Hooking - Kristine Allen Page 0,27

great!” I heard someone call out near him that their flight was boarding. “I gotta run. We need to get out to the plane. I’ll talk to you soon.”

I gathered that meant he’d likely be calling me tomorrow and maybe after their game in Pittsburgh on Tuesday. I wondered what they did on the off day in between games on the road.

“Okay. Good luck in Pittsburgh,” I offered.

“Thanks. Watch the game?” He sounded so hopeful.

“Of course,” I replied with a wry tip of my lips.

“Cool. Later,” he said in a rush. The call ended, and I sat there feeling like I’d taken a ride in my washing machine’s spin cycle.

It was wrong to encourage him. There was too much at stake. I’d meant it when I told him my job was important to me. Not only did I love what I did, it gave me independence and kept me from being railroaded into working at my dad’s company or being married off to someone my mother deemed a good match.

Needing to talk to someone about this, I called my bestie.

“Hello, chica! You regretting not going home with that hottie? Wanna go out and look for him tonight?” I laughed at her ridiculous greeting.

“No and no. I actually needed some advice.” I exhaled heavily as I scrolled through the apartments online. Natalie had not only been my best friend all through high school, we’d both gone to TCU together. If she hadn’t moved in with her sister and her sister’s friend, I’d have gotten an apartment with her.

“Okay, girl. I’m all ears. Speak to me.”

For a moment I debated telling her my dilemma. If any of this got out, it could mean my job. That was the worrisome part. I’d looked up the actual policy in the employee handbook. It was kind of vague for people in positions like mine. Now, if I’d been an ice girl, that would’ve been a completely different story. Weird.

“Remember the bikers from the night we got home to Austin after graduation?”

“Oh Lord, do I. I still haven’t found someone who lived up to Truth. God, why didn’t I get his number?” She sighed longingly. It was so over the top, I actually giggled.

“Well, I could probably get it for you.” I sighed myself.

“What? Shut. Up! How?” she screeched, causing me to wince and pull the phone away from my head until she stopped.

“Christ, woman. Chill.”

“You better spill whatever you had to say, because now I’m really curious. And you better get me that number. If nothing else, give him mine. Please, have mercy on a desperate girl,” she pleaded.

“Well, it turns out your guy was my guy’s brother,” I began.

“Well, duh. They’re all brothers. It’s some sort of biker thing,” she said as if I was simple. Rolling my eyes, I sighed again.

“No. As in, they are blood brothers, same momma, same daddy type brothers.”

“No shit? How did you find this out? Did he call you?” She rapid-fired questions at me. I flopped back on my pillows after setting my laptop to the side.

“Something like that. He wants to hook up again, but it could jeopardize my job. Maybe.” Staring up at my ceiling fan, I counted the boards in my tongue-in-groove ceiling. It was one of the quirky unique characteristics of our home. The open beams and painted wood ceilings were stunning.

She was silent for a heartbeat before the questions started again. “Define ‘maybe.’ And how did you come to this conclusion?”

“He’s one of the players,” I whispered before closing my eyes.

“Come again? Did you just say that sexy beast you hooked up with is not only brothers with the sexy beast I hooked up with, but he’s a professional hockey player? Because I had to have heard you wrong, honey.” She waited for my answer.

“Yeah, that’s exactly what I’m saying. He plays for the Austin Amurs. He’s one of their star players. He was the starting left wing tonight.” Closing my eyes and talking about him was a mistake, because I pictured him in my mind too easily.

“Shut. The. Front. Door. Are you telling me that the guy you hooked up with is Alexander Kosinski?” The volume of her voice increased with each word until she was damn near shouting.

“How do you know who he is? You never watch hockey.” A frown formed on my face. Natalie had never been big on sports either. Unless it was baseball. When Jake was playing.

“Uh, because I don’t have to know what he looks like to