CHAPTER TWO
TALON
How the hell am I supposed to go out onto the ice after that?? I didn’t even get her name, what was I thinking? That’s right, I wasn’t.
I have been around beautiful women my whole life, running into someone that gorgeous has never done that to me.
Being out on the ice has always centered me. It doesn’t matter what took place the week before; once my skates hit that ice all seems right. The blade of my skate cutting through the smooth glass of the ice brings comfort with a sense of familiarity. I have played hockey since I could skate. My dad made a small rink on our property when I was very young. My sister would figure skate and my dad and I would hit the puck around. I started with a league when I turned eight and played all the way through college. After graduation some of the guys from the team and I joined a men’s adult league and have been playing on Saturday evenings ever since.
We’re playing our known rivals tonight so the stands are pretty packed. I keep glancing out there trying to find the woman I ran into outside of the locker room but I can’t seem to find anyone tonight. My sister comes to every game without fail; I can’t find her either. It’s an intense game; pretty much everyone in the stands are on their feet either cheering for us or booing at us. We’re close to the end of the game and there have been lots of fights tonight, I was involved in two of those fights and am exhausted. Adrenaline is pumping through me like a wildfire but all of my muscles are protesting. The ref calls a penalty on the opposing team for hooking one of our guys so I head over to our bench until they get it sorted out. We have six minutes left in the third period and are ahead.
I look up trying to spot my sister. I hate that I haven’t seen her yet; it’s normal for her to be right behind our bench with Hunter and Alan, but they’re not there either. As I scan the crowd for the hundredth time since the game started, I see her, the woman from the hall. She’s headed toward the stairs to get to the top of the stands. It is seriously taking all of my willpower to stay down here on the ice. My team heads back out to finish off the game with the player from the other team in the penalty box and I reluctantly tear my gaze from her as one of my guys pushes past me and brings me back to the present. Before I take off I look back up to try and see where she is sitting but I lost her. Again.
We won the game by one point, there’s going to be a huge celebration tonight. A few of us usually go to Delaney’s pub after the games but tonight will most likely be the whole team plus spouses. It’s going to be packed and old man Delaney is going to be a happy camper. I still haven’t seen my sister and the guys but they’ll know to meet me at the doors, so I hit the shower, get dressed and head out.
Standing outside by the curb is the entire team minus the few guys still in the locker room, and what looks like at least half of the spectators.
Correction, old man Delaney isn’t going to be a happy camper; he just may have a heart attack. We’re going to be so squished in that tiny pub.
I finally see my sister and the guys.
“Kali. Where have you been? I was looking for you guys throughout the whole game, why weren’t you in your seats? I was worried.”
“I’m sorry! I was going to let you know that we were late getting to our seats so we had to sit up top but that game was sooo intense I couldn’t make it down to you.”
“You weren’t late. You were here before I was,” I state in confusion, knowing our company car had dropped her off before I arrived.
“Yeah I know, but Bailey had a run in with some guy on her way back from the rest room and the seats filled up quickly tonight. That game was insane, Talon! I can’t believe they called interference on you! I’m surprised you didn’t hear Alan on that one!” she laughs hard. “He was so pissed!”
‘Bailey had a run in on her way back from the bathroom’ No way. That can’t be…
“
Wait. Who’s Bailey?” As I’m asking, Kali is touching the shoulder of the woman who has consumed most of my thoughts for the past two hours or so.
“Bailey Hayes. Remember I told you I was bringing my friend from the gym with me tonight?” She looks at my shocked face and smiles wide with her eyes growing rounder by the second. “Bailey, I wanted to introduce you to my brother, Talon, but I’m thinking the two of you have already met.” Bailey doesn’t even flinch. She lets out a little laugh and reaches for my hand. In the meantime, I am still trying to gather a coherent thought.
“Talon, it’s nice to officially meet you while standing on my own.” She’s giggling. The sweetest giggle ever. I get annoyed with gigglers, but I’m certain I could listen to that sound coming from that sexy as hell mouth all the time. She seems totally comfortable with this situation. If it weren’t for the fact that she’s blushing like crazy I would have thought I’d dreamt up the whole thing.
“Bailey.” I sigh as I shake her very well-manicured, perfect hand. I give my most charming smile and stare right into those eyes that are already burned into my memory. “I came up with a dozen or so names that I thought could possibly fit you, but Bailey was not one of them. I definitely like it best though.” I let out a little huff of air and shake my head. I look to Kali. I should not have looked at Kali right now. She is all but bouncing with excitement at the exchange between Bailey and me.
“Well, we should get going or we’re not even going to make it in the doors with this huge crowd tonight.” Kali being the little spitfire she is nods once then whistles loudly and hails a cab.
