"Finally."

James Neal stepped off the coach bus that he and the rest of the Pittsburgh Penguins had ridden from the Pepsi Center in Denver back to their hotel following their late season win against the Avalanche. February in Colorado proved sunnier than James expected, and warmer than he feared. The lapel of his gray suit coat flapped in the breeze that blew off the Rocky Mountain front, chilling him slightly as he crossed the parking lot into the hotel where they'd be staying that night. He held the coat closed with one hand, the other slinging the strap of his bag over one shoulder.

Once inside, he ran a hand through his hair, fluffing it's dark length more than it already was. He was still riding his high off the comeback win he and the team were able to pull off by the third period, and was looking forward to a night out with some of the other guys. This was on his mind as he crossed the dark marbled floor of the Hyatt Regency entrance, walking in file behind other Pittsburgh Penguin players. Some chatted cheerfully, others remained quiet. Directly behind him were Evgeni Malkin and Pascal Dupuis, both of which were laughing loudly over some topic he'd missed.

Glancing around, James let his gaze wander lazily about the open foyer of the hotel. Dark marble walls led up to large chandeliers dripping in crystals the color of champagne; a row of tall check-in counters where well-dressed attendants stood helping other customers. Opposite the main check-in area was an open seating section full of plush leather couches and love seats. As James continued walking past, he noticed a young woman sitting on one of those couches and he had to do a double-take. Her dark eyes matched the color of her dark hair, which fell over her shoulders and over the ample curve of her breasts hugged by a sapphire-colored sweater. She had flawless olive skin that hinted at Mediterranean descent, but what caught James was her smile. It was one of the most beautiful smiles he had ever seen. When their eyes connected, she gave him the most subtle of waves with her hand.

Did she....did she just wave to me?

The way her eyes seemed to sparkle in the low light of the room was intensely alluring. There was a bit of a wild spark behind them, with just a touch of knowledge in her easy, charming smile.

James couldn't pull his gaze away.

Dumbly, he smiled back...his usual swagger momentarily lost. It was worse than he thought when he almost bumped into the back of Chris Kunitz, who'd stopped ahead of him. "Sorry, man" he said, quickly apologizing. Kunitz gave him a smirk.

James scratched at his hair again, nonchalantly glancing back over his shoulder at the girl. She was still watching him, and of all things, gave him a tiny smirk and a nod when she'd seen him nearly stumble. Fuck, she saw me.

"You alright?" Kunitz asked, punching the elevator button with his thumb.

"Yeah...." James quickly looked away from the girl, hoping he wouldn't make a fool of himself any more. Looking down, he did a quick scan of how he looked. Suit looks good, so I got that going. He ran his fingers over the short beard framing his mouth and jaw, hoping it didn't look too scruffy. Chicks like scruffy, though. Maybe she does, too.

The chimes of the elevator were heard, signaling its arrival. Before the doors slid open, James caught a glimpse of himself in the reflection of the elevator doors. He knew he looked good, he knew everything about him was on point, but he suddenly felt doubtful. Maybe she won't think I'm such a klutz if she knew I played hockey....I should find a way to tell her....or show her.

Not able to help it and not willing to care, James took one more glance at the girl. She was looking away now, chewing at her bottom lip but smiling to herself. It made James want to run over and ask her why she was smiling like that. He wanted to know if it was his doing...and if it wasn't, he wanted to change that.

He stepped inside the elevator as a few of the others packed inside, one of them being Sidney Crosby. He had a smile on his face and a keen look in his dark eyes.

"I saw you looking at her."

James shrugged. "Just another option for later" he lied.

Sid chuckled. "Of course."

The doors slid shut, and James felt his heart beating in his chest. Something told him to go back down to the lobby and talk to her, get her number, do something.....but he didn't want to look that desperate in front of the others.

She probably isn't even staying here, he wondered silently. But what if she is? What if she's from Denver and just waiting on a friend? What if she's in town with her boyfriend? Fuck that...like that's ever stopped me.

