9. August

CHAPTER NINE

AUGUST

A fter a double dose of caffeine and a solid workout on the ice this morning, I'm finally feeling a little more like myself. I may have missed a few easy shots but I feel like I can finally get my head straight for tonight's opening game and be a productive member of the team. Damn good thing too, because after all the incredibly inappropriate thoughts I was having last night as I fell asleep with Ella in my arms, I woke up worried I wouldn't be able to get my mind off her.

Who am I kidding?

I haven't stopped thinking about her at all.

As if waking up in a panic hearing her scream during the earthquake wasn't bad enough, I offered to share my bed with her only to realize she was dressed like a goddamn walking wet dream.

Christ.

The way that dark purple lacey top molded to her tits, pushing them up just enough to allow my imagination to run wild. And the satiny bottoms that left me wondering how much I would see if she were to have bent over and touched her toes.

Fuck me.

I was wrong when I said what I said to the guys last night.

Dead fucking wrong.

She's not just Ella.

And her tits are not at all unattractive.

Just the opposite.

My best friend is sexy as hell.

And I'm finding myself desperately attracted to her.

Any other woman lying next to me and looking that amazing would've been on her back with her legs open wide for me in a matter of seconds, but this wasn't just any other sexy woman. It was Ella.

My roommate.

My best friend.

She's like forbidden fruit and although I slept amazingly well knowing she was in my arms right next to me, not allowing my hands to roam might be on the list of one of the hardest things I've ever done.

Grateful to have woken up before her this morning I jumped into an extremely cold shower to help calm me down from the three vivid dreams I had, each of which included Ella Montgomery in some kind of sexual position somewhere in my room.

Bent over my bed with her beautifully silky ass in the air.

Lying on my duvet with her arms above her head, her back arched, calling out my name.

On her knees with my stiff cock between her lips.

Yeah, it was like that.

And I don't think I've ever woken up with a morning wood as hard as I did this morning. It took all of ten seconds under the warm water before I was exploding onto the shower floor silently screaming her name, then I punished myself with the coldest water I could physically withstand.

I'm a hypocritical asshole.

I dissed my best friend in front of my teammates and then spent the night holding her and wondering what it might feel like to be eight inches deep inside her.

Alright, alright. Seven inches.

Six and a fucking half. Alright? I'm no sex God and we can't all be Barrett Cunningham.

"How about that earthquake last night, huh?" Griffin gives me a wide-eyed nod as he slips on a clean pair of pajama pants—these ones blue with hockey sticks all over them—and t-shirt after a quick shower.

"Yeah. Definitely couldn't sleep through it," I answer. "That's for sure."

"How'd Ella do? Was that her first quake?"

"And what happened after we left, by the way?" Ledger adds, stepping back into his tennis shoes.

I'm quick to say, "Nothing…happened."

Ledger eyes Griffin who glances at me and then back to him. "Do you believe nothing happened Ollenberg?"

Griffin shakes his head with a laugh. "Not in the slightest." He points at me, his eyes narrowed. "I know you, man. And you're different when it comes to that chick. So, you may as well spit it out and tell us what's going on with you two because she's in the building today."

"So?"

His brows raise and he passes an ornery grin. "Sooo, if what you say is true and nothing happened…or is happening…you won't mind if I ask her out because she is hot as fuck and if you don't want to look at her, I will." He pushes the door to his locker closed and takes a step toward the door. My body reacts of its own accord, my arm stretching out and my palm resting against his chest.

"Over my dead body."

Griffin jumps back with a wild smile, pointing at me now with both hands. "A ha! I KNEW IT!"

"What did we know?" Harrison asks when he comes around the corner after his shower.

"Blackstone's got the hots for his roommate."

Harrison doesn't even have to look at me before he snorts a laugh. "Shocker."

"Well after last night, it was definitely not a shock," Griffin explains happily. "I just needed to get him to say it."

"I still haven't said it," I manage to say with a straight face, but Griffin isn't buying it. He stares at me, his eyes narrowing again, and he cocks his head as if he's trying to read my expression that I'm trying extremely hard to keep neutral. Knowing exactly what he's doing, he crosses his arms in front of his chest and nods to me, never once looking away.

"Alright wiseass. You're right. You haven't said it, but I bet my next goddamn paycheck that you're about to."

"Pfftt. What makes you think that?"

"Because you haven't denied it, for one, like you were denying weeks ago. And you missed three shots at this morning's skate which is also not like you. And that can only mean one thing."

