Lucky Bounce: Game On, Part 2 by Jennifer Lazaris

5

Holly tapped her fingers on the island counter impatiently as she waited for Eli to arrive back at the penthouse. He was an hour late for their early dinner meeting. Her stomach growled, and she swore under her breath before firing off an angry text.

I'm starving, Donnelley. If you aren't coming home, just say so.

She hopped down from the stool and strode angrily toward the fridge, yanking open the door to peer inside. It was filled with healthy fruits, eggs, and various cuts of meat.

Dammit, she could have made dinner instead of waiting for his overly late ass.

A key turning in the lock alerted her to Eli's arrival, and she bit down on her tongue to keep herself from lashing out. She wasn't just hungry, she was hangry.

And a hangry Holly was an evil Holly.

Eli closed the door behind him and flashed her a sheepish grin. "Heyyyyy. Sorry, Wilkes. But look! I brought Chinese food." He held up three large bags. "We can eat here."

Holly took the bags from him, pausing to take in his disheveled appearance. His hair stood on end, his eyes were red and glassy, and his clothes were a wrinkled mess.

"Jeez-a-loo, did you roll out of a dirty laundry hamper?" She frowned, leaning in close enough to sniff him. "Eli, are you drunk?"

He held his index finger and thumb together, then laughed as he followed her into the kitchen. "Uh, a little bit, yeah."

Holly set the bags down and crossed her arms. "Please tell me you didn't drive home like this."

His cheeks colored as he tossed his keys on the counter. "Of course not. I took an Uber. Left my car in the parking lot of... uh. Damn. Shit. I dunno. Somewhere."

"Wonderful. But drunk in the late afternoon? That's not like you.”

"I got drunk in the afternoon before I came up to your hotel room to apologize the other night," he pointed out. "After our fight."

"Yeah, but that's not a regular thing for you."

Eli shrugged. "I'm going to take a shower. Feel free to start eating without me."

He swayed on his feet, and she grabbed his arm. "You can't shower like this," she argued. "You'll crack open your skull."

"I'm fine."

"No, you're not. You're wasted." Holly glanced back at the food, then took his hand. "Come on."

Eli took a few steps then staggered, and she caught him around the waist. "How the hell did you make it upstairs without help?"

"Dunno. Wilkes, you know if I fall, we're both going down, right? What are you, five feet tall? A hundred pounds? I'll crush you."

Holly glared at him. "I'm five-foot-four, and never mind what I weigh. Anyway, you won't be the first guy I've drunk-walked somewhere."

She kept him steady as they walked down the hall, then led him into his bathroom.

"Holy shit. This bathroom is huge. I thought the one in my room was big, but this..."

"I know,” he said, amused. “I live here."

The whole room gleamed with shiny fixtures, white marble sinks, and black and white tile. An oversized soaker tub sat in one corner, and across from it stood a gigantic glass shower stall with an electric panel on the wall.

"How many people can fit in that shower?"

"Holly, come on.”

“I’m curious. How many?"

Eli sighed. “Okay, before I realized I only wanted you, I had two people in there, tops. No wait, three."

When he'd told her the other night that he only wanted her, it had been both a dream and a nightmare. She'd wanted him for years, but seeing him go off with other women night after night had hurt her more than she'd realized.

Instead of getting melancholy about how much fun he'd had in his shower, she asked, "Three? Were they women? Or was there a guy involved?"

"Just women."

"Really? That's a shame." She made a face. "I thought maybe you and Shaw might have had a girl in here, and then..."

Eli's mouth dropped open. "You thought Shaw and I had a threesome with someone? No. He's my best friend, Wilkes. And my teammate."

"So? It's kinda hot. You guys are always together, so I just figured it was a possibility."

"Neither of us are into dudes. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but we aren't bisexual." He groaned. "At least I'm not. I don't think Shaw is, though. Oh, fuck. I'm way too drunk for this conversation."

She hid a smile. "And I'm too sober."

Holly helped him over to a black chair in the corner of the bathroom next to the linen closet. "Sit. And don't move."

"Whatever you say, beautiful."

She rolled her eyes. "Don't start. We have boundaries in place."

Holly turned on the tap of the soaker tub and put in a tiny amount of bubble bath from a nearby bottle. Running her hand beneath the faucet to test the water, she adjusted the temperature with the knobs.

"Do you like a hot bath?"

"I like everything hot," he replied.

He had both hands laced behind his head and was grinning from ear to ear. Damn, he was totally sauced.

"All right, stand up," she ordered.

He struggled to get to his feet, swaying again, and she grabbed his arm.

"Steady, now. Eli, how much did you have to drink?" Despite the grin on his face, he didn't look well at all.

"Enough."

"Care to tell me why?"

His eyes darkened, and he looked away. "No."

"But I thought you were supposed to be chatty at night?"

"Yeah, well, not tonight."

Holly sighed. "Fine. If you aren't going to tell me why, then strip."

"Now you're talking. Are you gonna soak in the tub with me?" He cocked an eyebrow and leaned against the wall as he tugged his t-shirt over his head.

"Don't you wish."