The elevator dinged and brought James out of his thoughts once more. As the others filed out of the elevator, James hung back. Something heavy weighed on him, urging him to go back down to the lobby. He pressed the Lobby button on the panel and waited until the rest of the guys had left. Sid was the last to step out of the elevator, but turned and looked back at James as the doors were about to close. "You're not coming?"

"I left something downstairs." He watched his captain smirk at him.

"Sure thing, Nealer."

James shrugged and slipped his hands into his pockets, waiting calmly for the doors to close.

* * *

Allison Diserelli glanced down at her cell phone: 9:45 pm. She sighed and re-crossed her legs, waiting patiently for her friend to arrive so they could head out for the night. Idly, she picked at nonexistent fuzz from her dark jeans, wishing Julie would just hurry up already.

Outside, the lights of downtown Denver were alive and bright; a night full of potential and adventure for her and one of her friends from college. They'd just returned from a long weekend skiing at one of the many resorts outside of the city, and tonight was her final night in town. Bright and early, 6 am early, she would be on a plane and heading back east to Pittsburgh. While Julie had offered to let her stay the night in her condo, Ali didn't want to bother her with such an early flight, so she booked a hotel instead. Even with the end of a great vacation looming, she wasn't about to let it bring her down. She still had one night to go and intended on enjoying it thoroughly.

Glancing through the large window panes of the hotel lobby, Ali watched as two coach buses rolled up to the front entrance. After waiting for fifteen minutes already, this was the most she'd seen happen in that amount of time.

What stepped off that bus, however, took her by complete surprise.

A series of well dressed men started to file out of the buses and through the front doors of the hotel. The soft tap of their dress shoes was the only sound aside from the bad instrumental music playing in the lobby. One by one, as the men entered and their happy voices were heard echoing in the space, Ali began to recognize just who she was watching.

Holy fuck.

She looked on in awe, keeping her face as still and as stone cold as possible.

It's the fucking Pittsburgh Penguins.

There was no mistaking it. As they filed into the lobby, Ali recognized them. Living and working in Pittsburgh for the past five years, it was impossible not to.

Her heartbeat was like a drum inside her ears.

And they're way taller than I ever expected, she thought with surprise. Despite the unexpectedness of the moment, the last thing she wanted to do was be that girl; the one gawking and staring and smiling and drooling.

The irony of the moment was that Ali had seen parts of the game earlier that evening as she was getting ready to go out. She loved hockey, grew up on it, attended games with her father as a child all the way through her graduation from college just a year prior. Now, at one of the most random times ever, she sat watching the team walk past her. Luckily, not a single one seemed to notice her.

Well of course they wouldn't notice you, Allison. Why would they?

Trying her best not to appear star-struck in any way, Ali casually moved her gaze away from those who were already in the lobby to the ones still exiting their bus, trying to look as at-ease as possible. A native Pennsylvanian herself and also a current Pittsburgh resident, this proved to be a much harder task than she was willing to admit.

Her eyes followed a few of the guys off the bus, one of them being James Neal. She could recognize that face anywhere. He was one of the newest Penguins after his trade from Dallas the following season, and yet she knew little else about him. What she did know was that he was fun to watch, and seemed to already be gaining good ground with his new team.

As James entered the lobby, Ali's curiosity got the best of her and she followed him with her eyes. So, so, so much taller than I thought. His tall frame, athletic and strong, was only enhanced by the dark gray suit he wore; a plaid patterned shirt beneath and a matching tie that Ali could see herself using to climb on top of him.

Jesus, get it together Allison.

Just then, James looked her way and Ali's breath was caught in her chest. Two ocean blue eyes, bright even from across the room, focused in on her. In that moment, Ali's blood seemed to thicken and slow. It was like he read her mind or knew what she was thinking in that moment.

Fuck, he caught me.

With their eyes locked for the first time, all Ali could do was smile. She gave James a tiny wave of her hand, hoping to smooth over the fact she'd been flat-out staring. She also hoped he couldn't tell how badly her hand was shaking. In her lap, her cell phone vibrated, but it couldn't keep her from staring now that she held that electric gaze of his. His large eyes, expressive and even a bit shaken, also remained focused on her the entire length of the lobby that he crossed.

