Off Season (Off 5.5)

Snorting internally, I reach into my wallet to pull out some cash for when she comes back by. I don't bother answering Niko because I know he's just busting my chops.

He dislodges the girl from his lap, and she walks off toward the bar. Leaning in toward me, he whispers. "Wait a minute? Are you gay or something? Is that why you haven't been fucking around with women anymore?"

I quirk an eyebrow at Niko and give him a smirk. "Not gay, dude."

"Then seriously... what's the deal? You hardly ever go out anymore, and when you do, you spend most of your time on that phone of yours."

He's talking about my obsessive checking of my emails and texts, waiting for Cady to respond to my latest and greatest. Our chatter back and forth is almost constant now, and while we don't talk on the phone as much as we email and text, it's still amazing conversation all of the time.

"I haven't been going out a lot because I've been trying to cut down on my drinking. I'm in the best shape of my life, playing the best hockey of my career. I don't want to fuck it up."

"Fine," Niko says as his eyes dart around the little bar that we frequent when we're back in Phoenix. It's always been a place that we could come to and easily score a quick fuck if that's what we wanted. "But it still doesn't explain why the few times we do go out, you leave all alone. You thinking of becoming a priest or something?"

"No, dude," I say with exasperation, my fingers itching to pull my phone out and send a quick text to Cady. "Just not interested right now."

"You're not interested in pussy?" Niko asks skeptically.

"No," I say, and then correct myself. "Yes. I mean, I'm interested in pussy, just not the type here."

"Then let's go somewhere where there is your type," he says as he stands up from the table. He's swaying slightly so I know he's on the verge of a rip-roaring drunk fest.

For a split second, I consider what he's saying. I told him I'm not interested in anything here because I'm only interested in one girl that lives across the Atlantic Ocean. But as I look around the darkened bar, with the jukebox blaring some country song I don't recognize, I realize there are several gorgeous women here that look like they'd be great fucks.

B.C.--that's Before Cady--I wouldn't have left this bar without one of them on my arm. Hell, sometimes I would have just taken them in the back alley and fucked them up against the wall.

A.C.--that's After Cady--I haven't fucked a single woman, and my balls have turned the color of a Smurf.

Not sure why I'm imposing this bit of celibacy on myself because Cady and I don't have anything more than a friendship. She would not expect me to abstain, and fuck... she's still seeing that douchebag Colin, the architect. While she doesn't share a ton of details with me, she's let it slip a time or two when they've gone out to dinner or for drinks. It fucking burns me up and makes me want to go screw my way through North America, but I haven't yet.

And that's only because my gut instinct tells me that she hasn't been intimate with him. I have no proof of that, but I don't think Cady likes him in that way. Hell, I'm not sure she likes him at all, or otherwise she'd tell me more about him, right?

I mean... she doesn't hesitate to tell me when her period cramps are dragging her down, so why wouldn't she share details of this dude with me?

"Come on, Zane... let's fucking party tonight and get laid," Niko says with a cheesy grin on his face. "I bet that girl over there with the long, blonde hair and super huge tits would give you a blow job in the men's bathroom."

My eyes cut over to the woman he's talking about. She stares candidly back at me, even going so far as to let her eyes graze down my body while she licks her lips. Yup... she'd blow me no doubt and for the first time since A.C., I actually consider it. It's not like I'd be doing anything wrong.

My phone vibrates in my pocket, and my hand dives in to grab it out. I just received a text message and although it could be from any number of people, my hope is that it's from Cady.

Bingo!

Just got in from the worst date in the history of the world. I am swearing off men!

I can't help the smile that pulls my lips upward, and I stand from the table. "I'm going to head out," I tell Niko as I start to walk by him, but then I hesitate. Eyeing him up and down, I ask, "You're taking a cab, right?"

"Seriously dude? You're leaving?" he asks in astonishment.

"Yup. Got something I need to do," I tell him, and then add on a warning. "Don't drive. You've had too much to drink."

Niko grimaces, but then gives me a sloppy salute. Reaching into his pocket, he pulls out his keys and tosses them to me. "I'll get a cab. You take my car home, and I'll get it off you tomorrow."

Slapping him playfully on the shoulder, I accept the keys gratefully. I've only had two beers and I'm fine to drive, so this works out well. "Later, man."

