Lucky Bounce: Game On, Part 2 by Jennifer Lazaris

3

Eli unlocked the double front doors of his penthouse and held one of them open for Holly to enter.

"Holy shit," she gasped, setting Miss's carrier down. Her mouth dropped open as she looked around. "Jesus, Eli. This is insane."

"Insane good, though, right?" He flashed a smile. "Welcome to your home for the next thirty days."

She dragged her sneaker gently over the gleaming marble floor of the foyer, then peered up at the skylight. "How big is this place?"

"Sixty-four-hundred square feet," he admitted.

Holly pressed a hand to her forehead. "Unbelievable. How do you not get lost?"

Eli laughed. "You learn."

"Yeah, I don't think so. Though, from the small area that I've seen so far, it's still the ultimate bachelor pad. Bright white walls and black leather furniture? All that's missing is animal print."

Her gaze landed on the faux zebra rug in front of the gas fireplace. "Aaaand I spoke too soon. You are such a walking cliché, Donnelley."

"Pipe down, or I'll make a new rug out of your cat," he teased. "I could use a new, festive print rug."

She rolled her eyes. "I promise, that's the last thing you need." Sniffing the air, she cocked an eyebrow. "Why does it smell like cinnamon sticks in here?"

"I have those fancy scented thingys all around the place."

She huffed out a laugh. "Scented thingys?"

"I don't know what they're called."

"But cinnamon?"

He shrugged. "It's comforting."

"Reminds me of Christmas." She walked further into the penthouse.

"My bedroom is down the hall on the left." He motioned for her to follow him. "You can choose from any of the other four guest rooms."

"Four guest rooms?" Holly peeked into the bedroom across from his. "Wow, Eli. This room is huge. Look at the floor to ceiling windows. This is gorgeous." She turned around. "This looks like it adjoins the next room and a bathroom. Does it?"

"Yep. Sure does."

"Nice. It's like a separate apartment. It will give Miss more space to roam while she adjusts to your place. I'll need to keep her in here for a day or so until she gets comfortable enough to explore." Holly smirked. "I don't know; I'm a little concerned about losing my cat in this house. I may need to place a tracking device on her."

"We can keep a lot of the doors closed to her if you're worried about it."

"We may have to." Holly ran her hand over the soft, blue comforter and glanced around. "This room is so beautiful. And the bed is huge."

"Yeah. The guest rooms all have queen-sized beds."

Eli placed the mountain of packages on her bed, and Holly snagged the pet store bags first, dumping out the contents.

She set up a litter box area in the corner of the bedroom, a food station with a place mat and stainless steel dishes, and a cat bed under the window.

"Are you coming in or going out? I want to let Miss out of her carrier. She will probably go right under the bed to hide, but I don't want to risk her running out into the rest of the house. It's too large of an area, and she'll get scared."

He closed the door. "In for now. I'd like to see her if you don't mind."

"Okay." Holly pulled open the metal door of the carrier, and the calico dashed under the bed.

"Damn. She's fast." He knelt and peered under the bed. Miss huddled against the air conditioning vent, staring at him with wide, bright green eyes. He wasn't a cat person, but she was pretty cute, if a little hefty.

"All your stuff is here, little Moo," Holly cooed, getting on her hands and knees to peer under the bed. "I'll be back soon, okay? I'm going to fill your water and food dishes."

"Moo?" he asked, amused.

"Missy Moo. That's her nickname because she's chubby like a little cow."

"Yeah, I noticed." He stood and leaned back against the door. "She's cute."

He stole a glimpse at Holly's ass while she crouched down on all fours.

Fuck, she had a great ass.

The tight jeans she'd purchased earlier today showed it off to perfection. They hugged her hips and were a snug fit all the way down to her sandals.

Holly glanced back over her shoulder and caught him staring, then shook her head. "You're so cliché."

Eli snorted with laughter. "If you say so."

After filling Miss's water bowl in the adjoining bathroom, she dusted herself off, then grabbed a plastic bag full of cat food. "Show me to your kitchen, please? And make sure to shut the door behind you."

"Okay, boss." He followed Holly out of the room and pulled the door closed.

He led her into the kitchen, and she stopped short, taking in the dark, gleaming countertops and stainless steel appliances. She ran her hand around the large island in the middle of the room. "Very nice. Do you cook?"

"A little, but I do takeout or eat most of my meals at the rink."

"I need to keep Miss's food in the freezer, then after I defrost enough for the day, it has to be stored in the fridge."

Holly opened the freezer and placed a few packs of food in there, then rummaged around in his refrigerator, storing what appeared to be supplements and another container of food.

