Best Shot (Madison Howlers Book 2) Read online

  Best Shot

  © 2019 Camellia Tate. All rights reserved.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

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  Chapter One

  Seeing your soulmark for the first time was a huge milestone in a person’s life. The writing appeared differently for everyone, usually at some point between the ages of nine and fourteen. Whether you wanted a soulmate - someone you’d be uniquely compatible with — or not, the name still appeared against your skin. Just a first name, never more than that. Some people saw it as a divine guide to the right person, others viewed it more as a natural curiosity.

  Thea’s feelings about soulmarks had changed a lot over the years. As a little girl, she’d been fascinated, dreaming of the day she would discover the name of the man she was destined to be with. Her parents had insisted that soulmarks were unimportant. That had only made Thea more determined to be loyal to her one true love, even if she had to run away from her family - and her family’s money - to do it.

  When it had truly come down to it, Thea had run away from her family for entirely different reasons. She’d hated how false everything was with them. As far as her parents were concerned, as long as you kept the surface looking bright and shiny, it didn’t matter what might be going on underneath. As a teenager, Thea had been obsessed with ‘being true to herself’. Coincidentally, that had always meant dying her hair or wearing clothes that her mother would disapprove of.

  When she’d moved away for college Thea had really become true to herself, rather than reacting against a very specific set of expectations. She’d dyed her hair back to a more naturally-occurring color, and taken out the eyebrow ring and nose stud.

  These days, Thea considered her friends as closer than her family. With them, she didn’t have to pretend. She and Doe, her best friend of nearly seven years, knew everything about each other. Doe even knew the awful truth, that Thea’s soulmark proclaimed her soulmate to be ‘Frederick’. Thea had never met one that her parents wouldn’t have loved .

  Thea still hoped she might meet him one day, the Frederick who’d suit her rather than her parents. Until then, Thea could have plenty of fun dating Dean and Patrick and Arthur - though not all at the same time.

  Carrying a dress in each hand, Thea walked into the living room of the apartment they shared, where Doe was watching the news.

  “If you were going to meet a load of really fit professional athletes tomorrow night, which would you wear?” she asked. Holding the two dresses up for inspection, Thea tried to keep the corner of her mouth from twitching with amusement.

  The look Doe gave her almost made Thea laugh. Her friend had perfected the ‘are you messing with me?’ look. For all that Doe was often quite shy, Thea knew she wasn’t unable to speak her mind. Doe worked as a construction coordinator - not a job many women ended up in. It meant that she worked around a lot of men day in and day out. It was no wonder her ‘are you messing with me?’ look was so good.

  “ I wouldn’t wear either of those,” Doe answered. “I think you would prefer the black one.” Both of the dresses were short , which was probably the reason Doe wouldn’t pick them. “ Are you meeting a load of fit professional athletes tomorrow night? Why are you? Where? What’s going on?” All the questions made Thea laugh. Especially since each seemed to get more and more high pitched.

  “Oh, just some bar where the Madison Howlers hang out after games,” Thea answered, her tone as casual as she could make it. Thea didn’t much follow sports, but you didn’t live in Madison for four years without learning who the Madison Howlers were. The hockey team was a big deal, especially after they’d made it to the playoffs last season.

  Working in tech support, Thea also worked with a lot of men day in and day out. Her ‘are you messing with me?’ look wasn’t as good as Doe’s, but she did hear a lot about hockey. “Martin’s taking us all out to birthday drinks,” she explained. “I think he’s hoping to accidentally bump into the Howlers and get himself some autographs.” Thea gave Doe a look. “You should come,” she said, putting on innocently wide eyes as if the idea had only just occurred to her.

  “Oh, should I?” Doe asked, obviously not for a moment believing that this was the first time Thea had thought of it. If Doe ever did go out, it was because Thea insisted. She was pretty sure her friend’s preferred way of spending an evening would be to crawl up in bed with yet another book. This was fine , but it did mean that Doe never met new people outside of work. Thea felt it her personal responsibility to make sure Doe went out and had a good time.

