Blocked: A Breakaway Novel Read online

  Chapter 13

  Callie

  “These garlic knots are the best ever,” Hannah moaned, shoving one of the buttery rolls into her mouth. Closing her eyes, she sat back on the couch, savoring the taste.

  “Yes, they are.” Giggling, I ate the last bite of my baked ziti and turned on the TV. The house was quiet, since my brothers were gone. I wanted to hurry and eat so I could focus on the game. It was Monday and the Strikers were in Nashville. With my job, there was no way I could take off the time to go to every single game. Luckily, I could watch them on television. “You done with your food?” I asked, throwing a balled-up napkin at Hannah’s face.

  “Hey,” she said, opening her eyes. “Yes, I’m done.” Taking our plates, I set them in the sink and grabbed the half-drunk bottle of wine from the refrigerator. “Have you talked to Dallas today?” she asked as I came back into the living room.

  That was an understatement, and I had Kristen to thank for it, since she was the one who gave him my number. My phone beeped just as I poured us both a glass of wine. “Speak of the devil.” I pulled out my phone and smiled. “The man is relentless.”

  I sat down and she moved closer to me so she could see the text.

  Dallas: Call you after the game. Wish me luck!

  Me: Good luck! <~?~insert smiley face>

  Dallas: Thanks, angel.

  Hannah nudged me in the side. “You are so blushing right now.”

  “What? No, I’m not,” I snapped, knowing very well I was.

  Pursing her lips, she grabbed her glass of wine. “Yes, you are. I love that he calls you angel. What are your brothers are going to say when they find out?”

  “There’s nothing going on right now. I’m waiting to see how this week goes.”

  “What if he goes along with the prank and proves you wrong? What then?” she asked curiously.

  I sipped my wine, my mind racing a thousand miles an hour. What was I going to do if he proved me wrong? “He won’t,” I replied, not fully believing it. The game was about to start and the players all skated onto the ice. Dallas stopped at the goal and stretched, winking at the camera when the announcer called out his name. He was a man who obviously got everything he wanted. “However,” I stated, watching my brother skate around the ice, “it’ll be a shitstorm when Justin finds out. It’s a good thing I have you to smooth things over with Corey, at least. I couldn’t help but hear you two the other night.”

  It was her turn to blush. “That’s so embarrassing. I couldn’t help it. He’s just so . . .”

  I held up my hand. “Don’t want to know. I’ll make sure to sleep with earplugs in Thursday night when you see him. Soon I’ll be out of this house and you two can be as loud as you want.”

  She burst out laughing. “I’m really sorry.”

  Smiling, I waved her off. “I’ll warn Brant when he gets back to town.” He was still in Minnesota, visiting his longtime girlfriend.

  “Thanks,” she grumbled sarcastically. It was time to focus on the game.

  I wished I could be there, to hear the sound of the ice as the guys skated across it. That was what I liked about playing hockey. It was also liberating. The energy and the quickness of the game was exhilarating. My mother wanted me to be a figure skater, and I did it for a while, but I preferred hockey in the end. If I’d had a sister, things would probably be different. However, growing up with all brothers, I wanted to be a part of their world. I constantly had to prove to them I could play hockey, much to my father’s dismay. He didn’t want me to get hurt. I was actually surprised I still had all my teeth playing with all the boys, especially with Justin and Maddox.

  Kellan had the puck and shot it over to Justin. You could barely see it since it moved so fast. “Shoot it in,” Hannah shouted anxiously.

  Justin took the shot and the goaltender stopped it. Now the other team had the puck and went straight for Dallas. Holding my breath, I waited for the player to shoot. When he did, Dallas blocked it like he did with all the other attempts. The man was incredibly skilled and fast.

  “No wonder the ladies love him.”

  I didn’t realize I’d said it out loud until Hannah patted my shoulder. “Don’t worry. He’ll soon be all yours.”

  A part of me wished that was true, but the other warned me to stay away from him. I didn’t know what to do. “We’ll see.”

