Taking a chance, p.5
Taking A Chance, page 5
Her eyes were drawn toward the ice. A brawl was going on. Well, more of a kerfuffle. Of course, at the center of it was Delaney. He was punching Dez. "What the fuck?" Scarlet exclaimed.
Dez wasn't backing down from the fight. He was throwing a couple haymakers. Despite being outsized by Delaney, Dez was holding his own.
At first, it seemed like all the guys were letting the two fight it out, but after a moment or two, someone came to break it up. She couldn't recognize who broke up the fight, but Dez was allowed to skate free while a couple guys held back Delaney. She was glad that Dez wasn't trying to bait Delaney into another fight. Instead, he fiddled with his helmet and skated towards his brother.
She swore Dez mouthed the words, "You okay?"
So, if she had to take a gander, Delaney must have done something to Colby and as a result pissed off Dez. It wasn’t the first time that Dez got into a fight after someone tried to play too rough with his brother.
"For the love of Christ. The press better not be here today. Sorry, Carole." She was already heading out her office door.
"Go do your thing. Hopefully, we don't need that PR magic to clean up the mess," Carole said.
Scarlet rushed down to ice level. She needed to make sure that no one entered the rink who could have witnessed the fight between the teammates. Sometimes she could get her colleagues to talk about something else by giving them a different story.
The stands were empty, which was good. It was a closed practice before the season even started, so it was unlikely anyone was there, but she still needed to make sure.
As she got to the surface, she realized that Patrick Dunn was the skater who’d broken up the fight. He leaned against the boards with a disarming smile, "Don't worry Scarlet. Everything is under control. I wouldn't have let them scrap if there was any chance for it to leave the ice."
"What happened in the first place?"
Patrick took a moment to squirt some water into his mouth, "Oh. Delaney has been shooting high on young Smithy all day. Which was pissing off Dez. When Delaney tried to run him over, Dez wanted to make it clear that was unacceptable. No harm, no foul."
"Easy for you to say. You didn't get your hands dirty." Scarlet couldn’t believe that a team owner was so blasé about two of his players getting into a scrap with each other. It was almost as if it was an everyday occurrence.
"Of course, I did. Someone had to tear those two apart," he said with a smile. Then he grabbed his stick and started to climb over the boards. "Looks like it's time for me to get going."
Dez swapped out spots with Patrick. She was still amazed that Patrick was an owner on the team. In many ways it made sense, since he was in the owner’s box, and was always around the rink. But he was so young and he carried himself like one of the players. Hell, he was playing with them right now.
Dez gave her a dazzling smile as he climbed over the bench. "What are you doing here?"
That smile warmed her soul. It made her feel like she was the only one in the world. It was a smile that he didn't just give to anyone. It was something that made her more than a little wet, and she wished she could go there with him. But she knew it had to remain professional. "Just making sure we don't have any press snooping around here today."
"Shit. I didn't even think about that. I hope I didn't create too much of a mess for you."
"It's all good." She said with a shrug. Thankfully, it was just her today, and it wasn’t going to be a problem. She looked over his face to see if he was any worse for wear, which he wasn’t. It didn’t even look like he had a scratch, so she didn’t ask if he was okay.
They just stared at each other, not paying attention to what was happening on the ice. Dez broke the moment when he said, "Since I keep screwing up your work, how about I take you out to dinner to make up for it?"
"That'll be really nice," She said without even thinking about it. It was a sweet gesture, and she wanted to see where things could go with Dez. She was pretty sure she could get away with the idea that it was just a work thing.
"Great. Can I pick you up at seven p.m.?"
"Sure."
Butterflies filled her stomach. She was excited about another dinner with Dez.
The Zamboni doors opened, and there was a loud whistle on the ice. The session must be over. "Thank fuck," Dez said. It seemed like he was ready to be off the ice. He bit his bottom lip, almost as if he debated whether to do something more, but then settled on, “I'll see you tonight."
It was amazing how a simple dinner invitation could put a good spin on the day. She watched as the guys, including Dez, cleaned up the pucks and nets before clearing off the ice.
Chapter 7
Dez
"Dude, quit worrying, you got this," Colby said.
It was weird hearing his little brother giving him dating advice. Then again, there was a rut developing in the carpet from the amount of pacing he'd done over the last hour. Since asking Scarlet on a date as a way to make up for making her work life tougher, he’d been fretting about where to take her for the perfect dinner in a city that he didn’t know.
If today’s skate hadn’t worn him out, he would have had enough energy to change into a wolf and take a run in the state park, that way he could get the lay of the land. So, he paced the first floor of the new house. Besides, it was too easy for his brother to find out about his secret if he went full wolf.
Dez never imagined that he could move in immediately, but all the houses that Scarlet showed him yesterday were owned by the team, and players could move into them if they wanted. After the night at the hotel, they moved into the house. It was plainly furnished by the team, and if he wanted to get his own things, all he had to do was call and they would pick it up.
Dez went to the fridge and grabbed a bottle of water. He cracked the top but didn't take a sip. Instead, he leaned against the counter top. Not wanting to talk about the anxiousness of his date, he changed the subject. "You're looking good in net."
