“I can find another job if this really turns into something. There’s a lot of companies in the city that would hire me. Not that I want you to throw your position away but I would consider it.” Holly told him, standing to move to the windows. “Was this a mistake?”
“No. It wasn’t.” He stood to walk over to her and gaze over her shoulder out at the expansive city before them. “Let’s just play it down for now so I can see how this would go over in the next few weeks. It might be fine as long as they’re sure I am not showing you any special treatment.” He kissed her hair. “I wouldn’t. I know you can do your job without any help. We checked your references and they were solid even if I couldn’t tell by knowing you.”
Holly left quietly after dinner, kissing him at the door before she went down in the elevator. Aaron remembered why he liked the quickies back in his younger days as he achingly wondered if he was going to end up hurting her in all of this. Holly had given herself to him, body and soul. She’d been through something terrible and she wanted him to replace the memory of her attack, coming so easily in his arms.
He thought again to his father’s words, knowing that Glen would give him a firm lecture if he learned about this. His father had never been thrilled with his shenanigans before but he respected that Aaron kept it out of the public eye and respected the girls as much as he could in the situation. He’d been young once himself and gave his son that much respect.
CHAPTER SIX
Aaron spent the night tossing and turning, missing the woman behind the smell on his sheets and pillow. He got up early to clean the sex off of his skin reluctantly and work out in his building, trying to get the blood flowing through his veins. He needed to be the owner of a team today, not a distracted man. He ran hard on the treadmill, still imagining Holly in his bed and on his couch as he sped up to escape the memory that wouldn’t leave his brain.
Once he was done, Aaron showered again and pulled out his black suit to hang against the bathroom door. He pulled on his boxer briefs and a white undershirt, sliding a new white shirt over it and buttoning up carefully. His hair was tousled but with product tonight and he slipped a blue tie on to honor the team. Aaron finished buttoning up his pants and slipped the coat on as he grabbed his keys, deciding to drive tonight.
He was nervous as the doorman wished him to have a good game and was aware of the eyes on him and the voices talking about him. Aaron flashed them his traditional smile, accepting their well-wishes as he went down to the garage to get his vehicle. He drove in the crowd to the arena just a few blocks away, seeing his team’s name in lights as his heart burst with pride. They were going to kill it this year.
Parking and entering the busy hallway, Aaron looked around as everyone greeted him. The level of adrenaline was overpowering as he soaked it all in, grinning as he remembered it from before. The team was just coming back in from practice and he high-fived them as they trudged by to shower and dress for the game in two hours, getting food in that time as well.
Aaron headed to his office, pausing in front of the therapy room as he glanced inside. Holly was there, dressed in dark blue workout pants and a white tank with the team jacket draped over the chair near her. She was choosing to watch the game, ready to head back when needed and she looked focused until she glanced up and met his eyes. Heat passed through them as well as sadness and he returned the look until somebody bumped into him and made him break away from her gaze. Aaron gave her one more look before stepping out onto the ice to confer with the coaches and referees, standing to gaze over the empty ice for a long moment. He weighed the love for the game over the possibility of love as he took in the view, watching as the Zamboni moved to clean the ice.
In just a little while, this place would be filled with fans of his team as well as the Bruins, all screaming and cheering their teams. The media would be interviewing him about this first game and the changes as he waited for one glimpse of the beautiful redhead that he craved already. He’d have to hide it from the team, the coaches, his family when they came to sit in his box seats and even the woman that he was protecting.
Aaron turned to go to his office for a few moments of peace, gazing down at the therapy room once again as he wished he could go in and kiss her. Tell her hello and that he missed her last night.
Aaron settled on sending her a text once he was alone. They’d exchanged numbers listed under fake names so nobody would be suspicious at a glance. Aaron doubted that she got it as she prepared for the night and he slid his phone into his drawer and paced across the room to the window to look out again.
He headed down for more interviews, straightening his tie and jacket before he stepped out near the bench. Aaron spoke about a positive ending to this game as well as the season and told them how good he felt about the team. He knew all too well what to say to the cameras and he smiled wearily as they moved on to talk to Pat.
