Shot at Love

by Melody Heck Gatto

  “Oh my gosh! I’m so sorry!” Too embarrassed at her klutziness, she couldn’t even look at the person she’d just spilled her drink all over. She grabbed some nearby napkins and started to sop up the dripping mess she’d created on the sweatshirt in front of her. A tingle of awareness shot through her. Even through the sweatshirt, she could feel rock-hard abs.

  “Um, hey. Up here.” A deep male voice startled her.

  Her heart thudded against her chest at her stupid move, but she was no wilting flower. Kassie took a deep breath and looked up into a pair of large, dreamy brown eyes. “Um… I… Hi. I’m so sorry. Let me get some more napkins to clean that up.”

  “Hey.” His hand gently grabbed for her arm as she moved to get more napkins. “It’s fine. Don’t worry about it. It’ll wash out. It’s just iced tea.”

  “Yeah, but…” Her voice trailed off into the air of the coffee shop as she watched him pull off his gold-and-gray sweatshirt, exposing a black t-shirt that clung to his six-pack and showed off other just as enticing muscles. Her eyes moved to his muscular arms and continued up to his biceps. Part of a tattoo peeked out from under his right sleeve. Realization hit her, and her eyes tore from his physique to the green-tea-covered sweatshirt in his hand. Wait, a gray-and-yellow sweatshirt? “Is that a Renegades hoodie?”

  The muscular, swoon-worthy, brown-eyed guy nodded with the hottest come-hither look on his face. “Same as yours.”

  Kassie looked down at her sweatshirt as if she needed a reminder as to what she was wearing over her uniform. This guy is cute. His brown hair was short on the sides and longer on top. Long enough that when he ran his hand though it, his hair responded in a sexy flow, but not long enough that it could fall into his eyes. “Yep. My brother gave it to me. He plays for the—wait a minute. I’ve seen you before.”

  He nodded slowly, and a smile crept across his thin, sexy lips. “I’ve seen you, too. You were at the party the other day. You’re Kaden’s sister.”

  Maybe it was her imagination, but Kassie swore he took a half a step backwards before putting out his hand for her to shake it. She reached out and took it. Maybe she was just used to guys backing off once they knew she was Kaden’s little sister.

  “I’m Luc Marcella.”

  “Marcella? Yeah, I know the name. You play defense, right?”

  “Yeah.” Luc’s eyes dropped to the floor, and he chuckled, possibly embarrassed that she knew more about him than he did her. “Can’t say O’Conner is one of my biggest fans, so I can only imagine what you’ve heard.”

  She swore his cheeks darkened. Was he admitting that her brother would be right in saying those things?

  “No, nothing like that. He may have pointed you out along with some other guys at the party. I was probably playing with Kaleb at the time. Oh, I’m sorry, I never introduced myself. How rude. I’m Kassie.”

  Nodding, and with a goofy grin, Luc shook her hand again. “Kassie. It’s nice to meet you. Let me buy you another drink.” He motioned towards the counter.

  “No, no. I can pay my own way. Really, it’s not necessary, seeing how I was the one who walked into you.”

  “Please, my treat.” He nodded to the cashier, grabbing her attention. “A large iced green tea, please.”

  “With honey, please. Thank you,” she added. Kassie didn’t know why she was letting him buy her a new drink. Since he played for the Renegades, he probably got those sweatshirts for free, but she still felt that she should be offering to get it cleaned or something. And yet here he was, buying her a drink.

  “Scrubs. Are you a nurse?”

  “What? Oh, my scrubs.” She looked down at her pants. “Yeah. medical assistant, actually. I’m on lunch.” She had a strong urge to look at her watch, maybe try to get out of here by saying she needed to get back. However, that would be a lie. She had plenty of time.

  “So, you work nearby.” Luc paid the barista for her drink, and instead of handing it to her, he carried it past her over to a table.

  Maybe she knew more about him than she realized. Was he the one Kaden was always complaining about? The young gun who always flirted with the puck bunnies?

