“Actually, I noticed the last time I was here that the uncovered part of your deck needs some work. I brought my hand sander and deck paint to touch it up for you.” My deck was split into two sections. The section that was covered by an awning was tiled, while the section that wasn’t covered was wood planking. Not sure why they did that, but they did.
“That’s nice of you, but you don’t need to do anything to fix this place up. It’s a rental, remember?”
“Yeah, I know, but I need something to do. I need to do something to get some exercise, and since I had the stuff left over from doing my deck, I thought I’d just do this one, too. Do you mind?”
“Nope. Have at it.”
As he was walking by, he caught a glimpse of the drawing I’d neglected to put away. “Is that me?” He put his stuff down on the faded deck and walked back to pick up the drawing.
“Huh? Oh, yeah. It’s nothing. I was just dabbling.” I tried to grab the tablet and close it, but he held tight to it.
“When did you do this?”
More uncomfortable than I believe I’d ever been around him, I shrugged my shoulders. “I think I started it at your house. When we were talking on the deck.”
“It’s incredible. It looks just like me, except for the eyes. Right? Or do I really look like that? I look like a lost puppy who just found his forever home. That’s how I look?”
I was getting into some uncomfortable territory here. I didn’t particularly want to answer his question. Lying wasn’t something I cared to do either, but telling him the truth was scary. Even so, I went with the truth at a mere whisper. “That’s how you look when you look at me.”
Forgetting my mother was standing right next to us—hell, forgetting the rest of the world existed, I think—he cupped my cheek. “Well, that makes sense then.” He took a step toward me as we heard my mother try to sneak away. She was quiet as a mouse, but the spell was broken nonetheless.
***
Halfway through painting the deck, Cage peeled his shirt off to the delight of any woman who was lucky enough to catch a glimpse of him. Men too, no doubt.
“Jesus. Karen, do you see that? We could grate cheese on his abs.” I was pleased my mother had finally found her inside voice, so Cage didn’t hear her ogling him.
I sighed. Who wouldn’t look at such yumminess? “Yeah. Yeah we could.”
“What is wrong with you, child? Snatch him up. He obviously wants to be caught.”
“Did you happen to forget I live in Canada and he lives here? I’m not so sure a long-distance relationship is the best kind to get into with a hotter-than-hell professional athlete. You?”
Mom frowned. “Well, don’t ruin it with logic.”
I laughed and frowned back at her. “I hear that.” We continued to enjoy the scenery until we got caught.
Cage must have felt our eyes on him. He looked up and grinned as if he knew exactly what we’d been discussing. “Hot out here today, huh?” His bare chest glistened—yes, glistened—in the afternoon sun. Good Lord …
“Little bit.” Was it just me, or did my voice sound kind of breathy?
“I’m going to run home and take a shower before the game. I didn’t realize how hot it was in the sun. I’m pretty sweaty.” He ran his hands over his chest and abs. My mother actually sighed.
“Mom! Why don’t you go get Cage some iced tea?”
“Huh? Oh, yes. Sure. Be right back.”
“Take your time.” She was killing me. When she was safely out of ear shot, Cage began laughing.
“You’re bad, Cage. You know exactly what you’re doing, don’t you?”
His brows shot up and his mouth opened slightly. “What? I’m just painting the deck. A couple more minutes and I’ll be done.” He winked at me and then went down onto his knees to finish the last bit of painting. This new position gifted me with a view of his jean clad ass and bare back. It was getting hotter outside by the minute.
With perfect timing, my mother walked back out. “Here’s your—oh my.”
“Mother!” She had to go. “That’s it. Let’s go back inside while Cage finishes up out here, shall we?” I got up and collected my drawing book and pencils, prodding my mother to fold up the easel and lean it back against the wall.
Back inside, Mom and I were sitting at the kitchen table sipping tea when she told me that she thought I should think about staying in San Diego.
“Trying to get rid of me?”
“Oh, of course not, sweetie. I just think you like it better here. And it’s a world away from all those bad memories, isn’t it? You don’t have a job there anymore and no ties to hold you back. Why not? You could just start fresh.”