  The Strikers had won four to zero and I had no doubt they were all celebrating their victory. While they had fun, I took a shower and got ready for bed. I loved having a quiet house without my brothers around. Grabbing my laptop off my desk, I set it on my bed and crawled under the covers. Every night, I’d look for homes around the area, hoping I’d find one that stuck out. So far, there were only three, but I wasn’t in love with them.

  My phone rang and I was just about to answer it when I noticed it was a video call from Dallas. I was not expecting that, which was perfect. There was no makeup on my face and my hair was in a ponytail. Maybe he’d find me ugly and leave me alone?

  With a swipe of my finger, I waited for Dallas to appear on the screen. When he did, I couldn’t stop the shivers that ran up and down my arms. He was so cute in his baseball cap, his teeth perfectly white as he smiled at me. Judging by the wall background, he had to be in a hotel room.

  “Hey, angel.”

  There were others talking in the background and I recognized Kristen’s and Kellan’s voices. It made me feel better knowing he was with them.

  “Hey, yourself,” I replied. “You did amazing tonight. Hannah and I watched the game.”

  He winked. “Thanks. I think everyone wants to say hello to you.”

  “Okay,” I said, and giggled. Braeden was right beside him on the couch. “Hi, Braeden.”

  “What’s up?” he said with a nod. Dallas then turned the phone to where Kellan and Kristen stood in the small kitchen.

  Kristen waved frantically and rushed over. “Hey, Callie.”

  “Hey, what are you up to?”

  She shrugged. “Just eating a late-night snack and watching the guys drink beer. It’s pretty low key tonight.”

  Kellan joined her and winked at me. “Remember what we talked about yesterday?”

  I tried my best not to smile. “Yes.”

  He cleared his throat and snuck a glance at Dallas. “It’s being taken care of. Kristen will call you with the details during your lunch.”

  “Perfect.”

  “All right, that’s enough,” Dallas cut in. “I have no idea what you’re talking about so I’m taking her back.” He turned the camera back to himself and walked out the sliding doors onto the deck. It was dark outside, but I could still see his face from the illumination. “What did you talk to them about?” he asked curiously.

  Halfheartedly, I glared at him. “I don’t have to tell you everything.”

  He chuckled and sat down. “True. However, I do have to say you look mighty sexy in that bed of yours. What are you doing?”

  The blood rushed to my cheeks and to a few other places I didn’t want to mention. “I’m looking at houses and getting ready to go to bed.”

  “What area are you looking for houses?”

  I shrugged. “Somewhere around Belmont. Once Justin finds out I’ve been talking to you, I’ll need another place to stay. It’s either that or listen to him go on and on about how I need to stay away from you.”

  Dallas’s eyes twinkled. “If it gets bad, you can always stay in my guest house by the pool. If you didn’t want to see me, you wouldn’t have to.”

  For a second, I thought he was joking, but he regarded me seriously. “Why would you offer me that? You barely know me. I could be a serial killer.”

  He rolled his eyes. “I’ll take my chances. Just know the offer stands for when you’re ready. It’d make life easier on me.”

  “I bet it would,” I said with a laugh. The idea was insane. There was no way I’d ever move in with him. “How many girls have you offered this to?”

  A few s
econds ticked by as he stared at me with those gorgeous blue eyes of his. “None. You’re the only one.” My stomach fluttered and I honestly didn’t know how to feel. Clearing my throat, I ran a hand through my ponytail, trying desperately to think of something else to talk about.

  “I should . . . probably get to sleep,” I stuttered. “Work will be here before you know it.”

  “You working the ER or surgery tomorrow?”

  I was shocked he even paid attention to that when I told him at the hospital. “ER. I’m sure it’ll be a crazy day.”

  “Can I call you during your lunch? Or are you getting tired of me?” he wondered.

  I shook my head. “I think it should be me asking you that question. You’re the one who gets bored easily.”

  His smile faded. “I don’t feel that way with you. When I get back into town, we need to find a compromise. You willing to do that?”

  “What do you have in mind?”

  “You’ll see,” he said, lips pulling back slyly. “We can talk about it when I get home. That is . . . if you’re up for it.”

