Yeah. Wasn't that going to make for a fun season?
Aaron straddled the bench and wrapped his hands around the padded handles of the machine. He closed his eyes, inhaled, and extended his arms.
Only nothing happened.
He dropped his arms and glanced over his shoulder, the muscle in his jaw working when he saw Zach leaning against the weights. "Do you mind?"
"Yeah, actually, I do." Zach straightened and moved closer. "Have you at least talked to her?"
"And tell her what? Sorry for manhandling her? Christ, Mummert—"
"Why do you even think that?"
"Think what? That I was manhandling her?"
"Yeah. From what I hear, it was a kiss—one she was participating in."
"You weren't there."
"No, but I was." Jason grinned and tapped Aaron on the shoulder with his fist. "And she was definitely participating. She damn near had your shirt up around your hairy armpits."
"Fuck, Emory. Do you ever shut up? You need to shut up because you're not helping. Now go away. I mean it." Zach pushed him to the side then waved his hands in a brushing motion at everyone else. "That goes for all of you. Especially you, Banky. You're too innocent for this conversation, even if you are turning into a man-whore."
A blush exploded on Travis Bankard's face. Even the tips of his ears turned beet-red. He stammered for a minute then narrowed his eyes at Zach. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"What? Man-whore? Go look it up in the dictionary. Or better yet, ask Ben."
"I know what it means, you ass. I just don't know why you're calling me that."
"Because that's what you've turned into. Do yourself a favor and stay off social media."
"But you—"
"That was before I got smart. Now go away. All of you."
"But—"
"Come on, Banky. Let's leave the kids alone before Zach has a coronary. You too, Jason." Ben Leach tugged on their arms, leading both men away, muttering under his breath about hen-pecked boys.
Aaron felt Zach stiffen and reached out to grab him, pulling him back before he could go after Ben. "Let it go. And stop giving Travis a hard time. You're not making things easier for him."
"Easier? What the fuck is that supposed to mean?"
"Just what I said. He's beating himself up for getting involved with those women last season." Aaron pinned Zach in place with a narrowed gaze. "Which he wouldn't have done if you hadn't egged him on."
"Yeah, well. I didn't think he'd take me seriously."
"He's still young and naïve and on the rebound."
"Young? He's almost twenty-two. Definitely old enough to know better."
"When you get to be my age, that's young."
Zach leaned against the machine and folded his arms across his broad chest, leveling an unreadable gaze at Aaron. "Why do you do that?"
"Do what?"
"Keep calling yourself old. You're not, you know. Thirty-four is still prime."
"Not in our line of work, it isn't. I've been playing pro or semi-pro hockey for half my life. Trust me, I'm old."
"Bullshit."
"You just wait—"
"Yeah, whatever. We can save that conversation for another day. I want to know why you haven't gone to talk to your neighbor at all."
Aaron turned away from Zach, hoping the man would get the message. He didn't. Instead of walking away, he simply moved in front of Aaron.
"Well? Why haven't you?"
"And say what? Sorry for forcing myself on you? Fuck. Shit like that—no, there's nothing I can say to her that would make it better."
"Why are you so fucking convinced you forced yourself on her?"
"I don't know. Maybe because she pushed me away and ran off?"
"When did she push you away?"
"After Jason came in and caught us."
"Okay, number one, he didn't 'catch you'. That implies you were sneaking around like some horny fucking teenager. And number two, did you maybe stop to think she was embarrassed? I mean, fuck. This is Jason we're talking about. You know how he is. He could embarrass the devil himself just by opening his stupid fucking mouth and saying the wrong thing."
Aaron shook his head. He wanted to believe Zach, wanted to believe that he hadn't acted like a total ass and did something wrong…but he couldn't quite convince himself of that. "You didn't see the look on her face—"
"No, but I saw yours."
