Offside With The Enemy
Penulis
Vesper Nadine
Jumlah dibaca
155K
Bab
32
Valentina is a dedicated sports reporter who lives for deadlines, not locker rooms. She can handle any season—except winter, when hockey takes over her schedule and her sanity. This year gets even colder when a newly signed player joins the Hawks and turns her routine upside down. He is talented, confident, and far too good at getting under her skin. Nathaniel is focused on proving himself on the ice, yet the sharp-tongued reporter trailing the team distracts him in ways he never expects. As interviews spark into banter and tension melts into heat, ambition and attraction collide. When a career-defining opportunity calls her away, both must face what winning truly means.
Season Starts
VALENTINA
“Yes, Watson. I know the first game is tomorrow. I will be there, like I always am before the season is officially open. But please explain why your player is late on his first day already?” I know I might sound like a bitch right now, but honestly, I could not care less.
I went out of my way to pick up Nathaniel Madox, the new player for Cardiff Devils. I had no idea who the man was, but just the fact that he was a hockey player gave me goosebumps, and not the good kind.
For a moment there, I spaced out and forgot I had Coach Irving still on the line with me.
“Vali? Are you there, girl?” He was the only person who could get away with calling me a girl. He was like a father figure to me.
“Yeah, sorry, Coach. What were you saying?” A chuckle escaped him, and I could not help but smile a little at his cheerful laugh.
“I was telling you that it is probably not his problem for being late. You know firsthand how traveling by plane can be. Also, he might struggle with our luggage system and everything. Just be patient. Just this once. Please?”
A groan left my lips before I could stop it. “Fine! But just because you asked me and because you promised me an exclusive interview to get my foot into the world of journalism. Not because of him.”
He was one of few people that knew my story about hating hockey players, or the lighter version of it at least. “I knew I can count on you. And please, try not to scare away my new center player, okay?”
“No promises, Coach.” With that, I hung up, but I knew he would never get angry with me. Like I said, he was like a father figure to me, and I was practically his daughter.
My palms were sweating at this point from all the humidity in the air. You know, England and our beautiful sunny weather. Too much sarcasm? Well, get used to it. I kind of forgot how to function properly without it.
The airport was not packed or anything, but crowds still made me antsy, and here I was waiting for a Canadian so-called hockey prodigy to get his lazy ass off the plane so I could show him where he would live in the foreseeable future.
Suddenly, a shadow fell on me, and that was surprising in itself since I was no small lady. Slowly, dramatically, I lifted my head and looked the shadow in the eyes, which were a really nice shade of blue and so hypnotic.
But we had business to talk here, not salivating over his gorgeous eyes.
“Excuse me, Mr. Mountainman, could you move your gigantic frame so the person I am waiting for can see me? Did your mother not teach you any manners?”
For a split second, a small shadow passed over his face, but he hid it fast, so fast I would miss it if I did not look straight into his eyes. Then he opened his mouth. “Well, is that any way to welcome a new player?”
Of course. Nathaniel fucking Madox was standing in front of me, and to say we did not hit it off on a good note would be an understatement. But if he thought I would apologize, he was mistaken.
“Well, Mr. Madox, I presume. Kind of you to grace us all with your presence. You are almost an hour late, and I have no idea what you have been taught in Canada, but here in the UK, we appreciate punctuality.”
With those words said, I turned around and started walking. If he knew what was good for him, he would follow. If not, well, I guessed he was a grown-up after all, and he could find his way.
Fast steps could be heard behind me, so maybe he was not as bad as I first thought, but once again, the male population proved me wrong. “Hold on there, princess. It was not my fault that the flight was delayed in the first place, so maybe just get rid of that scowl. You would look much better without it.”
I guessed he was as dumb as hockey players usually were since he took my bitchiness as flirting. “Bite me, Madox!”
“Oh, princess. I wish. But we should first get to know each other better before we touch the kinky subjects, don’t you think?”
“Is that the best you could come up with? I understand you must be jet-lagged, and I am sure you also fall into the old-timer category, but still, I had no idea you were that rusty,” I asked him with a bored tone. I had heard better lines from drunk people.
For a moment, his face grew serious as he looked into my eyes, momentarily stunning me with those blue hypnotic orbs. “May I ask your name before we continue to insult each other?”
Why do I always find myself surrounded by weirdos or idiots? Dear God, could you send just one fucking person on my path and maybe make them normal for a change? At this point, I am not even picky! It can be a man or a woman!
Dramatically, I grabbed my chest and feigned surprise. “Wait! Were we insulting each other? I thought we were just stating the obvious?”
It looked like he was about to come up with something stupid again, but this time I beat him to it and just continued speaking. “My job, Mr. Madox, is to escort you to your house and give you a map so you can find your way to the ice rink in the evening. That’s it.
“And for that, you don’t need to know my name or any other information about me. Are we clear?”
The mistake I made? I did not turn around and start walking, but just stood there, waiting for his acknowledgment. Stupid woman!
His lips transformed into a devilish smirk, which might or might not look very sexy on his face; that was, if he would keep his mouth shut. “But princess, that’s boring, don’t you think?”
Instead of giving him any more ammunition to continue this pointless conversation, this time I did turn around and started walking toward my car.
Valentina, you just have to get him to the house, drop him off, and avoid him the whole season long. You can do that. I can do that. Oh, fuck it, who am I kidding! I so cannot do it!
And once again, the universe proved me right when we were both in the car and on the road, and he opened his mouth again. “So, am I getting your name or not?”
God, give me patience to not murder this man on this half-hour-long ride.