He's smiling at me, Ali thought. Holy fuck, James fucking Neal is smiling at me.

She watched until he almost walked right into the back of one of his teammates in front of him, and there was a bit of joking that went on at that moment. James pulled at his suit coat, his blue eyes darting her direction. Ali felt terrible, but she had to laugh. She flashed him a knowing smirk, followed by a little nod of her head. Damn he's cute when he's nervous. She watched him smile subtly in return, though his ego seemed bruised now.

Deciding to cut him a break, Ali glanced off to the left and back out the windows. Somewhere, somehow, a little voice inside told her she'd done the right thing in engaging with him just that small amount. The thought caused her to bite her lip as butterflies fluttered deep within in stomach, her smile unable to be kept a secret any longer.

Little did Ali know, however, that James had glanced back at her in that moment. He saw her looking away and smiling, but only Ali knew that this was the very first time James Neal had made her happy.

In her lap, Ali's cell phone vibrated again and this time she actually felt it. It was Julie calling for the second time, and Ali fumbled to turn on the phone as her shaking hands struggled to hold it still. "Hey! Sorry--"

"--What are you doing!?" Julie said with a laugh. "I'm parked outside, but I'm behind two big buses, so just wanted to let you know I'm here."

"Okay yeah, I'll be right out. See you in a sec."

She ended the call and slipped her phone into her purse. With a final glance back at the elevators, she pushed through the entrance doors and headed out into the chilly Denver night.

* * *

James stepped off the elevator and could tell from there that she'd left. As he came further out into the lobby, this fear was confirmed, as she was no where to be found.

"FUCK you have to be kidding me" he said aloud, grabbing a fist full of his hair. Standing there, he already started to berate himself....until another idea popped into his head.

A quick turn and a few long strides later, he stood at the check-in counter. "Excuse me--"

"--One moment, sir."

The woman behind the counter looked up at him and smiled as she handed two other guests room keys and forms to sign. James tried to wait patiently as one of the guests began to ask the attendant questions about the area, but he began to drum his fingers on the marble counter top. The woman shifted her eyes sideways, but continued helping the guests.

Looking over his shoulder at the sitting area where the girl had been, James wiped around his mouth nervously. Where the fuck could she have gone in the five minutes I was on the elevator? Not even five minutes...TWO minutes.

"Okay, how can I help you?" the woman said, drawing his attention back.

James leaned one elbow on the counter. "I need your help getting someone's room number. It's a, um....." He had to think quickly. "It's a friend of a friend. We're all staying here, and I can't find her telephone number, so I need her room number to talk to her."

The woman smiled at him and placed her fingers on her keyboard. "Okay, what's her name?"

Fuck. "Uh...." James gave her his best smile. "You see, since it's a friend of a friend, I can't remember her name. All I need is the number to her--"

"--I'm sorry, sir" the woman said, cutting in. "I'm not really authorized to provide those details unless I have--"

"--How about this." James shifted from one leg to the other, using his height to power over the middle-aged woman. He kept his smile going, adding a hint of flirt to it. "Don't even worry about the room number. How about just the telephone? From there, I can at least talk to her and then I'll be able to meet up with her and the rest of our group." Somehow, fabricating a story seemed to come easy to James in that moment, and he saw the facial expression of the attendant slowly change. "You know - we're all here for a conference and I'm still getting to know everyone's name and stuff" he added with a forced laugh, hoping his tale would be convincing. He wagged one of his eyebrows and smirked. "Come on, you know you want to help a guy out, riiiight?"

She smiled at him. "Sure, okay."

Fuck yeah James thought proudly, standing attentively. "It should be pretty easy. She was just sitting down here not ten minutes ago, and I need to know where we're all meeting up later--"

"--Oh! The young lady with the dark hair? Sitting over on one of the couches?" The woman nodded towards the seating area. "She just checked in a few hours earlier."

FUCK YES. He was already feeling better and better about his luck. So she IS staying here after all....

"Okaaaay, let's see." The woman's eyes scanned her computer. "Ah yes, Allison Diserelli?"

James snapped his fingers. "That's her!" Allison Diserelli....Allison Diserelli....Allison Diserelli...."