  “Yes, you should,” Thea confirmed, using her best no-argument tone. “It’s a Saturday, and neither of us has other plans, so we should spend the day pampering ourselves.” It wasn’t often Thea had a good enough reason for an at-home spa session. She did enjoy it whenever it came around. “Then we should get all dolled up so that we can go out looking gorgeous. It’ll be fun!” Thea wasn’t arrogant, but she did think the short black dress would show off her legs, and she knew Doe could be stunning if she only made a little effort.

  Thea wasn’t, honestly, expecting to go home with a hockey player. Still, a little flirting at the bar wouldn’t hurt anything. “You know you want to,” she said, her voice utterly confident.

  Doe laughed at that. Probably because what Doe actually wanted was to read a book in a bubble bath. Still, Thea knew her friend wouldn’t say no. For all that going out wasn’t Doe’s favorite activity, it wasn’t something she actively hated. Thea would hardly insist they go out if Doe truly didn’t want to.

  “I’m not wearing either of those dresses, though,” Doe informed Thea. She struggled not to grin widely at how that meant that Doe was up for joining her on a night out. Getting up from the couch, Doe walked through to her bedroom. Thea followed her, leaning against the doorframe as she watched Doe opened her closet.

  The other woman pulled out a much more conservative-looking dress, but one that would still at least show off her breasts. “This?” Doe asked turning around, the dress pressed against her.

  Thea pursed her lips, putting on her best thoughtful expression. After only a moment, she beamed warmly. “You’ll look lovely,” she confirmed. “Especially if you wear your hair up.” Having grown up hating being stuffed into frilly dresses, Thea had been surprised how much fun dressing up could be. Actually getting to have a say in what she wore, and where she went, had made all the difference.

  Taking a seat on the edge of Doe’s bed, Thea stretched her legs out in front of her. “Will you let me introduce you to some people?” she asked. Thea had learned how much fun Doe could be, once you got to know her. It always saddened her when other people missed out. Doe’s first impression tended to be quiet and reserved.

  “Yes,” Doe agreed. There used to be a time, Thea knew, when Doe had actively avoided meeting new people. Being friends with Thea had brought her more out of her shell. It pleased Thea, but she also liked the ways in which Doe had made her a better person. Doe’s calmness was often anchoring. She was much more sensible than Thea about a lot of things.

  “But no tequila shots,” Doe said, making Thea laugh. It illustrated her thoughts well.

  “Alright,” she agreed. “No tequila shots. We wouldn’t want to make fools of ourselves. I said I’d help Martin get some autographs.” Presumably, Martin felt that the Madison Howle
rs were less likely to say no to a pretty girl than to a slightly-balding middle-aged man. Thea didn’t mind taking advantage of that, especially if she could talk Doe into coming with her.

  “What do you think they’ll be like?” she asked, curiously. “I met a male ballet dancer once. I think my grandmother was sponsoring him, or something, so he came to some fancy cocktail party. That’s about as close as I’ve ever got to a professional athlete.” Glancing up, Thea chuckled. “I imagine hockey players are quite a bit different.”

  “Yes,” Doe laughed. “I do think they might be different from ballet dancers .” There was amusement in her tone. It pleased Thea to have made Doe laugh. “I don’t know, there was that football player I dated in college? Castian?” Doe reminded her. He hadn’t quite been a professional player, but it probably came close enough to count.

  Thea hadn’t known Castian very well, but he had been nice enough . He’d had Doe’s name on his ribs and had broken up with her when he’d found out that hers read ‘Blake’ rather than ‘Castian’.

  “Anyway, wouldn’t it be more exciting to find out once we’re there?” Doe asked, smiling at Thea.

  “Yes,” Thea agreed, “but that’s ages away. More than a day!” Thea wasn’t actually as impatient as all that, but she was curious. She’d be spending her evening wondering about hockey players. It was hardly a bad way to spend time.

