Spite Crush (Rock Hard #2)

Chapter Five

~Kellen~

We’d definitely shared a moment in that locker room. It may have started with him just being a decent human being and helping me through my attack, but those touches, those looks…Zak Dempsey was into me.

Which was why I was actually surprised when he was back in the press, running his mouth about me again. Yeah, he’d warned me that he wasn’t a nice guy, but…his actions begged to differ .

“Turn it off,” Tim complained as he reached over and tried to grab my phone out of my hand. “Why do you care what this guy says about you anyway?”

“I’m done having this conversation,” I said, turning out of his reach. “Even Craig agreed that the publicity is good for the band. So if he’s talking about me, I have to talk back, otherwise I look weak.”

And I didn’t ever want to look weak in front of Zak again.

I started the video of the press conference that Naomi had sent to me. I wasn’t sure how she got my number, but I couldn’t help thinking that Craig had something to do with that. Even though he denied it.

“You’re on a win streak,” Naomi said to Zak.

“Two isn’t a streak,” he insisted with a dazzling smile. “Three is a streak.”

I didn’t know much about hockey, but I was surprised to see that Dempsey had all of his teeth. I’d always assumed all players got at least one knocked out on the ice at some point. Then again, he could have false ones in and I wouldn’t actually know the difference.

“You’re playing in Cleveland tomorrow night,” Naomi continued. “And by a massive coincidence, HSF is playing that arena Friday. Do you think Kellen Fox will come to cheer you on?”

“Are we really still talking about this kid?” Zak rolled his eyes.

Kid?

“Look,” he continued. “We all have jobs to do. Mine is to actually get on a streak and win our way to the championship. His is to stand still and scream, I guess. I still don’t know what their band sounds like, and I couldn’t care less. But to answer your question, no, I don’t think Fox will show up. I don’t think he has the balls.”

I shut off my phone and turned in the seat to stare out the bus window. We flew past trees and billboards as the vehicle tore down the highway, but I didn’t really see them as my mind started spiraling.

He had to know that by saying that, there was no way I’d miss the game. Did he actually want me there ?

All he had to do was ask, to be honest. It was almost embarrassing what I would do for him if he just asked. Because the more time that passed, the more obsessed I became with him.

I’d spent hours digging into him online. Watching hockey clips, old interviews, everything, really. I couldn’t find anything regarding a dating history, men or women, but I wasn’t worried. No one looked at me the way he did if they weren’t at least slightly interested. And the more I replayed that night in the locker room over in my head, even in my compromised state, I fully understood the looks he’d given me.

I didn’t know if we’d ever actually like each other. But we definitely wanted each other.

“You’re going, aren’t you?” Ford asked as he dropped into the seat next to me.

“Yeah, I’m going,” I said. “And I’m going to make the biggest spectacle of myself that I possibly can.”

“This is going to end badly for both of you,” Ford warned me. “I don’t know what you think you’re doing, but this is getting out of hand.”

“Oh, Ford,” I said, grinning over at him. “This is just getting started.”

“Just make sure you don’t do anything that would reflect poorly on the band,” Ford insisted.

“Yeah,” Tim agreed. “Like…oh, I don’t know…forgetting to take your meds before a show.”

“I already apologized for that,” I reminded him. “And I pulled it together before we went on. ”

“This time,” Ford agreed. “Just do us a favor and watch yourself.”

I’d be careful, but I had a feeling I’d be too busy watching Zak Dempsey to worry much about watching myself.

****

I held my head high as I walked down the stairs of the stadium, headed for the seat Craig had grudgingly procured for me against the glass...right by the Cleveland Blade’s bench.

In the week since I’d last seen Zak Dempsey, I’d actually learned quite a bit about hockey, and especially about him. I knew that he liked to earn his penalties by his own box, so the opposing player had to skate all the way across the ice to either their own bench or their own bin.

Like everything else he did, it was some kind of weird power play. So by seating myself on Cleveland’s side, I knew I’d have a little longer to escape his notice. As long as the cameras didn’t find me too quickly. But in case they did, I’d made sure to attire myself in my brand-new Cleveland Blade jersey .

Firmly establishing my own power play.

I didn’t want him to know I’d shown up for him, after all.

“Kellen Fox.”

I bit back a groan as I looked over to see Naomi Rose dropping into the empty seat next to me.

“That seat’s taken,” I told her.

“No it’s not,” she said, giving me a wide grin. “I gave these seats to your manager.” She motioned toward me. “What’s all this? ”

“Just rooting for the home team,” I assured her.

“So you’re not here for Zak Dempsey?” she challenged.

“Oh, is he playing?” I asked, raising an eyebrow. “I had no idea. I just like to see games in each town I play in.”

“Bullshit.” She laughed softly. “What is it with you two?”

“I honestly don’t know what you mean,” I insisted. “I truly don’t know Zak Dempsey. ”

That was technically true. I didn’t know him. We’d fired shots in the press and had one really weird moment together in the Inferno locker room. None of that constituted any kind of…knowing.

“Well, enjoy the game,” she said, standing up again. “I need to get to work.” She looked around for a minute then bent over and grabbed my hand before whispering against my ear. “Don’t cheer for him if he scores. The Blade fans will tear you apart. ”

That was actually good advice. But it wasn’t really what she was doing, because I felt the sharp edge of a piece of paper being jammed into my palm.

“You’ll never catch me cheering for him,” I promised her as I closed my fist around whatever she’d just given me.

“Okay.” She straightened back up and smiled again. “We should grab a drink after the game.”

“I don’t think that’s going to happen,” I said .

“Your loss.” She flipped her dark hair over her shoulder as she turned and made her way back to the stairs.

For a moment I wondered what it would be like to walk through life with that kind of confidence. Of course she was rich, famous, and beautiful so what the hell did she care.

I mean, I was rich and famous too, but I didn’t have much confidence. And I was pretty sure it wasn’t just the anxiety or the ADHD that constantly gnawed on my brain. Yeah, I could stand on a stage in front of fifty-thousand people, but I had to freak out about it first.

Naomi Rose didn’t seem like the kind of woman who doubted herself or freaked out about much at all.

I unfolded the paper, expecting it to be her phone number, but it wasn’t.

It was Zak Dempsey’s.

Before I could spend much time pondering why she would have felt the need to give me the hockey player’s digits, the lights dimmed over the stands and an announcer started doing introductions for the teams, who each poured out of their tunnels, skating around the rink as everyone cheered.

I was actually startled by the amount of cheering that went up for number thirteen on the Inferno. I wouldn’t have thought Zak Dempsey had a lot of fans outside of Michigan. But once again, he surprised me.

The game got underway and I actually found myself enjoying it. I think the immersion into the highlight reels had given me a better understanding of the sport, which led to far more interest than I’d ever had before .

In fact, I was so immersed and focused on following the puck that I jumped at the loud crash of two bodies slamming into the boards right in front of me. And when I looked up, my gaze locked on Dempsey’s.

His body was pinning one of the Blade’s players to the glass, but his glare was all for me as it raked down to my jersey then back up again.

I gave him my best smile as the refs tore the players apart and sent Zak skating across the ice to the Inferno penalty box.

Well, that had been totally worth it.