Right Man, Right Time

“You okay?” I ask as we travel through the arena and up to the clubhouse.

“Yeah,” Silas answers, a slight hobble in his step.

“Are you sure? It feels like you’re limping.”

“Just really fucking sore and exhausted.”

“Your eyes do look tired. They’re slightly bloodshot.”

“They are?” Silas asks. “Fuck, they feel heavy.”

“Do you want to leave?” I ask, even though I want to spend a touch more time with Silas and his teammates.

Coming into today, I was nervous, scared, and so frightened to make a bad impression that I knew I was trembling as we walked into the arena. I don’t know what came over me. I’m usually not the kind of person who settles into their feelings and exposes them on the outside. Maybe it was the way Silas handled himself at my event that I felt like I had to match his energy. I don’t know, but now that I’m here and have met everyone, I feel a lot more comfortable. So comfortable that I want to get to know them more.

“I would love to leave,” Silas says, “but that’s not an option. I have to show my face upstairs.”

“Well, after that,” I say. “You just let me know when.”

“I will,” he says as he presses the up button for the elevator. “Are you having a good time?”

“I am. I think your friends are awesome. Penny and Winnie are pretty cool too.”

“They are. Penny is all over the place right now with her pregnancy hormones. Hornsby has been dealing with a lot.”

“She’s carrying the baby. He can suffer through it.”

“Very fair point,” Silas says. The elevator dings, he slips his hand into mine, and we walk into an open hallway together. Off to the right is a glassed-off suite, and from the outside looking in, I can see purple, black, and silver decorations, resembling the team’s colors—something I just learned today. It’s embarrassing how clueless I’ve been.

“Smells good,” I say as we approach the door.

“The food is always amazing here.” He opens the door for me, and he ushers me in, a crowd of people by the tables and the buffet. Holding my hand tightly, he guides me in that direction.

“Is that a catering dish full of meatballs?” I ask, my eyes zeroing in, my stomach growling.

But Silas doesn’t answer me.

He doesn’t even acknowledge me.

When I glance up at him, I immediately notice the clench to his jaw and the stiffness in his shoulders. I follow his line of sight and spot a woman over by the plates and napkins. Long blonde hair, gorgeous pouty lips, and a curvy body shown off by high-waisted pants and a skintight long-sleeve bodysuit.

I know, without even having to ask, that’s Sarah.

And she’s so freaking gorgeous.

Filled out in all the right places. Poised. Confident. Styled. I feel like a child compared to her.

And experiencing the way Silas reacts when he sees her, it makes me feel . . . inferior in so many ways. This is ridiculous because I shouldn’t care how he looks at her or his reaction to her, but here I am, growing an army of insecurities in my head when I shouldn’t. I mean, they were high school sweethearts, which means Sarah is ten years my senior as well. What does that matter, Ollie? We aren’t romantically involved. Although, how will I make Sarah feel inferior when the woman standing in front of me is superior in looks?

I’m about to ask him if he wants to leave, but then she turns and spots Silas. I watch as her lips turn up, and she sets down the plates she’s handing out to walk up to Silas, completely ignoring me standing right next to him.

“Silas, oh my God,” she says as she steps right up and throws her arms around him.

He lets go of my hand and returns the embrace, leaving me standing there watching them, feeling foolish.

His hand falls to the small of her back, and his head drops down as she squeezes him tighter.

“It’s so great to see you,” Sarah says. Even her voice is sexy. When she pulls away, I notice just how breathtakingly beautiful she is with her ocean-blue eyes, full lashes, and carved cheekbones. She has an air of sophistication about her that I know I don’t have. She’s grown-up, mature, her own person, and I’m over here, still trying to figure out my life.

This was not what I was expecting when I considered meeting Silas’s ex-girlfriend. I thought I’d float in, show off, and make her jealous. Somehow, it feels like the exact opposite.

“Hey,” Silas says, his voice gruff.

“I’m glad you came. I was afraid you might not, given how I work here now.” She completely ignores me, and to my horror, so does Silas. “And that’s a stupid assumption since this is your home, but I want you to know I didn’t intentionally seek out this job. A recruiter approached me. I wouldn’t have taken it if it wasn’t a dream opportunity. The last thing I want to do is invade your space.”

“It’s fine,” Silas says as he pulls on the back of his neck while his eyes travel the length of her.

It almost seems like a hungry look.

She toes the ground, and it’s so fucking cute it makes me feel like an ogre, standing off to the side, wondering if he’s going to introduce me.

“You look good, by the way,” she says as she reaches out and touches his sweater. “I always thought dark blue looked the best on you.”

He nods. “You look good too, Sarah.”

Well . . . fuck.

It’s one thing to say hi.

It’s another thing to completely forget that your fake girlfriend is standing next to you, watching you interact with your ex-girlfriend that you’ve said you have no feelings for. Uh, it looks like someone needs to check themselves again because from where I’m standing, no way in hell is Silas over this girl.

Finally, after what feels like hours, Sarah spots me and smiles sweetly. “Oh gosh, I’m so sorry.” She holds out her hand. “I’m Sarah.”

As if that snapped Silas out of his Sarah-induced coma, he places his hand on the small of my back and says, “This is Ollie . . . my girlfriend.”

“Girlfriend?” Sarah says in surprise. “Oh wow, I just assumed she was your assistant or an intern.” She shakes my hand, then gives me a once-over. “You’re so young.”

God, do I want to grow claws and scratch her across the face. It might not be obvious to others, but it’s obvious to me. She’s trying to make me seem less than I am, and to hell if I’m going to let that happen. If there is one type of person I know how to deal with, it’s a bitchy one.

“Thank you, I can give you the name of my night cream if you want. It works wonders.”

Her face falls flat.

“I know the eye area is so hard to combat when you get older,” I add for the hell of it.

“That would be sweet,” she says, plastering on a fake smile. She then turns her attention back to Silas. “Well, I’ll let you get back to your meal.” She touches his arm. “It was so nice to see you, Silas. Good luck this season. I can’t wait to cheer you on.”

“Thanks, Sarah,” Silas says, sticking his hands in his pockets.

And as she walks away, I watch Silas watch her.

Wow, just . . . wow.

After a few seconds, I say, “So . . . that’s Sarah.”

He nods, then presses his hand to my back and leads me toward the buffet where we quietly fill our plates. He assists me, scooping the food out that I want. He grabs us silverware and napkins, and when he finds us a seat, he grabs us drinks as well. It’s like he’s on autopilot, frozen in his thoughts with nothing to say.

Thankfully, after a few minutes of silence while we eat, Winnie comes over to our table and takes a seat. “Aren’t the meatballs divine? They have them at every gathering.”

“They’re really good,” I reply, feeling awkward and uncomfortable. Even though Silas sits next to me with his hand on my thigh, I catch him looking back at Sarah every so often. If this was a real relationship, my ass would be walking out that door so fast. I’m actually tempted to call it a day. Silas and I aren’t attached, but I do feel embarrassed. Anyone observing us would see that Silas is clearly distracted, like I’m not good enough to hold his attention.

“Hey dude, you okay?” Pacey says as he sits down and sets a plate in front of Winnie.

“Yeah, I’m good,” Silas says as he pushes a piece of broccoli around on his plate. “Pretty tired, though. I think I’m about ready to go.”

“I actually was hoping to talk to you for a second,” Pacey says and clears his throat. “In private.”

Silas glances at him, and they exchange some sort of secret conversation that forces Silas to nod and stand. And without a second thought to me, he and Pacey walk off.

What happened to not leaving me behind? Good God, this man.

When they’re out of earshot, Winnie leans in. “Are you okay?”

“Of course.” I smile at her because I’m not going to make a big deal out of being around Sarah—that would just mean I’m intimidated by her. And even though I am, I’m not going to show it.

When I imagined Silas’s ex-girlfriend, I assumed she’d be this average girl who maybe broke his young high school heart. I had no idea she’d be as stunning as she is or sophisticated with one of the most sultry voices I’ve ever heard. I truly felt like a tenth grader trying to gain her crush’s attention while standing next to him.

“You’re so much stronger than I am,” Winnie says. “I’d have a coronary if Pacey’s ex-girlfriend was near us.”

I just shrug. “He’s not with her. He’s with me. That’s all I need to know.”

“You know, I might have a girl crush on you.”

That makes me chuckle as I take the last bite of my meatball.

“So now that they’re out of the way, I want to get to know you more. What do you do?”

“Well, I’m actually still in college.”

“What?” Winnie asks, her eyes widening. “You’re in college?”

“Going into my last year. I’m majoring in journalism. I have an internship with Alan Roberts.”

“Impressive. I know exactly who that is. Wow. I thought you were young, but I didn’t know you were that young. Does Silas visit you on campus?”

“Only at my dorm,” I say.

“Why do I find that so hot?” Winnie asks. “Just the thought of dating an older man and having him visit you on campus is like something you’d read about but never see in real life.”

“You should see him when he comes over. He’s all covered up so he’s not recognized.”

She chuckles. “Now that I can see. Are you from around here?”

“Oregon, actually. I knew I wanted to be in journalism, and Roberts was the best in the Pacific Northwest, so I applied to college up here. Luckily, I got in and worked my ass off to earn that internship. It was actually just extended.”

“That’s fantastic,” Winnie says. “Congratulations.”

“Thank you.”

“Are you ready for the season to start?”

“I am,” I say. “I honestly don’t know much about hockey. I didn’t even know who Silas was when I first met him. So I don’t know what to expect.”

“I have one year under my belt. The key to making it through the season is lots of communication. And trust of course. Pacey and I like to keep things interesting. We have dates every night when he’s away, and we tend to get . . . frisky over the phone.”

I smile. “I love that. Do you get each other off?”

Winnie perks up as if this is the first time she’s been able to talk about this. “Yes, every time. I like to surprise him with different lingerie.”

“Do you strip for him?”

“Yes. But he honestly just likes it when I play with myself. I just prop up the camera and listen to him tell me what to do.”

“That’s so hot,” I say, feeling jealous. “The guy I was with before Silas never wanted to try anything beyond missionary. And even at that, we didn’t have much sex.”

“Travesty.” Winnie leans in. “Believe me when I say these hockey men are insatiable. Especially after a win, all they want to do is fuck, and fuck hard.” My mouth waters at the thought.

Too bad we have the no whorehouse pact.

Dammit, I didn’t think this through.

Just then, the guys come back, and instead of taking a seat, Silas says, “Are you good to go?”

“Sure,” I say, sensing how off he is.

He holds his hand out to me, and I take it. “We’ll catch you guys later.”

I offer Winnie a smile and a wave and allow Silas to guide me out of the room and to the elevator, where we wait. When it dings, a few players come off, including Posey. They do a quick fist-bump, and then we’re on the elevator, headed down.

The entire time, Silas stays silent. I wish for the life of me I knew what he’s thinking because I know a lot is swirling through his head. I also want to know what Pacey said to him, but that’s none of my business and not something I’m going to pry into.

After we get off the elevator, we head down the hallway and out the door to the parking lot full of some of the most expensive cars I’ve ever seen. Row after row.

When we reach Silas’s car, he moves to the passenger side and opens the door for me. I take a seat, and he shuts the door before moving around to his side. His silence is deafening right now. I have no idea how to handle this or what to ask him to see if he’s okay. I’m not sure he even wants to talk at this point, so when he gets in the car, I don’t say anything.

I just let him drive.

And that’s what he does.

We drive in silence to my dorm, and the entire time, I replay the night. I think about how he so carefully helped me skate, how he was attentive and sweet when I was nervous and scared, but all of that vanished the moment he saw Sarah. And after that, it was almost as if I didn’t exist or I was just an accessory to his night.

And maybe I was.

I shouldn’t be offended by that. It’s a job after all. This is what I signed up for.

When we reach my dorm parking lot, he parks instead of pulling to the front and then gets out of the car. I wait for him to open my door, assuming he wants to talk, but when he just helps me out and walks me up to my dorm, I’m more confused than ever.

He follows me up the elevator, and when we reach my room, I expect him to say goodbye. Instead, when I open the door, he follows me right in and kicks off his shoes at the front.

Done with the silence, I turn toward him and say, “What’s going on?”

“I’m exhausted,” he says as he walks over to my bed, hops up on it, and lies down.

Uhhh . . .

I enter the main space, and with a hand on my hip, I say, “You realize you have a home, right?”

“I can’t fucking drive there right now,” he says as he closes his eyes and drapes his thick arm over his face. “Just give me an hour. Okay?”

“Just give you an hour? You want to sleep in my bed for an hour?”

“Please, Ollie,” he says, sounding more exhausted than I realized.

What can I really say? It’s not like I can force him out of my dorm, the man has major muscle, so I just step away and move toward my closet. I pull my sweater up and over my head, leaving me in my bra, and then I dig around for one of my comfortable shirts, but all I have are crop tops. That will have to do.

I glance over my shoulder and notice he’s already knocked out, so I keep my back toward him, remove my bra, and then slip my crop top over my head. I glance back at him again just to make sure he’s not looking and change out of my leggings and into a pair of sweats.

Comfortable, I slip on my slippers and turn to look at him again. His thick chest rises and falls as he curls into one of my pillows. The scruff on his face looks thicker as he lies there, his arm draped over his eyes. It’s no wonder Sarah was blatantly flirting with him tonight. He’s incredibly attractive, not to mention very fit. With his arm lifted, a small patch of skin on his flat, muscular stomach is exposed. And as I stare at him, I wonder if I would have flirted if I had randomly seen him at the bar that night rather than using him to prove a point.

Probably not.

I would have thought him out of my league for many reasons. One of the biggest ones being that he seems too complicated. Too complex. Just from the pinch in his brow and the tightness of his jaw, you can tell he’s dealing with things. Today was a good example of that.

One moment he was showing me off, being the attentive boyfriend every girl dreams of, and then the next, he was aloof, staring at another woman, and completely shut down. If that doesn’t scream red flag, I don’t know what does.

Good thing I’m not attached.

Good thing I can let the day roll off me even though it was embarrassing.

Phone in one hand and e-reader in the other, I head out of my dorm and to the community space, where I text Ross.

Ollie: I’m assuming you’re not home?

I open my e-reader and settle into my chair just as my phone buzzes next to me.

Ross: Out with Zachary getting dinner. Everything okay?

Ollie: Yup, just checking in.

Ross: You sure, because you went to that hockey thing today, right? How did it go?

Ollie: I can talk to you about it later.

Ross: Zachary had to take a work call. Please, lay it on me.

Ollie: Okay. It was good. Everyone was really nice. I had a lot of fun until . . .

Ross: Oh no, did the ex show up?

Ollie: She did, and Silas just about froze me out after that. I’ve never seen anything like it. It was as if he was completely transfixed by her. And oh my God, Ross, if I was actually Silas’s girlfriend, I’d be hurting hard right now. She’s so beautiful. And the way he looked at her. I actually got kind of embarrassed by his behavior because no one but us knew we were fake dating, so they probably thought he was hung up on her.

Ross: Oh fuck, really? Why would he want you to help him out when that’s how he’s going to act?

Ollie: No idea, but it was . . . embarrassing. And then his friend Pacey pulled him to the side, most likely to talk about Sarah. After that, we left and didn’t say a word to each other.

Ross: He didn’t say anything? Brutal.

Ollie: Not until we got back to my dorm. He followed me in, and now he’s sleeping in my bed.

Ross: [side-eye emoji] What? He’s sleeping in your bed?

Ollie: Yeah, he was exhausted, and I’m pretty sure seeing Sarah drained it out of him.

Ross: That makes sense. How are you feeling?

Ollie: Confused. Grateful I don’t have feelings for him. Glad this is all just an arrangement.

Ross: Is the arrangement worth it?

I think about it. I could go back to my room and call it all off. But then again, it’s not like I’m trying to win his affection. This is about business. He’s helping me with Roberts, and I’m helping him . . . who knows what I’m helping him do. Didn’t feel like much today. Either way, I’m not sure I’m ready to end this just yet, especially since Roberts made this more difficult for me.

Ollie: It is right now.

Ross: As long as you don’t get hurt.

Ollie: How could I get hurt?

Ross: You already said he embarrassed you today.

Ollie: But it wasn’t personal. It was more of a pretend girlfriend embarrassment.

Ross: You’re making excuses for him.

Ollie: No, I’m not. He acted like a dick the second half of our time together. There’s no denying it.

Ross: Okay, I just don’t want you getting hurt.

Ollie: Trust me, not possible.

Ross: Okay. Well, Zachary is back, and he was just telling me all about his geology class. This is what happens when you ditch me for a hockey player, I end up taking out our friend who likes to talk about rocks.

Ollie: I’ll make it up to you. Love you.