Two Minutes for Hooking

Chapter 7

Blueliner: A defenseman (The Complete Hockey Dictionary)

Jocelyn

The gym was mercifully empty when I got on the treadmill to start my workout. I plugged in my ear buds and selected my running mix and started my morning run to Children of Bodoms' triple corpse hammer blow and lost myself in the music.
I was vaguely aware when the treadmill next to mine started up. I ran for about fifteen more minutes before deciding to move onto the next portion of my workout regiment. I took my ear buds out while the machine slowed for the cool down.
"Good morning. Couldn't sleep?"
I jumped at the sound of his voice. "Mother fucker!" I exclaimed looking around and seeing the tall dark haired man on the treadmill next to me. "James! you scared the shit out of me!" my heart was beating so hard I was pretty sure it was going to beat out of my chest. "What are you doing here?"
James laughed out an apology, "sorry, didn't mean to scare you. I thought you saw me come in. And as to what I'm doing here, this is the gym the team uses."
"No, sorry. I'm not the most observant before I have my morning coffee. And I knew that, I meant what are you doing here so early?"
He was slowing his treadmill now, I was guessing in order to talk to me better.
"Couldn't sleep. You?""Same, why couldn't you sleep?"
James stepped off the treadmill and smiled at me, "couldn't stop thinking about a certain gorgeous right winger I have a date with tonight."
I blushed to my toes and tried to think of an adequate response.
"While that is most certainly true, I also wake up super early on game days. It's a bad habit but I guess I get too keyed up and I can't help it."
"Aren't you tired by game time?" I asked. "I always sleep in as late as I can and then take another nap after morning skate."
"Nah, besides I usually catch a nap in the early afternoon to make up for it. What are you doing now?"
"Probably just going to go grab some coffee, I don't think I'm quite awake enough to finish my normal routine. You?" I asked walking toward the locker rooms with him.
"You wouldn't want to grab some coffee and maybe a little breakfast with me, would you? My treat." He said with a smile.
"You don't have to do that,"
"I want to. I can't turn down the opportunity to take a beautiful woman to breakfast, what kind of man would I be if I did?" he wiggled his eye brows at that statement and I couldn't help but laugh.
"Okay, fine. Let me change really quick and then we can go."