  “It could be worse, I could be insisting we look them all up in advance,” she informed Doe. “I did consider it. If we do, then I’ll say something about where one of them played last season, and it will make us look like stalkers.” This was another way in which Thea and Doe were very different. Doe rarely said things without thinking them through, whereas Thea sometimes did.

  “I think plotting to meet hockey players is already kind of stalkerish,” Doe announced, but Thea could tell that she was amused. It wasn’t like Thea was planning to lie her way into someone’s bed and have a baby to lock them in or anything. She just wanted to have a bit of fun.

  “It’s not as if we’re going to just bump into them at the grocery store,” Thea pointed out. Though, since neither of them followed hockey, it was entirely possible they had run into them there, and just not known it. At least tomorrow night they’d be forewarned, and not accidentally overlook any of Madison’s finest athletes.

  After nearly an hour in the bar, Thea and Doe had yet to see a single hockey player. Martin had done his best to make up for it by telling Thea the names, positions and favored tactics of at least half the lineup.

  “Can I leave you here for five minutes while I go to get us new drinks?” Thea begged. It wasn’t very nice to leave Doe to Martin’s continued explanations. If Thea didn’t get away from them, she would say something she’d regretted. Martin was sweet, really. Thea loved having him as a colleague. Like so many men, he did get carried away with the sound of his own voice.

  Doe waved her away, earning her an enthusiastic kiss on the cheek from Thea before she strode towards the bar. It was getting busy. Thea enjoyed the glances of approval she earned from the men she passed. She also enjoyed ignoring them.

  Scanning the bar, it was obvious she wasn’t going to be first in line for those drinks. If she had to wait, Thea might as well pick who she’d wait with . It didn’t take very long. The guy she made her way towards was half a head taller than anyone else, and his broad shoulders sloped down towards a very nice ass.

  Thea squeezed herself between the man and his nearest neighbor. He was even fitter close up. His neat hair revealed a sharp jawline that Thea could easily imagine nipping with her teeth. “Hi,” she said. “I was promised hockey players, but I guess until they arrive, you’ll do.” She tilted her chin to look up at him, resisting the urge to ask how the weather was up there.

  The guy seemed briefly confused. Thea supposed she couldn’t blame him for that. Her approach was a bit unorthodox. Then he smiled and wow, she felt she’d chosen well. There were actual dimples in his cheeks, making his whole face light up.

  “I’m not sure they announce it when hockey players arrive,” he commented. “Have you got any good chat-up lines planned? Hockey-themed, I mean.” The smile was now borderline a smirk. Thea couldn’t help but find that equally as attractive as she had found the dimpled version. “I know a few if you need help.”

  “I don’t need help ,” Thea objected on principle. In truth, she didn’t have any hockey-themed chat-up lines. She wasn’t sure she knew enough about hockey to create any on the spot. Something about being taught to handle a stick, she supposed, would be the most obvious. “Don’t you think hockey players will have heard all the hockey-themed chat-up lines? Unless they’re very new. I’m not going to chat up the rookie.”

  The guy raised an eyebrow at her curiously at that, but didn’t actually pass comment. Thea didn’t know much about hockey, but she was pretty sure that rookies were teenagers . She had no intention of hitting on a teenager.

  Right now, Thea was more interested in chatting up those dimples. “Do you have any tech support chat-up lines?” she challenged. “That’s what I do.” She smiled, hoping he was smart enough to pick up the implication that he ought to chat her up. “Or are you only interested in hockey players?”

  “I’m not sure I’m interested in hockey players more than I am in people who work in tech support,” Dimples answered. He seemed to actually pause and think about it. Or maybe he was thinking about whether he knew any chat-up lines about tech support. Actually, it was almost definitely the latter. His face honest to God lit up again when he clearly thought of one.