  I wasn’t about to give in just yet. “Good night, Dallas.”

  He chuckled. “Good night, angel.”

  Chapter 14

  Dallas

  “Strip bar tonight, boys?” Maddox shouted, waving toward the door.

  We’d just gotten a few drinks from the hotel bar in celebration of our second win against Nashville. I was on point all night until one of those fuckers got a puck past me. All the guys headed out of the hotel to the street where just five blocks up the road was Slick Sally’s.

  Kellan and Kristen waved at us before hopping onto the elevator to go back to their room. Braeden elbowed me in the side. “Want to go with the guys?”

  I shook my head. “Nah. Not in the mood for that shit. I’m just going to head up to my room.”

  With a smile, he slapped me on the back. “Say hey to Callie for me. I’ve got to say, you’re playing with fire.”

  “I like the heat,” I joked. We both rode the elevator up to our floor and Kristen was by my door, eating a bowl of popcorn and wearing a long pink maternity nightgown. I could smell the popcorn from all the way down the hall. “What are you doing?”

  She peered down at her bowl. “Oh, I don’t know, checking up on you.” Her serious gaze met mine. “Why didn’t you go with the others?”

  I crossed my arms over my chest. “Wasn’t interested. Why?”

  She shrugged. “Just curious. I may be your friend, but I’m also Callie’s, too. If you two decide to get serious, I can’t allow you to screw her over. I won’t lie to protect you.”

  “I would never ask you to do that.”

  Breathing a sigh of relief, she wrapped her arms around my neck. “Thank God. You have no idea how much better this makes me feel.”

  I hugged her back. “You have nothing to worry about. Now go back to your room. I told Callie I’d call her tonight.” She kissed my cheek and chowed down on her popcorn the whole way to the elevator.

  Once in my room, I sat down on the bed and was about to call Callie when my phone rang. “Ty,” I answered, “what’s up?”

  “Oh, just looking at pictures of you on the Internet. You know, I thought the ones with Callie Davis at the game were just a coincidence, but I’m starting to believe otherwise.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  He huffed. “I’ll text them to you.” A few seconds later, the pictures came through. They were of me, dressed like Jack the Jaguar at the hospital, and in the parking lot with Callie when I was done.

  “Why do you sound pissed about them?”

  “Are you serious?” he snapped. “You can’t get involved with someone right now. It’s bad for the show. You need to be available in all aspects.”

  “No one even knows about it. And who cares? If they have to find someone else, then so be it.” I didn’t give a shit about being on the show right now. Yeah, they wanted to follow me around during the playoffs before the Stanley Cup, but they could always find someone else. I was pretty sure Maddox would be game.

  “You don’t mean that. You’re getting five million dollars to be on it. You’d be stupid to throw away that much money. Not to mention, if you break your contract, you owe them money. If you want to fuck the girl, then do it out of the public’s eye.” He huffed. “Damn, I thought you were smarter than this.”

  “All right, I’m done here,” I growled. “I’m going to do whatever I want and there’s nothing you or anyone else can do to stop me.” Shaking with rage, I hung up and blew out a heavy breath. If that cocksucker was right in front of me, I’d have punched the shit out of him.

  Grabbing a beer from the refrigerator, I chugged it down and climbed on top of the bed. I found Callie’s name on my phone and waited to see her beautiful face on my screen.

  “Hello,” she said, greeting me with that lovely smile of hers. The anger I felt moments ago slipped away. Blond hair in waves to the side and with no hint of makeup, she was the epitome of stunning.

  “How are you?”

  Her face brightened. “Good. You? I watched the game. You guys killed it.”

  “Thanks. I let one slip past me, though.”

  She waved it off dismissively. “Can’t always be perfect. I seem to recall me getting a puck or two past you,” she stated with a wink. “It’ll happen from time to time. You just got to keep on going.” Easier said than done. I always put a lot of pressure on myself to be the best. It was in my blood.

  “How was work?” I asked.

  Sighing, she ran a hand through her hair. “Crazy. We had a guy come in with a piece of wood stuck through his eye.”

  I cringed. “Ouch. Wouldn’t want to be him.”