"She's in room 304, and the number to her room is--"

"--Thank you, thank you, thank you, you sweet woman." James yanked out his wallet from his back pocket and fished out a hundred dollar bill. He slid it towards her and smiled, then took off towards the elevators with a bounce in his step. He didn't stick around to see the confused look on the kind woman's face as she picked up the money.

Once inside, James repeated her name the entire ride to the third floor. Allison Diserelli....Allison Diserelli.... He kept repeating it all the way down the right angles and turns of the hallway that lead to Room 304. When he got to the door, he stopped. Something took him by complete surprise just then.

I'm actually nervous, he thought. He wiped his hands on his pants and tried to calm down a little. What the fuck, Neal. You're never nervous around chicks.

He shook his head at himself and laughed softly as he raised his knuckles to the door, rapping lightly against the hard surface. He waited, but heard nothing. He tried again, and still nothing.

Fuck, she probably went out.

He pressed his ear to the door, but heard nothing. With a heavy sigh, he rested his forehead against the door. Already this girl was a challenge, whoever she was.

Allison Diserelli.

He wouldn't forget the name. He also wouldn't give up that easily. Sooner or later, Allison would come back to Room 304, and she would meet James Neal once and for all.

* * *

Ali sat laughing as those sitting at the dueling pianos on stage continued to outplay one another. The entirety of the bar got into the contest, and she even tapped her heels on the floor where she and Julie sat with their drinks. As the crowd got louder, so did the pianos. As the pianos went into a grandiose finish, Ali, Julie, and the rest of the patrons all stood and cheered with a great hoot and holler all around for their great playing.

"I've never been to one of these before!" Ali looked over at Julie as she clapped excitedly. "I wish Pittsburgh had one of these damn places!"

"This place is famous for a reason!" Her friend raised her pint of beer and took a healthy swig. "To an AMAZING weekend."

"To an amazing weekend!" With that, Ali downed the rest of her second, and likely last, beer of the night with a happy sigh. Both her and Julie set their glasses down and wrapped their arms around one another in a slightly tipsy hug, capping off their final night together after an incredibly successful, fun weekend together.

"UGH! Do you have to go?" Julie pleaded with her.

Ali shrugged. "I need my job, Jul, SURELY you understand." She gave her tall friend a wink and laughed. "We definitely have to make this a yearly deal. Not seeing you for the past two years just wasn't right."

"Fuck no, it wasn't - and I won't accept it happening ever again."

"You need to come to Pittsburgh!" Ali slapped her gently on the shoulder.

Julie gasped. "Yes! We'll take turns visiting one another...I haven't been back since we graduated, can you believe that?"

"A lot of us haven't been back, trust me" she replied, rolling her eyes. "I'm basically the only loser who stuck around."

"But you're going to go back to school, right?" Julie's sky blue eyes centered on her sympathetically. "You'll be working for the airport in no time, I really believe it."

At least someone here does, Ali thought glumly. She didn't let this sentiment show, however; disguising it well behind her large smile as she hugged Julie again. "Thanks, hun."

Julie gave a small nod towards the doors. "Guess we should probably get you back, huh?"

She sighed. "Yeah....4 am comes pretty quickly." Glancing down at her watch, she began to laugh loudly. "My God - it's already fucking midnight!"

"Exactly my point!" Julie grabbed her hands and pulled her along. "Let's go so you can at least get some sleep tonight."

And so the girls left and Julie delivered Ali safely back to the hotel where she would spend her last few hours in Colorado before heading back home. Being a little tipsier than Julie made their parting easier on Ali, who knew the second Julie got back into car and sped away - she'd be in tears. It was just the way she was; her friends were everything to her, and any time she got to spend time with them, it was bound to cause her to get sentimental whenever she said goodbye.

Luckily for the both of them, with the plans they made and intended on sticking to, neither truly believe it would be another two years before they saw one another again. So after a very long hug and several promises to call each other the next day - Ali headed back into the hotel, her head hung a little. She listened to the click of her four inch heels as she crossed the marble floor over to the elevators, pressing the button and waiting for the doors to open. All she could think of was how tired she felt suddenly, and how badly she had to take a piss.