"What is that stuff?" He pointed to a little white bottle with an orange label.

"It's a probiotic for her stomach."

"Really? I didn't know cats could use probiotics."

"Yes, and they are necessary for Miss." Holly closed the refrigerator door. "Give me a tour of the place, would you? I feel like I might need a map. My entire apartment could fit into this kitchen." She let out a sigh. "Well, it would have before it burned to the ground."

"As much as it sucks, and it does, at least you can enjoy these penthouse views for the next little while, right?" He didn't think words of comfort were what she'd want right now, especially from him.

"True, I guess."

He led her through the condo, showing her the game room, the laundry room, the theater room, the bar, his living room, the gym, and three additional bathrooms.

"That bathroom is mine." He gestured at the door next to his bedroom. "It is actually an en suite, but it also has a hallway entrance.

"Noted." Holly headed into his room then stopped short, staring around at the decor. "Jesus. It looks like a vampire threw up in here, Eli. What's with all the black and red?"

She bent down and slid her hand along the edge of his pillowcase. "Satin?"

"Nope. They're 100% pure silk."

"All that's missing is a pet bat and a cape. Maybe some fake fangs."

He chuckled and ran a hand down over his jaw. "Oh man. The mouth on you. I didn't think this all the way through—having you stay here with me, that is."

A mischievous smile lit up her face, proof that her ornery streak had returned.

"Yeah, you definitely didn't." She exited his room and headed back out into the kitchen, taking a seat on one of the stools next to the island. "Can we talk about some stuff?"

"Sure." He grabbed a bottle of water out of the fridge. "Want one?"

"Yes, please."

He handed her a bottle and took a seat next to her.

"First off, I don't need to tail you twenty-four/seven for this feature, okay? Since this whole living situation gives me access to you at times when I normally wouldn't have it, I won't have to follow you around like a lost puppy." She hesitated. "I also don't need to be at every single practice or game."

"There's always going to be a ticket available for you if you'd like to come to the games. And as long as a practice isn't closed, you are welcome to come whenever you want."

"Thanks."

They sat in silence for a few moments before he nodded toward the bedroom. "What's wrong with your cat, exactly?"

Holly sighed. "She has IBD, which is short for inflammatory bowel disorder. Cats can have different symptoms, but for Miss, it means she struggles a lot with diarrhea and vomiting. Her food and supplements keep her stable, but sometimes she gets flare-ups, and that's when she has the issues."

"How long does that last?"

"A flare? Anywhere from a few days to a month. I never really know. That's the thing that's hard with IBD—it seems like every time I narrow down her triggers, something new crops up and I have to start all over again."

Eli frowned. "She doesn't seem like a very old cat to have such a severe problem."

"She's not. She's four. Which is kind of early for IBD since it usually affects middle-aged cats. But every cat is different. It's a shame because she's a little sweetheart. I hate when she gets sick. It totally guts me."

Holly met his eyes, and once again, he saw a shadow of vulnerability there. She obviously adored Miss. She might act tough, but when it came to her cat, she was a total softie.

He liked this sweet, vulnerable side of her, and he suspected people didn't see it often.

"I know it's a lot to have an animal stay in your house if you aren't used to having a pet, and I appreciate you being decent about it." She picked at the paper wrapping on her water bottle with her nail. "Just a heads up—I might not be able to go to your road games, because if the awesome pet sitter that Penn recommended isn't available, I can't leave Miss alone. I can't afford to have her get sick. Not that I ever want her to get ill, but money-wise, I'd be sunk."

"No, I get it. I can tell that little ball of fur means a lot to you." He grinned. "Though I'd have never taken you for a cat lady."

"I wasn't before I adopted Miss. Penn asked me to be a foster mom for a few weeks when Moo's former owner abandoned her outside of the clinic. They were trying to find her a home. She loved me on sight and became my little buddy. After that, I couldn't give her up. Now, we're in this together."

"You're lucky my building allows pets." He gave her a playful wink. "Otherwise, we would have had to sneak her in under the cover of darkness."

Holly laughed. "Oh please, like they were going to tell the best defenseman in Las Vegas that he can't have a pet? Doubtful."

"Best defenseman, huh?"

"You know you are. Just don't let it go to your head."

"Which one?" he quipped, waggling his eyebrows.

She pointed a finger at him. "Professional, Eli. Remember?"

"Yeah, yeah," he grumbled, waving a hand.

She hopped off the stool. "I have a meeting with Lyla tomorrow. Do you want to meet up for lunch when you're done with practice? We can talk about what kind of angle you want me to approach this feature from, or I can give you some ideas. We can also go over a few easy questions to get the ball rolling. I have more research to do, but it's a starting point.”