  She shivered. “Me, either. But you wouldn’t believe the kind of things we see. One time there was a guy who had a curtain rod stuck up his ass. He couldn’t get it out. His mother had to bring him.”

  “Holy shit,” I said, laughing. “That’s insane.”

  She giggled, and it was the sexiest thing I’d ever heard. “Yes, it was. Now imagine trying to ask this guy questions without cracking up. It was the hardest thing I ever had to do.” We both laughed, and I watched her settle under her covers. I wished like hell I could be there, lying with her. “I don’t think you ever told me what gave you that scar,” she said, glancing at the jagged line above my right eye.

  I reached up and touched it. “I was being stupid.”

  “No, really?” she blurted sarcastically. “Not you.”

  Chuckling, I flipped her off. “Me and some of the guys had a few beers and decided on a hockey game. None of us wore our pads or masks. My dumb ass thought it’d be fun to stand in the goal. I’d never been so wrong in my life when the puck hit me square above the eye, knocking me out.”

  Gasping, she slapped a hand over her mouth. “What an idiot. You were a dumbass.”

  “Thanks.” I laughed. “Needless to say, I didn’t do it ever again.”

  “I’d hope not.”

  “What about you? Ever do anything stupid?” I asked.

  Brows furrowed, she closed her eyes in concentration. “Let me think.” Then her eyes burst open. “Here we go. I jumped off a bridge in Vermont. There were huge rocks all around at the bottom, and if you didn’t land in the right spot, you were done. As you can see, I survived.”

  “Wow, I’m impressed. I’ve never really visited Vermont. Is it nice?”

  “Oh yes. It’s so beautiful. Not to mention the Ben & Jerry’s factory is up there. They have a gazillion flavors that we don’t have down here.”

  She named all of her favorite flavors and I watched her in fascination. I’d never talked to a woman who was so comfortable with herself. Hell, I never really had time to talk to them. It was always straight to the bedroom and that was it.

  “I’m not boring you, am I?” Callie asked, drawing me out of my thoughts.

  I shook my head. “Of course not. I love hearing you talk. You have a s
exy voice.”

  Her cheeks reddened. “Thanks.”

  I looked over at the nightstand at my plane ticket and then back to her. “Our flight leaves early in the morning and then I have practice for a while. Afterward, I was thinking maybe I could see you?”

  She bit her lip. “Don’t know yet. It all depends.”

  “On what?”

  She shrugged, her eyes gleaming mischievously. “Lots of things. But I’ll let you know if I can.” I had a strange feeling she was up to something. “So what are all the guys doing tonight?”

  “They went to a strip club,” I answered.

  “Oh, and you didn’t want to go with them?”

  “I’m not interested in that. I wanted to come up here and talk to you.”

  Her gaze narrowed. “Will you be joining them afterward?”

  I lay back in bed. “Nope. Thought I’d stay here. If you want, we can talk all night. I’m down if you are.”

  “As much as I’d like that,” she said, grinning wide, “I have to be on my toes tomorrow at work. Can’t do that if I’m sleep deprived.”

  “I understand. I should probably let you get to bed. It’s getting late.”

  She nodded. “Good idea.”

  “Sweet dreams, angel.”

  “Good night, Dallas.”

  She ended the call and I sat back on my bed, wondering what the hell I was doing. I didn’t know how to be in a relationship, and for the first time in my life, I wanted to be in one.

  I was falling hard for Callie Davis.

  Me: Have a good day at work.

  Callie: Thanks! I’ll try! Have fun at practice. :)

  “Damn, man. Do you realize you’ve texted her a thousand times since we got back?” Braeden shook his head and chuckled.

  Rolling my eyes, I slipped my phone back into my pocket. “More like twice, asshole.” We were already back in Charlotte and on our way inside the rink for practice. Some of the other guys stumbled in, obviously exhausted from their night at Slick Sally’s.

  “Missed a good time last night, Easton,” Maddox called out. I glanced behind me at him and Justin walking through the door. It was the first time I’d noticed the family resemblance. “Why didn’t you join us?”