"Maybe he's constipated," Ledger suggests but Griff is quick to shake his head while still holding my stare.

"Nope. That ain't it. Blackstone's got something on his mind."

"Probably those unattractive tits," Oliver murmurs having walked into this mess of a conversation.

"Fuck off, Magallan." Realizing my response just gave me away, I close my eyes and release a resigned sigh as Griff chuckles in front of me.

"Told you. Now spill."

Maybe he's right.

Maybe it's okay for me to talk to the guys about this. Who else would I have if not them?

Bowing my head, I lower myself to the bench in front of the lockers and let my thoughts escape my mouth.

"Alright listen, nothing…happened last night. At least not in the way you all think it might have."

Griffin nods. "Go on."

"She was asleep when I knocked on her door. Either that or she just wanted nothing to do with me because she didn't answer me when I knocked. So, I went to bed and figured we would talk about it this morning, but then the earthquake happened and she's never experienced anything like that before."

Harrison cringes. "Yikes. Was she freaked?"

"Freaked is an understatement." I nod. "She was screaming for me. Her cries woke me up and I ran to her and assured her everything was safe and then told her there might be aftershocks—which she wasn't at all excited about obviously—so I told her she could sleep in my room if it would make her feel better. No big deal."

An understanding smile hits Harrison's lips. "Right. No big deal."

"Except then it was a huge deal because I didn't notice what she was wearing until we got to my room and I turned around to say something to her when she whined about how cold it was in my room."

"Wearing?" Griffin asks, his brow furrowed.

"Yeah." I wipe my hand down my face still in disbelief. "She had on this sexy little plum colored number."

The guys start to whistle and pass on their ooohs and ahhhs. "The top was this part satin, part lacey bra thing and the bottoms were these matching silky extra-short shorts and fuck…" I sigh. "She looked…" I shake my head. "Amazing."

"Yeah she did!" Ledger teases. "Was she mad at you about what you said?"

"She wasn't mad per se, but she gave me hell when I mentioned what she was wearing and refused to change."

"Wait, wait, wait." Harrison waves his hand. "She was wearing something sexy and you told her to change? What the fuck, man? Are you really that stupid?"

"Yeah because I was about to share a bed with her!"

"So?"

"So, the last thing I wanted to happen was to be hard as fuck all night long. We're supposed to be friends, remember?" I shake my head, blowing out a breath in exasperation. "Anyway, she said it made her feel good and then said something about me saying she wasn't attractive and therefore I shouldn't be at all bothered by what she was wearing." I hold my forehead in my palm.

"Oooh, she got you there, Auggie ." Griffin laughs, teasing me with Ella's nickname for me.

"Yeah she did because she climbed into my bed and I knew I had to have my hands on her in some way so, I held her and…fuck me…the dreams I had last night coupled with the world's most uncomfortable morning wood when I woke up…"

"Let me guess," Oliver adds. "You can't stop thinking about her now?"

I nod grudgingly. "Bingo."

"Can't stop picturing her in that outfit?"

"She's everywhere I look."

"But you don't know what to do because she's your best friend and she doesn't see you the way you see her?"

"Exactly." I sigh. "She's like forbidden fruit. I can't do that to her. I can't cross that line."

Ledger shrugs. "Why not?"

"Why not?" I repeat back to him. "Have you not been listening? She's my best friend. We've known each other for longer than I can even remember. And because of my big mouth she thinks I don't find her attractive. She thinks I don't see her in any other way. And what if I said something and it all went to shit?"

"Then convince her," Oliver tells me.

"What?"

"Convince her."

"Convince her of what? That I think she's sexy as fuck and can't stomach the thought of her being with anyone else but me?"

"Yes." He laughs. "Exactly that."

"How am I supposed to do that?"

He grins and pulls his cell phone from his locker, unlocking the screen and tapping on it a few times.

"You're calling someone?" I ask in disbelief. "Now?"

"Yep. I know just the person to help us with this one."

While I appreciate Magallan using the word us , making me feel like I'm not alone in this new pursuit to convince Ella that we should be together, I can't for the life of me think of who he could possibly call to help with this situation. He lays his phone down on the bench, having turned on the speaker so we can all hear.

"Oliver?" a female voice says on the other end of the line.

"Hey Sis," he says into the phone with a smile. "I'm calling for my friend August. He's here with me. Well, actually pretty much all the guys are here with me. Except for Cunningham. He's still training."

