"Are you going to be able to go to any of the play-off games?" Vale asks Jules, thereby effectively ending that subject and starting another.
The play-offs will begin in two weeks, in mid-April, and things are going to get all kinds of crazy. At least the travel schedule is more stable, since it follows best-of-seven series in a two, two, one, one, one format. That means the team with home-ice advantage alternates two games home, two games away, then home, away, and then home again. Thus we know the travel schedule is set, but that doesn't lessen the tremendous stress the players will be under. Not only are we giving our all physically to every game, we're straining our emotional and mental capacities as well. Every single professional hockey player I know lives and breathes for only one thing, and that's to raise the Stanley Cup above their head. It's within my reach and I can almost taste it.
"I'm going to work out some kind of schedule with Kate where we can travel alternating rounds while the other watches all the kids," Jules tells her.
My neck twists to look in through the windows off the back deck and through the living room, and my eyes immediately catch on Stephanie's flaming curls. Looks like she hasn't made it to the bathroom because she's been waylaid by Cash.
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that Cash is heavily flirting with her. He's leaning in close, and the expression on his face is carnal. I know he's probably feeding her corny lines that would never work on a woman like Stephanie, but what I don't like is the fact that she seems to be enjoying it. She smiles and laughs at him, sometimes flipping her hair over her shoulders. She also leans in toward him as he tells her an animated story with his hands. When she laughs at him a second time, she playfully touches his forearm for a second.
What the fuck? Is she into this kid?
I push up from my chair mumbling something about using the bathroom and make my way across the back deck and into the house. By the time I get to where Stephanie and Cash were standing, they're both gone.
Simone walks by and I ask her, "Have you seen Stephanie?"
She indicates with a thumb over her shoulder, "Yeah. She just went into the bathroom."
"Alone?" I demand.
Simone's eyebrows rise but she quickly answers, "Of course alone. Why wouldn't she be alone?"
I shake my head as I brush past my sister toward the bathroom, instantly relieved that she and Cash aren't getting physical with each other in Garrett's guest bathroom, and even as I appreciate the relief, I know that was stupid to even think that would happen. If it did, though, I do believe I'd have to kill Cash.
Leaning up against the wall, I wait for Stephanie to come out. When she does she blinks at me in surprise but gives me a welcoming smile. "Hey, you."
"What's up with all the flirting?" I ask, then I immediately regret the words. I absolutely did not need to confront her with that because I have no right to.
Stephanie's expression darkens. "What do you mean?"
"It just seems to me that you and Cash were getting awful cozy together," I tell her with a nonchalant shrug.
"We were just talking," Stephanie says with her lips quirked up, and I can tell she is thoroughly amused with me. "He's a funny guy."
"Don't look at me like that," I snap at her.
She stifles a laugh then asks me, "Look at you like what?"
"That you think I'm jealous and you find it completely hilarious," I tell her with my chin lifted.
"Are you?" she asks me with mischief written all over her face.
"Absolutely not," I say with a casual smile. "No strings between us, right?"
"That's right," she says with a slightly teasing tone, but I can also see in her eyes that there is no room for jealousy.
That sort of irritates me. We may have a firm friends-with-benefits agreement, but I thought we had been pretty clear that this was exclusive.
"So you mean to tell me," I ask her as I lean in and murmur, "you would not be bothered if I flirt with other women in your presence?"
Stephanie swallows hard but her jaw stiffens with resolve. "That's right."
"Huh?" I say, sounding genuinely interested in this concept. "I'll keep that in mind."
Then I push past her into the bathroom with a satisfied smile on my face over the look of surprise and perhaps a little anger on hers.
Let her chew on that for a while.
Chapter 10
Stephanie
"Stephanie, are you even listening to me?" Jules asks as she shakes my shoulder lightly.
I twist my neck to look at her and distractedly ask, "What?"
She gives me a knowing smile and leans into me, murmuring, "You seem awfully interested in something else."
I'm back at the table, chatting with Jules and Simone, the men talking about hockey. I'm all kinds of unsettled about that confrontation I had with Lucas about half an hour ago. Since then, I returned to the table and he has not. Jules and I have been talking about my idea, with Vale adding in her thoughts as well. Simone is off doing who knows what.