"Yeah," Colby said. "I wasn't having too many issues, even with Delaney being a dick with those high shots. I hate to say it, but I’m glad that asshat isn't my teammate."
Dez snorted. Unfortunately, Delaney was his teammate, and they were already at loggerheads. So much for listening to Paddy’s advice about not pissing him off. It was clear that the two of them would clash from the get go. Besides, nobody was allowed to mess with Colby. Purposely running over Colby and trying to hurt him was the last straw. So Dez fought the douche.
When Delaney was all too happy to drop the mitt, Dez realized Delaney was doing those things to Colby as a way to bait him, probably because he wouldn't submit to the petty game of bowing to the guy's authority.
Colby looked at him and said, "You shouldn't have fought him."
"Bullshit. He was trying to hurt you. I'm not the best brother, but I’m still going to defend you when I can," Dez said. He had been all too happy to defend Colby earlier that day, and he would do it again without a second thought.
"I know you’ve got my back when it matters.” Colby smiled. “You know that dating hasn't changed too much since you dated Courtney?"
Of course, Colby brought the conversation back to Dez’s date tonight. He never should have told Colby about his date, but then again, he couldn't exactly just abandon his brother without telling him about his plans. At least Colby seemed stoked to hear that Dez was taking Scarlet out.
He took a sip of water. "I know. Technically, this isn't my first date since Court."
Colby's eyebrow shot straight up. It was a good thing Colby wasn't drinking anything, since Dez was sure that Colby would have done a massive spit take. "When? Who?"
Dez cursed himself for opening that can of worms. "When Scarlet visited me and you freaked out about me not answering the phone."
Colby smirked, knowing that Dez called him out for being pissed that he hadn’t answered the phone. "You really like her. I should have known that the moment you went over to her today."
There was a part of him that wanted to contest that point, but he couldn't. Colby knew him better than that. He really was interested in Scarlet. She was his mate.
Everything in his being wanted to be with her and satisfy her. He’d felt a twinge of jealousy when he saw Paddy talking to her earlier. While he could hear the conversation, and there was nothing to worry about, convincing his wolf not to just charge over to the bench took a lot of energy.
Dez looked at the clock. It was time to pick her up. He didn't want to be late, and the pacing helped him to kill time rather than show up too early. He recapped the water and glanced at Colby, "I'll see you later."
"Go have some fun, and don't get home too early. I'll be in good hands with Paddy and his friends tonight."
Dez wasn't quite sure if that was true. While Colby would be safe, he was likely to get plastered if he tried to drink with the pack. Colby was a lightweight, and werewolves, on the other hand, had insane metabolisms. It was hard to get them drunk. It seemed like the moment Dez said he was taking Scarlet on a date, Colby had made plans to meet up with the pack tonight.
Scarlet
The door chimed about five minutes to seven. She opened the door to reveal Dez on the threshold. He looked handsome in his black shirt and jeans, his arms on display.
She was glad she didn't say the first thing that came to mind, which was that he looked good enough to eat. Instead, she said, "Come on in. I need a couple more minutes."
He smiled and walked in. She left him in the front hall while she retreated to her bedroom in the back of the bungalow. She needed to finish her hair and get her shoes.
"I hope I didn't come too early?" Dez called down the hall.
"No. You're fine. I was finishing up. I got delayed coming home from work."
"Hopefully not more issues from practice." He sounded sincere enough, but she knew he didn't regret fighting Delaney earlier today. He loved his brother too much to let anyone mess with him.
"Nope. Just wasn't as productive as I would have liked this morning. Then this afternoon, I got into the groove and I lost track of time while I was editing." She slipped on her shoes and headed back out to the main hallway.
Dez was leaning back against the front door. He looked very relaxed, and it didn't seem to bother him that she kept him waiting for a few minutes. When he spotted her, he leaned up to full attention. "You look great, Scarlet. Would it be okay if I kissed you?"
It was so weird that he asked if he could kiss her, since it wasn't every day a guy did that, but it was nice. She nodded.
With him asking if kissing her would be okay, she was expecting a tepid kiss. But instead, it was the exact opposite. His hand cupped her jawline as his lips molded with hers. His tongue entered her mouth in a greedy fashion. The heat of him engulfed her. Their tongues danced. It was such a hungry kiss that a shot of electricity traveled down her torso and settled between her legs. She wanted to have so many more kisses from him if that’s how he kissed.
When he pulled back to let her breathe, she leaned back in and wrapped her arms around his neck. His arms traveled up her torso and made their way to her breasts.
It wasn't until her back was against the wall that she realized he’d pushed the two of them towards it. He seemed to be just as hungry for more as she was.
This was not a normal first kiss. It was something lovers did before they got intimate. It was freaking foreplay, and it was teasing her with wanting so much more.
The magic spell that seemed to fuse their mouths together started to dissipate. Dez pulled back and she panted. Almost every fiber in her body was screaming to skip dinner and just take him to the bedroom. But her logical brain was still in control. At least, she hoped it was.
