Need Your Number: Tampa Thunder Series
Need Your Number: Chapter 5

Today’s the day – road trip time! I love road trips! I mean honestly, who doesn’t? The snacks, the playlists… all the vibes are just perfect!

Zane has been amazing this week. He’s really putting effort into the content I have needed. I’m not sure what’s changed but he’s not the asshole I thought he was. I’m hoping this road trip keeps us in a good place. Dare I say he’s actually become a friend? We joke around, and I don’t want to murder him all day anymore. Even my brother has noticed the changes in him. Zane’s lack of partying has taken Luke’s wingman away. Not that I have any right to care if he’s partying, it’s nice to know he’s not.

The entire Tampa U Hockey administration is amazed at the progress I have made. The first home game was sold out and we sold more merchandise that night than all of last season before playoffs. My own personal win is that the concession stands sold out of Airheads across the entire arena. The campus is alive with talk of hockey. This letter of recommendation is as good as mine!

Lucy comes waltzing in my room as I finish packing. “Hey Fi, I hope you have a great time! Maybe try and enjoy yourself a little bit. Zane and you both deserve some time to relax”.

I look at her with a smile. “I am going for work but I will do my best to make sure I take a breath and actually enjoy myself.”

She gets up and walks out, saying, “And Fi – give Zane a chance to show you he’s not this asshole you think he is.”

What does that even mean? I have been giving him a chance. She knows I don’t date athletes. If that’s what she’s hinting at, she’s ridiculous! We are friends. I am giving him the benefit of the doubt that the person he’s been showing me is the real him. I’m going to see the off-the-ice Zane and I’m sure it’s going to be fine. What’s the worst that could happen?

A black lifted Jeep pulls up and I instantly know it has to be Zane because of the two surfboards on the roof. He hops out and grabs my bags, loads them in the back, then opens the door for me.

“Thank you. Are you excited?” I ask.

He climbs in and puts his seatbelt on. “I am! I love surfing and the beach cleanups are important to me. The time off the ice is refreshing.”

I look over to replace a small smile on his face. He looks over quickly and his smile grows, but his eyes are what gets me. Those amber eyes could melt my panties right off if they didn’t belong to a sexy hockey player, of course.

He notices me staring. “You good, Fiona?”

Quickly, I look away. “Yeah, I’m fine. Sorry, what’s the playlist vibe? Let’s get this party started!”

He hands over his phone cord. “Well, Penny always says passengers are the DJ, so here you go. Let’s see what you got.”

Our hands brush when I grab the cord and I swear I can see sparks flying. I focus on picking the perfect playlist, giving myself time to mentally will the aching between my legs away.

An hour into the drive we stop at the gas station and I get a fountain Coke. It’s not McDonald’s but it will do. We both grab some snacks and check out separately. When we get back in the Jeep, I pull out my Airhead and Zane gives me a weird look

“You didn’t have to get me Airheads, I got myself some while we were in there.”

I give him a laugh and say, “Actually, Zane, these and McDonald’s Coke are my comfort foods. That’s one of the reasons I loved your Airheads superstition so much!”

He now is sporting a full ear-to-ear grin. “Who knew we had so much in common? Any other comfort foods you like?”

I think. “I love pierogis, strawberries, and my mom’s chicken and yellow rice.”

With a quick look in my direction he admits to never having pierogis before, which is honestly a crime; they are so yummy and just fill my soul with warmth. Conversation naturally ends and I’m surprised to hear him singing along to songs from all ten albums of Taylor Swift.

“Want to get dinner at the restaurant next to our hotel?” he asks as my stomach growls. “Yeah, that sounds good. I could go for a drink and some food,” I reply.

We pull up to the hotel and he offers to go check us in. The hotel is on the water and absolutely breathtaking with views of the beach. Zane looks stressed out as he walks back out of the hotel lobby.

“What’s wrong?” I ask as he looks at me with stress practically radiating off him.

“Well, apparently there was a pipe that burst and there’s only one room left; it only has one bed. I can sleep on the floor, or we can try and replace another hotel,” he says, obviously worried about how I’m going to react.

“No, it’s fine. The beach clean-up is walking distance from here. We are both adults; I’m sure we can handle sharing a bed for the night.” I’m trying to convince myself more than him, I think.

“Let’s get our stuff upstairs and then head out. I can use that drink right now,” I say with a smile, trying to get him to relax.

The room is amazing; the view is beautiful from our balcony facing the beach.

“I’m so sorry, Fi, I never would have booked us the same room, especially one bed,” he says, looking like someone kicked his puppy.

I touch his forearm. “I wasn’t kidding when I said it’s okay. We will be good. We can be professional. Plus, this view is amazing and I know it will all be fine.”

We both get changed for dinner. Zane is wearing khaki shorts that fit his muscular thighs perfectly and a navy-blue button up short sleeve shirt with a light orange floral print. It accentuates the colors in his eyes more than I care to admit that I noticed. I put on a yellow sundress that shows off my curves, a pair of wedges that help accentuate my legs, and my hair loose down my back.

