Total pages in book: 34
Estimated words: 30715 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 154(@200wpm)___ 123(@250wpm)___ 102(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 30715 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 154(@200wpm)___ 123(@250wpm)___ 102(@300wpm)
"Would you two stop gossiping and get over here?" