He looked over at her and then back to the television, indecision etched across his features. “People often think because of the way I live my life, I don’t care about anything.” He looked back at her. “And they’re probably right about some of it, but there are some things that mean a lot to me.”
She smiled, glancing back at the tattoos. “Like your mom and your friendship with Austin.”
“Yes, those are a couple things.”
“Don’t get me wrong,” she said, chuckling, “but I don’t think you have to permanently tag yourself for people to notice the full on bromance you have with Austin. Trust me, the world knows.”
She couldn’t help but notice the intensity that rolled off him in waves before he shrugged and looked away. “Yeah, well, you asked.”
“I did, and thank you for being honest.”
He nodded, and again it fell silent. His eyes narrowed slightly, as if he were concentrating hard on whatever thoughts he was processing. “What’s wrong?”
“You didn’t ask the obvious question,” he stated matter-of-factly.
“About what?”
“The script.” He gestured toward the string of foreign words along his arm. “Aren’t you going to ask me what it translates to?”
This time it was her turn to shrug and appear disinterested. “I figured if you wanted everyone to know, you would have written it in English.”
“True,” he said, nodding, “but as I’ve pointed out on varying occasions—you are not everyone.”
She peered over at him in awe, trying to decipher his intentions. He could be lying. Just another strategy in his playbook. There was something about the tone he’d used, though, a sincerity that wasn’t usually there. She decided to risk it. “Okay,” she said cautiously. “What does it say in English?”
He started at the top of his arm, tracing the words downward as he spoke.
“My love is not fleeting, not a simple stirring in the soul, but rather a tidal wave, consuming only those who dare step in my path.”
Her brow rose in interest now. “Your mother said that?”
Again, he nodded. “The last time being the moment right before she put Drew and me on a plane to the U.S. It was the last time I saw her.”
The conversation hadn’t gone at all how she suspected. This was meaningful. This was real. Henrik offered her an opportunity, all right, but it wasn’t to his bed. “Drew doesn’t talk about her much,” she said evenly, testing the waters. “Actually, he avoids the topic entirely.”
“He is still a little bitter, and angry about the entire situation. I can’t blame him. He was younger than me. It was hard for him to understand what was going on.” He paused for a moment, and she knew he was deciding whether or not he wanted to continue. He looked at the floor, his features pale when he finally continued. “My mom was sick. She was very secretive about it. I still don’t know exactly what was wrong, just that she went to the doctor a lot, and eventually it got so bad that she lost her job. Seeing as how my no-account father had abandoned us years before, that meant we lost our house. We stayed in this crappy apartment above a grocery store that let her work part-time when she felt up to it, but it wasn’t enough.”
He took a deep breath, and she suspected, like Drew, this wasn’t a topic he spoke about often. “Eventually, I took it upon myself to quit hockey after school, and I got a job just so we could have food on the table. That’s when she bought the plane tickets.”
Her heart ached. It made sense now why Drew never wanted to talk about his life in Sweden. “Did she talk to you about it?”
“No.” His tone was stern now, tense. “I tried, God knows I did, but she continued to insist it was only for a visit. Just for the summer while school was out. Our uncle was a hockey coach, and he wanted us to come to a camp he was running.”
He looked back at her then, an expression she’d never witnessed before capturing his vibrant eyes, turning them a glossy ocean blue. “She sold our car to buy those tickets. I knew we weren’t coming back. Drew, on the other hand, he still had hope. She eventually stopped answering his calls, because he constantly wanted to go home. She told him he needed to stay here, to play hockey—have fun. It only made it worse.”
“That’s why Drew quit, isn’t it?” she asserted, trying to piece together the little information she already knew into the story.
“I think he thought if he quit hockey, then she’d let him come home.”
“When did you lose her?”
Henrik swallowed, a lump forming in his throat. “She passed away my freshman year of college. Drew was devastated.”
“And you?”
She clamped her mouth shut, feeling horrible for having even thought the words. Of course he was devastated too. It was his mother.
“It’s okay,” he whispered. “It was different for me. I knew what was going on. Even though I didn’t agree with it, and I felt powerless, I understood she was just doing what was best for all of us. I had a lot of things to keep my mind busy. I had hockey, and Austin’s goofy ass dragging me out every night. More importantly, I had a little brother who needed me to at least act like I had my shit together.”
She wondered then if that had been the point all along. An explanation for his actions. His lifestyle choice—the bars, the women—it was all just one big distraction. Or maybe she gave him too much credit. It was possible he was simply a soulless horn dog. It was too soon to tell.
Chapter 10
LEILA’S UNEASE
The night eased on without a hitch. Being with Henrik was effortless. Easy. They laughed at the same stupid jokes, and got excited about the same ridiculous re-runs of their favorite shows. And Henrik kept talking. He talked about his career, what he’d do if he ever got his day with Stanley, and even about the harsh conversations with his coach about the trade rumors.
Henrik told her everything. He was honest and open.
It scared her.
She couldn’t be any of those things with him.
“I have to admit I’m impressed,” he said, leaning back to look at the clock.
Leila glanced at him. “What do you mean?”
“Did you really think our siblings would leave us alone this long?”
She smiled, shaking her head. “No. I’m actually kind of surprised.”
Henrik looked around the room, suspicious. “Austin must have the placed bugged.”
“I would be more worried about Drew.” She laughed. “He probably has a hidden camera somewhere.”
“Yeah,” he nodded solemnly, “that sounds like something that pain in the ass would do. I bet if I kissed you, they’d break the door down.”
She could imagine it perfectly. Henrik’s lips on her neck, brushing across her skin. “I guess your door is lucky you’re on good behavior.”
Henrik snorted before taking a sip of his beer. “Who said I was on good behavior?”
She shot him a glare. “Do you really want to prove your brother right?”
“He’s already right, or have you forgotten about that little visit to my hotel room?”
His smirk turned wicked, and she glared harder. Of course she hadn’t forgotten it. She just didn’t want to think about it, not with him sitting so close, and almost naked. The memories were too real. She straightened her shoulders, determined to end it now. “I think we can both agree our brothers need to remain clueless.”
“Obviously.” He nodded, looking around the room nervously, as if he were actually worried about Austin and Drew listening in. When his inspection was complete, he scooted down the couch. Way down the couch.
“What are you doing?” she practically blurted out, sinking into the corner.
“Asking you a question,” he said innocently.