Hooking - Kristine Allen Page 0,26

period. No pun intended.

Chewing on my lip, I wondered if he’d call me again. The night before, he’d seemed upset that I was going out, yet he was on the road. I’d heard enough stories at work about the things that happened when they were on the road.

My eyes wandered over to where my phone sat face up on the coffee table.

“You’ve become quite the little hockey fan,” my dad said as he stood from the couch where we’d been watching the game with my uncle. They’d started watching the games after my uncle took his job as the team’s lead counsel, but I never did.

“Well, I figure it makes sense to know a little about the franchise I work for.” I shrugged like it was no big deal and that I hadn’t been focused on one particular player.

I’d learned that Alex was a left wing, but they also called him a forward. I didn’t know exactly what any of that meant, but I was working on it. I’d also figured out that Kristoffer Halvorson was not only the team captain, he was a right wing.

I hadn’t asked him when they were coming back, but my uncle had been talking to my dad and I’d overheard they were flying to Pittsburgh tonight. It seemed like an exhausting schedule.

“Well, I’m heading to bed. I have work in the morning,” I said before kissing my dad’s cheek and then my uncle’s. If Alex called me, I didn’t want to be in the media room with them. After putting my empty cup in the dishwasher, I went upstairs to my room.

My childhood home was set off in the trees of an exclusive neighborhood in Old West Austin. My parents recently renovated the 1940s home, so my room looked nothing like it did when I was a girl, but it was still beautiful.

The nostalgic little girl in me never wanted to leave, but the pragmatic grown-ass woman knew I needed to get my own place soon. While I waited to see if Alex would call, I pulled up places to look at in the coming week.

Lost in my search, I jumped when my phone rang. His name flashed across my screen. Biker Boy. I giggled. Not wanting anyone to see his name in my phone, I’d tried to think of something off the wall to put in, and our first night came to mind.

“Hey.” I left it at that because I wasn’t sure what his mood would be like.

“Sydney.” He sighed out my name like it was prayer. That sent my stomach in a tailspin right down to my hooha. Why did this guy, of all guys, do that to me? “I can’t talk long. I’m at the airport, and we’re getting ready to fly out, but I wanted to call you.”

“Why?” It slipped out before I could think about it, and I cringed. He was already bummed; I really didn’t want to add to that. I couldn’t find it in me to be a real ass to him, but I’d done it anyway.

“Honestly? I have no idea.” He huffed out a frustrated breath. “I guess I wanted to—Fuck, I don’t know. Can I see you when we get back?”

“Really, Alex? How many times do I have to tell you I can’t? My job is important to me. I can’t risk it over a quick lay.” No matter how good it might be.

“I swear no one will ever know. I just want to see you. Maybe have a drink.” It sounded innocent enough, but our last wild night together had started with drinks. But damn, was it tempting. He was more than tempting. Dangerously so.

“I don’t know,” I hedged. The bad girl inside me was wavering, and he latched on to it like he could smell my weakening heart. The little devil on my shoulder was cheering.

“I’ll call you as soon as we land back in Austin. I’ll probably be tired, so it’ll just be one drink and to visit for a bit.” He sounded like a little boy begging, and after their loss, I wanted to cheer him up, so I caved. The angel on my shoulder did a face palm and the she-devil was slipping on her sexiest dress. Pretty sure I heard a faint bow chicka wow wow.

“Okay. One drink.” With a sigh, I prayed I wasn’t seriously fucking up. “As friends,” I added for good measure.

The smile on his face was evident in the tone of his voice. “Really? That’s