“I think I’d like to stay, but it’s not that easy. I’d have to find a company to sponsor me or get married or—”
“Do that one. Get married.” She pointed her finger at me to emphasize her words.
“I’m not going to get married just to stay in the States. That would be very wrong.” Not that it hadn’t crossed my mind, but that would be crazy. And I wasn’t crazy.
“Why? Just pick the right guy.”
“Oh sure. Why didn’t I think of that? It’s so easy. Let’s see. Cage is hot, maybe I’ll ask him.” My mother had lost her mind.
“Ask me what?” Cage walked in carrying his supplies with his shirt slung over his shoulder.
“If you’ll marry Karen so she can stay here.” Excellent. I got more help from Mom.
Cage’s grin turned devilish. “Are you going to ask me to marry you, Karen? I don’t know. I want to be romanced. You’re going to have to work for it.”
“No, I’m not going to ask you to marry me. My mother’s just thinking out loud. I think she may have lost her mind.”
Turning serious, Cage’s grin disappeared, and he looked down at the floor. “I would, you know. If you wanted to. I mean so you could stay.”
He was as crazy as my mother. “Are you insane? Marriage isn’t something you play at, Cage. When I get married, I want it to be forever. I want to be married to someone who loves me more than anything. And whom I love more than anything in return. I want kids and a house with a big yard for our dogs to run in. I want it all.”
He let out a loud breath, and shrugged his shoulders. “Well, the offer stands. You want me, I’m yours. Now I’m going to go home and shower. I’ll be back soon.” The click of the door closing was loud in the ensuing silence.
My mom and I sat there at the table staring at each other for a minute or two before she broke the silence. “Well, that was interesting, eh? Do you think he was serious?”
“How could he be? And thanks for that.” The scary part was, I think he was dead serious. I think he just might do it to let me stay here. Cage. The guy with one of the fastest reputations on the team. The ladies’ man was willing to take himself off the market. Obviously I would never consider marrying him. It was just crazy! Crazy. Of course it was.
When Cage returned, we ate some Chinese food he’d brought and watched the game, but he left directly afterward. Marriage was not discussed again.
Chapter 19
Cage
I decided to go to The Pub to watch the sixth game of the series. Technically I was well enough to watch in the press box, but I couldn’t stomach the thought of being there and not being able to play, so I may have milked it a bit. If we lost this one, we were out. I was going to call Karen, but since her mother would be gone soon, I figured I’d let them spend the night together without me. Besides, it was high time I got out with other people. The more I was around Karen, the more I didn’t want her to leave. It wasn’t healthy, the way I was obsessed with her.
As soon as I walked in, I wanted to walk out. Jody and Vlad were at the bar, and I didn’t feel like being around them. Although, being who I was, I wouldn’t have been left to myself anyway. Fame definitely had its benefits, but it was also a pain in the ass sometimes. In hindsight, it was a colossally bad idea to go to The Pub to watch a playoff game t
hat I was supposed to be playing in. What the hell was I thinking?
“Oh my God—Cage Booker!” And there were the girls. Three of them ran up to me before I even made it over to the bar. So much for sneaking back out. I pasted on the smile I reserved for the public and greeted them.
“Hi ladies.”
“Can I have your autograph?” With that said, the busty brunette pulled her top down low for me to sign her chest.
“Sorry, I don’t have a pen with me.” What the fuck? Did they think I carried one with me to autograph body parts? Wait, shouldn’t I have been enjoying the attention? Checking out her offerings?
She stuck out a pouty lip, but didn’t pull her shirt back up. “How about we get one at my place? Then you can sign other parts of me, too.”
“Very tempting, but no thank you. Not tonight.” I tried to walk away, but another brunette reached out and grabbed my arm.
“Aw, come on Cage. We can all go back to Julie’s place. The three of us—and you. Think of the fun we can have.”