As I step out into the parking lot, I hit Cady's name in my favorites list. After I hear the clicking sounds that initiate an international call, her phone rings twice before she answers.

"So tell me about this worst date in the history of the world," I say as I walk toward Niko's car.

Cady gives a dramatic sigh and I can almost envision her flopping down on her couch, maybe tucking a pillow up against her stomach while she chats with me. "I broke it off with Colin, and let's just say he didn't take it well."

My heart soars with joy over this revelation, and I try to keep my voice neutral as I unlock the driver door. "Why? What happened?"

Cady's silent for a moment, and I imagine her twirling a finger in her hair. It kills me that I can't see her right now, so I could know exactly what little habits she has. I know a lot about her, but not nearly enough.

"According to him, I broke his heart. He's apparently devastated," she says drily. I don't hear an ounce of sympathy in her voice that she may have just decimated this man.

That makes me feel good, in some respects, but in others, it makes me feel a little bad, because maybe Cady was a lot closer to this guy than I originally thought. Which means... maybe she had been intimate with him.

I carefully construct my next question. My voice is quiet when I say, "I hadn't realized you two had gotten so close."

Then I brace myself for her answer, my hands gripping the steering wheel tightly.

"See, that's just it," she says with exasperation. "We weren't close at all. We'd gone out maybe a handful of times, the conversation was always awkward, and he would never do more than give me a kiss on my cheek."

Then she adds on angrily, "So how in the hell could I have broken his heart? It's so dramatic, right?"

All the muscles in my body relax in unison, and I let out a relieved chuckle. "Yeah... sounds a bit dramatic to me."

But in reality, if this guy felt even one ounce of the way I feel for Cady, I could understand why this would have hurt him a bit.

"So, you're swearing off men, huh?" I ask as I turn the car on and slip it into drive.

"Definitely," she says with confidence. "They're too much trouble."

Laughing, I pull out of the parking lot and start the short drive to my house, which is only a few blocks away. It's only mid-afternoon here in Phoenix, and I'm regretting having spent a part of my day off holed up in some bar.

"So, do you ever have that problem with the women you date?" Cady asks hesitantly. "You know... they feel more for you than you feel for them?"

I ponder her question for a moment, but the answer is easy. "I don't exactly date, so that's never really been a problem."

I hear Cady faintly suck in her breath as she understands what I'm saying. "Oh," she says with... is that sadness in her voice? "I guess a guy like you doesn't have to worry about that, huh?"

I navigate through my neighborhood, one hand casually on the steering wheel, the other holding the phone and Cady's insecurities up against my ear.

"A guy like me?" I ask in a teasing tone.

"Yeah, you know... a player. Mr. One-Night Stand."

Ouch... okay, hard to ar

gue against that since that's how we met.

"I'll admit... I've always sort of thought monogamy was a little overrated."

I pull in my driveway, shut the car off, and listen to Cady's soft breathing on the other line. She doesn't say a word, and I can actually feel her brain on overdrive trying to comprehend what I just said. She remains silent though, and my conscience gets the better of me.

"But... Cady," I reassure her in a low voice, "I haven't been with another woman since our night together."

"Really?" she asks, and is that... happiness I hear in her voice? Definitely awe, but maybe a little bit of happiness.

"Really," I affirm. "Haven't wanted to."

"So what does that mean?" she asks hesitantly.

"Fuck if I know," I tell her as I open my car door. "But what I really want to know is... what are you wearing right now?"

Chapter 9

Cady

Opening my eyes, I reach my arms above my head and stretch my body long, arching my back slightly. I punctuate it with a huge yawn and then rub at my eyes. A quick glance at my alarm clock shows I've slept in a bit late, but no worries. I don't have any classes today and no other obligations, but there is something I'm feeling compelled to do at this very moment.

Sitting up, I fluff my pillows behind my back and then reach over to grab my laptop off my nightstand. I wait impatiently for it to boot up, feeling the whir and grind of the processors against my legs where it rests.

When my email is pulled up, I immediately start a new thread with Zane. Because as of this morning, things are different between us.

To: Zane Kavanaugh

From: Cady Dunne

Subject: Good Morning

Date: November 13, 2014