“Thanks.” One thing he’d learned about John, the man didn’t blow unwarranted sunshine up anyone’s ass. A “good game” from him was like excessive praise from anyone else. Despite himself, Sean almost smiled, and retucked his white dress shirt into his trousers. He didn’t want to like the guy. John was an asshole, but since his return, he found himself playing smarter. Maybe to prove to the coach and to anyone else that Sean Knox was a team player. He wasn’t out for just himself. If they thought otherwise, they were wrong. If they mistook him for a pussy, they were wrong about that, too.
There was only one potential problem with his newfound cohesion. A tall blond problem with the last name Kowalsky. As far as he could tell, her life was one big drama after another, and he’d managed to get himself tangled up in it.
When he’d first returned from Sandspit, he’d tried to get ahold of her in an effort to avoid adding even more drama when she inevitably learned he played for the Chinooks. He couldn’t exactly ask her dad for her phone number. He’d asked Jimmy, but the number he’d been given went straight to voice mail. He’d left her a message and e-mailed his number via her business Web site. She hadn’t contacted him, and he figured she didn’t want to see him again. That was her choice, and after their picture appeared on the cover of the Enquirer, he was more than fine with that, too. He didn’t want the part of “mystery man” in her never-ending drama.
“Knoxy.” Team captain Stephen “Stony” Davis hung one wrist over Sean’s shoulder. “Some of the guys are meeting at Quinn’s Pub. You should come.”
Stony had gotten his nickname because he hit like he had stones in his gloves. Sean could attest to the accuracy of the nickname and was secretly relieved that he wouldn’t be on the receiving end of Stony’s right hook this season. “Where’s Quinn’s Pub?” He’d been in Seattle only three months, and half of that had been spent on the road. One of these days soon, he’d have to figure out his way around the city.
“Tenth and Pike.”
Sean didn’t live far from the Key Arena. He had a fair idea of the city’s layout and had a navigation system in his Land Rover. “Sounds good.” He grabbed his duffel and moved with Stony through the locker room and lounge and out into the tunnel.
“Quinn’s has some cheese fries I’m dying to try.”
Sean looked across his shoulder at his teammate. “Are cheese fries on Trina’s meal plan?” he asked, referring to the team’s nutritionist.
“Not on your plan,” Stony said through a laugh. “I’m a defender. I can bulk up now and again.”
Probably not on cheese fries. They talked about several bad calls and questioned the referee’s eyesight. “Chucky’s toe wasn’t anywhere near the crease,” Sean said as he turned left toward the outside doors. “Even a blind man could have seen that.”
Near the doorway, a woman separated herself from the wall and turned toward him. She wore a gray turtleneck beneath a Chinooks jersey. Gray jeans so tight they looked shrink-wrapped around her long legs, and she was just as gorgeous as he recalled. As one, a surprising mix of lust and dread rolled through him, twisting and fighting and landing in his gut like a ball of hot lead. He’d figured they’d see each other sooner or later, but after the Enquirer photo splashed around the world, he would have preferred later rather than sooner.
“Hey there, Lexie,” Stony called out to her.
Her deep blue eyes watched Sean approach before she turned her attention to the team captain. “Hey there, Stephen.”
Stony opened up his big arms and she stepped inside. “I haven’t seen you in ages.” He pulled back and looked down into her face. “At least not in person. I’ve seen a lot of you on the TV.”
Her ponytail brushed the back of her Chinooks jersey as she shook her head. “Unfortunately, it seems like the entire planet has seen a lot of me on TV.”
“Your dad didn’t like those shorts you wore on that show.”
“I don’t want to talk about that show.” Over Stony’s shoulder, her icy gaze met Sean’s.
“No one liked that guy, anyway. Paul’s the only one who bet on you making it to the altar.”
She took a scandalized breath and stepped out of Stony’s embrace. “You all were betting on my wedding?” Her lips turned upside down in an unconvincing frown. “I’m not surprised.”
The last time Sean had seen her, she’d been wrapped up in a white bedsheet, her blond hair a mess and one leg hanging off the bed. All warm and sensual, like she was about to pass out after great sex. Her blue gaze warm and satisfied.
Stony waved a hand in his direction. “Have you met our newest right wing, Sean Knox?” She turned her face toward him, her eyes as cold and hard as sapphires. So different from the night she’d played rodeo queen.
“No. I’ve never met Mr. Knox,” she said, and he wondered if Stony heard the slight emphasis on his last name. “I’ve heard my father talk of him, though.”
Yeah. John had called him a nancy-pants and probably worse. He held out his hand, waiting for her next move.
“Sean, this is John’s oldest daughter, Lexie Kowalsky.”
A big smile split her full lips and her white teeth dazzled like a Crest commercial. He waited to see if she’d expose their connection or not.
“We’re all family.” She took a step forward and made a point of giving him a big hug. He automatically closed his arms around her. She smelled different this time, too. Like flowery soap and earthy shampoo. “It’s good to meet you, Mr. Knox,” she said, her warm breath brushing his ear.
She felt the same, though. Like soft, sweet woman, and his body reacted. “Thank you.”
Beneath his blazer, her hand slid across his chest, and for one insane second he wondered if she was going to unbutton his shirt like she had a week ago. For one insane second, he wondered if he should let her, right there in the concrete tunnel of the Key Arena. Instead of undressing him, she slipped something in the pocket of his dress shirt. She gave his chest a pat for good measure before she stepped away, taking with her the scent of her skin and feel of her body. A week ago, he would have pulled her right back against his chest. A week ago, they’d been strangers in a strange environment, under strange circumstances.
“You might have seen Lexie on TV,” Stony said, as if he hadn’t noticed the exchange or the slight pull of Lexie’s brow.