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
Zach ran a hand through his hair and down his face, his breath leaving him in a rush. He glanced around then stepped closer, lowering his voice to just above a whisper. "Remember when that bastard hurt Haley? How fucked up I was? Pissed and angry but beyond that, scared shitless. I was so fucking scared I was a fucking basket case."
Aaron closed his eyes, the memory of that night almost six months ago coming back to him. Haley's ex-boyfriend had broken into her apartment and attacked her, leaving her cut and bloody until Zach found her an hour later. The police had actually arrested Zach, thinking he'd been the one to hurt her. Aaron had picked him up when he was released from jail a few hours later, all charges dropped when the police realized he'd had nothing to do with it.
Zach had been a shell of himself, pale and empty and so shaken that he'd been violently ill. Aaron had taken him to his condo and forced him into the shower so he could wash Haley's blood from his skin before taking him to the hospital. It had been a living nightmare for all of them, but especially for Zach.
One he wouldn't be able to forget for a long time.
Aaron blew out a deep breath. "Yeah, I remember."
"You had a similar look on your face."
"That is such—"
"You did. Not scared shitless, not like that. But you had this panicked look in your eyes, like you'd just lost something you never realized you had."
"That is the most fucking asinine thing I have ever heard you say. Zach, she's my neighbor. We're friends. Acquaintances. That's it. We don't even socialize much. Nothing beyond saying hi or chatting or hanging out a little if we're both outside."
Zach's brows shot up in disbelief. "Really? Then what the fuck are you doing kissing her if she's nothing more than an acquaintance?"
"I—" Aaron's mouth snapped shut, his mind searching for an explanation. There had to be one…he just couldn't find it.
"Yeah. Uh-huh. That's what I thought. If it had been any one of these other guys around here, it'd be no big deal. But that's not how you roll and we both know it."
"That doesn't mean anything."
"Listen, all I'm saying is go talk to her. Apologize if you think you need to. Then ask the woman out."
"I don't think that's a good idea."
"Why? Because she might say no?"
Maybe. And because he was afraid she'd slam the door in his face. But damned if he'd admit that to Zach. "In case you're forgetting, I have two daughters I need to worry about. And right now, they're about all I can handle."
"You're a big boy. Learn to multi-task. They're in school now, right?"
"Yeah, they started yesterday."
"And you said your neighbor worked from home, right?"
"Yeah."
"Then ask her out to lunch. Lunch dates are innocent enough. Piece of cake." Zach swatted Aaron on the leg with his towel then sauntered away, whistling under his breath.
Aaron almost laughed at the irony of the entire situation. Zach Mummert, one of the team's biggest players, giving him dating advice.
Except Zach wasn't a player anymore, and hadn't been for a while. And he was totally committed to Haley.
So maybe some of what Zach said had merit.
Maybe.
Except it all hinged on Aaron working up the nerve to go see Savannah. To apologize. And that meant taking a chance on having her slam the door in his face.
He wasn't sure if he could handle that.
Chapter Five
"You look like you're melting. I have no idea why you'
re sitting outside in this heat when you could be inside, in the air conditioning. Where it's cool."
Savannah glanced up from the notes she was making on her next presentation and shot Tessa a dirty look. "I am not melting."
"Looks like it from here." Tessa leaned forward, the angle of the camera lens comically distorting her face. She tapped on her own screen, the sound traveling through cyberspace and echoing in Savannah's ear as a hollow thud. "Your face is all shiny and sweaty."
Savannah had been reaching for a napkin to blot the sweat from her face. She pulled her hand back at Tessa's words and frowned. "It is not."
"Liar. Tell me again why you're sitting outside when it's two hundred degrees and sweltering."
"You're exaggerating. As usual. And I happen to enjoy the fresh air."
"Uh-huh. I think it's the view you enjoy, not the fresh air. There is no fresh air, not with this humidity."
Savannah ignored the comment about the view, knowing better than to start that discussion with Tessa. Again. "It's not that bad. I'm in the shade under the canopy, and I have the pedestal fan on so there's a nice breeze."
