His Secret PuckBunny : Dark Hockey romance (TCP #2)

Chapter 20 : A menacing figure by her bedside

Lily awoke the next morning feeling uneasy after the strange encounter with Derek. She made her way to the sun-filled kitchen, all dressed and ready for work. Her steps are light and hesitant.

Gina sat at the antique farmhouse table, sipping coffee. Her freshly dyed red hair fell softly around her shoulders, and she smiled warmly as Lily entered.

"Morning, sleepyhead," she said. "There's fresh coffee if you want some. How was your night? I know the bed is quite small."

Lily poured herself a mug with shaking hands. Lily opened her mouth to reply, but paused. How could she voice her concerns about Derek without causing trouble? She took a seat across from Gina, unsure how to broach the subject of last night.

"So..." she began hesitantly. "Last night, Derek, he, uh... something weird happened."

Gina's eyes clouded with concern, waiting for Lily to finish her sentence but Derek entered the room with a confident stride, casting a commanding presence making Lily instinctively recoiled.

"Found your keys, babe," he said, dangling them in front of Gina.

"You're a lifesaver! If my head wasn't attached, I'd lose it," Gina said with a grin. "So you were talking about last night?"

Derek cleared his throat. "Speaking of that, Lily - I should apologize."

She froze, meeting his eyes.

His voice tinged with a feigned remorse, "I'm sure you didn't realize it, but I sleep walk," he continued. "I must have given you a real fright last night. I'm sorry about that."

Lily searched for the right words, unsure what to think, but something wasn't quite right between her and her friend's seemingly charming boyfriend.

Gina laughed. "Oh, is that all? Don't worry about it, Derek," then turned to her, "he gets like that sometimes."

She stood, kissing her boyfriend's cheek. "Anyway, I better get going. See you later!"

As Gina left, Derek held Lily's gaze, his expression unreadable. A chill went down Lily's spine. She returned his gaze, her suspicion transforming into a silent challenge. She knew with sudden dread that this was far from over.

"Forgot my scarf."

Relief surged through Lily as Gina breezed back into the room.

"Maybe we should carpool together," Lily said, a bit too eagerly. Being alone with Derek was the last thing she wanted right now, even if it was for a few seconds.

"We're heading in the opposite direction," Gina attempted to object, but Lily swiftly seized her purse and locked her arm around her friend's hand, determinedly guiding Gina towards the door.

"Just drop me off at the bus stop," Lily insisted, her voice resolute.

◦•●◉✿ . ✿◉●•◦

In the office, Lily sat in a meeting, trying her best to stay focused as her boss continued talking about the quarterly reports.

Her phone buzzed loudly on the conference table, catching everyone's attention. Lily hurriedly reached for her phone to silence it, her face turned red with embarrassment.

"Sorry," she mumbled.

Her boss frowned but continued speaking. Lily glanced at the screen. Her stomach dropped when she saw Pavel's name.

After the endless meeting adjourned. Lily pulled out her phone. Pavel's text glowed at her: "Answer your phone, please."

Most people had cleared out of the room, except Victoria, her boss, who was impeccably dressed, as always today, in a slate gray pencil skirt and silky burgundy blouse. Her hair was pulled back in a sleek knot.