Page 96 of The Playmaker
“What exactly do we have?” It’s a question I’d been asking myself all day, long before I ever learned Ari valued money over love.
She sets her glass down and sidles up to me, rubbing her lithe body against mine, another little ploy she uses when things aren’t going her way. “Together we can have it all. Remember that first weekend we spent in Boston?”
Boston? Oh yeah, I remember Boston. Remember opening the door to my hotel room after our game, and finding a naked Ari on my bed. I thought I was concussing. That maybe I’d taken one too many hits to the head earlier that night. Either that, or she’d stumbled into the wrong room. I was a rookie, and a girl like Ari, well, she could have any guy on the team—one with much more power and play than me. But no, she assured me it was the Stick Handler she was looking for—my on-ice nickname.
I wasn’t sure why she’d set her sights on me, and before I knew it, a few months had passed and she was planning an elaborate Valentine’s Day wedding. I’m not even sure I ever asked her to marry me. But the next thing I knew we were picking out a ring, and tasting pound cake with buttery icing.
I scrub the back of my neck, work out the knots. “Ari—”
Her hands go to my face, and she presses her lips to mine. “Our wedding is tomorrow Luke. Now is not the time to be getting cold feet.”
“It’s not cold feet. I just heard you tell your friend I would make a suitable husband because I could keep you in the lifestyle you’re accustomed to.” Hell, maybe she picked me because, as the daughter of the man who owns the Seattle Shooters, she had insider information, knew I was about to land a significant contract and become one of the highest paid guys in the NHL. She sure as hell didn’t pick me out of love.
I shake my head, hating that I let things get so out of hand, that I let her lead me like a lamb to the slaughter. I’m a grown fucking man who can make his own decisions, so why the hell did I just go along with her, cave to everything she wanted? Oh, maybe because it was easier to be with Ari, and go with the flow—keep my mind off the one girl I’ve always loved, the girl who’d grown up next door to me, and who keeps me in the friend zone.
But now, I just can’t bring myself to go through with this marriage. We both know we’re not in love, and we’d be making a big mistake if we exchanged vows tomorrow. I remove her arms from my neck and place them at her sides. Her fingers grip her phone tighter, and her mood darkens.
I exhale slowly. “Why don’t you call your friends. Have them come stay the night.” I might not love her, but I care about her. And even though she just admitted she didn’t love me, that months ago her father threatened to cut up her credit cards if she didn’t settle herself into a career, I’m still a decent human being who doesn’t want to see anyone upset.
“You can’t do this to me,” she says, her voice bordering on hysterical.
“Please, Ari.” I put my hand on her arm, give it a reassuring squeeze. “You know in your heart this isn’t right. You’ll find the perfect guy for you in time.” Although with her father threatening to cut up her credit cards, time is not on her side. I guess that’s why she latched on to me so quick. She was desperate for a rich daddy figure who would help her keep the socialite lifestyle she’s grown accustomed to, and never make her work for anything she wants. It’s a role I can no longer go along with.
She steps away, and her high heels wobble slightly as she paces to her window. With her back to me, she says, “You’re making a big mistake.”
There is a calculated coldness in her tone that raises the hair on my arms. “I’m sorry, Ari. I never meant to hurt you.”
“Hurt me?” she shrieks. “You’re the one who’s going to be hurt, Luke.” She spins, and her eyes narrow in on me. Jesus, if looks could kill. “If you do this, I’ll make sure you never play hockey for the Shooters again.”
My heart jumps into my throat. Does she have the power to do that? Yeah, she’s the owner’s daughter, but can she pull his strings, too? Fuck, maybe she can. She sure as hell pulled mine for the last few months.
“If you don’t want me to destroy you and your reputation, I suggest you accept what I’m about to offer.” She folds her arms, and the pale blue dress she’s wearing climbs up her thighs. Since I’m a guy who loves a nice pair of legs, maybe she’s doing it on purpose, to lure me with sex like she did that first night in Boston. I fell for it once, and look where that led me. Then again, is the fault entirely hers? I went along with it, which means half the responsibility is mine. “Are you listening to me, Luke?”
I brace myself, almost afraid to hear her offer. “I’m listening.”
“Good. Take a week. Go, get your head on right.”
“Jesus, Ari, my head is on right.”
“No, it’s not, otherwise you wouldn’t be putting your career on the line like this. I can destroy you, Luke.” She snaps her fingers for effect. “Like this!”
Who the hell is this woman? For the last six months, she’d been nothing but charming. Then again, I’d given her everything she wanted, until now. Even before I heard her say those things to her friend, I knew I couldn’t go through with it, not when my heart belongs to another—despite the fact that I can never have her. Christ, what kind of fucked up mess have I gotten myself in to?
“Why would you want to do destroy me, Ari?”
She stands a little straighter. “Because no one embarrasses Arianna Moore. No one.”
“Fine, we’ll tell everyone it was your idea. That you broke things off.”
“What we’ll do is tell everyone I needed time to think. In the meantime, you have one week. One week to think about this mistake you’re making, the future that will be ripped right out from underneath you if you don’t do the right thing.”
I’m not a violent man. Jonah, aka the Body Checker, takes care of anyone who gets in the way of my stick-handling skills, but suddenly my fingers are curling, the urge to put my fist though her wall pulling at me hard. I grew up with nothing, and spent my whole life working my fucking ass off, practicing every goddamn night, until I was good enough to be scouted at the Junior A level. My scholarship to Arizona State gave me a top-notch education and I made a name for myself in the rink. No fucking way am I about to let her destroy my reputation and take that all away from me, simply because she wants to save face. We’re not right for each other and we both know it.
“One week,” she says again. “Use our honeymoon tickets and get away for a bit, to think this over, and you tell no one what’s really going on. No one. Not even that tomboy you hang around with, otherwise....” Her words fall off as she snaps her fingers again.
“Her name is Katee, and she’s not a tomboy.”
She rolls her eyes at me. “Whatever. Do we have a deal?”