"Hmm. If you say so." Tessa's face disappeared from the screen as she leaned to the side. Her image reappeared just as she popped a carrot stick into her mouth. "Let me guess: your neighbor is working outside or something and you're just using work as an excuse to ogle him."
"You guessed wrong."
"Why don't I believe that?"
"No idea but look, you can see for yourself." Savannah turned her laptop around, aiming the camera at Aaron's empty yard. She spun it back in time to see the surprise on Tessa's face. "See? Told you."
"I don't think I buy it. If he's not out there now, then you're hoping he will be. That has to be the only reason for you to be sitting outside."
"I told you, I enjoy working outside. And trust me, if I did see Aaron, I'd hightail it back inside right away."
"Are you still agonizing over that whole thing?"
"I'm not agonizing. I'm just avoiding."
"You're doing both. Admit it."
Savannah thought about denying it but she clamped her mouth closed against the lie. She was doing both. She was still too embarrassed. Worse than embarrassed. She was mortified.
"I don't see what the big deal is. You kissed him. That was it."
"Tessa, I was trying to strip him naked."
"Yeah? So? That's what you've been talking about doing for the last year."
"But we were in his kitchen!"
"And?"
"What if someone walked in on us?"
"I thought someone did walk in on you?"
"I mean his kids. What if it had been Isabelle or Brooke? Having his teammate catch us was bad enough. I can't even imagine what I would have done if it had been one of the girls."
"I think you're overreacting just a bit."
Was she? Probably. But that didn't lessen the embarrassment.
And it certainly didn't lessen the memory of that intense kiss. She hadn't expected it, at all. Thought about it, yes. Fantasized about it, most definitely. But actually expected it? No way. And it had been toe-curling amazing, too. Feeling Aaron's hard body—and she did mean hard, in every way possible—pressed against hers. Feeling his tongue sweep into her mouth. Tasting him, touching his heated flesh. The kiss had unleashed something wild inside her. She had wanted nothing more than to see and touch and taste every inch of him. The desire had been so fierce, she had forgotten where they were.
What embarrassed her even more than being caught was knowing that she wouldn't have stopped if they hadn't been, not until she had Aaron naked and deep inside her.
She didn't even want to think what would have happened if someone had walked in on them then.
"Ooooo. What are you thinking?"
Savannah's head jerked toward the screen. "What? I'm not thinking about anything."
"Yes, you are. And from the way your face got all red, I'd have to say it was something really good, too. Now out with it."
"No. It was nothing."
"Liar." Tessa leaned forward, a wide grin on her face. "You were thinking about him, weren't you? About that rugged body all hot and sweaty and naked and rubbing against yours, weren't you?"
Savannah choked back an embarrassed laugh. "Tessa!"
"Well damn." Tessa leaned back, waving a hand in front of her face. "I think I need to go see my battery-operated-boyfriend, bring him out for a little playtime."
Savannah laughed again, her face heating a little more because she'd been thinking of doing the same thing. "If only we could replace all men with BOB. Wouldn't that—"
"Hey Savannah."
She jumped at the deep voice calling her name a few feet away. Her mouth opened and closed, her mind completely blank as she stared at Aaron. A shrill squeal echoed from her laptop.
"OhmyGod, is that him? Is he there? Did he hear you? Girl, if you don't fuck his brains out right now—"
Savannah slammed the laptop closed, cutting Tessa off before she could say anything else. And oh God, had Aaron heard her? Had he heard either one of them?
She wanted to die. To spontaneously combust and disappear in a pile of ash.
Or just run into her house and slam the door behind her and search for a new place to live. Like maybe Antarctica.
But she didn't do any of that because she was frozen in place from embarrassment, and from those deep brown eyes watching her.
