What the fuck was he supposed to say to that? Not a damn thing, because it was true. So he just nodded. “Yes, Coach.”
Silence stretched around them, a silence filled with expectation. Tyler didn’t move, just kept waiting for whatever else Coach was going to say.
The older man heaved another sigh then pushed away from his perch on the desk. “Gardel will be in net tomorrow night. When we get back home, I want you to get your head on straight. Go out. Get laid. Have fun. Do whatever the fuck it is you do to relax. Don’t think about the fucking game or the fact that you’re pissed because Gauthier’s the one down in Baltimore instead of you. Then get your ass to practice with a clear head on Wednesday and be ready to work with Kolchak.”
Tyler ground his teeth together, ready to tell him he didn’t need the new conditioning coach to babysit him. Torresi stepped closer, pointing his finger at Tyler and wagging it in front of him.
“And don’t say a fucking word. You want to get to the next level? You’ll fucking listen to Kolchak. Understood?”
“Yes, Coach.”
“Good. Now get the fuck out of here and out to the bus.”
Tyler nodded once more then spun on his heel and hurried from the dank office, his own head spinning.
Yeah, Kolchak was a good goalie. No, correction. He had been a good goalie, until last season when a freak accident caused a knee injury he never quite recovered from. That didn’t mean he knew anything about coaching. Fuck, it was a brand new position, one created just for him because the organization wanted to keep him on.
Which meant Tyler was going to be the fucking guinea pig.
Great. Just fucking great.
And then there had been the rest of Coach’s advice: Go out. Get laid. Have fun.
Get laid? What the fuck? Had Torresi actually told him that? Yeah, he had. Maybe he should have asked Coach if he had anyone in mind, because Tyler sure as hell didn’t.
He stumbled and nearly fell, caught himself by placing a hand against the rough concrete wall. His breath lodged in his lungs as a mix of blazing heat and icy cold washed over him.
No. Absolutely not. He needed to get the fucking thought out of his mind. Right now. No, sooner than right now. He needed to not have that thought, period.
But he couldn’t get the image of deep blue eyes from his mind. Couldn’t stop the memory of soft curves and warm flesh pressed against his. It had been more than two weeks since that afternoon with Jenny. More than two weeks since he’d come so close to crossing that invisible line.
And the memory was still just as powerful now as it had been that day.
Bad idea? No, this was worse. Much worse.
And he couldn’t. No matter how much he wanted to, he couldn’t. Jason would kill him, and rightfully so. No way would Tyler break that rule. He just wouldn’t.
Except look where following the rules had gotten him so far: the same place he had started at. So maybe it was time to…maybe not break the rules. Just bend them. A little.
Get laid.
No, he wouldn’t go that far. He liked Jenny. He was attracted to her and wanted to get to know her a little better. And he was pretty sure she felt the same way, especially after what happened.
So maybe just a…date. Not even a date. Maybe they could just go have dinner somewhere. Nothing wrong with having dinner, right? No rule against that.
He leaned against the wall and took a deep breath as he pulled the phone from his pocket. Dinner. Just dinner.
So why did he feel so guilty?
He glanced around, making sure there was nobody nearby. The hallway was empty. Of course it was—everyone was already on the bus, waiting for him and Coach. He took another deep breath then tapped the phone’s screen. He didn’t have Jenny’s cell number, but he did have Jason’s home number.
His finger hovered over the contact list as uncertainty flowed through him. Should he or shouldn’t he?
One more deep breath and he hit the number, bringing the phone to his ear as the call went through. One ring. Two. One more. Maybe she was asleep, or maybe she was out somewhere—
“Hello?” Her voice, a little sleepy and sexy as hell, came across the line. Tyler’s hand squeezed around the phone as he took another deep breath.
“Hey. It’s me. Tyler.” He paused, closing his eyes and leaning his head against the rough wall, praying he wasn’t making a huge mistake. “Did you want to grab dinner Monday night?”
