“Me, too,” Will says, dropping his gloves on the ground. “The bed in Mia’s guest room is hard as a rock. Remind me to get her a new one.”
“Try sleeping on the couch. We were supposed to switch up every other night, and you’ve been hogging up the bed.”
He wipes a bead of sweat from his forehead and snorts. “No, I haven’t. I offered it to you last night, and you went out instead. Where did you go?”
“I needed some air. Went for a walk.”
While that part is true, I had to get out of the apartment. Mia was wearing spandex shorts and a tight tank top that made me so fucking hard I couldn’t stand being around her with Will in the same house. I walked around Center City for so long I hadn’t realized I was gone for over two hours until Mia had texted me, asking me where I went. I slipped into the apartment with the key she had made for me and crashed on the couch. Will had already passed out, though I kept my distance from Mia.
Considering we had to get on the road early, and I needed as much sleep as I could get, I made a stupid mistake, one that almost cost my team this game. Sneaking around with Mia behind Will’s back produces intense guilt inside me. I should tell him how I feel about his sister and stop acting like a pussy. My feelings for her are interfering with my game and my friendship. But how will he respond when I tell him? Will is like family, and after losing my brother, I can’t take the risk of losing him, too.
“We get to sleep in a hotel tonight,” he says, sounding relieved.
I nod. “Yeah, thank God for that. I need to sleep on a decent mattress.”
“What are you two over here bitching about?” Parker leans over with a water bottle in hand and a smirk on his face.
“We’re crashing with my sister until our condo is fixed,” Will says, peeling off his helmet with a loud sigh. “Her apartment is small and the bed sucks.”
“And Will thinks he’s too good to sleep on the couch,” I add with laughter in my voice.
Parker smirks. “Sleeping at someone else’s house sucks. I remember when Charlotte forced me to live with her.”
He’s referring to my agent, Charlotte ‘Coach’ Coachman—now Parker and his wife. Coach represents most of the guys on the team. She’s one of the top agents in the business and aggressive as hell.
Will cocks his head in Parker’s direction. “Coach forced you to live with her?”
He nods. “Yeah, when I was drinking all the time. She wouldn’t help me unless she could keep tabs on me. But she got my life and career back on track. I wouldn’t be sitting here right now if not for her.”
Interesting. I knew Parker had not only a puck bunny problem but an alcohol addiction a few years back, but I had no idea Coach was the reason for his sudden change of heart. In some ways, I understand it. With Mia back in my life, I want to be what she needs. Years ago I wanted that, too. But my addiction had gotten in the way, forcing us apart.
Knowing Coach helped Parker get his shit together makes me want to confess to Mia why I left her ten years ago without as much as a goodbye. She deserved so much better than me. I knew it then, and I know it now. Mia could have anyone, and yet she wants me for some reason. I’m broken, still unable to get over the past that still haunts me. She has no idea how much of a mess I am on the inside. I can’t offer her anything more than sex.
When the horn blares, signaling the end of the game, the area erupts into a mixture of boos and cheers. We beat the home team, so we weren’t expecting a standing ovation. My performance definitely doesn’t deserve one. I have to do better. I need to be better for myself and my team.
After I shower and change, my cell phone is the first thing I reach for. I open my last text message with Mia.
Ethan: We won our first game.
Mia: Congrats! So happy for you, E.
Ethan: Wish you were here. I miss you…
This time, the chat bubble doesn’t pop up on my screen. I wait a few minutes and still no reply from Mia.
Shit, what did I just do? It was the truth. I do miss her.
I’ve wanted to spend time alone with Mia for days, but with Will around all of the time, it’s been a challenge.
“Waters, you ready?” Kane says from behind me. “Time to go.”
I glance over my shoulder at Kane, Will, and a few other players, who are waiting for me to leave for the hotel.
Nodding, I shove the phone into my pocket and sigh, now wondering if my feelings for Mia are one-sided. I sure as hell hope not.
Chapter Fourteen
Mia