Once inside the elevator, Ali leaned back against the mirrored wall and sighed. The weekend was finally catching up to her, or the night was, or her life was...she couldn't tell. The second the elevator doors opened, all she knew was that she needed sleep...badly.

Digging in her purse as she walked to her room, Ali fished around the contents inside to find the key card to her room. She didn't even see James Neal sitting on the floor, his back pressed against the wall, as she turned the corner.

"Finally."

She looked up and took a step back in surprise. "Oh my god, you scared me--" she said with an embarrassed laugh. Only then did she realize who it was that was sitting next to her door. "Oh....oh, um..."

"James." He extended his hand once he stood up, his eyes just as bright as they'd been earlier in the evening.

Ali blinked, her hand still suspended in her purse. "Neal, right?" James' expression faltered just subtly enough that Ali noticed it.

"Yeah? Um...?" Wait, she knows who I am? he thought in udder shock.

"Allison." She extended her hand to his, feeling an instant spark when their skin touched. "Good game tonight." James' eyes softened at that moment, and Ali wondered if she'd ever seen a more unique and beautiful set of eyes before.

"You saw?" He grinned. "Damn. Here I thought I was going to be all smooth and make a slick introduction." This made her giggle, and it made him smile to hear it. "Guess I can't go that route now, eh?"

"I don't know...sitting by someone's hotel room waiting for them to come back seems pretty smooth to me." She smirked playfully at him. "Or did you lose your way somehow?"

James rubbed at the back of his neck and smiled. "Nah, not this time. Actually, I, uh..." My god, she's gorgeous. "...I made a point to come find you." For the first time since he'd gotten this close to her, James allowed his eyes to travel down the length of her incredible body. She appeared athletic, even beneath the thin, figure-hugging sweater she wore. Her jeans complimented her slim figure and the curve of her hips and ass. Her hair was like a dark curtain that tumbled over her shoulders and breasts, shiny and smooth. He wanted to touch it...run his hands through it...pull on it while he repeated her name for a myriad of other reasons. Everything about her spoke of natural beauty, from her lightly-done makeup to the ease of her bright smile, and her eyes that looked at him with that same wild spark they'd had in the lobby as she looked up at him.

Ali had to tell herself to breath, except every time she inhaled, she got another whiff of whatever panty-dropping cologne he was wearing. "So...." She cocked her head and smiled, feeling her nerves lessen a little. "You found me."

"I did." He watched her bite her lip again and he wanted to taste her lips more than he wanted to taste anything before in his life.

Ali glanced down at the floor. "Do youuuu......like what you found?"

In a single move, she lifted her eyes beneath the dark lashes framing them and James almost lost himself. "Yeah" he said, his voice softening. "Yeah I really do."

"I know it's late..." Oh god, Allison, what are you doing.... "But do you want to hang inside for a bit?"

Fuck, what does that mean? James rubbed the hair around his mouth.

Ali made a face. "OH. Oh god, listen to me...you're probably tired as all hell--"

"--Not tired enough to waste a chance to talk to you some more." James' heart was beating fast and hard against his chest. He wondered if Ali could hear it. "Unless you have an early morning? Then I could--"

"--No." Ali whipped out her key card and stuck it in the slot. A little green dot flashed and a chime was heard, and she held open the door. "After you, Nealer."

James had started inside, but stopped. He looked at her, the corner of his mouth curling upwards. "Already feeling brave enough for the nickname?" He gave her a challenging smile despite the fact that every part of him had already fallen in love with this girl.

Ali laughed and waved her hand for him to keep going. "Ohhhh you have a lot to learn about me, I think."

* * *

Two hours later, when the digital clock on the bedside table read 2:20 am, Ali and James had just finished telling one another about their families and talking about their time in Pittsburgh. They'd talked for the entire two hours, without one single sexual thing being done.

And neither of them minded or even thought twice about it.