Chapter Eight
Jenny pressed her hand against her stomach, trying to calm the nerves that had been lurking there since Tyler’s phone call two nights ago. Lurking? No, they were doing so much more than that—they were kicking up their heels and doing some serious line dancing in her belly. The nerves had only grown worse as the day wore on, long and unbroken, with nothing to do to get her mind off tonight. She’d been antsy enough that even Jason had noticed. He’d made a smart-ass comment to her then took off with no explanation, telling her to stay out of trouble.
Well, it was a little late for that. Trouble was just on the other side of the door, inside the restaurant where Tyler was waiting.
For their date.
No, no, no. This wasn’t a date. They were just having dinner. That was it. Dinner between two mature adults who might be friends.
Jenny snorted then looked around, hoping nobody heard her. There was no reason to worry because nobody else was around. She was the only insane one standing outside in the cold night, staring at the restaurant door that loomed so close as the wind whipped around her.
All she had to do was walk those last few steps, open the door, and go inside. That was it. She’d be warm, and then she could get something to eat. Maybe food would help calm her growing nerves.
Either that, or she’d end up hurling. And wouldn’t that be just perfect?
She pressed her hand harder against her stomach, took another deep breath, and stepped forward.
And then stopped.
What was she doing? Why was she so afraid to open that door? It was just dinner, for crying out loud. Perfectly harmless.
Except it was dinner with a hockey player. A sexy, attractive hockey player. Not just any hockey player, but one of her brother’s teammates.
Hadn’t she learned her lesson? Hadn’t she sworn she wouldn’t go down that road again? Wasn’t three times bad enough?
Look but don’t touch.
A nervous laugh escaped her. Yeah, a little late for that, considering she’d already had her hand wrapped around his very impressive anatomy.
And oh, God. Was that what tonight was about? Did Tyler think that their petting session was a green light for even more? Not that she was opposed to more, not in theory at least. Just thinking about it filled her with heat, called to life a need that desperately demanded attention. If she was a guy, nobody would think twice about what she wanted, what she missed. But she wasn’t a guy. She was a woman, still subjected to archaic expectations.
And Tyler was her brother’s teammate. He was a hockey player. If she wanted a distraction, couldn’t she find someone else to provide it? Shouldn’t she know better?
But Tyler wasn’t like Viktor. He couldn’t be. Right? But what if he was? She’d been wrong about Viktor and look what had happened with that. Maybe she was wrong about Tyler, too.
She needed her head examined.
No, she needed to turn around and just go home and forget this whole thing.
Except she really liked Tyler.
So maybe she should just go inside and have dinner and see what happened. She didn’t have to do anything else. For all she knew, Tyler wasn’t even interested in anything else.
Except she was pretty sure he was.
Okay, so she’d just go inside and have dinner and stop worrying about everything else. One step at a time. Yes, dinner first. She could do that.
She glanced down, frowning, wondering if her outfit sent the wrong message…whatever message that might be. Black wool slacks, heeled black boots that ma
de her strut with attitude, soft cashmere sweater in a color that set off her eyes. Definitely not too casual. But was it too business-like?
Great. Now she was second-guessing her wardrobe. That more than anything told her she was a mess. A hot mess. Which meant she should just turn around and head back home, back to Jason’s.
She spun on her heel and ran straight into a brick wall then stumbled back. Hands grabbed her, holding her steady until she regained her balance. An apology hovered on her lips, quickly dying when she looked up at Tyler.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to run into you.”
He was apologizing to her? Jenny fought back a nervous laugh and shook her head. “I think I ran into you.”
Tyler grinned and jammed his hands into the front pockets of his jeans. But he didn’t say anything, just stood there watching her. His grin slowly faded as uncertainty filled his eyes, followed by something that almost looked like regret.
Or maybe Jenny was just feeling guilty because she’d been ready to run. Did Tyler know that? Could he sense it?
