Neutral Zone

by Amber Lynn

Nina had let her mind wander a little as she tried to figure out exactly when Brady had gotten the newest bruise. He always used his full body for every hit, so it really could have been anytime. She didn’t remember any specific times he’d blocked a shot, but a puck hitting him seemed like the most likely reason for the size and color of the bruise.

  “Um, since we’re getting back before noon, I thought I should stop by the office for an hour or two to make sure the place hasn’t burned to the ground.”

  She knew it hadn’t, but it was Friday and her employees were probably celebrating one last day of freedom before she got back. Nina hadn’t shared her travel plans, but her calendar didn’t have her officially back until Monday.

  “How about tonight? Do you have plans?”

  Brady walked out of the bathroom with a white towel low around his waist. Her eyes were immediately drawn to the bruise. It seemed to stand out more in the morning light.

  “What happened?”

  Nina pointed and nodded to make sure he understood the question. She wanted to answer his question, but she wanted her answer first.

  “What?” Brady asked as he looked down, then shrugged. “Oh that? It’s nothing. What about tonight?”

  “That is not nothing. Did the doctor check you over for internal bleeding?”

  Brady shook his head as a smile spread across his face. Nina thought her question had plenty of merit.

  “I’ve had worse, Nina. Answer my question.”

  His voice went deeper, telling her she’d be in trouble if she ignored it for a third time. She briefly thought about the punishment for disobeying, but remembered she was trying to keep him in a good mood. He was already hinting that they might see each other again, so she had to play her cards right.

  “My calendar’s empty.”

  It wasn’t like he needed to ask. If there wasn’t a game, she was pretty much always at her apartment. A few work-related parties couldn’t be avoided, but she wasn’t out on the town like she used to be.

  “Good. I thought we should have dinner tonight and talk about things.”

  Nina flexed her toes as she stood up on them and rocked back. Dinner was unexpected, but it sounded like a great idea. He lost his stern voice once she answered him, so she didn’t immediately think it was bad news.

  “That sounds like a plan. I don’t imagine I’ll be too long at work, unless of course I have to put out a literal fire.”

  Too long was still probably a few hours. A week without direct supervision meant there was bound to be plenty of cleanup in store.

  “Great. I see you haven’t gotten too far with your clothes. I’d take advantage of that, but I’ve got to get down to my room. You can get to the airport on your own, right?”

  It felt a little like a brush off. The fact that he moved to get dressed without waiting for her answer added to the feeling. Rather than protest, she reached behind her and grabbed her bra and followed his lead.

  “I assume you don’t want to be seen together in front of the team.”

  Talking more with Dr. Barnes had given her a little more insight into why Brady was so pissed about things. She wasn’t giving up on the idea that she handled things correctly, but she could see how Brady didn’t want people to get the wrong idea about them. He was too proud for people to run around saying he was sleeping his way to the top.

  “You would be right,” he said while he buttoned his shirt. “The talk in the locker room is just finally calming down, so I’d prefer not to be the punchlines of their jokes for a little while.”

  Nina grabbed her underwear and stepped into them. She kept her movements slow, trying to give him a little show. He had her dance like a stripper the night before, writhing up against some drunk whose touch she couldn’t stand. She'd swatted his hands away and focused on Brady’s eyes at the bar zeroed in on her.

  “Stop it, minx. I invited you to dinner, so don’t push your luck.”

  She smiled, knowing he at least enjoyed the show, and went about finishing up getting ready. It didn’t take long, but they were both silent as they got decent.

  Once her clothes were on, Nina made her way into the bathroom, so she could pull her hair up and put a little makeup on. She didn’t feel like going all out with hair and makeup, but she couldn’t be seen in public without something on.

  Brady joined her as she was putting foundation under her eyes. He came up behind her and kissed the side of her head.

  “Don’t get too pretty. Half the team has a crush on you, and I don’t share.”

  Nina raised her brow, but didn’t say anything. She didn’t want to wreck anything. If he was making the statement, it meant the night they spent together wasn’t a fluke, and hopefully, more were to come.

  “Speaking of that, have you been with anyone since we separated?”

  She quickly shook her head. She’d hoped that was pretty obvious.

  “Good, and your birth control is still in place? No missed doctor’s appointments or anything.”

  She nodded her head as he spoke, but quickly shook it when he finished. He was referring to the fact that she’d had a hand in Hannah missing her shot for a few months.

  Trapping Brady into being with her really hadn’t crossed her mind. Thinking about it, she saw some merit in the idea, but the fact that they both couldn’t stand kids made it a ridiculous notion. Brady would run as fast as he could if he thought for even a second she was pregnant.

  “My doctor comes to me if I’m otherwise disposed. So, there’s no chance it’s lapsed.”

  Brady raised his brow and shook his head. He put his hands on her hips and stepped close enough she could feel the heat coming off his body.

  “Now the question is whether I can believe that. I’ve been told you’re a master manipulator, and I know firsthand how easy it is for you to fuck a guy over without a flash of guilt.”

