14. Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fourteen

ETHAN

" T he Timberwolves ate it! " I bellow at the top of my lungs from the shower, making the guys in the locker room holler back in a cacophony of victorious voices.

Needless to say, I've been in a great mood since Mia and I decided to start seeing each other.

"We're having the best season ever, right?" Ruslav asks. The scouts unearthed him from a minor league in northern Alaska.

A bar of soap slips through my hands and flies over the top of the shower stalls. "Ow," I hear Ruslav mutter in the stall next to me and I snort, imagining it hitting him in the head.

"It's your first season with us, idiot!" Smith informs him. "Your first season with the NHL at all."

"Hey, don't be like that!" I shout, shutting off the water. "I bet there's TV in his home village."

Laughter ensues. I pat myself dry and wrap the towel around my waist, stepping out of the stall to see men in various stages of dress.

"And what about your lady, Matthews?" a shirtless Riker pats my shoulder as I walk pass him.

"We're just getting things started," I shrug with modesty, sitting down on the bench to better access my locker.

"She used to date his brother," Raphael tattles, and I launch a murderous glare his way. He gets the hint and doesn't dare utter the second part of his statement.

"Dude!" Voices go around like a choir, and I feel lame that same instant.

"It's all very thought out, okay?" I defend myself. "Nobody is stepping on anyone's toes."

"So, your brother knows?" Andrews jumps into his pants.

I feel my face growing warm. "No. She said she will tell him."

With that, Andrew throws his hands in the air and thankfully the conversation dies.

We move to the wives' room almost all together. While the guys look for their ladies, I look around for Senna. I'm informed by Sarah that Amanda has taken Senna to the bathroom. I then spot Mia entering the kitchen.

"Hey," I call for Mia's attention. When she turns to me, I surprise her with a kiss.

"What are you doing here? You need to wear a hairnet to be in the kitchen," she scolds me, already pushing me out.

"I'm the star player and a billionaire. I can be wherever the hell I want," I hold her by the waist and set my foot down.

"No, Mr. Billionaire. My kitchen is off-limits." Mia gently slaps my chest and gives me a final push out of the kitchen. "And plus, I'm working. Wait around and I'll let you take me anywhere."

The look she gives me is full of possibilities for the night.

"You look so sexy…" I lean in to hold her in my arms, but she pushes me away immediately.

"Ethan, I'm working," she murmurs so adorably I want to kiss her one last time.

And I do. Short, sweet, and tender; she doesn't even complain. However, she finally pushes me back and looks at me, dead set, holding me playfully by the collar of my shirt.

"You know the drill, mister. Wait for me until my shift is over," she tells me like it is, and I have no other option but to oblige.

I back away from her with a grin, my hands raised in surrender.

Meanwhile, I go find my son. Senna seems more interested in the arcade games around the room than in me, so I feel blessed when he lets me join him as his player 2.

He's just starting to get sleepy when I go check on Mia again. She's asking the servers to store back all the leftover food, so luckily, she has time to pay some attention to me.

"Hey," I approach her and point my finger at her, which she grabs with her tiny hand. "I'm going to take Senna and Amanda back to the hotel, okay?"

She nods, laying her other hand over mine. "Since there's no after-party today, wanna meet at the hotel lounge?"

"Only if you promise me another visit to my room," I say, my smirk as suggestive as my tone.

She crosses her arms and looks at me from head to toe with a sly grin. "Let's see if you earn it, mister!"

I kiss her a temporary goodbye and head back to the hotel to put my son to bed. Amanda walks me quietly to the door. I hug her goodbye, and she kisses me on the cheek, saying, "Hope you have fun with Mia!"

I back away from her, and bob my head around, confused. "How do you…? Oh!" I mentioned earlier that I had a ‘hot date' during our conversation, mostly as a joke.

"Why do you always outsmart me?" I ask causing her to snort.

"Because you're easy to outsmart, big fella," she pats my shoulder. "Hope you have a good night, Ethan."

"Um… Thanks?" I say as she gently closes the door.

Left alone, I realize my shoulders are tense and try to relax them, letting out a deep breath. Only then do I proceed to the first floor and wait for Mia in a mostly empty piano lounge.

I take a seat and the waiter immediately walks over to me, takes my order, and promptly leaves to fulfill it. While I wait, I take a look around. There's no one there except me and a couple sitting at the edge of the darkened tables, so deep into a breakup conversation I can hear the guy crying at some point.

My order arrives— five ice-cold ones inside a freezing aluminum bucket. I'm so busy cracking one open that I don't see Mia's arrival.

She's gorgeous. Nothing has changed since I last saw her. She's still in the same business suit, still has dark circles under her eyes. However, the way she looks at me, smiles, and leans over the table to kiss me, makes her the most beautiful woman I've ever seen.

"Hum, red ales!" She holds one of the bottles by the neck and reads the label.

"I ordered it for us," I say, tipping my bottle to hers.

She opens it and takes a sip. I put an arm around her shoulders, squeeze them, then kiss her on the temple. I then keep on kissing her, trailing my way down her lovely face until I reach her lips.

She surprises me by licking my ear. "Now, how about we take these beers to your room, huh?"

"Check please!" I instantly call out.