  The smile he flashed her way answered her unspoken question. Pulling out a chair for her to sit down, he asked, “Do you come here often?” Shaking his head, he corrected his question. “That totally sounded like a lame line. I really just meant, since you work close by, do you frequent this establishment often? I tend to stop by after practice. More often than I should, really. I have an unhealthy relationship with their dark roast coffee with a few pumps of vanilla syrup.” He laughed and shook his head. “I have no idea why I just told you that.”

  He really was cute, despite what she knew about him. Maybe Kaden was wrong. He didn’t look as cocky as her brother portrayed him. What was the harm in having a cup of coffee with him? “Well, since we’re sharing secrets, I have a thing for the iced green tea. I stop by more often than I care to admit.”

  “Oh hey, Kassie.” One of the guys from behind the counter was sweeping up and waved as he walked past. “No salad today?”

  She shook her head. “No.”

  Luc smiled that goofy grin again. “Well that was a dead giveaway of how often you’re here.”

  “If you’re here as often as you say, you can’t tell me that they don’t know you by name.”

  “Have you seen anyone call me by name yet?” He looked around the coffee shop. Then with that grin still on his face, he added, “That’s cause I’m usually at the drive through wearing sunglasses and a baseball cap.”

  “They probably know who you are and are just too shy or maybe too starstruck to say anything.”

  “I wouldn’t count on it. I’m not as big of a deal as you’re implying. You didn’t know who I was right away.”

  “True.”

  “Would you be too shy, I mean, starstruck, to talk to me? If you recognized me?”

  She wasn’t surprised at his sly, cocky comment, but she didn’t giggle like a little fangirl either. “Me? Shy? Never.” Then just to see if he’d back down, she added, “I don’t fangirl, nor do I get starstruck, and you’re not really my type, anyway.”

  He didn’t even flinch. “No? What type is not your type?”

  “An athlete.”

  “Ah, spoken like a true little sister. Kaden has taught you well.” Luc took a sip of his coffee but never took his eyes off her.

  Those dark eyes did things to her insides. It was as if he were looking into her soul, and it was hot. “So, Luc, do you have any siblings?”

  “Siblings? Are you trying to get to know me better, Ms. O’Conner?” Luc tapped his finger softly on the table.

  “Just friendly small talk. I mean, I could go home and ask my brother. I guess small talk is kind of lame.” Kassie thought it was a fine question. If he had a sister he would probably feel guilty about hitting on her, knowing she was Kaden’s sister. But he didn’t seem too fazed by the unspoken guy rule. She mindlessly looked at her watch, but before she could lie and say she should get going, he spoke up with the words she figured he’d say.

  “I’m an only child.” His lips curved with a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes as he added, “My parents got it right on the first try, so there was no need for siblings. It only took your parents twice, obviously.”

  “Oh please! Do you practice these lines at home in the bathroom mirror? The bigger question is, do they ever actually work?” The funny part was, as lame as his pickup lines were, they were working on her.

  “Sometimes. Other times the girls don’t know they’ve worked until they’re already into me. But you’re not into hockey players; that’s why they don’t work on you.” He shrugged, but there was much sarcasm in his words.

  “Right.” Kassie took a drink of tea.

  “You should come watch practice some time. You know, since you’re in the area.”

  “With all the little fangirls? No thanks.”

  “Are you sure I haven’t seen you there
before?” Luc tilted his head and squinted as if he was thinking too hard.

  “Nope, not me.” She didn’t fangirl.

  “I can understand you not wanting to hang out in the stands and watch your brother. Boring.” Joking, he smirked. “But I think you should give me your number so we can hang out again. Grab a coffee again, or something—”

  “Remember, you’re not my type,” she reminded him.

  “And since you’re not my type,”—Luc grinned— “what would be the harm?”

  Her brain told her not to do it, but she grabbed his cell phone anyway, and entered her number. It wasn’t like she was going to date him. It wasn’t like he was even going to call her.

  “Sweet.” He nodded. “Do you always drink green iced tea, or do you ever sway to hockey, I mean, coffee?”

