Right Man, Right Time (The Vancouver Agitators, #3)(47)

“Of course.” I smile at her because I’m not going to make a big deal out of being around Sarah—that would just mean I’m intimidated by her. And even though I am, I’m not going to show it.

When I imagined Silas’s ex-girlfriend, I assumed she’d be this average girl who maybe broke his young high school heart. I had no idea she’d be as stunning as she is or sophisticated with one of the most sultry voices I’ve ever heard. I truly felt like a tenth grader trying to gain her crush’s attention while standing next to him.

“You’re so much stronger than I am,” Winnie says. “I’d have a coronary if Pacey’s ex-girlfriend was near us.”

I just shrug. “He’s not with her. He’s with me. That’s all I need to know.”

“You know, I might have a girl crush on you.”

That makes me chuckle as I take the last bite of my meatball.

“So now that they’re out of the way, I want to get to know you more. What do you do?”

“Well, I’m actually still in college.”

“What?” Winnie asks, her eyes widening. “You’re in college?”

“Going into my last year. I’m majoring in journalism. I have an internship with Alan Roberts.”

“Impressive. I know exactly who that is. Wow. I thought you were young, but I didn’t know you were that young. Does Silas visit you on campus?”

“Only at my dorm,” I say.

“Why do I find that so hot?” Winnie asks. “Just the thought of dating an older man and having him visit you on campus is like something you’d read about but never see in real life.”

“You should see him when he comes over. He’s all covered up so he’s not recognized.”

She chuckles. “Now that I can see. Are you from around here?”

“Oregon, actually. I knew I wanted to be in journalism, and Roberts was the best in the Pacific Northwest, so I applied to college up here. Luckily, I got in and worked my ass off to earn that internship. It was actually just extended.”

“That’s fantastic,” Winnie says. “Congratulations.”

“Thank you.”

“Are you ready for the season to start?”

“I am,” I say. “I honestly don’t know much about hockey. I didn’t even know who Silas was when I first met him. So I don’t know what to expect.”

“I have one year under my belt. The key to making it through the season is lots of communication. And trust of course. Pacey and I like to keep things interesting. We have dates every night when he’s away, and we tend to get . . . frisky over the phone.”

I smile. “I love that. Do you get each other off?”

Winnie perks up as if this is the first time she’s been able to talk about this. “Yes, every time. I like to surprise him with different lingerie.”

“Do you strip for him?”

“Yes. But he honestly just likes it when I play with myself. I just prop up the camera and listen to him tell me what to do.”

“That’s so hot,” I say, feeling jealous. “The guy I was with before Silas never wanted to try anything beyond missionary. And even at that, we didn’t have much sex.”

“Travesty.” Winnie leans in. “Believe me when I say these hockey men are insatiable. Especially after a win, all they want to do is fuck, and fuck hard.” My mouth waters at the thought.

Too bad we have the no whorehouse pact.

Dammit, I didn’t think this through.

Just then, the guys come back, and instead of taking a seat, Silas says, “Are you good to go?”

“Sure,” I say, sensing how off he is.

He holds his hand out to me, and I take it. “We’ll catch you guys later.”

I offer Winnie a smile and a wave and allow Silas to guide me out of the room and to the elevator, where we wait. When it dings, a few players come off, including Posey. They do a quick fist-bump, and then we’re on the elevator, headed down.

The entire time, Silas stays silent. I wish for the life of me I knew what he’s thinking because I know a lot is swirling through his head. I also want to know what Pacey said to him, but that’s none of my business and not something I’m going to pry into.

After we get off the elevator, we head down the hallway and out the door to the parking lot full of some of the most expensive cars I’ve ever seen. Row after row.

When we reach Silas’s car, he moves to the passenger side and opens the door for me. I take a seat, and he shuts the door before moving around to his side. His silence is deafening right now. I have no idea how to handle this or what to ask him to see if he’s okay. I’m not sure he even wants to talk at this point, so when he gets in the car, I don’t say anything.

I just let him drive.

And that’s what he does.

We drive in silence to my dorm, and the entire time, I replay the night. I think about how he so carefully helped me skate, how he was attentive and sweet when I was nervous and scared, but all of that vanished the moment he saw Sarah. And after that, it was almost as if I didn’t exist or I was just an accessory to his night.

And maybe I was.

I shouldn’t be offended by that. It’s a job after all. This is what I signed up for.

When we reach my dorm parking lot, he parks instead of pulling to the front and then gets out of the car. I wait for him to open my door, assuming he wants to talk, but when he just helps me out and walks me up to my dorm, I’m more confused than ever.