CHAPTER THREE
BAILEY
We all pile into a van for the ten minute ride over to the pub. I had ordered myself not to think of my soul mate any longer. Yes, my soul mate. I am convinced that only your soul mate can make you feel the things Talon made me feel upon meeting him. I have read many romance books and love stories where the two people had an immediate connection. Where they consider themselves drawn to one another. I even bought into the whole “Love at first sight” mythos as early as junior high. But after maturing into an adult with real life experience I’d considered all of that to be false. Wishful thinking. Hopelessly romantic?
Yes.
Something that actually happens to real live people?
No.
So when I felt the energy that tingled in my fingers and toes at his touch, the shot of the lightning bolt that raced through my body at the sound of his voice and the rate my heart was pounding when he stared into my eyes I couldn’t be more shocked. All that I deemed fictional was now running over me like a Mack truck determined to prove me wrong.
Unfortunately there is not a thing I can do about it.
However, when I convinced myself to no longer let him intrude into my every thought, I was unaware of the fact that he was Talon McAllister; my friend’s brother; the man I would be spending the rest of the evening with.
Super.
We get to the pub and as promised, it is packed! Hockey players are rowdy, and so are their fans. It is so loud in the quaint pub that we can barely hear each other speak. The pub in
P.S I Love You
couldn’t hold a candle to Delaney’s Pub though and Gerard Butler is a distant thought in comparison to Talon McAllister. I don’t normally drink, but tonight I’m going to need it.
“Bailey, let’s go to the ladies’ room while the guys find us a table near the band. Aren’t they great? They sound just like the Blaggards, don’t ya think?” Kali shouts at me as I try to refrain from looking at Talon. It’s ridiculous how hot he is.
“I don’t have any idea who the Blaggards are but they do sound great. I’ve never heard anything like it, it’s pretty cool.”
“YOU’VE NEVER HEARD OF BLAGGARDS??” Hunter shouts with complete disbelief on his face.
“Well, no, I mean I don’t typically hang out in Irish pubs.” I try to laugh off my lack of knowledge that seems to be astounding to everyone around me.
“Oh man babe, you need to bring her around more often, she needs help,” Hunter says to Kali.
“I do not need help!!” I laugh out loud and then take a chance glance at Talon. He seems quite amused watching me. I look back at Kali quickly. “Okay that’s enough, c’mon Kali.” I reach out my hand to pull Kali away from Hunter’s embrace. Then we walk over to the tiny bathroom with low lighting and metal cut outs of overflowing beer mugs; once we get in there she starts in on me right away.
“Ok.” She takes a real deep breath. “So I know you live with your boyfriend and are supposed to be super serious about him or whatever but I also know that you guys have problems more often than not and I totally saw the way you were looking at my brother tonight.” Kali leans back on the dingy counter top; crosses her arms over her chest and then with a perfect smirk she deliberately raises her eyebrows at me. “Want to tell me what’s going on inside that head of yours? Or would you rather continue on about your business and forget I said anything at all?”
“I would rather continue on, thanks!” I give her a single shoulder shrug and half a smirk. “OH!” My hands fly up in remembrance. “What’s with Hunter’s arm on your waist and calling you babe?”
“It’s kinda what he does. All the time, unless he’s freaking out and walking away from me because he’s suddenly remembered I’m seven years younger than him.” She shrugs her shoulders and pushes off the counter to glance in the mirror.
“That really sucks. Want to talk about it right now or later?”
“Later, definitely. Let’s go get our drink on! We have some celebrating to do! That game was seriously amazing!” Kali shrieks.
“Ok but I’m not a big drinker.”
“Hmmm? We’re in a pub. You can’t order a club soda, they’ll kick us out!” Her face expresses complete seriousness. She draws her eyebrows together in question and tilts her head to the side. “Why didn’t you tell me you don’t drink?”
I lightly shake my head and give her a wave of my hand. “It’s just been so long since I have that I probably shouldn’t start tonight with all that is going on and all who are here… I guess I can just have one whiskey and call it a night.”
“A whiskey?” Now her facial expression is a mixture of disbelief and amusement. “You don’t drink, but your drink of choice is whiskey? Old men drink whiskey Bay, not young attractive business women!” She’s laughing so loud.
“I have my reasons, don’t laugh at me!” I give her a swat on the arm and start to open the door.
“Ohhhhh no you don’t! I want the reasons!” She steps around me and blocks the door.