“Fuck yeah, I do. Having sex with you in that hotel shower was one of the highlights of my life, kitten. No joke."

Heat crept into her cheeks at the memory. It was one of the highlights of hers, too.

Hunching over, Eli attempted to unbutton his shorts but fumbled as he pulled at the fabric.

"Good grief. Hold still while I help you."

He leaned in close, his soft lips brushing against her ear. "Hard to be professional when you're taking off my pants, Wilkes. Very hard, if you get my drift."

"Will you please stop talking?"

Damn him and his honeyed baritone. Holly quickly unsnapped the button, refusing to let her mind wander into the gutter. "Can you manage the zipper yourself?"

"Maybe, but you can help me with it if you want."

"Pass." She stepped away and tilted her head toward the bath. "Hurry up and get your ass into the tub. My food is getting cold."

Eli held her gaze as he leaned back against the wall again and unzipped his shorts, then dropped them to the floor.

Despite her best intentions to not peek, she hadn't expected him to be completely commando.

She swallowed, her throat clicking audibly at the sight of him.

Sweet cheese and crackers.

He grinned and opened his mouth to speak, but she cut him off at the pass.

"Donnelley, if you ask me if I see anything I like, I swear I will throw you into that tub," she growled. "One of us has to remain professional. And since you're two sheets to the wind, that's me."

Eli made a tsk noise. "So violent."

He pushed away from the wall again, and his face went deathly pale.

She grabbed him around the waist and ushered him over to the tub. "Steady, okay? Walk slowly."

"I'm fine."

Eli climbed into the bathtub, giving her an eyeful of his bare ass. His backside was as nice as the front, and he had great thighs, too. Thick, powerful, and tan.

She forced her gaze toward the ceiling and counted backwards from ten. Why did he have to be so sexy? Even drunk, he was still the sexiest man she'd ever laid eyes on.

Or laid, period.

Eli groaned as he sank down into the hot water. “Fuck. This feels so good."

Once his body was sufficiently covered by bubbles, she relaxed. "I'm going to go get the food. Don't drown, okay?"

"'K."

He closed his eyes as she hurried from the room. After taking a quick detour to feed Miss, she went to the kitchen and grabbed silverware, the food bags, and two bottles of water.

His gaze landed on the bags when she entered the bathroom. She unpacked all of the cartons and set them along the edge of the tub. "I doubt you want to eat, but I brought you some water."

"No, I can eat. I never get puking sick, and food helps soak up the alcohol."

She gave him a dubious look and handed him a carton of plain sticky rice. "Maybe start with this for now."

He peered into a box of General Tso's chicken. "Maybe one of these, too."

Holly sat down next to the tub on the fluffy rug and dug into the Kung Pao chicken and fried rice.

"I'll ask you again: why did you try and drown your problems in alcohol today?"

He set the container of rice down on the edge of the tub and ran his hands down over his face. "Because."

"Have you told anyone why?"

"Nope."

Holly stilled at the serious tone of his voice. "Why?"

"Because I don't want pity. I don't want people looking at me differently because of it."

"Why would they?"

He sighed before glancing over at her. "I'm the one the guys rely on in the locker room to keep things light, okay? Ryder's job is to fire us all up. But as far as keeping things loose? That's my job, and I take it seriously. If the team finds out about all my baggage, it could fuck everything up. They'll start acting weird and shit. I will not jeopardize the room for the sake of my own comfort. Not now, not ever."

"That's admirable, but I'm not sure it's helpful to you." Holly studied him. "You know, you are chatty at night."

The corner of his mouth lifted in a half smile. "Maybe a little."

"Look, maybe you have to start by telling one person." She set down her container on the edge of the tub. "You know I'd never use something in the feature that you haven't approved. And I have never betrayed the team or used what goes on in private for the blog."

"I know, but that's not the reason I'm not talking to you about it."

She opened her mouth to reply but changed her mind. He obviously wasn't ready.

"Okay," she said, nodding. "Got it."

His brows shot up. "That's it? You're done? Questions over?"

Holly shrugged. "I'm not going to badger you. If you wanted to talk, you'd talk."

He took a bite of his chicken and stared at her, a thoughtful expression on his face. "You're not like other women, Wilkes."

"Of course I am. I just know when to back off."

Eli leaned his head back against the edge of the tub and closed his eyes. "Yeah, you do. Thanks for understanding."

She saw an opportunity to get him to open up and decided to take it.

"I stopped badgering men when my ex from a few years ago, Jonah, slapped me upside the head for not letting things go during one of our arguments."

Eli's eyes flew open, and he sat up so fast that he splashed water over the edge of the tub. "What the fuck?" he sputtered. "He hit you?"

"Yep. That's why he's an ex."

"Jesus Christ." Eli looked more sober than he had in the past half hour. “Fuck, Wilkes."

"When it happened again, I broke it off. Told him if he ever contacted me again, I'd call the cops."

"You should have called them after the first time," he said darkly, his brown eyes narrowing.