James was enamored. Ali was well spoken, funny as hell, and incredibly quick to match his humor with her own. He liked that, especially since the past women he'd tangled himself up with couldn't last a solid ten minutes talking or joking around with him. Allison did both with ease that still surprised him. Even as he lay on his stomach on her bed, arms curled under a pillow beneath his chest, James couldn't take his eyes off her. The way she used her hands to talk, the slight Pittsburgh accent that was audible whenever she swore, the way her eyes danced whenever she got really excited: all things James wasn't used to picking up, but was doing so with ease with her. He let her talk for most of the time, mostly because he was too intrigued by her to interrupt.

It did surprise him, however, that they had only talked about hockey for a short time. After that, Ali had asked him all about himself, his life outside the sport....normal stuff. It felt incredibly good. What felt even better was listening to her talk about herself. It gave him more time to fall further into the depth of her dark brown eyes.

"Sooooo that's the story of how I ended up in the lobby tonight when you did" Ali finished happily. She sat cross legged across from James, studying his facial expression as she finished telling him about her weekend in the mountains of Colorado. She raised one of her shapely eyebrows and smirked. "Please tell me that's not the face of someone who's bored as hell."

James shook his head. "Not even close."

"You haven't blinked in twenty minutes. Don't ask me how I know that."

"Stalker."

"You're the one who hasn't blinked" she retaliated smartly.

James matched her look with his own. "So...it doesn't surprise you at all that you have an NHL hockey player just, you know, laying on your bed?" He wanted to know her real answer, because he was surprised by his own. "I'm a little shocked we haven't gone on and on about me and the sport in the past two hours."

Ali shrugged. "To be honest, I don't know much about you." She quickly smiled. "Except that you're new, and you're handsome, and you're fun to watch."

"I'm handsome?" James looked at her proudly. "Thanks."

"That's what you pulled from that?"

"Well, and the fun to watch part too" he added. "I'm going to have to change that first thing you said, though. The part about you not knowing much about me."

The butterflies in Ali's stomach were now fluttering hard and heavy into her throat. She bashfully traced one of her nails along the stripe of the white comforter cover they sat on, trying not to show how nervous that statement made her. It was never lost on her that he likely had come in just to fuck her and she'd made no move to do so...even though everyounce of her body told her she was more than ready to do terribly dirty things to him.

"Guess I should get going" James said sadly.

Ali looked up. "Oh....I'm sorry, I didn't--"

"--Shhh. Relax." He gave her a closed-lipped smile, hoping to calm her. "I'm glad we got to hang out like this."

The way he looked at her then was more than Ali could have ever expected from a professional athlete. Hockey players came with reputations; she wasn't a stranger to that. But James' expression then spoke of nothing but sincerity. Maybe he didn't come in here to get his rocks off after all she wondered.

He stood, all six feet two inches of him, running a hand over his messy hair. His boyish grin told Ali he didn't want to leave, but the bags under his eyes and the way he sighed tiredly upon standing let her know he was beyond exhausted. She never once took for granted that he'd put that need aside to spend time with her.

As they walked to the door together, both of them seemed to drag their feet. Neither wanted to leave the other, no matter what circumstance was pulling them away. Whether it was the heaviness of the night or the drinks she'd had earlier or the weekend of skiing she'd done, Ali felt frantic and emotional as James stepped out of her hotel door. She didn't want him to just leave like that, not after they'd talked and she felt like she knew a little piece of the puzzle that made up the hockey player she'd never expected to meet, let alone share hours of stories with.

James turned and, after what seemed like a small conversation he had with himself inside his mind, he leaned one arm against the open door frame and smiled at her. "I'd like to see you again."

Ali's entire body froze.

"Maybe we could grab dinner or something once we're back in town?" he continued, hope in his voice.

"You.....you want to go out to dinner....with me?" Of all things, she laughed.

This threw James for a loop. "Wait...did I miss something here?"

"Listen - I'm just a normal girl" she said, feeling all her extremities go numb from the excitement and anxiety she felt. "Don't you guys..." She shrugged. "I don't know...go out with models and stuff?"

James busted out laughing. "Is that what you think?" He shook his head and continued laughing. "Are you always this stubborn, Diserelli?"