She needed to get some oxygen back into her brain, so she didn’t act on the desire to pull him to her bedroom and skip the dinner all together. Her career meant that they couldn’t fool around, but that was dwarfed by the desire to find out what it was like to go on a proper date with Dez.
In a quiet, foolish voice, she said, "Wowzers," as she touched her lips, not believing what just happened.
It was by far the best kiss in her life, and she wanted to get to know every inch of Desmond Smith.
He had a smug look on his face, and he shook his head. She wanted to know what was going through his mind right now. "You can say that again. Come on. Let me take you to dinner before I lose my self-control again."
If that was him losing self-control, her body was on board with joining in on that madness. But there was something about his body language that suggested he was still in full control despite his words. At least, both of them were working on self-control.
He grabbed her hand. Instead of leading her out the door, he brought them up to his lips and kissed her knuckles.
It was both wildly confusing and thrilling. Dez was a mash-up between a gentleman and a wild man. It was like everything she’d ever dreamed about. She didn’t think men like him existed, and yet here he was, and he was untouchable right now.
Chapter 8
Dez
Walking out to the car was almost torture. The kiss was the best and worst thing he could have done. Now he understood why Paddy said that he couldn't fuck her out of his system, since his wolf was even more positive that she was his mate. It took every ounce of self-control not to just devour her in her front hallway and push his way to her bedroom. He wanted to mark her so badly.
The heady smell of arousal dripped from her. He never knew he could make someone horny like that from a simple kiss. Okay, it wasn’t exactly a simple kiss. It was a primal kiss, where he claimed her as his.
It took several internal reminders that this was supposed to be a proper date and a way to make up for making her work life more difficult. There was plenty of time left in the evening to come back to her place to make her his. The only problem with trying to date her was that he would pull her into his crazy world and she didn’t deserve that.
As he started up the rental car, Scarlet asked, "So, what is the plan for tonight?"
"I got us reservations at Demi. I hope that's okay?"
The smile on her face was priceless. It seemed like Paddy had recommended a good place, although Paddy did mention that the restaurant wasn't going to fill him, so he planned to sneak in a couple of rare steaks once he got back to his new place.
Maybe being friendly with the pack won't be so bad after all. It's always nice to know someone who knows the lay of the land.
The two of them walked into the posh restaurant in the North Loop area. Almost immediately, they were seated at a cozy little table. They looked at the menu and both settled on the Demi wine pairing with the tasting menu.
As they waited for the first course, Scarlet asked, "Seems like you are finding your way around town so far?"
"Sorta. Paddy is the one who told me about this place."
"Seems like you two are pretty close. How do you know him?" Her eyes twinkled, and she seemed so curious about that connection. She seemed just as interested in learning everything about him as he was about her. He liked that.
"We played juniors together. He just stayed in touch over the years, even though he went into the family business and I continued to grow in my hockey career."
Scarlet nodded. He didn't want to talk about Paddy. Instead, he wanted to know more about her, at least the years he didn't know about. "So, when did you start to work with the Wild? Do you like working with the team?"
In all honesty, he’d had no idea she wanted to go into journalism. He regretted not knowing more about her, despite the fact that she was close to Courtney.
"Been here for a couple years now, and I do enjoy it, for the most part."
As illogical as it was, he would have done anything to help protect her from the bad days at work. He wanted to make her happy. "Let me guess, you have some less-than-helpful athletes to contend with?"
She giggled. It was honey to his ears. So sweet, it left him crazy for more. "You could say that."
While the wolves didn't seem too hard to deal with, he had only met a few of them since they hadn’t reported for formal practices yet. According to Paddy, more people would be arriving in the next week or two. He just hoped there weren’t any others that were as charming as Delaney.
Knowing that he wasn't always a ray of sunshine himself, he said, "Hopefully, they aren't as bad as me."
She giggled. "You've been great so far. You and Kirby are by far the easiest to work with."
His wolf bristled at the mention of Kirby, although, rationally, he could see Kirby being easy to work with. He was easy to play with and super friendly. "He's kinda like a puppy, isn't he?"
Although, in terms of wolves, he was the real pup among the group since everyone else was born into the life, as far as he knew. He just didn't like to be reminded how new he was to the life. It didn’t help that the moment Delaney called him a pup, all the other guys started to call him pup on the ice. The team nickname didn’t help. They all knew that he had to come back next week for rookie camp. But after five years out of the league, it was only natural for him to be treated more like a rookie. He needed more time to adjust to the system and get his footing with the Wild than the average guy his age.
While it was probably a bit of a slip to call Kirby a puppy, in many ways, that's what Kirby reminded Dez of. Kirby was so friendly and eager to please. It was a good thing he was a skilled player, since he was too nice in a sport that valued toughness. At least Scarlet rewarded him with another giggle.
"He really is."
"I still can't believe you think I'm easy to work with. Especially after today's stunt."
"Well, unlike Delaney, you took the time to apologize. Besides, I know how much of an asshole he can be. With the way Paddy explained it, he had it coming. You've never allowed anyone to mess with Colby."