Three on one. Now that was an intriguing offer, but I still wasn’t interested. There was only one woman I wanted to play with, and it wasn’t any of them.
“Sorry ladies. I’m going to have to stick with no. Thanks again.” I made a more forceful getaway and got all the way to the bar. “Give me a Molson, will you?”
“Sure thing. How you feeling, Booker? Any chance you might be back for the seventh game if there is one?” Pete had been a bartender at The Pub for as long as I’d been coming here.
“Nah, afraid not. I’m done for now, but if—when we get to the next round, I’ll try to get clearance again.” I didn’t hold up hope, though. I tried to ignore it the best I could, but I still got headaches and lights still bothered me, although thankfully the sensitivity was getting better. The ribs I could work through. There was hardly a day on the ice that I didn’t have to deal with some kind of pain anyway. We were all used to that.
“Hey, Booker. My sister get smart and finally kick you out?” Jody was talking right over the head of the guy sitting next to him. At that moment I was thankful that there was someone separating us, because I’d about had it.
“No. You’d like that though, wouldn’t you, Jody?” It was time. It was past time. I wanted this whole situation with Jody done with. I was sick and tired of tiptoeing around that asshole. “What the fuck is your problem with me?”
“Uh, guys? This isn’t the place. Don’t put on a show for the customers, huh?” Vlad stood up at the same time as the guy sitting between us did. That was probably a good idea on his part. Vlad took up the empty spot, keeping us separated. “Come on. Let’s just have a beer, okay?”
“No. Not okay. I’m sick of it, but you’re right about our audience. Come take a walk with me, will you Jody?”
“What, are you calling me out? This isn’t high school, Booker. Besides, Karen would kill me if I made a dent in your pretty little face again.”
I got up and leaned across Vlad to get up close and personal with my buddy Jody. “Just come outside, asshole.”
To show me he didn’t jump to do my bidding, he took his sweet old time following me out the door. Vlad shook his head, looked skyward and stayed seated at the bar.
The green awning over the front door was well lit and empty, but we walked farther out into the parking lot anyway, stopping under a street light. “All right. Let’s just get this over with. I am so fucking sick of your attitude. I’ve never done anything to you, so what the fuck is your problem with me?”
“Are you serious? You really can’t figure it out? Jesus, Cage. You fuck anything in a skirt. Your temper’s explosive. Hell, you’ve done time! And you’re interested in my baby sister. Does that make it easier for you to understand?”
His hand was curled into a fist. I had to be honest; I did not want him to hit me again. Dude hit hard. He was a fucking incredible enforcer. Great to have on your team. Not great to be standing in front of him watching his hands clench and unclench in his effort to not hit me, but fuck it. He was right. I had an explosive temper and the lid was about to blow. So I attacked first.
I shoved him with both hands as hard as I could. He staggered, but didn’t go down. “Like you were any better. How many puck bunnies did you screw before you met Lacey? And you’re going to point out my temper? I seem to remember hearing about you physically picking Lacey up out of a speed dating session before she was even your girl. And I have not done time! Jesus, man. I got carted away to the police station for all of about two hours because I hit a guy who’d hit a girl in a bar. So tell me again what your fucking problem is.” I shoved him back again for good measure. He staggered again, but then got me with a solid punch to the stomach. I guess I should have been thankful he missed my ribs, but damn, I couldn’t breathe.
He yelled at the back of my head as I was bent over, hands on my knees, trying to get some oxygen into my lungs. “You have no idea what Karen’s been through. You aren’t the kind of guy she needs. She’s had your type. Violent, skirt chasing. So leave her alone, do you hear me?”
My rage had simmered down to a slow boil. It was hard to be self-righteous when his concern was for Karen. Right or wrong, he was only trying to protect her. I slowly stood up, rubbing my stomach. “Yes, I do know what Karen’s been through. She told me all about Freddy.” His eyes widened at the mention of Freddy.