"Oh. Hey guys," she says. "How is everybody?"

Those of us in the room all say our hellos before Oliver continues. "Anyway, we're calling because August has the hots for his childhood best friend who just happens to also be his new roommate."

"Aww, how sweet! I love that!" Charlee coos.

"Right but she doesn't know he has the hots for her."

"Ooooh. So, it's like that."

Oliver chuckles. "Yeah. It's like that."

"So, he's got to convince her!"

Oliver winks at me and then wags his brows. "Exactly! And since you're into all that romance book stuff with your editing job, I thought maybe you might have a few ideas on how August can convince Ella that they're meant to be. I'm sure you've read stuff like that before in your editing, yeah?"

Charlee Landric, whose husband plays for the Chicago Red Tails, giggles on the other end. "Like you would not believe. August," she says confidently. "You came to the right place but listen. Don't think about this in terms of convincing her you like her. If you're up for a little fun to see where her head really is, then this needs to be more of a situation where you convince her that she likes you ."

"Ahh, so drive her a little crazy and then go in for the kill?" Oliver says.

"Yes," she says with a chuckle. "Something like that. You can definitely have a little fun with it. Flirt with her a little but not so much that it's painstakingly obvious. Make it so she has no choice not to notice you so you're always on her mind."

"Alright." I nod. "Sounds easy enough. Where should I start."

She's quiet for a beat before she finally asks, "Do you have a pair of gray sweatpants?"

"Hey." I poke my head around the corner of Ella's dressing room and find her on the couch with her laptop in front of her. "What are you doing?"

"Oh hey. I'm watching mascot videos," she tells me. "Why? Did you need something? Am I supposed to be doing something else?"

"Nope." I smile and shake my head. "Just thought I'd check on you. Big first day and all."

"Tell me about it." She gives me a sideways smile and I can tell she's getting nervous.

Understandable.

I'd be surprised if she weren't.

"I figured maybe watching a few videos to see what some of the league's favorite mascots have done would help me get in the zone for tonight and give me a few pointers on things the crowds enjoy, you know?"

"Smart idea," I tell her, stepping farther into her room. "But remember, you were hired because the team loves who you are. You don't have to try to be someone else."

"I know." She taps the cushion next to her. "But they're still fun videos to watch. Want to join me?"

I nod and plop down next to her. "Sure. I've got a few minutes before I need to go tape my stick."

"This one is hilarious. Check this out." She clicks the arrow on the screen and the video shows the mascot for the Seattle Sea Brawlers unable to stay upright on his skates. Ella giggles the whole way through it. "It's like they forgot to tell whoever they hired that they were going to need to skate! I mean I feel bad for the guy but this is too funny!"

"Damn right it is." I huff out a laugh. "Let's hope you play against that guy in the Mascot Tournament. You'll skate rings around him."

"Oh my gosh, and this one," she says, pointing at the screen as the next clip runs. "This guy just walks around and throws pies in peoples' faces and they love him for it."

Her disbelief makes me chuckle. "Oh yeah, that's Grizzy. He's with the Minnesota team. We love playing there. That guy's a freaking hoot!"

"I just can't believe fans are okay with getting a pie to the face! That's crazy to me!"

"Meh." I shrug. "They usually then get heavily rewarded with team merch so it's a win-win. The mascot gets the laugh and the fan gets some merch. It's all in playful fun."

"Aww but watch this one! I had no idea Remi Red Tail did this last year!" The next video pops up and shows the Zamboni driver on the ice doing her thing when the wives of the Red Tails players line up with Remi along the wall each holding a different poster board in their hands. The first poster is turned over and it reads

GIANNA, LOVE IS A SMILE FROM A FRIENDLY FACE

Several more poster boards are flipped, each with another phrase about what love is and then finally Remi flips his which says

REMI REALLY LIKES GIANNA (BECAUSE LOVE IS A STRONG WORD WHEN WE HAVEN'T EVEN KISSED YET.) WILL GIANNA GO OUT WITH REMI?

The Zamboni driver hops down from the vehicle and gives Remi a huge hug and the crowd goes wild.

"Oh yeah, I forgot this happened. Milo Landric told Oliver all about it. Apparently their Zamboni driver is a woman, which is rare in this industry, and there were some drunk fans at their home games that were giving her a tough time. Sometimes it was more like sexual harassment. Anyway, the guy who is their mascot has had a crush on the Zamboni driver for some time and at that game," I say, pointing to the screen, "he finally got the Red Tails wives involved to let her know he liked her. Pretty sure it was Valentine's Day or close to it if memory serves me right."

