I took the shot from his hand and tipped it back. It was Jack, and it burned going down. Bennett raised his brows at me.
“I needed that more than you did,” I said. “It was nothing. We just rub each other the wrong way, me and her.”
“I’d rub her any way she let me.” His smirk made me want to shove him, but I grunted and pulled out my wallet.
“Will you get me another shot and a new one for you?”
“Sure,” he said, not taking the money I offered.
I was about to sit down when arms encircled my neck.
“Amazing game, Killian,” a female voice squealed. Her heavy powder scent reminded me of a stripper.
“Thanks,” I said, easing myself away.
“We need to hang out.” She slid onto the seat next to the one I’d been about to sit down on.
Fuck. I wasn’t feeling social. Before I could think of an excuse to get rid of her, more of my teammates showed up and a couple of the woman’s friends were close behind. I took my shot from Bennett and sat, still thinking about Sid.
She could’ve been next to me right now instead of this random brunette. But she didn’t want to be. She was too worried about what everyone would think to even give me a shot.
Liam handed me a beer and I drank it, warming to the brunette’s affections with every sip. Sidney thought she was too good for me. Hell, I thought so, too. The woman next to me was what I preferred anyway. Simple and easy. No arguing or working for it.
I slid my hand around her waist, letting my fingertips wander beneath the waist of her jeans. Her hip was slight, almost bony.
She pressed her body against mine, my simple encouragement making her shameless.
“You’re so sexy,” she said, her lips finding my neck. She was so short she had to climb into my lap to reach me. And once she was there, I wanted her off.
“We’ve still got drinking to do, sweetheart,” I said, easing her back into her own seat.
And did I drink. I lost count of how many I had, but it was enough that I couldn’t even walk straight at the end of the night. Bennett tossed me into a cab and rode beside me, trying to keep me upright. I’d barely gotten the cab door open before I puked all over the sidewalk in front of our apartment complex.
We couldn’t figure out which of my keys opened my apartment, so I ended up crashing on Liam and Bennett’s couch. I dreamed about a woman with auburn hair who let me slide my fingertips beneath the waistband of her jeans while she kissed my neck.
Sidney
Our offices at the arena were beginning to take shape. The furniture was all in place. We’d managed to create separate offices for me, Keri, Barb and Nicole in what had started out as two large empty rooms. The rest of the Flyers office staff worked across the hall in another space, allowing us to be close, but still have space for our Stahl corporate work.
We were only waiting on the arrival of the double glass doors that would lead into our office. For now, we just had a big opening.
And today, finally, our drink station—a carved cherry buffet—had been installed. Now we had a coffeemaker just like the one in our New York offices, and we had a small refrigerator and an icemaker.
I was pouring myself a cup of coffee while Barb organized the sugar packets and stir sticks. I could hear Nicole telling Keri about the scarves she’d ordered online.
“It’s so damn cold in this place,” she grumbled. “I’m going to start wearing a jacket and scarf all the time.”
“There’s an ice rink downstairs,” I reminded her. “It has to be cold.”
“It’s worth it to have a hockey team . . .”
Nicole was interrupted by Keri, who let out a scream so loud and shrill that I dropped my coffee, spilling it all over my white V-neck sweater.
“Dammit,” I cried, pulling the hot, wet sweater away from my skin. “Keri, what the—”
“A mouse! A giant one!” she said frantically, jumping up onto Barb’s desk. “I hate mice.”
She was near tears, and Barb and Nicole had moved to stand behind the desk. They all looked at me.
“It’s most likely gone,” I said. “You probably scared the heck out of it, Keri.”
“It’s under there!” She pointed at the drink station. “I saw it run under there! I’m sorry about your shirt, Sid, but I am seriously scared of all rodents.”
Just saying the word seemed to make her shudder.
“You girls okay?”
One of the janitors stuck his head through the open doorway, looking at Keri, who was crouched on the desk.
“Sid!”
The male voice calling my name was accompanied by pounding footsteps in the hallway. Killian appeared with Liam close behind.
“You alright?” Killian asked, coming into the office. His pale blue eyes were locked on me.
“We’re okay. There’s a mouse—”
“A mutant mouse!” Keri cried, her eyes wide with terror. “That thing was the size of a kitten.”
Killian blew out a breath, looking relieved. “Probably a rat. We get them in here on occasion.”
“I might have a trap downstairs,” the janitor suggested.
“It’s under there,” I said, pointing to the drink station.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t come down from here until it’s gone,” Keri said.
“We’ll get rid of it,” Liam said, looking at Killian. “You take one end and I’ll take the other. We’ll chase it out and then catch it.”
“With your hands?” I looked at them, horrified. “It might bite you or something.”
Killian glanced around the room. They both wore their practice pants and T-shirts, and Liam pulled his T-shirt over his head.
“We can trap it in my shirt,” he said, walking to one end of the drink station.
“Be careful,” Keri said in a small voice. “That thing might gnaw your face off.”
Liam gave her an amused glance. “We’ve got it, don’t worry.”
One of Liam’s arms was covered in a dark sleeve tattoo, and his skin glistened with moisture. All three of my employees were staring openly.
Killian pulled his T-shirt over his head, and I couldn’t help staring myself. He had several small tattoos on the top of his chest. Every one of his arm and chest muscles was defined and I swallowed hard, forcing my eyes away.
They both took a goaltender’s stance at the ends of the drink station, and I couldn’t resist a small grin. This puck was going to be fast and furry, but hopefully it wouldn’t be flying through the air.
The janitor swept a broom handle beneath the reclaimed buffet and a blur of gray emerged out Liam’s end. He jumped on it, covering the rat, which was enormous, with his shirt. He enclosed it and picked it up.
The bundle in his shirt was squirming and squealing, and I looked over at Keri. She was pale and appeared on the verge of passing out.
“Get it out of here,” Killian said.
“I’ll take it to the alley.” Liam walked out the doorway and a collective sigh of relief sounded around the room.
“Barb, can you call an exterminator?” I asked. “We need to have this place treated.”
Killian went to Barb’s desk and offered Keri a hand. She took it and he helped her down.