"How about an early dinner instead?" he asked. "I have an appointment in the afternoon after practice."

"Okay, sure. That works." She tossed the water bottle into the recycling bin. "I think I'll call it a night. I'm going to head to my room and put away my stuff. And I need to feed Miss."

"You know there are more bags in the SUV, right?"

"Oh, shit." She made a face. "I forgot."

"Don't worry about it. I'll get the stuff and leave it outside of your door. If you need anything—and I do mean anything—you know where I am."

Holly tilted her head back and groaned. "You promised, Eli."

He let out a chuckle. "Had to get the last bit out of my system. Goodnight, Wilkes."

"Night, Donnelley." She paused at the door of the guest room, waving before she went inside.

The banter they'd shared over the past half hour had given her some normalcy in a situation that was anything but normal. Within no time, she'd be back to giving him lip on a regular basis.

He couldn't wait for that day.

* * *

"Moo?" Holly peered under the bed where Miss was still cuddled up against the vent. "Aww. Okay, sweetie. I'm going to get ready for bed. Maybe you can come cuddle after I'm done."

Miss didn't like change, and she got stressed out easily. Holly hoped this entire mess didn't cause a flare up. Odds were it wouldn't, based on Miss's history. She usually settled in quickly once she realized there wasn't any danger.

Swallowing, Holly flashed back to last night and the fire. The fact they'd escaped unharmed without a single scratch was a miracle.

Forcing the memory from her mind, she gathered up her supplies and headed into the swanky bathroom. It was gigantic, with polished marble counters and floors, glass bowl sinks, and winks of chrome from the faucets and shower. The faint scent of lemongrass hung in the air, reminding her of a fancy spa.

She washed her face and took out her contacts, then changed into pajama shorts and a t-shirt.

After tying her hair up into a messy bun, she climbed into the queen-sized bed and pulled out the iPad Eli had insisted on buying her.

Halfway through the setup, she realized she didn't have Eli's Wi-Fi password. Sighing, she grabbed her phone and fired off a text.

Hey, what's the WIFI password?

Dots appeared on the screen as she waited for him to finish typing.

Eli: Wait a sec...

You don't know it?

Eli: Try and guess you won't get it.

Holly blew a lock of hair out of her face.

I'm not going to guess. Just tell me.

Eli: No, *that's* the password. Try and guess you won't get it. No spaces, tho.

Holly started laughing.

Only you, Donnelley.

Eli: ;-)

No winking! Winking is not professional.

Eli: But professional is so boring. :->

It was boring, but at least it was safe.

What the eff is that face?

Eli: Hell if I know, but I figured it's less likely to get me into trouble. :->

Holly snorted and set her phone down on the nightstand. She typed in the Wi-Fi password, went through the rest of the setup, then popped on her glasses before entering Eli's name into Google.

She didn't have the energy to do any intense work on the feature, but she could surf for a bit.

Most of the articles that came up were purely statistical and dry. Grinning, she added the word "sexy" to her search for fun. A mix of photographs and Tumblr fan fiction stories dominated the results.

Miss peeked her fuzzy face up over the edge of the bed and let out a tiny mew, making Holly laugh.

"Hey, floof. Are you coming up?" She patted the comforter. "I could use a partner in crime for my research."

Miss jumped up on the bed and walked toward her, purring. Holly scratched the calico's ears and smiled. "Come sit next to me, Moo."

The cat sniffed the comforter before plopping down on it, and Holly sighed with relief. Miss was adapting a lot faster than she expected. When she'd first moved into her apartment, the kitty had hidden under her kitchen sink for an entire day.

"What do you think: should I click on some of these stories?" Holly asked. "It's probably a bad idea. Good for a laugh, but..."

Miss blinked at her, her green eyes wide. Holly turned her attention back to the iPad. "Yeah, I don't know, either."

She did a few more searches, bookmarking informational sites with statistics and other hockey information, deciding to bypass the fan fiction and making sure to avoid the groupie accounts.

There was no way she could stomach hearing about other women he'd been with in the past, especially now. She was still emotionally raw from what had gone down between them the other night and totally exhausted from the fire.

Holly glanced around the pretty guest room, then bit down on her lower lip. How in the hell had she ended up here, in his house, of all places?

She turned her head toward the soft sound of his footsteps walking across the hardwood floor outside of her room. His bedroom door made a soft clicking noise as it closed.

Despite lecturing Eli about keeping a professional demeanor while she stayed here, maybe she was the one who needed a stern talking to.

If she wasn't careful, she'd end up on the other side of his door, in his bed.

And she couldn't let that happen.