"You're right, but I was scared." Holly blew out a breath. "I hate even admitting that, because it makes me feel weak, and I'm not weak. The whole situation scared me. He scared me. He was bigger and stronger than me. But the second time, he backhanded me—hard—and I got pissed and freaked out. I screamed at him." She hesitated, then took a sip of her water.

"To be honest, I shouldn't have done that. It could have backfired in a very dangerous way. But we were at a party, and I counted on him not being stupid enough to get even more violent with a hundred people right outside the door."

"I want to find this guy and beat the shit out of him," Eli muttered. "Mother fucking piece of shit asshole."

"Look at you being all chivalrous," she teased. "It's okay, Prince Charming. I handled it. It's ancient history."

"A man should never, ever lay hands on a woman. Ever. I'm so sorry that happened to you, Holly."

"Thanks. You know, I've never told anyone about Jonah. Not even Penn. She'd have been a worried mess."

"With good reason." He sighed. "West got lucky. Penn's a total sweetheart."

"She's the absolute sweetest. If West ever hurts her, I'll shoot a puck right up his ass."

Eli snorted with laughter. "You're brutal."

She slurped up a noodle. "I know, but I can't help but worry sometimes. He was such a player. And she's madly in love with him. I don't know what she'd do if he broke her heart. It scares me."

Eli shook his head. "No, Holly. You don't have to worry. West would die for Penn. He'd take a bullet for her."

She sighed. "You're probably right, but it’s always in the back of my mind."

"Of course it is. You don't trust men. But more importantly, you don't trust me. Let's face it—I was a player just like West. I make him look like a fucking choir boy. I've been with more women than I'd ever care to count, but none of that matters now because I only want you. Yet you don't believe it."

She stared at him. "Do you blame me? What would you think if you were me?"

"I don't know," he admitted. "But you should believe me because it's the truth."

Holly looked away, then shoved a piece of chicken into her mouth.

"Don't want to talk, huh?" He smiled and cocked an eyebrow. "I know how that feels."

"I guess."

He fell silent for a few beats as he closed his eyes, but the next words out of his mouth shocked her to the core.

"You know my mom has Alzheimer's. Thanks to a lot of clinical trials and the best care money can buy, we've been able to slow down the progression the past few years. But not anymore. I'm used to her not recognizing me sometimes, but this was the first time that she was afraid of me. The look of terror on her face today when she saw me? It broke my fucking heart. She screamed, begging me to get away from her. I couldn't handle it."

"Eli, that's awful. I'm so sorry."

"Me, too."

"I'd say that's a good reason to get drunk in the early afternoon. A great fucking reason, in fact."

Eli turned toward her and opened his eyes, and she saw the depth of his pain. Her heart ached for him. He looked... lost.

"I thought so."

"This is a lot to handle by yourself."

He shrugged.

"You need to talk to someone about this. It's not something you can deal with on your own."

"I am. I'm talking to you."

She tapped the edge of the tub with her finger. "I meant a professional."

"It's not my style."

"Yeah, I guess not."

They sat in silence while Holly finished off her box of noodles.

"This food is delicious," she told him. "Best Chinese meal I've had in a long time. You know your takeout."

"It's my go-to place. I probably shouldn't be eating this kind of food right now, but then again, I shouldn't have gotten fucked up, either. So I guess it doesn't matter."

"Tomorrow's a new day," she said firmly. "You have practice tomorrow, right?"

"Yeah. We have to roll in at ten and watch some tape, too." He rubbed his eyes. "Fuck, I'm exhausted. This is ridiculous."

"You should go to bed. You could use the sleep." She handed him a fluffy towel from the nearby basket. "Are you sober enough to handle things yourself from here on out?"

"Yeah. The food helped."

"Okay. I'll clean up the leftovers and put them away."

He flicked a button to drain the tub, then stood and knotted the towel around his waist while she grabbed the empty boxes.

"Holly?"

She glanced over her shoulder. "Yeah?"

"Thanks. You know, for listening. For all of this."

He looked embarrassed and vulnerable standing next to the tub, dripping wet. He probably needed a hug, and she wanted nothing more than to comfort him.

But they'd already crossed enough lines tonight.

"Sure. Get some sleep, okay? I'll see you in the morning."

"Okay. Goodnight."

"'Night."

She went to the kitchen to throw away the boxes, then headed to her room. Miss was stretched out on the bed, snoozing. She let out a gigantic yawn when Holly stepped into the room.

"Wow, what a ferocious feline," Holly teased, flopping down next to her. "Think you'll be ready to explore the rest of this place in a few days?"

Miss rolled over onto her back and purred, waiting for belly rubs.

"I'll take that as a yes." She smiled at the chubby cat and ran a hand down over her soft fur.

Holly’s thoughts drifted to Eli and what he was going through with his mom. How was he dealing with all of this while trying to win the Cup? She couldn't imagine how stressed out he must be over everything. No wonder he'd gotten wasted.

She bent to kiss Miss's little head. "Looks like we're in early for the night, Moo. What do you say? Should we catch up on some Dynasty? I need to see what Fallon's been up to lately."

Miss let out a tiny meow, and Holly laughed. "I'll take that as a yes, too."