  Nina opened her mouth to counter, but the glare she saw in the mirror told her she should keep quiet. She put the sponge she was holding down and bit her bottom lip to keep her mouth shut.

  “It’s not always best to say the first thing that comes to your mind. I’ll spend the day thinking about whether I can trust you, and you can spend it figuring out ways to prove to me I can.”

  He kissed the side her head again and left the bathroom. She heard him in the other room, more than likely collecting his wallet and anything else he’d put on his side of the bed. She found she was holding her breath, waiting to hear the door close behind him as he left.

  As she waited, she looked at herself in the mirror. She’d barely started with her makeup and her hair was disheveled from a successful few hours of sleep. She seemed to only sleep a few hours every night, but in her apartment she tossed and turned so much that she sometimes found she’d rolled right out of the bed.

  With Brady’s big body next to her, there hadn’t been any tossing. She tucked in next to him and fell asleep shortly after she spent her time studying his body. She’d been trying to see if something about sleeping next to him would bother her.

  He did snore, which should’ve made her push him out of bed. It’d been only a couple months since she did that to some other guy. Even back then, she’d contended that if the guy could satisfy her, she wouldn’t be so keen on kicking him out, and Brady had definitely made sure she wasn’t looking for more in that department.

  That wasn’t it, though. Brady’s snores were sort of quiet, not enough that she could simply ignore them, but enough they didn’t burrow into her head and drive her crazy. She sat there listening to his deep breaths and the noises coming out of his open mouth, and all she could think about was the fact that the noises meant he was breathing. Something about that comforted her as she laid her head on his chest and closed her eyes.

  She smiled at herself as she reached up and rubbed her hand over her face to make sure everything was blended in. Brady had said to keep things light, which was a happy circumstance because she’d already decided the same.

  K
eeping her ear open, she picked up her mascara and twisted to pull the wand out. She didn’t think Brady had his shoes on when he’d come in to talk, so he probably had a few minutes’ worth of getting dressed. She wanted to be able to leave not long after he did to grab some coffee from the lobby before finding a car to take her to the airport.

  She knew she’d see him again at the airport and on the plane, and she had to figure out how in the world she was supposed to make it seem like there was nothing going on between them. There’d been players at the bar the night before, and he hadn’t seemed to worry about being seen there. Of course, short of being at the bar for a minute or two together, they didn’t really spend time together where others saw them. He even had her leave a few minutes before him.

  “Hey, just so we’re on the same page, I didn’t sleep with anyone either.”

  Nina jumped when she heard his voice. She knew he hadn’t left, but she hadn’t expected him to come back to say something. Smiling at his reflection in the mirror, she nodded to let him know she heard him.

  She’d recently learned that sleeping didn’t always mean the same thing to people, but she understood he meant the sex aspect of it. She already had a good feeling that he hadn’t, but it was nice to hear him confirm it.

  “Good to know. Let me know when you decide where I need to be tonight. I’ll have my homework ready.”

  She winked, trying to show some confidence that she’d be able to accomplish his task. Inside, she knew she had no idea how in the world she was going to prove he could trust her.

  Chapter 22

  Brady’s lawyer looked like he wanted to rip what little of his hair he had left out of his head. Brady had never paid close attention to the receding hairline, but he thought it had probably gotten even worse since Nina had officially entered both of their lives.

  It made Brady make a mental note to check his own hair when he got home. Luke hadn’t spent that much time with Nina, so Brady could only assume the worst for his own scalp. Even if his follicles were holding on, a look for gray hairs was probably in order. He was only twenty-six, so he didn’t really want to consider that possibility.

  “You’re absolutely sure you want to do this?”

  It was clear from the aggravated tone that Luke thought he’d totally lost his mind. Knowing some of the story, it wasn’t hard for Brady to understand where the guy was coming from. But, Luke didn’t know the desire that built up knowing that Nina actually wanted him.

  It sucked, but he had to verify he affected her as much as she did him. The texts reminding him she existed were one thing, but her actions were what he paid close attention to. Sure, he’d waited until his wits were a bit diluted by alcohol to make his move, but she responded exactly how he’d hoped.

  Somewhere Brady had gone from a love ‘em and leave ‘em guy to trying to figure out if Nina really wanted to stay. It was complete lunacy, but the woman had burrowed under his skin. He’d tried to get rid of her and pretend he didn’t care. Over the weeks apart, he learned he did for some reason.

  “I may never give it to her, but I want to have it just in case.”

  Luke shook his head and rolled up the piece of paper he’d helped draft. When it was tight, he tied the red ribbon Brady had requested around it. Luke had to send someone out for the ribbon, since he didn’t have one handy.

  “I know you’re not asking my opinion on this, but I’d take that home and hide it in the back of a closet. I doubt you’re going to take my advice of burning it right now, so that’s all I can tell you.”

  He slid the document across the desk. Brady quickly took it and tapped it twice on the desk.

  “I’ve got it under control.”

  Brady looked down at the clock on his phone. They’d landed around noon and it was already two. He had to run a couple errands and make sure he had a reservation for dinner. He was still going back and forth on whether to pick somewhere she owned, because he knew she’d like it, or somewhere different to try to impress her.