Ella melts next to me, bringing a hand to her chest. "That might be one of the sweetest most romantic gestures I've ever seen!"

She likes romantic gestures.

Noted.

"Yeah. I guess it was a pretty wild game."

"And did they end up getting together?"

"I guess you'll have to ask him when we play them next month. And if I had to guess, you'll probably meet the Red Tails hockey wives too. They're a cool bunch of ladies."

"You've met them?"

"Yeah. A couple times now. Oliver and his fiancée Scarlett got together at an Anaheim-Chicago game. Well, really they got together on Scarlett's honeymoon but?—"

"Wait…Scarlett's honeymoon?" she asks wide-eyed.

"Yeah. It's a cute story. You should ask Scarlett. She loves talking about it."

Ella beams back at me. "I will absolutely ask her." She shuts her laptop and takes a deep breath. "I guess I should get ready. I have some promo videos to make with Marlee this afternoon before the game."

"Want to know a secret about Marlee?"

Her brow furrows. "Umm, is it going to change my perspective on her? Because maybe I don't want to know."

"Nah, this is cute gossip."

"Oh, well then by all means, lay it on me."

"She's the one Ledger has had a crush on. Remember I mentioned it before you moved here?

"Oh, my God! Yes, I remember! Why doesn't he just ask her out? She's super nice."

I shake my head. "She was dating some rich dude in the corporate world for a while. Honestly we think maybe they broke up but she might still be with him. I'm not positive, but we like to tease Ledge about it."

"Aww, poor Ledger."

I stand from the couch. "Alright, I'll let you get yourself ready." I offer her my hand and help pull her up from the couch.

"Can I give you a good luck hug?"

She smiles. "I'd be pissed if you didn't, Auggie." She wraps her arms around my neck and I pull her against me, covering her with my arms. "You give the best hugs."

"Do I?"

Maybe hugs are my superpower.

She likes hugs?

I can give hugs.

I can give lots of hugs.

"Mhmm," she says. "I'm anxiously nervous for tonight. Is that a thing to be? Anxiously nervous? Like I'm super excited to be out there but nervous as hell at the same time?"

"Yeah, that's a thing you can be," I tell her, squeezing her a little tighter and wishing I didn't have to let go. "But you're going to be great and you're going to have so much fun. And I'll be around the arena all day so if something happens or you need me, just call."

"Thank you, Auggie."

"You're welcome. Good luck out there." I place a swift kiss on her forehead and then give her a fist bump before walking out of her room.

Little things that make her think of me.

This one might not be on Charlee Landric's list but it's an obvious one for Ella's first day as the team mascot for tonight's season opener. As I walk down the hall toward Ella's dressing room, I hear music playing in the arena so I make my way up the tunnel to see what's going on. Assuming they're running sound checks before tonight, I'm surprised to find Ella on the ice. Dressed in full costume she dances for the camera as Lizzo sings about getting loose and blaming it on the juice.

Look at her go.

Doin' her thing.

The new Lumin costume is so perfectly her. The character almost resembles that of a cat with bright yellow fur and a yellow tail tipped with a glittery star. The cat-like face has star shaped ears and little stars in the pupils of its eyes. Three blue tufts of fur sit between the ears like a bow in her hair and of course she's wearing a STARS jersey with the name LUMIN printed across the back.

She's adorable as fuck out there.

"That's fantastic Ella," Marlee tells her with an amused chuckle. "You make those moves look way too easy in that costume."

Ella doesn't say anything in response, but she does twirl on the ice and then gives Marlee a high five.

Marlee smiles from ear to ear. "I think we got the shots we need. We'll put this out on social media within the hour. With any luck, the crowd tonight will eat this up."

My chest swells with pride as I stand here quietly observing her from the shadows. She looks great and seems like she's really in her element. Not that any of this should surprise me. Ella was made for a job like this. She knows how to work a crowd and I have no doubt that's exactly what she'll do tonight.

Looking down at the two cinnamon rolls in my hand, Ella's nervous habit of choice, I decide leaving them in her dressing room might be a better idea than waiting for her here in case she's not done. I wouldn't want to embarrass her in front of her new colleagues and plus this way, I can leave them with a quick note for luck.

Perhaps the gesture will be that first something to stick with her.

Something to show her I'm thinking of her even when I'm not with her.

I take a deep breath and head for her dressing room.

Here goes nothing.