He rocked back on his heels, his gaze darting to the restaurant door before sliding back to hers. “Did you want to go inside or did you change your mind?”
“No. I—” She stopped, pulled her lower lip between her teeth and darted a glance over her shoulder. Go inside, or run away? Those were her only two choices.
“It’s okay if you changed your mind. Not a big deal.” He grinned again but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. In fact, his eyes seemed almost…sad. Filled with regret—like he knew she was going to change her mind.
And oh no, please not that. She was such a sucker for sad eyes, especially deep brown sad eyes framed with dark thick lashes. This wasn’t good. Not good at all. If she was smart, she’d run off in the opposite direction and pretend she’d never even met Tyler.
But she couldn’t, not when he looked at her like he was expecting just that.
She bit down on her lower lip once more then forced a bright smile to her face. “No, I’m good. Ready to go in whenever you are.”
“You sure about that?” He didn’t look like he believed her. Could she blame him, when her words sounded too forced to her own ears? Too cheery? She wiped the fake smile from her face, replaced it with a real one. Maybe not as bright or as wide, but real nonetheless.
“I, uh, I was maybe thinking about leaving. Before, you know, I kind of ran into you.”
Surprise flashed in his eyes then was quickly replaced by disappointment. He took a step back, like he was suddenly afraid he might be standing too close to her. “That’s fine. I understand. We don’t have—”
She reached out and placed her hand on his arm, giving it a gentle squeeze to interrupt him. “I know. But I think I want to. Have dinner, I mean.”
“Are you sure? Because I understand if you changed your mind. I don’t want you to feel like you have to.”
Jenny watched him for a few long seconds, surprised by what she heard in his voice—and by what she saw in his eyes. He meant it. He actually meant what he said. When was the last time she’d felt comfortable believing a man’s words? No, it was more than that. It wasn’t feeling comfortable believing them, like she was trying to convince herself the words were true. This was different: she really did believe him. He wasn’t pretending honesty, or just saying what he thought she wanted to hear. He wasn’t just uttering words he thought would get her to change her mind. Tyler meant them. She could turn around and leave right now and that would be it.
No arguments, no guilt, no coercion.
Just…honesty.
She cleared her throat and stepped closer, draping her arm through his. “I’m actually pretty hungry. And cold. So how about if we go inside and have that dinner you talked about?”
He hesitated for a long second, watching her. Trying to figure out if she was telling the truth or just trying to making him feel better? Maybe. Whatever he saw must have convinced him that she meant it because he grinned again and led her toward the door.
Warmth washed over them as soon as they went inside. Jenny inhaled, breathing in scents of spicy wings and burgers. Her stomach grumbled and she darted a quick glance at Tyler to see if he heard. Probably not, with all the noise surrounding them. She relaxed a little, her arm still draped through his as he led them toward the hostess stand. The woman barely glanced at them as she retrieved two menus and led them toward a table away from the large screen televisions suspended from the ceiling and hanging on the walls. Jenny hesitated when she noticed that a hockey game was playing on several of them. The Baltimore Banners.
She stopped, pulling on Tyler’s arm as she motioned toward one of the large sets. “Don’t you want to sit where you can watch the game?”
Tyler stiffened next to her. He glanced at the television screen, his jaw clenching as a frown settled on his face. “No, not really.”
Jenny didn’t bother hiding her confusion as the hostess finally stopped at an empty table. Tyler held the seat out for her then settled into his own, sitting so his back was to the many televisions. A frown still creased his face as he grabbed a menu and studied it.
Jenny felt the tension oozing from him and wondered what she’d said that was so wrong. It couldn’t be about watching the game. Could it? No, that was ridiculous. Tyler was a hockey player. The Bombers were attached to the Banners. Wouldn’t he be interested in at least watching a little of the game?
Unless he thought she’d be upset if he did. Was that it? She grabbed her own menu but barely glanced at it. “It’s okay if you want to watch the game. Honest. It won’t bother me.”
