Hooking - Kristine Allen Page 0,20

snagging them from the ground and returning them to their place in my closet, I flopped back on the bed. Curiosity getting the better of me, I pulled up my social media app. We all had one, but I rarely posted anything. I’d thought about looking her up before, but I’d held back. Hesitating, I fidgeted in agitation. Then, I typed in Sydney’s info.

Several Sydney Drakes came up. The first one looked like it might be her but the image was small. We had some hockey-related mutual friends, so I clicked on it. Sure enough, there she was. Though her status noted she was single, her profile pic was of her kissing some dude on the cheek.

A tight feeling spread through my chest, and I didn’t like it. Fuck, was that jealousy? I’d never been jealous when it came to a woman before. Then again, the number of actual relationships I’d ever had were limited. I rarely got attached, and I never gave women false hope.

“Miss Sydney Drake, we have unfinished business,” I said with a smirk as I sent her a friend request.

“Dangerous Night”—Thirty Seconds To Mars

When I’d decided to utilize my ticket to the game, I told myself it was good for my job to understand the game a little more. I’d chosen to upgrade my seat to one closer to the ice to see the game better. Once I’d sat in my seat, I knew the truth was I’d wanted to see Alex Kosinski in action.

Not that kind of action. I’d already seen that, and it was amazing.

I’d wanted to see him on the ice.

It had been riveting. I’d been on the edge of my seat most of the game. Not that I knew exactly what I was looking for, but Alex was a force on the ice. When the puck was in play, he and Kristoffer Halvorson seemed to work well together; any other time, they barely acknowledged each other.

After the game was over, I hadn’t wanted to leave. I found myself sitting in the seat with a hockey hangover.

I’d driven home buzzed with excitement from the rapid pace of the game.

A notification had me slipping a bookmark in and closing my Teagan Brooks paperback to pick up my phone. Ever since the night I’d hooked up with Alex, I’d been addicted to MC romances. The irony wasn’t lost on me that I should’ve been reading hockey romance instead.

I was a little surprised by what I saw on the screen.

Alexander Kosinski had sent me a friend request.

No. Way.

I figured when I told him we couldn’t hook up again, he’d move on. Maybe it wasn’t really him.

Right.

The dude was bold as hell, why was I the slightest bit surprised?

Clicking on the circular pic, I opened up his profile. It showed a picture of an Amur leopard as the profile pic. Scrolling through the profile, I noticed there were very few posts. We did have several mutual friends with the Amurs organization.

Tapping the side of my phone as I bit my bottom lip, I debated whether or not to accept. Screw it. I clicked the blue accept button and stared at my phone for a bit.

Right when I was preparing to return to my hot biker book, my phone chimed. My pulse raced as I wondered if it was him, but I was afraid to look. The phone chimed again, and I hesitantly opened the app.

Okay, that was a lie. I snapped it open as fast as I could unlock my phone.

Alexander: Sydney? Amurs Foundation Sydney?

Alexander: I saw you at the game tonight

My heart that had been running a mile a minute suddenly lurched. Of course I knew he’d seen me, but I never expected him to try to contact me. He was a professional athlete. He was famous. I’d honestly expected he’d have gone out with his teammates and gone home with some random chick. I knew they flew out early tomorrow, though. Maybe he’d gone home?

But still. He was contacting me?

Deciding to bite the bullet since he knew I’d seen his messages, I replied.

Me: Yes. It was a good game

Oh my God. Why didn’t I say something cooler than that? I was lame as hell.

The little bubble with dots popped up, and my heart went crazy again. If it kept up, I’d likely stroke out before the night was over.

Alexander: Did you come to watch me play?

Nothing like jumping in with both feet. He had no shame, obviously.

Me: I thought it would be a good idea