"Uh. Aaron. Um. Hi." She glanced at the closed laptop then back at him. Had he heard any of their conversation? He must have. He'd have to be completely deaf not to. But he didn't look like he'd heard—not unless he had the world's best poker face. And if that was the case, the man seriously needed to go to Las Vegas.
She settled back in the chair and crossed her legs, ignoring the damp tenderness and trying not to feel like she'd just been caught playing with herself. "Did you, um—I mean, was there something you needed?"
He stepped closer, moving under the shade of the canopy, his dark gaze darting to the closed laptop before shooting back to hers. "I didn't mean to interrupt. I can come back—"
"No! Um, I mean, you weren't interrupting. Did it sound like you were interrupting? Because you weren't. You didn't. I mean—" Savannah snapped her mouth closed and pasted a bright smile on her face. "Whatever you heard, it didn't mean anything. Just, um, just girl talk and—"
Savannah snapped her mouth closed again as Aaron moved closer, one corner of his mouth kicking up in a sexy grin. He reached out with one hand and for a second, she thought he was going to pull her to her feet and into his arms and kiss her. And she'd be totally fine with that, in absolute agreement with whatever he wanted to do.
Instead of touching her, he curled his finger around the cord dangling from her left ear and gently pulled. The earbud dropped to her chest, just above the swell of her breast. Relief coursed through her and she sagged against the table.
"Oh, thank God."
Aaron chuckled, the sound drifting over her like a warm breeze. "Do I even want to know?"
"No! No, you definitely don't want to know."
"Fair enough." He shifted his weight from one foot to the other, amusement flashing in his eyes. "Who's Bob?"
"Nobody. He's, uh, he's nobody." Savannah jumped from the chair and gathered the laptop and notes and moved toward the French doors. She was still so flustered that she nearly tripped but Aaron was right there beside her, steadying her with a hand on her elbow.
She offered him a smile—at least, she hoped it was a smile, she was still so flustered she wasn't sure—then walked inside, Aaron following her. She tossed the laptop and her notes on the coffee table. "Did you need something? Would you like something to drink?"
"Actually, I came to apologize."
Savannah stumbled to a stop then spun around, her brows lowered in confusion. "Apologize?"
Aaron shoved his hands into the front pockets of his shorts. His shoulders hunched around his ears as a small blush stain
ed his stubbled cheeks, making him look like an awkward teenager who had just been busted for doing something he shouldn't have. What, she couldn't imagine.
"Yeah. For what happened. I shouldn't have—I didn't mean—" He cleared his throat, the blush deepening a little more.
Savannah's mouth dropped open in shock as she stared at him. Was he really apologizing for the kiss? Oh, dear God, he was. She couldn't believe it. Or maybe she could. This was Aaron. The next-door neighbor she'd been fantasizing about for the past year, and not just for his looks. He was quiet, not shy but definitely a bit reserved. Always holding a piece of himself back, like he was afraid to fully jump into life. A gentleman. Maybe that sounded old-fashioned—and how sad was that?—but he was. And while she knew all that, she never in a million years expected him to think he'd done something wrong simply by kissing her.
Unless there was something else he was apologizing for.
She stepped closer, trying to wipe the confused frown from her face. "Are you apologizing for kissing me?"
His face turned even redder as his gaze darted to hers then quickly dropped. "That. And for being rough. I shouldn't have—"
"Don't."
His head snapped up. "Don't?"
"Yeah. Don't."
"Don't, what?"
"Don't apologize."
"But I—"
"Aaron, if I hadn't wanted you to kiss me, you would have known it. I would have kicked or punched or pushed you away or—"
"You did."
"I did what?"
"Pushed me away."
Savannah frowned, trying to figure out what he was talking about. Pushed him away? Not even close. She'd been shoving his shirt up his body and would have worked on his shorts next if his teammate hadn't interrupted them.
The memory came back to her and she mentally groaned. She had pushed him away—but only because she was so embarrassed at what she might have done that she gave in to the overwhelming desire to run away.
Playing It Safe Page 4
