Scoring One Night (Blue Ridge Mountain Hockey #4)

Melanie

"M elanie, have a seat." Mia gestured to the chair across from her desk, her voice firm and professional. I took my seat and waited for her to continue.

It had been a week since I started my job with the Devils, and I had done a great job of avoiding Aspen.

By day three, I wondered if I would ever have to work with Aspen. I was the type of person who knew that nothing was perfect, so I knew Aspen would cross my path at work one day.

The way things were going, though, I got the feeling it would be a while until I would work directly with players. One on one.

Now it felt different. Having Mia call me into her office first thing in the morning and the look on her face, I was worried. Did Mia find out about my night with Aspen? And if so, was she about to fire me?

The smell of fresh coffee, which mingled with the scent of her lavender air freshener, did not put me at ease. If anything, it only made my heart race because I didn’t want to lose this job. Working with Mia had been great; she had been kind and helpful all week.

Time had flown by, and I already felt like I belonged here. I swallowed. Was I about to lose the best job I ever had?

I scanned the room, taking in the neatly organized bookshelf, the various sports awards proudly displayed on the wall, and Mia's diploma from her days as a student.

I didn't think I could have asked for a better boss, and I screwed it up by letting loose for one night.

"You've been doing an excellent job so far. We're glad to have you on board."

I let out a breath as my shoulders sagged. Even with her reassuring words, Mia still narrowed her eyes. Was this the calm before the catastrophic storm?

"Thank you, Mia. I'm really enjoying working with the team," I replied, my cheeks warming at the praise.

My smile faltered. Did I sound like a suck up? Was I too over the top? Damn. She knew. Mia knew I fucked Aspen, and she was about to let me have it.

Goodbye, career. It was nice knowing you.

"Good, because we have a big game coming up against the Baltimore Crabs in a few weeks—it's mainly for the judges of the International Games. We need our players in top shape for this match," she explained, her green eyes piercing through me, making sure I understood the gravity of the situation.

I had heard about the game, thinking it was odd to have a game in June, in the off-season. But now, it made sense. The judges had to see how the players played in competition.

"Of course. Whatever the team needs from me, I’ll do," I assured her.

Just don't fire me.

If Mia wanted me to live at the facility, I'd do it. If she wanted me to clean the players' underwear personally, I'd do that, too.

I nibbled on my lower lip. If only I hadn't gotten into the car with Aspen that night. But it was done. No changing the past.

A few days later, I heard from Sophia as to why she left me at the bar. She had just found out her father was in the hospital, and she raced off to be with him.

It wasn’t her fault, but it was my fault for possibly screwing up my job. I held my breath and hoped that the upcoming game was the only reason for this meeting.

"Good," she replied, eyeing me for a moment. "There are four Devils on the short list for the International Games, and being the senior physical therapist here, I'll be working with three of them. That leaves you in charge of the fourth player."

"Of course." I nodded, trying to hide my utter relief at her words. "I'll do my best, I promise."

More than the best. If that player got picked for the International Games team, then it would reflect well on me, too. I made a mental note to go back over my therapy and medical books tonight to be at my peak when dealing with the player.

If I did a great job with the player, then if Mia ever discovered my sleepover at Aspen's place, she would be less likely to want to fire me. Technically, when I slept with Aspen, I hadn't started my job yet, so Mia could easily let it go.

"See that you do," Mia warned, her words like ice. "I won’t lie, ; this is your first test working for the Devils. If you do well and your player is picked for the team, you could go with him to the games."

I hadn't even thought of that. Having been so excited to start work for the Devils, I never really contemplated what I could do beyond that.

Having the International Games on my resume would mean I could work anywhere I wanted.

"Thank you," I blurted out.

"The way you can thank me is by doing a good job. Because then it shows I made the right choice in hiring you. Now go to work on the player. They’re in PT room ten, down the hall."

The meeting concluded, and I left her office, my mind filled with thoughts of the crucial task ahead.

Walking through the sterile hallway, I couldn't help but think about the player I'd be working with. What if they didn’t want someone new? I shook off the negative thoughts, determined not to let my nerves get the better of me.

I stood outside room ten and sucked in a cleansing breath.

"Alright, ," I whispered, steeling my resolve. "You've got this."

But did I? I screwed up before I ever stepped foot into the facility on my first day, yet I somehow thought if I just worked hard enough, my mistake would never be found out.

Closing my eyes, I tried my best to focus on the positive. I had a chance to help a player get onto the International Games team. What was better than that? And wasn’t that the reason I became a physical therapist to begin with? To help people.

Because there weren't that many people who helped me when I was young. Most just wrote me off, assuming I'd fail and go nowhere. I bet there were a lot of players on the team that had people assume they'd fail, too.

I wouldn't let that happen, not for them or for me.

The player behind the door was my chance to prove to the team, to all the people who said I was too stupid to succeed at life, that I could make it.