  Turning towards Thea more, Dimples gave her a grin. “You can put a Trojan on my hardware any time?” He offered, obviously waiting for a reaction.

  Much to Thea’s embarrassment, it took her a moment to get it. When she did, her laugh was loud enough to attract a few looks from the people around her. “That is very good,” she praised, reaching out to give Dimples’ arm a little push. It was surprisingly solid, and Thea looked up at him even more appreciatively. “I clearly underestimated you,” she told him, with a warm smile.

  “Did you think of it yourself, or do you just spend a lot of time on Facebook groups dedicated to puns?” Dimples looked like he’d thought it up himself, but maybe he’d just been dredging it up from his memory. “Just this once, I will believe whatever you tell me,” she offered. “I’m not usually that trusting with strangers. You don’t look like you’d lie about something as important as this.”

  “Just this once,” Dimples repeated, before shaking his head. “I think I saw it used on the TV,” he said managing to sound almost apologetic for not having thought of it. While Thea did still think it would’ve been better if he’d come up with it himself, she had to admit that honestly was nice . Most men would have wanted to pretend they were that funny or clever.

  Waving at the bartender, Dimples ordered himself a drink before giving Thea a small nod so she’d let him order her a drink, too. Once the full glasses were in front of them, Dimples gave Thea another smile that had already earned him a nickname. “How are you going to know when there’s hockey players here?”

  “If there’s no announcement?” Thea teased. “I suppose I’ll just have to use my eyes. A big group of professional athletes isn’t exactly going to be difficult to spot.” If it came down to it, Martin would definitely point them out. Thea felt confident she’d spot the team when they arrived.

  Dimples didn’t seem to be in any hurry to rush off with his drink, so Thea angled her body to face him more directly. “Are you a big hockey fan?” she asked. Hopefully, Dimples wouldn’t take this as an opening to tell her all about the Madison Howlers. If he did, Thea thought she’d enjoy listening to him more than she’d enjoyed listening to Martin. Dimples would at least be pretty to look at.

  “Yeah, I think it’s fair to say that I am,” Dimples nodded. “I’m guessing you’re not? Unless you’re more of a minor league supporter, of course.” Thea hadn’t even known there were minor
leagues. As if reading her mind - or at least her expression - Dimples chuckled. “It’s okay, I promise not to tell whoever you decide is a hockey player.”

  Thea flashed him a smile. It was sweet of him not to want to out her lack of expertise in hockey. Unnecessary, but sweet. “You can tell them,” she assured. “I’m not ashamed of not knowing more about hockey. Besides, I’ll make a refreshing change from all the die-hard fans. Maybe one of them will appreciate the chance to talk about something other than hockey.”

  Granted, that wasn’t very likely. Martin didn’t even play, and he would’ve talked Thea’s ear off if she’d let him. “What do you like so much about it?” Thea asked, wondering if there was actually a reason . So many people didn’t think about why they liked the things they did. It was just a case of tradition, or of liking the things that everyone around them liked.

  “The speed, the game, the way it brings fans together. But mostly, I just like playing it,” Dimples answered and then paused dramatically. After a small sip of his drink - and before Thea could speak again - he added, “I think you’re being very generous if you think that hockey players can talk about anything other than hockey.” That was definitely teasing, it was easy to tell from how the dimples in his cheeks emerged once more.

  Thea narrowed her eyes, fixing him with an almost accusing glare. To his credit, he didn’t look away. “You’re one of them, aren’t you?” Thea asked, lifting a hand to poke his shoulder. “You’ve been teasing me this whole time!” Her voice lifted at the end of her sentence. Thea couldn’t pretend that it wasn’t a good joke. “Go on, admit it, you play for the Howlers and I had no idea.”

  “I play for the Howlers and you had no idea,” Dimples repeated obediently before he honest to God winked at Thea. “In my defense, you didn’t ask , you just presumed I’d arrive with an announcement.” Thea could definitely tell he was teasing. She had said she thought she’d spot hockey players without help.