Diserelli. Ali felt her chest heave happily as her breathing increased. "Yes."

"Good." James pulled out his cell phone. "What's your number?"

He's joking. This is all a joke. A sick joke. Ali's hands were trembling slightly, so she shoved them into the back pockets of her jeans as she recited her number. Her eyes never left his face and the chestnut colored beard that framed his mouth. She began to wonder what it might feel like to feel his lips against hers.

James held out his phone to show her what he wrote. "Just making sure this is right" he said with a lopsided grin.

"Yep. That's my number." Ali bit her lip, then reminded herself to stop doing that. "Call my phone so I have yours."

James hit send and lifted the phone to his ear just as Ali felt her phone vibrating in her front pocket. She reached it out and hit Answer. "Hello?"

"Hi, is this Allison Diserelli?" He smiled at her as he asked the question.

"Yes, is this James Neal?" she asked back, unable to contain her happiness.

"Yes, I was wondering if you'd like to have dinner with me this weekend?"

Oh my god...oh my god...oh my god... "I would love to have dinner with you." She smiled up at him, wondering how she became so lucky. "How does Saturday night sound?"

James lowered his phone and ended the call. He stepped forward and wrapped a single arm around Ali's waist, pulling her close. "Saturday sounds great." He kissed her cheek, surprising even himself at his restraint, and hoped she wouldn't forget him the way he wouldn't be able to ever forget her.

* * *

"Where in the fuck have you been, Nealer?" Matt Niskanen lifted his head up from the pillow, eyes squinting in the low light streaming in through the door as James entered.

"Had some business that needed done." He tossed his room key on the nearby desk, the vision of Allison's face forever imprinted in his mind.

Matt rolled over and rubbed at his eyes. "What time is it anyways?"

"Almost 3." James fell onto the bed, not bothering to take off his dress shirt and pants, although he did finally slip off his tie that he'd loosened earlier in Ali's room. "Might as well just stay up, man."

"We don't have to be downstairs 'til 7."

James stared up at the ceiling. I should've stayed in her room. I should've taken the opportunity when I had it. Why the fuck didn't I cash in on that?

"Dude."

James moved his eyes over to his long-standing roommate. "What."

"Who'd you fuck tonight? And why are you still in those clothes?"

He laughed. "I didn't fuck anyone, Nisky, come on."

"Come on???" Matt's cool laugh rumbled softly. "Just calling it how I see it."

I should've fucked her James thought to himself. Why didn't I? She probably thinks I'm a fucking loser now. Chicks don't just talk to hockey players. They fuck hockey players. Hockey players fuck THEM.

"Uggghhhh....." he rubbed his face as he groaned, wondering if maybe he should try and sleep.

Across the dark room, Matt was still watching him silently. "Was it that bad?" he joked.

"I swear, Nisky - I didn't hook up with anyone tonight." James looked at him seriously. "But I met someone."

Matt made a face. "And you mean to tell me you didn't fuck her."

"Yes."

"Really?"

"What the hell, Matty?" James opened his hands with some grief. "Can't I meet someone and actually get to know them?"

Matt's eyebrows rose, his dark eyes taking on a small sparkle. "And the truth comes out!"

Maybe so, Nisky. Maybe so. James unhooked his belt, pulling at the leather until he felt relief from around his waist. With a flick of the wrist, he tossed it onto his bag across the room and rolled over onto his stomach. "Night, asshole."

Matt laughed. "Goodnight."

As they lay there quietly, James thought about what he'd said to Matt just then. "Can't I meet someone and actually get to know them?" It seemed like a normal statement, but he couldn't blame his teammate for questioning him like he did. It wasn't his style....or pattern, rather. It wasn't the habit he lead since coming to Pittsburgh, and certainly not recently with his point streak and their winning streak as a team. Every night he had more notoriety, more women after him, more choices than ever before....and he wasn't the type to turn any of it down. It was the level of benefits he'd been wondering about since juniors, wondering if maybe he'd ever get to the point he was currently at.

But now...now it all seemed so....trivial.

This girl's already thrown me off my own track and I've only just met her.

