Total pages in book: 58
Estimated words: 55153 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 276(@200wpm)___ 221(@250wpm)___ 184(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 55153 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 276(@200wpm)___ 221(@250wpm)___ 184(@300wpm)
I shake my head and take a swig of the lemonade. Hector likes having things on paper. In my head, I know what I can and can’t control. Writing those things down won’t change the uneasiness I feel over Alexander Croft and his plans for my team.
“I want this to be our year,” I say, tugging at a loose thread on the hem of my shorts.
“And what can you do to make that happen?”
“Stay focused. Train hard. Leave my emotions in the locker room.”
Hector nods, reaching for his espresso and taking a sip of it. “What will that look like for you for the rest of today?”
“Getting in a run before dinner later.”
“Good. Anything else?”
I shrug and look at my wristwatch. “I guess not being late to the meeting I’m supposed to have with Croft’s daughter.”
“Ah, Cassidy.” Hector gives me a tight smile. “Yeah, you don’t want to be late for that.”
“What do you think of her?” I ask him.
His eyes widen as he raises his little coffee cup to his lips. After taking a sip, he says, “I’ll just say good luck with your meeting.”
“Pax Bishop, ma’am,” Cassidy’s assistant Shawna says as she opens the door to Cassidy’s office for me a few minutes later.
“Thanks, Shawna,” I say. “And good luck to Maddie at her meet this weekend.”
She lights up and says, “Thank you.”
Shawna is a single mom of three, and her ten-year-old daughter is a gymnast. Her eight-year-old son, Landon, passes out towels in our locker room at every game, and he’s a trip.
“Anything else, Miss Croft?” Shawna asks, looking at her boss, who’s seated behind a large, dark wood desk.
“No, just…” Cassidy waves a hand in a shooing motion. “Let me get to my meeting.”
The smile slides away from Shawna’s face and she ducks her head, leaving the room immediately. I wish I could go with her.
“What did you need from me?” I ask Cassidy, hoping to get this meeting over with as quickly as possible.
“Have a seat, Pax. I’ve been looking forward to meeting you.”
“Me?” I give her a puzzled look as I walk over and sit down in one of the two chairs in front of her desk. “Why?”
She turns her lips down into a pout, trying to be coy but looking fucking ridiculous. “I’m sure you know why.”
I arch my brows, growing more impatient by the second. Owning this team seems to be a game to the Crofts, but they’re playing with people’s livelihoods.
“No. Can you just tell me?”
She gets up and walks around to the front of her desk, sliding into the opening between me and the desk. In her short skirt, her bare legs are just inches away and I can smell her perfume, which means we’re way too close for my comfort.
“I’m a big hockey fan,” she says smoothly. “And it’s well known that my favorite six-and-a-half-foot defender is playing with…well, a bigger stick than everyone else.”
She licks her lips, narrowing her eyes in what I think is supposed to be a seductive look. I keep my expression neutral, but inside I’m reeling. Is she fucking serious? Did the new owner’s daughter just tell me she wants my dick?
“Uh…” I clear my throat, fumbling for words. “I’m sure that’s just the rumor mill churning.”
She shakes her head, toying with the gold necklace around her neck. “I’ve seen the imprint in your shorts, and the rumors are true. I bet it wouldn’t take long for me to make it more than just an imprint, too.”
Cassidy puts her hands on my thigh and instinct makes me push back my chair and stand up to escape her.
“I’m flattered,” I say, though I’m really not. “But the team has a strict no-fraternizing policy.”
“Easily changed,” she says, waving a hand. “Now that my father is the owner.”
Fuuuuck. I can’t have Cassidy going to her father and asking him to do away with the rule so she can fuck me. Not only would he have it out for me, but I have no interest in her.
“We can’t,” I say, my pulse pounding as I look longingly at the door.
She laughs, a shrill sound that puts me even more on edge.
“Oh, but we can, Pax. I mean, not right here and right now, unless…” She turns to look back at the desk. “I mean, it would be hot to push everything off my desk and pull this skirt up for you right now.”
She’s a fucking disaster in designer heels. A wave of disgust hits me over Miranda losing her job so Cassidy could use this office to get laid. Or try to, anyway.
“It’s not a good idea,” I say. “I need to be completely focused on hockey. We’ve worked really hard this off-season and—”
“What, now you’re a choirboy?” she says sharply. “I have a lot of friends in the league, and I happen to know you enjoy a no-strings fuck as much as anyone.”