A Hockey Player's Guide To Deception

Chapter Thirteen

Kayla stared at her reflection in the mirror, dragging the towel slowly through her curls. Dark circles lingered under her eyes, an outward sign of her exhaustion. She sighed, her gaze falling to her chest. Beneath the oversized shirt and baggy pants, she appeared almost genderless-neither particularly feminine nor convincingly masculine. With another deep breath, she twisted the doorknob and swung the door open, only to freeze in place.

Her breath caught, eyes widening as her lips parted in silent shock. Male nudity was still something she was trying to adjust still, she just had to force herself to deal with it. She couldn't afford to blush tomato red or giggle like a schoolgirl every time she saw a broad-shouldered, six-pack stud. Instead, she had trained herself to avoid looking at certain... parts, focusing elsewhere to preserve her sanity and her secret. She was sure the other guys on the team wouldn't appreciate a fellow teammate gawking at them every time they took off their shirts.

She looked down at her own soft flesh, then back up the hard chiseled contours of Louis's back, her face flushing even more at the obvious contrast. It was a wonder no one had caught on to her secret yet. Just as she tried to tear her gaze away, Louis turned his head sharply, catching her completely off guard. His brow arched perfectly as he locked eyes with her, clearly aware she'd been staring.

Her stomach flipped, heat spreading from her ears down to her neck. Her gaze dropped instantly to the floor, her thoughts scrambling. What was wrong with her? She'd been surrounded by guys with six-packs every day for weeks now, this shouldn't feel any different. Yet, her reaction was beyond confusing-and it annoyed her. She wasn't typically the type to be attracted to anyone, let alone an like Louis. She had gone her whole life without a single relationship, never drawn to anyone in that way. This was unfamiliar territory, and of all people, Louis was the last person she wanted to be gawking at. Frustration rose inside her, both at her own reaction and at the awkwardness of the moment. Kayla swallowed hard, forcing herself to stay composed, but her thoughts betrayed her. Why him? Why now? She inwardly cursed herself, hoping he wouldn't read too much into it.

He shook his head, his hair falling over his face "I'm sleeping on the right side, don't cross over."

"Trust me, you don't have to worry about me crossing over," Kayla blurted without thinking. Louis' eyes narrowed into thin slits, studying her.

"Then we shouldn't have a problem at all," he said, his voice low as he sighed and went back to sorting his things. He folded his clothes neatly, placing them in a pile, his calm demeanor only making her feel more flustered.

She watched him for a moment before awkwardly asking, "You're not sleeping in just that, right?"

Louis glanced down at his underwear, then back at her with an almost lazy shrug. "Do you want me to take it off?" A smirk tugged at the corner of his lips, and Kayla swore her stomach dropped to the floor.

She opened her mouth to respond, but only managed to stammer out a string of incoherent gibberish. Her mind blanked, struggling to find any words that didn't make her sound ridiculous.

"You're crazy," she finally managed, her voice shaky.

"Man, you're easy to mess with. Lighten up, would you?" Louis' smirk broke into soft laughter, the sound completely unlike the usual arrogant derisive chuckles she had grown used to. This laugh was genuine, and for a moment, he looked almost childlike, the hardness of his features melting away. Kayla's heart skipped, caught off guard by the sudden shift. She was so used to his teasing and sharp wit that seeing him like this, relaxed and amused, left her speechless. She almost didn't know what to do with herself.

"Of course I'm sleeping in this," Louis continued, completely unfazed.

"Absolutely NOT!" Kayla blurted out; her voice louder than she intended. His eyes flicked down, tracing over her oversized shirt and baggy pants, then snapped back up to meet hers.