Total pages in book: 128
Estimated words: 124494 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 622(@200wpm)___ 498(@250wpm)___ 415(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 124494 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 622(@200wpm)___ 498(@250wpm)___ 415(@300wpm)
“You sound sure about that.”
“The first time I met Flip he asked me if I wanted to fuck.”
“That was his line?” I ask.
“Oh yeah, it was a special low for him, I think. I’ve witnessed him be smoother, but I see that now for what it was. He’d had a bad practice that day and wanted to disappear. I said no. He said okay, cool. Then we hung out like it’d never happened. He came over and I kicked his ass at Connect Four. From that moment on, we were only ever going to be friends.”
“Very grown up of you.”
“As the kids used to say, the sex vibes between us are not vibing. I’m proud to be his very platonic friend because it’s a special thing to love someone without romance or sex.” She passes me a glass of soda. “So how are you, really?”
“I slept with Roman.” I bite my lips together. “I did not mean to lead with that.”
Empathy softens her features. “Been holding on to that for a while, huh?”
“Yeah.”
“Recently or before you came to the Terror?”
“Both,” I admit.
“Well, that explains the tension between you two.”
I feel a panic spiral coming on. “Do you think anyone else knows?”
Dred holds up a hand. “No one else suspects anything.”
“Are you sure?”
She leans against the counter. “I had to learn how to read people at a young age. It was a self-preservation kind of situation—suss out the bad guys so I knew who was a friend and who was an enemy. There’s been a vibe between you two. You’re guarded with him, more than you are with everyone else, and he looks at you like you’re an ice cream cone he wants but can’t have. Which is quite accurate.” She sips her soda. “Did you sleep with him on Christmas night?”
I nod.
“Yeah. He was killing it with the hot-Santa Daddy thing, and then the way he is with Callie...” She sighs. “He really is a great guy all the way around. Don’t feel too bad about giving in to temptation. That man would be hard to resist. Especially if you’ve ridden that ride before and it was a good time.”
“It’s the best sex of my life. Then and now.” God, it feels good to tell someone about this. I didn’t realize how heavy it was. “But we can’t do it again. I shouldn’t have allowed it in the first place.”
“Because you’re his coach.”
“Exactly.” My mouth has turned into a desert, so I chug the ginger ale. “You can’t tell anyone, Dred. Especially not Flip. Or the Babe Brigade. If Hammer found out—or Hemi. Or Shilpa. Or Tally. Or Rix and Essie.” I bite my lips together. “Shit. I should’ve kept my mouth shut.”
“Take a breath.” Dred meets my eyes. “I promise this stays between us, and you and Roman.”
“It could ruin my career if people found out.”
“How are you going to handle the rest of the season?” Her tone holds concern.
“We can’t give in again. I can’t give in again. It would probably be fine for him, but not for me.”
“And of course he understands that.” It’s not a question.
“Absolutely. He knows how hard I worked to get here.” I explain how we met a few years ago and spent the weekend together, and how it ended. “When the season is over and he’s retired, we can pursue this. It’ll still be hard. I’ll still get flak, but then we’re not blatantly breaking rules. He won’t be a player anymore, and I won’t be his coach.”
“And you think you can do that? Stay away from him until June?” Dred asks. “Provided they make the playoffs.”
“Oh, they’ll make the playoffs,” I assure her. “And I have to. There is no other choice.”
CHAPTER 23
ROMAN
“Knock, knock.”
Peggy leans around her computer monitor and a smile curves the corner of mouth as she spots the edible bouquet in my hand. “How did you know I needed cookies today?”
“Hollis might have made an offhand comment about picking up supplies, and I read between the lines.” I set the cookie bouquet on her desk. “How are you feeling? You need these too?” I pull a pack of painkillers from my pocket.
She laughs. “You’re already dad of the year. You don’t need to bring me PMS meds. And besides you, Hollis is the only other man in my life who’s offered to get me supplies.”
“He’s a keeper, then.”
“He is,” she agrees and pushes out of her chair. She wraps her arms around me. “Thank you for being so thoughtful.”
“Thank you for giving me a reason to smile every day.” I squeeze her. “You got time for lunch?”
She glances at the clock. “I have a meeting at two thirty, but that’ll give us plenty of time. I’ll just let Hemi know.” She grabs her purse, coat, scarf, and toque and pops across to Hemi’s office before we head for the elevators. We pass the coaching staff on the way out, and I try my best not to let my gaze linger on Lexi.