"Nope, not interested in anything else," I tell Jules, although my gaze moves to the window to peek in on Lucas again.
Which is a complete lie. I'm absolutely interested in the fact that Lucas is standing in the living room almost exactly where I had been talking to Cash. Except he is talking to a blonde with big boobs and a very little dress.
"I'm sure that doesn't mean anything," I hear Jules murmur near my ear. It surprises me enough I turn my head quickly look to at her. She nods at the window. "Lucas."
"I don't care what Lucas does," I tell her with vehemence. Too much vehemence, actually, because it sounds fake.
I know it sounds fake because Jules cocks an eyebrow at me. "I know exactly the nature of your relationship with Lucas. And while I don't know how you are treating it, I can tell you absolutely that if Lucas promises exclusivity, you'll get it."
I bristle at what she's saying, because it clearly means Lucas has talked about me. While Lucas may have no qualms about sharing personal details with other people, I'm not that way and never will be. So I shut down Jules as kindly as I can. "Lucas and I have a very clear agreement. I'm telling you right now I don't care if he is in there flirting with a porn star. It's none of my business."
"Well, that's good," Jules says with a smile. "Because that woman he's talking to in there actually has been in the adult entertainment business."
My head snaps back toward Lucas. "She has?"
"Stripper," Jules says. "She dates one of the players on and off again. I'm assuming on right now since she's here."
A weird sensation of anger and hurt wells up within me, something I've never felt before.
Jules merely leans over and pats me on my knee. "But no worries. I'm sure they're just chatting politics or something."
I give a disgruntled snort at the suggestion, and despite the fact I'm telling Jules a lot without saying a word at all, I push up from my chair. "I'll be back."
Ignoring Jules's snicker, I make my way into the living room without any clue as to why I would do something so foolish. When I reach Lucas and the stripper, she is standing very close to him and twirling her hair around her finger. He seems captivated by what she's saying.
Lucas sees me and smiles with sparkling eyes. "Hey, Stephy. Rona here was just telling me about a big party she's having tomorrow at the beach. It's only a few hours away, but she promises topless volleyball."
My jaw drops as I digest what Lucas is telling me and I honestly can't think of anything to say in return.
It doesn't matter, though, because he has more to say. "Doesn't that sound like fun?"
"Um, yeah," I mutter as I shift from foot to foot with unease. "I was just coming to tell you goodbye, since I'm leaving."
I totally wasn't leaving and was hoping to make another run at the barbecue, but I seriously don't think I can handle Lucas talking to this bimbo about naked volleyball.
"So, um, goodbye," I mumble as I start to turn toward the deck so I can get my pu
rse. "I'll see you around."
"Stephanie," Lucas calls out, and I stop to look over my shoulder. "There's no need to be jealous of Rona."
My face heats up with embarrassment as I notice a few people standing around look to Lucas since he was quite loud in his proclamation. My eyes flick to the blonde and I can see she's highly amused. My eyes then narrow, and I shoot a sinister glare at Lucas. "I am not jealous."
One eyebrow arcs upward. "Kind of looks like it."
I step back toward Lucas, and as I lean into him I growl, "I. Am. Not. Jealous."
"Perfect," Lucas says with a beaming smile. "Naked volleyball at the beach it is."
"We're going to have so much fun," Rona says as she bounces up and down a little, making her boobs jiggle. To Lucas's credit, he doesn't look at them, but keeps his smirking eyes leveled at me.
My face gets hotter as my head starts to buzz with anger.
I suddenly realize I am not just angry...I'm absolutely infuriated. Not at Rona, because I think she's doing what she usually does. But at Lucas, that he would even consider such a thing.
"Are you seriously making plans to do naked volleyball in front of the woman you are currently fucking?" I ask slowly so there is no mistaking what I want him to know. Unlike him, though, I say it in a low enough voice only he and Rona hear me.
Lucas grins at me and I'm stunned when he grabs me by the back of my head and pulls me to him for a hard, quick kiss. When he releases me he says, "God, you're fucking adorable when you're jealous."