When he finally emerged from the building she almost sobbed with relief. And when his midnight-blue eyes lit up at the sight of her, she wanted to sob with joy. Maybe their lives didn’t mesh, maybe their careers were colossally different and their goals weren’t aligned, but she couldn’t remember the last time a man had looked so happy to see her.
“Hey, this is a surprise,” he said, approaching her.
“Hi.” She paused. “I’m sorry about the game. Does this mean the team is out of the play-offs?”
“No, the series is tied. We’ve got another chance to win it tomorrow.”
“That’s good.”
For some reason, she couldn’t tear her eyes from him. He looked good tonight. His hair was damp, his perfect lips slightly chapped. He’d confessed to licking them too much during games and the first time she’d seen him rubbing on lip balm she’d almost had a laughter-induced coronary. But she liked moments like that, seeing Brody out of his manly man element.
Tonight, though, he was all man. Clad in a loose wool suit that couldn’t hide the defined muscles underneath it. The navy-blue color made his eyes seem even brighter, more vivid. Brody had told her that with play-offs around the corner, the league expected the players to look professional on and off the ice and, she had to admit, she liked seeing him in a suit as much as she enjoyed his faded jeans and ab-hugging T-shirts.
Unable to stop herself, she stood on her tiptoes and planted a kiss square on his mouth.
“What happened to not being seen together in public?”
She faltered, realizing this was the first time they’d ever engaged in a public display of affection and startled that she’d been the one to initiate it. “I…had a bad day” was all she could come up with.
Brody grinned. “That’s all it takes for us to come out of the closet, you having a bad day? Damn, I should’ve pissed you off a long time ago.” His expression sobered. “What happened?”
“I’ll tell you all about it later. Let’s get out of here first.”
“Meet you at the hotel?”
She was about to nod when something stopped her. “No. How about we go to your place tonight?”
He seemed baffled, and she honestly couldn’t say she blamed him. Since she’d agreed to explore this…thing…between them, they’d been doing things her way. Brody had asked her over to his house a dozen times but she’d always convinced him to stay at the penthouse instead. She’d felt that being on her own turf, sticking to familiar surroundings, would stop things from getting more serious than she wanted.
Yet suddenly she found herself longing to see Brody’s house, to be with him on his turf.
“All right.” He unlocked the door of his SUV. “You want to follow me in your car?”
“Why don’t we just take yours? We can come back for my rental tomorrow.”
His eyebrows soared north again, while his jaw dipped south. “You’re just full of surprises tonight, aren’t you? You do realize your father will see your car in the lot and know you didn’t go home?”
“I don’t live my life to please my dad.” She sounded more bitter than she’d intended, so she softened her tone. “Let’s not talk about him. All I want to think about tonight is you and me.”
He gently tucked an unruly strand of hair behind her ear. “I like the sound of that.”
The drive to Brody’s Hyde Park home was a short one. When they pulled up in front of his place, Hayden was pleasantly surprised to see a large Victorian with a wraparound porch and a second-floor balcony. Flowers were beginning to bloom in the beds flanking the front steps, giving the house a cheerful, inviting air.
“Weren’t expecting this, were you?” he said as he shut off the engine.
“Not really.” She smiled. “Don’t tell me you actually planted all those flowers yourself?”
“Heck no. I didn’t choose the house, either. My mom flew out here when I was drafted by the Warriors, and she found the house. She did all the gardening, too, and she visits once a year to make sure I haven’t destroyed her handiwork.”
They got out of the car and drifted up the cobbled path toward the front door. Inside, Hayden’s surprise only grew. Decorated in warm shades of red and brown, the interior boasted a roomy living room complete with a stone fireplace, a wide maple staircase leading upstairs and an enormous modern kitchen with two glass doors opening onto the backyard.
“Want something to drink?” he offered, crossing the tiled floor toward the fridge. “I don’t have that herbal tea you like, but I can brew you a cup of Earl Grey.”