Deep breath. “Alright fine, but you do not repeat my reasoning to anyone and no laughing!” Her eyes are huge in anticipation like I’m getting ready to hand her the key reasons to life and she nods her head. I clear my throat and I stand a little straighter, straighten out any wrinkles in my skirt and then begin to flick off each reason with my fingers starting with my thumb. “Beer makes me bloated and there is no room for bloating in this skirt; any type of foo-foo cosmo gives me heartburn instantly; tequila makes me dance on the bar or sing karaoke and vodka is just nasty. So I drink whiskey or wine and I think, given the atmosphere, whiskey is the better option.”
She’s trying like hell not to laugh. “Whiskey it is!” She grabs my arm and pulls me through the door and down the long bar.
Kali calls out to the busy bartender “Hey Steve! Can I get a Miller on draft and a whiskey, please?”
My eyes absentmindedly search for Talon as we come out of the restroom. We stop just short of him standing at the bar with Hunter.
I notice his eyebrows skyrocket to his hairline at Kali’s drink order and she laughs. I know full well he doesn’t have an issue with her choice of beer, so I need to hear what he has to say about mine.
“She has her reasons!” Kali laughs it off before she and I both turn back to face the bar.
Steve strolls on down closer to us and leans over the bar looking right into my eyes. “What kind of whiskey are you wanting, darlin’?”
“Pendleton on the rocks, please.”
Steve drops his head a bit, tweaks his eyebrow in a menacing fashion and looks at me like every other bartender did when I would go out and order a Pendleton.
In the most annoyed tone I can muster up, I give the bartender the answers to the questions he has yet to ask. “Yes, I know what it tastes like, yes I know that’s supposedly what old men drink and yes, I know
you
think I’m too
cute
to be drinking anything other than a Cosmo but let me assure you I. am. not.”
Ol’ Stevie boy chuckles, turns around, and makes our drinks. Kali is astounded at the attitude I just spit out at the bartender, not quite sure what to say. Then her gaze falls right behind me, so naturally I spin my bar stool around to see what she’s looking at. It’s Talon, right behind me. Well, now right in front of me; my knees graze the front of him, too much in shock to let my curiosity get the better of me to allow myself to look and see what exactly I grazed, I just spin right back around. Steve first slides Kali her drink then slides mine to me with a wink. “I like you; you should come around more often.”
I lift my glass at him then take a long gulp. Just as I get my swallow down I feel my hair being swept to the side allowing the left side of my neck to breathe. Then strong calloused fingers slide along the nape of my neck and a deep sultry voice breezes into my ear. “I’m going to need to hear the reasons behind your whiskey only rule. Please.” Through my heartbeat pounding out of my ears and the tingling sensations running their course through my body, I swear I can hear him grinning. I slowly turn to face him.
I will myself to give the coyest smirk I can manage as I lift my eyebrows and tilt my head back to look into those fantastic eyes of his. “Oh, it’s not only whiskey, I drink wine too.” I’m fairly tan; my dad has great coloring and he very kindly gave me some of it, but I know Talon can see how red he has made me and he looks like he’s enjoying it probably a little too much.
“Reasons?” He is so sexy I want to tell him anything he wants to know. Unfortunately, what he wants to know involves heartburn and bloating. Sooo not gonna happen.
“Yes, I do have them.” I slightly clear my throat. “But I’ll never tell you.” I gave a shy smile and turned back to face the bar and take another too big drink.
He leans into my ear again. His hand slides down from my neck to my lower back and his hot breath sears my ear and neck as he whispers, “We’ll just have to see about that, won’t we?” He walks away. I just about choke on my drink; and Kali had walked away at some point but I can’t even begin to guess when. I really don’t mind at all because I could use a minute to collect myself and remember that I am in a committed, exclusive, ‘living with your boyfriend’ relationship. The thought of this makes me slumpt in my low back barstool and start chewing the skin on the side of my thumbnail.
If I was as committed to the relationship as I should be then I definitely wouldn’t be having these thoughts of Talon that I am having. What am I going to do? Forgetting about Talon would be a good start. Yeah, that’s not going to be so easy to do though. Man, I wish Hollister was the same man I fell in love with; that would make this situation so much easier.
“
Do I need to go kick Talon’s arse?” Steve asks with his strawberry blonde hair hanging down into his eyes.
Startled out of my thoughts I ask, “What? Why would you do that?”
“Well,” he rubs his hand across the stubble on his chin with both elbows on the bar right in front of me, “before he came up and whispered sweet nothings in your ear you were having a good time, now you just look depressed. Want to talk about it or should I just take him outside for making that beautiful smile disappear?” He actually looks truly concerned.
“No, thank you and no, definitely don’t do that. It’s not Talon’s fault, but I will take another whiskey if you don’t mind.”
“Not at all darling, but you better find that smile or I’m going to have to kiss ya!” He winks and turns around. His bluntness makes me laugh. The kind of laugh that throws your head back and most likely makes people turn around to stare at you.