “You look beautiful.”

  I stop and tap my finger right between my eyebrows. “Look at this random hair! It’s standing at attention.”

  “So even your eyebrow hairs are excited to see JP?”

  “I’m ignoring you,” I say, finding my tweezers and holdi
ng my mirror back up so I can see. “I can’t believe I’m going to tweeze my eyebrows in a café, but the lighting in the restroom is bad.”

  “I doubt JP is going to notice your eyebrows.”

  “He’s into eyes. He’ll notice,” I say, plucking away. “I swear I sprout these things overnight.”

  “Good to see you taking this so casually,” Holly deadpans.

  I freeze mid-pluck.

  What am I doing?

  I shouldn’t care about this.

  I can’t care about this.

  I toss the tweezers back into my bag as if they were on fire and retrieve my lipstick instead, casually swiping it on.

  “My lips are dry,” I say, knowing Holly isn’t going to buy that for one second.

  And neither do I.

  “Ooh, here they come,” Holly says, smiling as she glances out the window.

  I follow her gaze. JP and Matt are walking down the sidewalk. Matt is talking, and JP laughs at something he said.

  My breath catches in my throat as I watch JP and how his smile lights up his face.

  He’s absolutely beautiful when he smiles.

  Matt looks up. He grins and waves, and Holly waves back as they enter the coffeehouse.

  I turn my attention to the door as they step inside. For a split-second, I wonder if JP can be as incredible as I remembered him being last night.

  “Care if we join you?” Matt asks, moving next to Holly and dropping an affectionate kiss on her head.

  JP removes his sunglasses, and, oh, my, those amazing eyes, unlike anything I’ve ever seen before, are now locked on mine.

  “For the record,” JP says slowly, “I normally bathe before I get coffee.” Then a slow, sexy grin spreads across his face.

  My stomach flips upside down. Ooh! He’s using my line from last night!

  “Now that’s an interesting conversation starter,” I say, repeating his answer to him.