As we walk over to the restaurant Zane looks at me. “You look stunning tonight, Fiona. Just thought you deserved to hear that.”

I can feel my cheeks reddening. “You don’t clean up too bad yourself. Nice to see you outside of hockey gear,” I say breathlessly, as I try to keep my mind from checking him out again.

Our waitress tries to flirt with Zane multiple times but he doesn’t seem to notice. I get his full attention the entire dinner as we discuss our childhoods, siblings, and favorite hockey players.

“So, Fiona, what’s your career end goal?” he asks, actually caring what I want to do, unlike Justin, who just wanted me to be a trophy wife.

“I actually want to work for the Tampa Thunder. I know that is, like, a huge dream, but it’s what I really want. I want to be the mastermind behind their social media.”

Zane looks up with a chuckle. My face falls, thinking he’s laughing at me.

“No, no, I’m laughing because my end goal is to play for the Tampa Thunder. It’s my dream team. I just thought it was funny we had something else in common.”

We are a few drinks in when Zane asks about Justin. “So it’s not my business, but can I ask what happened with your douchebag ex? I know we play his team next week.”

I take a deep breath, considering telling him it’s not his business, but instead I say, “Justin and I dated for three years. He wanted me to be a trophy wife; I obviously didn’t want that. He wasn’t supportive, and he became emotionally abusive, constantly manipulating and gaslighting me. After graduation I got the internship lined up, broke up with him, and moved the same day. I didn’t want to give him a chance to manipulate me to stay.”

Zane looks at me like I’m the strongest woman he’s ever met. “Fiona, that’s amazing! I’m so proud of you! My parents met and fell in love in college, so I haven’t dated much because I want what they have. But Penny dates and I always worry about her. I’m glad to hear that you were strong enough to leave.”

Hearing that Zane is proud of me and that he wants what his parents have brings tingles to my heart. He’s supportive of my career, he loves his family, he’s hot as hell, the protective vibes he gives off could melt panties… why can’t I just go for it? He’s not Justin. He’s caring, kind, and sure, he can be a grump, but he remembers the little things. If he treats me so great when I’m his friend, I can only imagine what it will be like to date him.

He pulls me from my thoughts as he pays the bill. I thank him for dinner as he places his hand on the small of my back and guides me through the crowded restaurant. I expect his hand to drop once we get outside but it doesn’t. The fire I feel where his hand is is enough to make me want to fan myself. I notice he maneuvers me to the other side of him. When I give him a questioning look, he simply states, “Men walk on the side closest to the road; gentleman rules and all that.” With a smile, we go back to a comfortable silence.

We walk into the hotel lobby and once those bright lights hit me, I realize I’m way more drunk than I thought. I trip as we enter the elevator, but Zane catches me easily. Suddenly I replace myself pressed against his chest with his arms steadying me, and look up at his perfect, kissable lips. Right as I’m about to say fuck it and kiss him, the elevator door pings open to our floor. Saved by the bell, literally.

As we enter the room I give us some space saying, “I’m going to go get ready and dressed for bed. I will be out in a few. Can you set an alarm for whenever we need to hit the beach for surfing?”

I grab my bag and hear Zane behind me. “Yes Fiona, I will set an alarm. We will surf, get breakfast, then head over to the cleanup. See you in a minute.”

As I shut the door, I swear I can hear him breathlessly say, “Fucking elevator.” I smile knowing he felt it too. He felt the sparks like we were one kiss from setting the elevator on fire.

I wash my face and get the makeup off. I don’t have a complicated skin routine, but I don’t want to break out either. I quickly put my hair in a loose braid to keep it from getting knotted. I immediately regret not packing sweats and a T-shirt. I take my bra off and put on my light-yellow shorts that sit low on my hips and hit high on my thigh. My black tank leaves a small sliver of skin exposed and is low cut but fits perfectly. If I knew I would be crawling into bed with Zane, I would have worn something that covered more.

I decide to yell out the door to him, “For the record, when I packed my pajamas, I was going to be sleeping in a room alone. I didn’t pack this expecting to be sharing a bed.”

With that, I finish up in the bathroom. His eyes look hungry as he checks me out. He stares and then quickly heads into the bathroom to shower. I think he’s trying to hide a boner, but I could see it. The outline in his pants makes me feel like I definitely wouldn’t be disappointed in any bedroom activities. I hear the shower start and after a few moments, I can hear the telltale sounds of him grunting as he strokes his cock. Not long after, I hear the moans getting faster. As I squeeze my thighs together, trying to get the ache and wetness to go away, I hear him moan my name as he finishes.

Drunk or not, a man has never cum saying my name. I don’t know if it’s the drinks we had or the elevator tension, but I am soaked between my legs. The only cure for my kind of tension is Zane. I need to get my head clear before he comes out here. With that thought, he comes out of the bathroom in a pair of boxer shorts and nothing else.