Page 15 of The Attack Zone
“Alright, lovely bride. Do you want to hear an update on your wedding plans?” I ask knowing full well she will not.
“Will Caleb be there?” she asks.
“Obviously,” says Thomas in a completely serious tone, clearly unaware of where this conversation is headed.
“Then that’s all I need to know,” Cassie says totally deadpan.
“Well, I, for one, would like an update,” Caleb says with a bit of hesitation.
Cassie leans into him and rests her head against his chest. She looks so cozy and at peace. I wonder what that feels like. I’ve never really been the peaceful type, but I guess I can understand the allure of having someone to come home to. If you’re into that sort of thing. Which I am not.
“Stacey and I are going to visit some venues right after your gala,” Mitch chimes in.
I almost mention that we started a joint Pinterest board, but I somehow refrain. I don’t want to out Mitch’s Pinterest habit to his teammates, but I don’t for the life of me know why. Normally I’d us that kind of fodder to make him miserable in a heartbeat. I guess I’m making a slight peace offering after he was so nice about Evil Gregg or something.
“Things are going well. We haven’t even tried to kill each other yet,” I offer instead, in attempt to make sure Caleb knows he can trust us.
Caleb gives Mitch a look I don’t understand before turning to me. “Great, that’s all I need to hear,” he says.
Reassure. Placate. Support.
Easy as pie.
Our lunch arrives and we all trade bites and laughs. I almost forget that I’m sandwiched up against Mitch like a magnet until his arm brushes against mine when he reaches for a potato chip. A zing of sparks rush to where we’re touching and I’m suddenly hyperaware of everywhere we’re pressed together. Our thighs and hips are evenly matched, but I’m a few inches shorter than him so my shoulder comes up to his bicep. I become even more hyperaware of his thighs when he shifts slightly in his seat. I can feel his hard muscles brush against my soft skin and something low inside of me does a little flip.
What. The. Hell.
I need to get out of here. I should be working, not doing ... whateverthis ...is.
“Stacey, are you coming to the All-Star Game?” Thomas asks, snapping me out of my hockey-player-leg-induced coma.
“Huh?” I say. “Oh. Uh. Yes, I am.”
Mitch turns to me, and his gaze feels like heat on my skin. “I didn’t know that,” he says.
“I figured I deserved a weekend off,” I say, forgetting that I technically work for this man.
A kind smile spreads across his face. It’s weird and disarming and I don’t know what to do with it. “You definitely do.”
CHAPTER 8
MITCH
ONE WEEK LATER
The All-Star weekend is always fun, and it’s made even more fun because we’re in Miami this year. Thomas is the player the NHL chose from the Blizzards, but Caleb and I won via fan votes, so we’re here too. Well, us and our entire entourage. Cassie’s with Caleb and Hazel decided to use it as a getaway while her son, Ralph, is with his grandparents for the weekend.
And then there’s Stacey. She’s taking some sort of self-care weekend, which I thought was usually reserved for bubble baths and those horrifying-looking face masks, but apparently hockey is more Stacey’s speed. Which I find annoyingly attractive.
The other annoying thing is that she’s wearing a Blizzards jersey.
And it’s King’s.
When he saw it this morning in the hotel lobby, I thought he was going to die from laughter. I, on the other hand, couldbarely see straight from the annoyance I felt. Which is ridiculous. She could not be farther from mine to be upset about. And there’s no world in which Stacey Anderson wears my name anywhere on her body.
So now I’m stuck on the ice between my giddy best friends. One because he’s madly in love and loves showing off for Cassie, and the other because he finds the whole thing hilarious. It has me amped up in the worst way possible, and I know I need to cool it, or I’ll end up getting a penalty for lashing out at someone. Probably Thomas, if I’m being honest, and he’s onmyteam.
I can tell you exactly where Stacey is in the stands because for some reason my eyes just naturally find her. Her shiny dark hair is pulled back into a tight ponytail and she’s sipping on a beer. Our eyes catch each other’s, and she flips me off, but with a grin.