  “Smooth how you slid that in there.” She shook her head, half amused and half annoyed. “No athletes, not even hockey. And yeah, I drink coffee, too. Depends on my mood.”

  “So today is a green tea mood?”

  “This is really lame small talk, hockey boy.”

  “Hockey boy? Sweets, you can call me Luc.”

  “All right, Luc,” she said, accentuating his name, and then looked at her watch for effect. “It’s time for me to get back. Thanks for the small talk, hockey boy.”

  “No problem. See you soon.” He nodded and wiggled his eyebrows up and down once.

  She turned to the exit and started to leave, but then paused to call over her shoulder. “Don’t hold your breath.”

  She heard him laugh. It was evil and delicious. Damn.

  The kid behind the counter asked, “Excuse me, but aren’t you Luc Marcella from the Renegades?”

  So much for not being a big-deal. Kassie rolled her eyes as she left the coffee shop.

  Kassie sat at the appointment desk for the rest of the afternoon, checking in patients and answering phone calls. She didn’t fall for athletes. Athletes didn’t interest her. But for some odd reason, that hockey boy stayed on her mind all afternoon. Did I make a mistake giving him my number?

  She had no idea what even compelled her to do such a thing. She usually would’ve laughed at him and walked away. But for some reason she agreed, and way too easily. What was she thinking?

  But then again, why did it matter? Phone number or no phone number, she didn’t date athletes. Period. And Luc was no exception.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Luc

  There was no game tonight, and the Renegades were given a day off from practice. Luc slept in—which was welcomed, since his brain wouldn’t stop while he tried to sleep. Kassie invaded his thoughts. After a late morning trip to the gym to meet up with Sam, the duo ended up back at Luc’s.

  Luc grabbed two beers from the refrigerator, while Sam made himself at home in the living room. His friend was recovering well from the hit he’d taken last season, and Luc was glad. Sam had suffered minor lingering headaches from the concussion all summer. He started back on the ice during training camp, and had worked his way up to practicing with the team, but was still in the no-contact jersey. Luc was sure he’d be back in the game in no time.

  He knew that sitting on the sideline killed Sam inside. But after almost losing his family, by putting the game first before them or his health, Sam finally had a grasp on his priorities. Even though not playing was difficult, he was determined to heal and get back on the ice, but he was now doing it the right way.

  “Did you give any thought to what we talked about at O’Conner’s party the other day?”

  Luc took a long drink of his beer. He had been dreading that question. What did Sam want him to say? He flopped down in an armchair beside the couch where Sam sat. “Sure.”

  “So, you’re going to keep your distance? I mean, it would only benefit you. It’s bad enough I’m married to Tyler’s sister. But I wasn’t a Renegades player when that all happened. Plus, he and I go way back. Things were a little different for me than the situation you’d be facing. And don’t forget, you don’t have the greatest rep, ya know?”

  This bad rep that Sam was talking about was a joke. Guys liked to talk, and girls liked to talk even more. Somehow, somewhere down the line, a single one-night stand had turned into him being the league’s most well-known swinger and party boy. He was the eligible bachelor who had no plans of slowing down. Every girl wanted him, and every guy wanted to be him.

  Except for the fact that none of it was true. Sure, he liked the ladies. He liked all kinds of ladies. And they really liked him. He did have the occasional one-night stand. Didn’t everyone? But he wanted what everyone wanted, someone to call his. He wanted someone to come home to, someone to lean on. Yep, he wanted love.

  No one wanted to hear about that, though. That wasn’t exciting or scandalous enough. Because of that, he’d become the team’s playboy.

  But right now, he didn’t want to discuss this with Sam, or at all, really. No one needed to know that he had run into Kassie O’Conner the other day, or that he’d gotten her phone number. The less everyone knew, the better off he was. “Don’t even worry about it, dude. I didn’t know who she was. Now I do. It’s over and done with. It’s not like I plan on dating her.”

  But it was all lies. Except his last comment: didn’t plan on dating her. That was slightly true. He had no intention of it, yet. At least not right now. He wasn’t dumb enough to break the code. Or was he? He’d never met someone he’d be willing to break that code for, until Kassie. And that was his biggest problem.

