His coach stood in the background shaking his head, looking embarrassed. Aiden just stood there with a smile on his face, like it was no big deal that he was naked and only a foot away from me.
"I, um..." My mouth ran dry.
I knew my cheeks were burning, but I didn't know how to make them stop. I tried to look away. I didn't want to play into Aiden's hands—he was obviously testing me. I wasn't sure whether he simply wanted to embarrass me or if he wanted to get me to admit that he was the sex God that all the papers and online magazines made him out to be. What was that headline I'd read only last night? BAD BOY BRAWLER OF THE NHL—A GIRL IN EVERY RINK.
Despite knowing that I was playing into his hands, I looked. I couldn't help it. Holy shit. The man was as well-hung as they said he was. A monster of a cock hung down between his tanned, toned thighs. I blinked and forced my eyes back up to his face, only that didn't help much either. His bronzed hair and deep golden eyes bore into me like sunshine through a window pane.
"I, er, just have a few questions," I finally managed to squeak out. Damn, I wanted to be cooler than this.
"Shoot," Aiden said.
"Yeah, okay, um..." But my stomach began to churn. Damned nausea. My nerves were on high alert and the blood that raced to my head wasn’t mixing very well with the cheese enchiladas I'd eaten for lunch. I put my hand on my stomach and stepped back. I had to find a bathroom. Where the hell… but I was too late.
My dinner came up and landed at the base of Aiden's feet, splashing his legs and, um, every other part of him. The shit-eating grin left his face to be replaced by a look of disgust. I ran out of the locker room with the laughter of Aiden's teammates echoing in my ears.
Where the hell was the ladies room?
Chapter 2
A half hour later, I exited the restroom.
"Skyler," Billy called, waving me over. "Hey, I've been waiting. Are you alright?"
"Thanks Billy," I said, offering up a weak smile. "I'm fine. Just something I ate I guess."
Billy leaned in, looking much more serious than he had only seconds before. "I also wanted to warn you."
I lifted my eyebrows.
"Troy called. He reamed me a new asshole, and I'm pretty sure you're next."
"Great," I said dryly. My stomach was still doing somersaults. Of course Troy would be calling. Tonight was a total bust. We were supposed to have the spot with Aiden wrapped up and transmitted to the station in plenty of time for the evening news, but of course, instead of interviewing Aiden, I'd vomited all over him. Ten o'clock had come and gone, and the sports segment had broadcast without it. Great way to start a new job, Skler.
Billy looked on worriedly. He was a kind man, maybe two or three years younger than me. I'd have guessed twenty-two to my twenty-five. He was anxious to please and just sort of anxious in general.
"Don't worry," I told him. "It's my fault we missed the interview. Not yours. I'll make sure Troy knows that."
Billy looked sheepishly at me but his shoulders relaxed. "Thanks," he said. "Are you ready to go then? It's almost ten. I should've had the news van back by now."
I shook my head, digging out a piece of peppermint gum from my purse. "I don't think I can handle being in a car just yet. You go ahead. I need to sit for a few, I'll grab a cab in an hour or so, when my stomach's calmed down."
"Oh, I don't want to leave you here."
"No really, it's fine. This is L.A. Billy, not Smalltown, Iowa. Not hard to get a cab out here, any hour of the day or night."
He looked around, uncertain, then finally conceded. "Alright, feel better."
"Yeah, thanks. See you tomorrow."
Billy drove off and I wandered around the stadium a while, trying to work off the lingering rumbles that continued to flip flop in my belly. I’d always felt at home in a stadium, probably because my dad and I spent so much quality time together at hockey games when I was young. My dad had been a good man. The best, and I was a daddy’s