“Karen and I have spent a lot of time together, Jody. We’ve talked for hours and hours about everything. She’s been through even more than you know. Now here’s the important part, and I want you to listen up.” Danger being my middle name (or stupid), I took a step closer. “I’m not going away. I’m not going to stop being Karen’s friend. She means too much to me. And if by some miracle she’ll let me be more than a friend to her, you can be goddamn sure I’ll count myself a lucky bastard. I don’t want the girl of the day anymore. I won’t say my temper will never get the best of me again, but I can say without a doubt that there is nothing in this world that Karen could do to cause me to lay a finger on her out of anger.”
Jody’s chest rose as he got ready to talk, but I held a hand up to stop him. “I’m not done.” He stood up straighter and crossed his arms, but stayed quiet, nodding once. “You and I need to figure out a way to be together in the same room without upsetting Karen. I know you don’t see her as much as she’d like you to because I’m usually there now. That’s got to stop. You’ll have to deal with me, because as I already said, I’m not going away. You’re the one who’s hurting her. Not me. So what’s it going to be?”
His face was comically contorted in his effort to swallow his pride. I knew he had to agree with me. There was no other answer, and I think he knew he was wrong to feel so powerfully negative toward me. “Okay, great. You make valid points that I can’t argue with.” He still wanted to hit me, I could tell, but he knew he was wrong. “Goddammit, Booker, fine. We’ll call a truce and see how it goes, but you get one fucking toe out of line and we’re going to go a round or two.” After a couple of seconds of reflecting, he said, “Sorry I hit you—again.”
I shook my head and grinned at him. “No you’re not.”
He laughed in return. “You’re right. It felt good.”
“Allow me to disagree.” I rubbed my stomach again and shook the hand he offered me. It felt good to get all of that out in the open. I was glad I pushed the issue. My temper stayed pretty well controlled, too. Good for me.
We walked back into the bar to see our seats had been taken over, although Vlad still sat in his watching the game. We’d missed most of the first period. I couldn’t help but wonder if Karen and Maddie were watching. If I had my choice, I’d much rather be sitting in her living room than here at the bar.
“Come on, Booker. I’ll buy you a cold one.”
“Thanks, LaGrange, but I’ll pass. I feel the need to go check on your sister.” He sighed, but to his credit he didn’t say a word. “See you guys later.”
***
The
second period was just getting underway when I got to Karen’s. Her mom answered the door wearing a San Diego Zoo hoodie. “Hey, Maddie. Looks like someone went sightseeing today.”
“I did. Lacey and I took Addie while Jody was working with a new youth group at the rink and Karen was resting. It’s a great zoo, but, holy cow, is it big! I was as exhausted as Addie by the time we got home.” She patted me on the back and pushed me toward the living room. “Go sit with Karen. I’ll grab us some sodas and be right in.”
“Thanks.”
Karen’s ponytail hung down over the back of the couch, swaying gently back and forth as she disagreed with the commenter on TV. “That was not boarding, you ass. Maybe you need new glasses!” Matty was escorted to the sin bin, pleading his case the whole way. “Great. Another friggin penalty kill! Ref, you suck.”
How sexy was it to walk into a room and see a beautiful woman throwing down like a man at the TV over a hockey game? “You tell em!”
She glanced at me over her shoulder and patted the seat next to her. “Come on over here and watch this bullshit with me. I swear sometimes I think these games are rigged.”
Didn’t we all. “What’s the score?”
“Tied, but we’ll see what it is after this penalty kill. Our PK has been sucking monkey balls lately.” She wasn’t wrong about that. It always seemed to me that you either had a good power play unit or a good penalty kill unit. You didn’t usually have both. Which was better? That depended on how bad or good your team was with not getting penalized.
“Monkey balls, huh? You get gutter mouth when you watch hockey, you know that?”
“Hey—I’ll be classy in a few weeks. Right now, it’s playoff time. Now, come sit down and shut up. And stop scratching your head.”
Yup. I was in love. Hook line and sinker. I was done. “I can’t help it. My hair’s growing back and it’s itchy. So, you think we’re going to pull this out?”
Cage's Misconduct (NHL Scorpions #3) Page 17