  “Good.” Sam’s expression relaxed a bit. “Happy to hear it. So, what’s the plan, back to the bunnies?”

  He had no intention to get with bunnies, either. But that’s what they all thought he did. Setting them straight was more trouble than it was worth. Maybe he was better off keeping up the charade of always showing up with a girl on his arm. It would be easier than having to answer questions about why he was ogling Kaden’s little sister. “Sure.”

  “Luc, don’t you think it’s time you began to grow out of that phase of your life? You can’t tell me that a one-nighter is really enough. If you want, I can see if Trina has any friends. I’m sure the girls know some single ladies who’d love to date a hockey player.”

  Of course he’d thought about settling down, having the same girl on his arm at every event, having a real relationship like so many of his teammates did. But he wasn’t interested in who Trina could set him up with. His mind was only on one girl.

  Luc really didn’t want to talk about this anymore. If he said any more, it would only get him in hot water. “Enough of this girly talk.” Luc grabbed the remote and turned on SportsCenter. “Let’s watch some sports talk.”

  Luc tried to take a nap after Sam left. As he lay in the dark, quiet room, the only things that ran through his brain were long dark hair, and captivating brown eyes. Shaking his head and rolling over, the same thing happened for an entire hour, until he was so tired that he finally dozed off. But visions of her haunted his dreams. It was nothing specific. A replay of her spilling the iced tea on him. But this time, she was the one peeling his sweatshirt off him. Then she disappeared into the fogginess of the alternate reality. After searching through all of the abstract things and people in his dream, he found her again. But each time, she was just out of his reach.

  Just like in reality.

  Being startled awake by nothing, he looked blurry-eyed around his dark room. Kassie wasn’t here. No one was. His gut felt like he’d been chasing after her all night. Rolling over, he sighed heavily. Now wide awake, he stared at the blank wall.

  He was thinking about Kassie again. He never had any intention of starting something with O’Conner’s sister. Yet he couldn’t keep her out of his mind. His stomach growled with hunger and twisted uncomfortably each time Kassie crossed his mind. Rolling onto his back and staring at the ceiling, he knew sleep was useless. There was no way he was going to finish his nap now, so going for a sandwich was the next best thing.

  Walking
in to the local sub shop, he was immediately ambushed by three young women who knew exactly who he was. Their squeals and giggles were almost annoying, since he wasn’t quite awake yet. But being the polite guy that he was, he allowed a few photos with each of them. The blonde tore a paper in half and asked him for his autograph.

  She swooned. “Make it to Cece.”

  After Luc handed her the paper and pen, she scribbled something on the other half of the paper. She thanked him as her friends walked away. Cece winked and shoved the paper in his back jeans pocket before she left.

  This sort of thing happened all the time to him. And normally, he’d be all about this chick, Cece, and her hand in his back pocket. She certainly is my normal target, er, type. She had bleach-blonde hair and stripper heels. Everything in between was either spandex or so tight it looked like it was painted on. Yep, exactly what he always went for. But nothing he was interested in today.

  He ordered his sandwich and sat down at a table, the piece of paper still in his pocket. As he ate, he pulled it out. Written on it was Cece’s name and phone number. Luc sat staring at the paper as he ate. He had never paused to contemplate calling a bunny before, because that’s what Cece was, a bunny. He’d never given it a second thought before he met Kassie O’Conner. But today for some reason, looking at that phone number only made him think of Kassie. She was stuck in his head.

  Those big brown eyes.

  He finished his lunch and crumpled up the sandwich wrapper, along with the phone number, before tossing them both in the garbage. He didn’t even think twice about tossing the slip of paper; he just did it.

  This wasn’t typical for Luc Marcella. What was wrong with him?

  CHAPTER SIX

  Kassie

  The day was passing quickly at work. For no good reason, Kassie hummed to the background music in the office, carried on small talk with patients, and even helped out a co-worker with paperwork. There was no explanation for her good mood. Plus, it was only Wednesday. It wasn’t normal for someone to be this happy on a Wednesday.