  He shouldn’t worry about trying to do the latter, but he did. He didn’t want to be just one of the boobs she dragged around behind her for a week or two before deciding to move on.

  Even though she’d shown the same kind of pursuit he’d done himself, he knew Nina. There had to be another shoe somewhere waiting to drop, and he was trying to outthink her as far as that went. It wasn’t easy, which was why he was hoping she could come up with something to convince him he should trust her.

  The task was impossible as far as he was concerned, but he was interested to see if she found something good. She was probably running around to churches to find a priest to perform some kind of truth ceremony. Neither one of them were big on religion, so it could be possible. Not likely, but Brady was having fun coming up with different ideas.

  “Best of luck to you. I’m here if you need anything else. With that in your hand, I’m sure you’re going to need a lot more paperwork.”

  Brady rolled his eyes and looked down as his phone buzzed. It was a message from Nina. Like he’d been doing the second something from her came through, he picked it up and slid the box down so he could see what she wanted. Even when he didn’t respond, he was always quick to see what reason she’d come up with to text.

  Are you busy? Can you meet me at 65 5th Ave within the next hour?

  Scrunching his forehead, Brady wondered what in the world she was up to. He was just three blocks away. Had she followed him after the airport?

  Just finishing up meeting. You getting coffee or something?

  Brady got up and waved his paperwork at Luke as he made his way out of the office. It would only take him five minutes to get to the address, so he could’ve just shown up instead of texting, but he was curious if she’d reveal she knew he was that close.

  Something … figured out way to make you trust me. I’m here for the next hour if you can make it.

  Well, that definitely intrigued Brady. He’d just been thinking about what she’d come up with, and she was already ready to reveal it. He was surprised she’d been able to come up with something in only two hours.

  He didn’t text back right away. He was outside and heading north to the address. If he knew the building, he’d probably even be able to pick it out in the skyline in front of him.

  It didn’t take five minutes of pushing through the mild foot traffic. Brady looked up at the brick building and tried to figure out what Nina had to do with it. If she’d bought something new to house orphans or something, he was going to have to tell her to find a better example.

  I’m here. Where are you?

  ?!?! What do you mean you’re here?

  Brady laughed. He looked around to see if she was standing somewhere out of his view, but he didn’t see her.

  Her surprise cleared up any question whether she’d been stalking him. It didn’t clear up his confusion for why she wanted him there.

  Brick building. Big black 65 etched in one of the bricks. I’m pretty sure that means I’m here.

  He heard pounding a few seconds after he sent the text. Looking around, he attempted to find the source of it. It took a moment, but he realized it was above him. As soon as he raised his head, he saw Nina frantically pounding on a window. When she saw him look up, she started waving her arms to tell him to come up.

  What suite?

  Brady could see she was on the third floor, but once he got inside, there were no promises that he wouldn’t get turned around. He’d learned before that not all places that looked like boxes matched that on the interior.

  304 – I’ll meet you at the elevator.

  He watched as she read the message and typed the response. The second she was done typing, she waved and disappeared from the window. Brady hesitated before hurrying to meet her. If he wouldn’t have waited, he wouldn’t have seen a woman with long brown hair move to stand in the window. She looked down at him, but upon seeing that he was still there, she ducked out of the window.

  Brady had never s
een her before, so he had no idea what he was about to walk into. He tucked his phone in his pocket and opened the heavy steel door to the building to find a reception area.

  “Can I help you?”

  A woman behind a large counter asked the question. Brady saw her sit a little straighter as she pasted a smile on her face. He saw the elevator doors straight in front of him, so he didn’t spend much time checking her out. She was cute, but very girl next door.

  “Someone is meeting me on the third floor, so I think I can figure it out.”

  He didn’t wait for a response as he made his way to the elevator. The building itself was a little boring, with brick walls that had been painted white and industrial-looking tiles on the floor. Other than a tall plant with big leaves, which looked fake, there wasn’t much going on in the decorating department.

  Before he could hit the button for the single elevator, the doors opened. Behind them, a smiling Nina appeared. She waved him forward with one hand as she held out the other to keep the door from closing.

  “I really didn’t think you’d get here this fast.”

  She seemed almost jittery as he joined her in the elevator. Once she was done holding the door open, she hit the third-floor button and then stood next to him, rolling back and forth on her feet.

  “I happened to be in the neighborhood. I thought you said you were going to the office.”

  Brady wanted to keep from catching whatever nervousness was going on next to him, but it wasn’t easy. Nina had never been frazzled in his experience with her. It was hard to say if that was exactly what was going on, but it seemed to be the case.

  “I did, but then I looked at my calendar and realized I was supposed to be here. What were you doing in the neighborhood?”

  Nina had never been to Luke’s office as far as Brady knew, but he was sure she knew where it was. The neighborhood was full of stores and offices, so there were plenty of places he could’ve been.

  “I had to stop to talk to Luke. He’s about three blocks away.”

  “Oh,” she replied.