Meet Me in the Penalty Box (Orchid City, #1)(29)

Anyone could have walked in and I didn’t even think I would have fully cared. Fuck my job. Fuck it all. Nico Cirone had me under his spell and there was no way I was getting out of it now. Like a spider with a web, he already had me tangled up in him and he was ready to devour me.

He abruptly pulled away, leaving me completely breathless. His eyes were back on my mouth and he ran his thumb along my bottom lip. “I’m going to end up fucking you against this wall if we don’t stop now.”

“Then don’t stop,” I told him even though my brain was screaming at me for being a fucking idiot. His eyes jumped to mine and I knew he wasn’t joking.

“Don’t want you to lose your job,” he said with a bite in his tone. I felt his absence the moment he stepped away from me and a shiver slid down my spine. I wanted him to come back to me, but instead he was turning around and walking the other way.

“Where are you going?” I asked him, my voice barely audible as I stayed in place where he left me against the wall.

He glanced at me over his shoulder. “I’ve got a game to play, love.” He smirked with a wink. “We can pick up where we left off later.”

“I’m supposed to go out with Ava after the game.”

Nico lingered for a moment with mischief dancing in his eyes. “Don’t worry, love. I’ll find you.”

Without another word, he turned back around and pushed through the curtain. I was frozen against the wall. My heart felt like it was going to beat out of my chest and I was still struggling to catch my breath. I had no idea where any of this was going with him, but I was willing to roll the dice and see where we would end up.

He was about to turn my entire life upside down.

I just didn’t know it yet…





CHAPTER TWELVE





NICO





As we all filed down the tunnel back to the locker room, the guys were exhausted but still hyped from our win. I couldn't help but smile as I thought about Harper and our encounter before the game. Perhaps that was something I needed to make more of a habit because I ended up with seven points during the entire game tonight.

She was definitely a good luck charm for sure.

Sitting down on the bench, I began to strip out of my gear and was careful to save my ball of tape. As I slid it into my bag, my phone vibrated in my locker and I grabbed it to read the message that had just come through.

Harper



Ava and I will be at The Lounge if you aren’t doing anything.





A smile pulled on my lips and I sat back down on the bench as I typed out my response to her.

Nico



What time?





She must have been staring at her phone because she responded instantly.

Harper



I have to go home first, so probably closer to 11.





It didn’t give me much time to get ready, so I would just have to wear the suit I wore here to the bar. I would have exactly enough time to get a shower and head over there. The Lounge was only about ten minutes from the stadium, so half an hour was plenty of time.

Nico



I’ll meet you there.





“The Lounge,” Wes said from over my shoulder. I glanced back at him and found him standing there with a smirk on his face. “Who is Ava?”

I narrowed my eyes at him. “Do you understand privacy at all, bro? Who the fuck reads someone’s messages over their shoulder?”

Lincoln laughed from where he was sitting as he overheard me scolding Wes. “You act like you don’t know how he is.”

Wes dropped down beside me. “Sorry, dude. You know I’m just nosy sometimes.”

“Yeah, I know.”

He was my best friend. I could never truly be mad at him or fault him for it. He didn’t do anything with ill intent. Wes was just one of those goofy kind of people who was really his own person. He was nosy as hell, almost like he lived in a constant state of FOMO.

I stared at him for a moment. “You want to go along?”

Wes’s face lit up and he tilted his head to the side. “Are you sure? I don’t want to be, like, a third wheel or anything.”

“It’s not a date. Harper and I are just friends and she’s going to be there with her friend, so it’s not a date at all.”

“Right, right,” Wes said with a wink. “I need to get a shower and you know I’m down.”

We split up, both of us focused on getting our gear put away so we could head into the showers. A part of me realized that maybe it wasn’t a good idea inviting Wes along, but he could be trusted. If there was one person I trusted my life with other than G or my father, it was Wes.

He wouldn’t tell anyone about Harper and I. Plus, we weren’t going to be caught doing anything other than getting drinks tonight.





“Tell me about Ava,” Wes said as we both walked from the parking lot toward the bar. “That’s her name, right?”

“I’m pretty sure she has a boyfriend.”

Wes chuckled. “Like that means anything.”

I glanced at him from the corner of my eye. “Just don’t.”