Wiping the sweat from my palm on my pants, I reached for the doorknob. I plastered a smile on my face as I pushed open the door. It was time to be my best self.

But my breath caught in my throat as soon as I entered my physical therapy room. I ignored the faint scent of antiseptic mixed with the lingering aroma of sports massage oils.

There, running his hand over the smooth surface of the therapy bed, was the last player I wanted to see.

Aspen Rivera.

I glanced around the room—the neatly stacked towels, the clean lines of the equipment, the motivational posters adorning the walls—all designed to provide the perfect environment for healing and progress. This was supposed to be my domain, so why did it feel like hell?

Aspen gave me his signature wink. But this time, it hadn't felt disgusting like before; it felt like a taunt. A question to me, asking if I could handle working with him.

A playful smile danced on his lips as he drawled, "Well, if it isn't my new favorite physical therapist."

Favorite was an interesting word choice, considering our recent history. My heart skipped a beat and not in a good way, as I did my best to flash him a professional smile.

Then something occurred to me. Had he requested me as his therapist? Was that why Mia was giving me a chance with a player so soon?

My heart sank to the floor. That's what was happening. It wasn’t my hard work last week or how much I impressed her during our interview. It was Aspen screwing with me.

My smile faded as I pursed my lips because I had come across guys like him in my past. Ones who just wanted fun with zero commitment. They didn’t care who they hurt, just so long as their cock got the attention they thought it deserved.

Aspen didn’t care about being professional. I had heard enough stories about him from my friends.

I fully admit our night together was an absolute mistake. Even with what people had told me about him, I still shared an E-Ride to his place. Hell, I was the one who suggested we go to his place.

The absolute worst mistake of my life.

But that was then. Now it was time to be serious. Be professional, nothing more.

"Mr. Rivera," I greeted him formally, trying to keep any hint of recognition from my voice. "I didn't realize you were already here."

"Figured I'd get a head start," he replied, sauntering toward me. His gray eyes twinkled with mischief, sending a stupid shiver down my spine. "I'm sure you've heard about the International Games short list thing, right?"

"Of course," I said, nodding curtly. "Mia informed me earlier. Congratulations on making the list, by the way." I clenched my fists at my sides, willing myself to stay focused on the task at hand.

"Thanks," he murmured, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "So, are you gonna work your magic on me or what?"

I wanted to turn around and run. I wanted to stop by Mia's office and quit. I took a deep breath and mentally gave myself a slap. I worked hard, and I would be damned if I let a player—in every sense of the word—ruin this for me.

"Right," I replied, swallowing hard as I gestured to the therapy bed. "Please, have a seat, and we'll get started."

As Aspen complied, I busied myself with gathering supplies, my mind racing with thoughts of how to handle the situation. It was clear that Aspen wasn't going to let our previous encounter go, but as long as I remained professional, there was no reason for things to get out of hand.

"Okay," I said briskly once Aspen was settled on the bed, "let's talk about any pain or discomfort you might be experiencing. We need to ensure you're in top shape for the game."

"Sure thing, Mel," he replied, smirking. "But you should know that I'm feeling pretty great right now."

"Good to hear," I said, suppressing an eye roll at his continued flirting. "But we still need to assess your flexibility and strength before deciding on a course of action."

"If you say so," Aspen replied, stretching out on the therapy table with a grin. "But first, can we talk about the elephant in the room?"

Thankfully, my back was turned to him when he asked that question. I both dreaded and wanted this question from the moment I stepped foot inside the facility last week.

Aspen was right. We needed to discuss how we're feeling about our one-night stand. Especially since we will be working one on one together.

"Elephant?" I cringed, because it was obvious what he was talking about, before turning to face him.

"Come on, . You can't tell me you haven't thought about what this means, even for you, too," he said, raising an eyebrow.

"Fine," I admitted, folding my arms defensively. "It's been on my mind, and I'm not exactly comfortable with it. But we're professionals, and we need to keep our personal lives separate from our work."

"What?" he asked, genuinely surprised. "I really don't understand how us being friends will interfere?"

"Friends?" I retorted, feeling the heat rise in my cheeks. "Just because you're used to being friends with a lot of different women doesn't mean that I'm friends with a lot of men. I'm not like you."

Aspen was quiet for a moment. He kept opening his mouth as if he was going to say something, but then closed it just as quickly.

After a minute, he sat up. "I feel like you might be talking about something that I'm not. And I don't know what that something is. What do you mean by friends ?"

I shoved my hands on my hips and stepped up to the table, coming face to face with him. "Our night together last week. After meeting at Castle Moat . I went to your place, and we had sex. Or perhaps it would be more familiar to you if I used the word banged or did the dirty or scored a goal."

"Whoa, whoa, Mel," Aspen replied, his playful demeanor disappearing at once. "We had sex?"

My brow shot up as it hit me like a hockey puck to the face. Aspen didn't remember our night together.