Aaron stayed down as the team skated onto the ice to piercing screams and cheers, watching everything reverently as Pat moved next to him to lean against the wall. “Miss it?” His voice was loud enough for Aaron to hear but for it still to remain private.
“Yeah. I do.” Aaron admitted, looking over to see Holly securing her hair in a low ponytail as she stepped out to watch the team. She was wearing the jacket and covering her up her body that he’d loved last night, and he stared at her before turning his eyes back to the ice. It was a secret if there even was anything to hide now. It was hard to tell with the way they were having to act.
The game was fast-paced and everything that the fans wanted, with the Rangers scoring two goals in the first period to loud horns and cheers throughout the room. Aaron excused himself when it ended to see how his family was, pausing in front of Holly for just a moment as the team rushed by. “I should go see if they’re all okay.” She spoke in a monotone, her eyes dull and tired.
“I missed you last night.” His words were soft as she wiped her eyes and turned to leave him standing there, while the reporters rushed him to ask what he thought about his team in the first period. He responded on auto pilot before heading up to his family, greeting his young nephews and nieces with hugs as they ran towards him babbling about the man with the sticks. Aaron moved to his sisters next, hugging them and shaking the hands of their husbands as they congratulated him again.
Last was his mother after he hugged his dad, and he held onto her a little longer than normal. “Are you okay, Aaron? You look so tired.”
“That’s all it is, Mom. It’s a big day.” He took a seat in front of the window and chatted about the game with his family, unable to stop thinking about the empty look in Holly’s eyes.
****to be continued as PART 2***
PART 2
CHAPTER ONE
The night ended with Aaron and a bottle of whiskey in his bed after he chose a low-key dinner with his family to celebrate the first win of the season. The team had headed to their favorite bar to eat and have some beer, inviting him along, but Aaron didn’t want to drain the energy from the room.
Sure, he’d faked it through the interviews and smiled as he boasted about the scores and the defense. Aaron had seemed like the picture of a professional, standing with the coaches and some of the players as they laughed and carried on about some of the finer points of the game.
He couldn’t help but to feel her eyes on him as she watched the festivities from the bench, trying not to make any eye contact that would break his facade. One look into her sad eyes would break him, and Aaron wasn’t ready for that yet. He didn’t know what it was about this woman but the time that he’d spent with Holly had gotten him hooked, both his body and his mind. She challenged him while she turned him on and few had ever done that to him in the past.
His mom had looked at him in surprise when he offered to take all of them to one of the best steakhouses in the city, sharing a long glance with his father.
“Son, this is your team and you should celebrate with them. Your heart is still on that ice.” Glen told him, making Aaron laugh bitterly inside of his head. His heart felt more like it was still with Holly in his apartment the day before.
“I’m not in the mood for the crazy. I’m an old man now, Dad.” Aaron replied, smiling around at his family. “I owe you for this, too. I don’t know where I’d be if it wasn’t for you guys.”
“You’d have found your way, Aaron.” Glen said calmly, both of them men feeling tears in their eyes. “I’m proud of you.”
“Thank you.” Aaron replied gruffly, slinging an arm around his mom. “Want some grub?” The kids started squealing and jumping around him in response while his sisters smiled at each other, asking if he was sure that he could handle it. They made their way out of the crowded arena as he glanced back to see Holly watching him, her eyes bright and shimmering as their gazes locked.
Aaron woke up in his bright bedroom, blinking as his head started pounding. Fucking hell but the whiskey was coming back to haunt him. After dinner, everyone else had headed home and he’d followed suit before finding himself alone and miserable. Instead of dealing with it like an adult, like he should have, Aaron broke out the bottle and started drinking as he watched highlights of the game and tried to force himself into that mindset. He tried to reason with himself why he was better off single as he always had been, free to do what he needed to do. He’d gotten sloppy drunk and passed out in his boxers and tee shirt like he would do in college.