“Huh?” She blinks a few times.
“The book,” I say, chuckling. “Do you want me to buy it for you?”
“Oh. No. No, that’s okay. I, uh, I’ve already read it.” Indie’s cheeks flame brightly. She sets the book back down on the table, her attention lingering on it for another moment before she looks up at me and smiles. “Let’s keep looking around.”
We wander through the store, and I chuckle when we stop in front of a wall of sports romances. “It’s still weird to me that people love hockey romances. They know hockey players smell and most of us have missing teeth, right?”
Indie chuckles. “They don’t have missing teeth in books. And they smell like man and good things. It’s a fantasy.”
“Obviously.” I pick up a colorful book with a guy in his uniform and skates with an arm around a woman. “She’d be gagging from the stench in real life.”
“Gross.” Indie covers her mouth and giggles.
I shrug. “It’s true.”
“Ohmygod.”
Indie and I both turn when an excited feminine voice squeals from a few feet away. Turning, I find two young women staring at me with wide eyes. The one who squealed has her hands clasped under her chin, her glossy black hair bouncing as shegoes up on the balls of her feet. Glancing at Indie, I find her trying to stifle her laughter.
“You’re on the Rogues, aren’t you? The goalie?” the dark-haired girl asks. She grabs her friend’s arm, and the other woman looks embarrassed but doesn’t shush her friend.
Clearing my throat, I put on myI’ve been recognizedsmile and nod. “I am. Nice to meet you.”
“Sebastian Navarro, right? God, you’re so hot.”
Indie chokes, then sputters out a laugh.
“Gretchen,” the girl’s friend hisses. “Oh my god, stop.”
“Shit. I didn’t mean to say that,” the first woman—Gretchen—says as her face flames scarlet. “I’m sorry, I’m just such a huge fan.”
“Thanks,” I say, grabbing Indie’s hand and linking our fingers when she starts to back away. “Nice to meet you.”
The two women track the movement of my hand, looking at Indie for the first time. The dark-haired woman blushes again. “I’m so sorry. I’m interrupting your date. I just… Is there any way we could take a quick photo? My friends will flip.”
I chuckle, glancing at Indie to gauge her reaction. She looks mildly uncomfortable, but it doesn’t seem like the women have recognized her, so she shrugs, her lips twitching. Looking back at the two women, I nod. “Yeah, we can do that. My girl can take the photo if you want.” I turn to Indie. “You good with that, sweetheart?”
Fuck, the pretty flush of her cheeks is everything, and I tell my body to chill because the last thing I need is to pop a boner in front of fans.
“Yeah, of course.”
“Ohmygod, thank you so much,” the first woman says. She unlocks her phone and hands it to Indie before she and her friend stand on either side of me. They wrap their arms around my back, but I’m careful not to actually touch them. I lift myarms but keep my hands a few inches away from their backs as Indie snaps a few photos, then hands the phone back to the fan. She has one of the books we were looking at tucked under her arm.
“We were just looking at those books. You have good taste.” I smile at the women as I retake Indie’s hand.
“You were? Ugh, we love her. Violet is amazing. Well, thank you again. Good luck at the next game!”
“Thanks,” I say, waving as the two women stumble away, whispering and giggling to each other. Indie watches them, amusement making her eyes glitter, as I pull her against my side. “Sorry, Rosebud. That doesn’t happen often.”
I don’t want her to think I get recognized wherever I go. It’s actually one perk of playing hockey. We aren’t nearly as famous or recognizable as players of some of the other big sports. Especially me, since I’m usually wearing a massive helmet that covers my hair and most of my face. I know how Indie gets about being recognized.
But she doesn’t seem put out. She watches the women as they wander, and there’s a thoughtfulness to her expression, but I don’t get the feeling that she’s uncomfortable.
Maybe this really could work. She fits so seamlessly into my life, I just need to convince her I can fit seamlessly into hers.
twenty-seven
INDIGO