That was the profound part. To James - what he wanted to hear from Allison had been things he hoped he'd never hear from other chicks. Just throw some compliments at them, wag his title around in their face, then his dick, and a few hours later they were on their way home. That had been his routine.

And then tonight, he's waiting by some girl's hotel room door waiting for her to come back so he can introduce himself.

It just wasn't what he did.

Ever.

And here I am. He buried his face in the pillow, the scent of Ali's perfume still lingering on his neck from when he hugged her, the sight of her eyes looking up at him like if she looked away for a second, he'd fizzle into thin air.

She probably won't even pick up the phone when I call her Saturday.

He sighed and closed his eyes.

Maybe I'll call her tomorrow and make sure she picks up.

Feeling sleep already consuming him, James made a mental note to call her tomorrow. Or today. Or whatever day it was.

I'll be lucky if I can resist calling her to wake her up he thought.

And then he fell asleep.

* * *

Ali turned around and stared at the bed where they'd been sitting. The pillow James had been hugging sat perfectly still on the bed, the sheets only slightly crumpled from his large body resting there.

This happened, right?

She took a few steps forward and she could still smell him. His cologne. Him.

Cautiously, she picked up the pillow and hugged it to her nose, inhaling slow.

Jesus.

It smelled amazing, and was the only proof Ali that she hadn't dreamt the entire past two hours.

He was here.

In my room.

With ME.

She laughed at herself, right there in the middle of her stupid little hotel room. She ran a hand through her hair, a nervous trait she'd had since she was little...or so her mother told her. Glancing around, Ali tried to look at the room with new eyes - the eyes she didn't have at her beck and call when she'd abruptly asked him inside.

Oh fuck - he probably thinks I'm such a prude. Asking him in and then not doing anything with him.

This made her plop down onto the mattress with a heavy, dejected thump. The pillow was still in her arms, the scent still swirling around her like an elixir.

He was really nice.

Surprisingly nice.

And his laugh was funny. Maybe it was his accent that was funny.

....and then those eyes.

Ali had tried not to stare the way James had been staring at her, but she couldn't help it. Whenever he talked, she found herself lost in a sea of blue. Or were they green? A mix, maybe. She'd have to look at them a little closer next time.

Next time. She rolled her eyes. Like he was serious about calling.

But he had given her the softest kiss, asked for her number, did everything she never expected.

And she still didn't know why.

Why bother with her?

His lips had been unfairly gentle as they pressed against her cheek close to her ear, his nose just barely brushing her hair. For all the restraint she'd had that night, Ali felt herself lose every last drop of it in that moment. She was surprised she had managed to remain standing.

And you still didn't do anything with him her inner voice scolded. Why?

She knew why.

She liked James...or what she knew of James so far. it was an odd feeling that she wasn't used to feeling. He wasn't at all like she pictured a stereotypical hockey player to be....not that she really knew what that would be. She'd never spoken to one in her entire life. Sure, she'd attended hundreds of games at both the Mellon Arena and now the Consol Energy Center in her 24 years, but never did much more than gawk from afar. She wasn't the type to bring a jersey or a t-shirt to a player and beg for an autograph. She never made a sign. She simply watched, mostly with her dad - who was her biggest NHL buddy in her life - and enjoyed the sport and her team.

Which is why I should've fucking done something with him Ali thought, berating herself. He'll never call. He probably just took the number to show his bros on the team so he could say he fucked me.

She lay down on her back, hair splayed out around her on her own pillow as she lifted James' pillow to her nose again.

Damn, he smelled good.

Ali sighed.

He'll never call. That was my one shot...and I spent it asking him questions about what? Life? Pittsburgh?

She rolled onto her stomach and groaned.

Fuck you, Allison. Way to blow it.

Her voice was tired and hopeless as she laughed into the pillow.

Or NOT blow it, rather, she thought, and then groaned.

Over the next few short hours, Ali held onto the pillow and slept next to the scent of the hockey player who'd spent two hours with her, hoping it wasn't the only two hours she'd ever get with him.

* * *

Notes

Well.....might as well end this trilogy with where it all began, eh? :-) Love to you all! Glad to be back.