“Not interested.”
His voice was strained, the words a little curt and harsh. Jenny sat back, the menu forgotten, her gaze focused on the man across from her. His back was straight, stiff; his shoulders hunched around his ears and a muscle ticked in his clenched jaw. He was concentrating on the menu held in his hands, the edges of the plastic-coated sheet curling in his fist.
The change in Tyler’s demeanor startled her. She didn’t know why, but it was obvious he was upset about something. The hockey game? But why? It made no sense.
And it left her questioning her decision to stay instead of leaving.
Jenny placed the menu on the table, her own posture erect and uncomfortable. “Maybe this isn’t such a good idea after all.”
Tyler’s head snapped up, the frown on his face growing deeper for a split second before smoothing out. Regret flashed in his eyes as he dropped the menu and leaned across the table. His hand reached out, hovered near hers, then dropped in a loose fist against the varnished surface separating them.
“Jenny, wait. I—” He paused, the muscles in his neck working as he swallowed. His shoulders slumped as he sat back in his chair, looking defeated. “I owe you an apology. I shouldn’t have snapped.”
Jenny shrugged, not quite meeting his eyes. “You didn’t really snap. But it’s obvious I did something to upset you and—”
“No. No, you didn’t. You didn’t do anything. It’s just…” His voice trailed off, his gaze darting away from hers. He shifted in the chair and looked over his shoulder before turning back. Determination shone in his dark eyes, settled over his shoulders as he took a deep breath. “It’s not you. I just…the game is kind of a sore spot with me right now.”
Now it was Jenny’s turn to frown. “Why would it be a sore spot? It’s the Banners playing, right? Isn’t that kind of like your team? I mean, I know you play for the Bombers like Jason, but you guys are contracted with the Banners. At least, that’s how I always thought it worked. Or do I have that wrong?”
She didn’t think she did, not unless something had changed the last few years. She remembered when Jason had been drafted, and she remembered his excitement when he’d been picked up by Baltimore. And she knew the Bombers were the minor affiliates of the Banners.
So why would seeing the Banners play be a sore spot for Tyler?
She watched him, waiting for his answer. He was quie
t for so long, with such an expression of misery on his face, that she didn’t think he would answer. But he finally leaned back in the chair, his fingers absently running the length of the menu as he sighed.
“I’m not even sure how to explain without sounding petty and jealous.”
“Somehow I don’t see you as the petty type.”
Tyler snorted then raised his head, his eyes meeting hers. Such deep, dark eyes, so intent and focused. A shiver went through her, one she didn’t quite understand.
No, that was wrong. She understood it just fine—she was just afraid of it. Afraid of what the man across from her could make her want and feel with just one look. A flush took hold of her, heating her from the inside out. She dropped her gaze, no longer able to meet his, and hoped he didn’t notice.
“Yeah, well. I am. Didn’t realize it until recently, though. It’s been a wake-up call to learn I’m not the man I thought I was.”
Now it was Jenny’s turn to snort. Heat filled her face, this time from embarrassment. She looked around for something to hide her flaming face with but they didn’t even have glasses of water yet. The menu would work, but that would be too obvious.
Or maybe not, since Tyler wasn’t really looking at her. His gaze was focused on the wall behind her but even she could tell he wasn’t really seeing it, that he was seeing something else—something only he could see.
She cleared her throat, the sound nearly as indelicate as her earlier snort, and leaned into his line of vision. “So what kind of man are you, then?”
“Hm?” Tyler blinked, his gaze finally landing on hers. A small smile teased the corner of his full mouth, there and gone before it had chance to bloom. He gave his head a quick shake, like he was mentally bringing himself back to the here-and-now, then shrugged. “I guess…petty.”
“Wow. Are you always so cryptic?”
“I don’t mean to be. Sorry.”
Playing For Keeps: A York Bombers Hockey Romance (The York Bombers Book 3) Page 6
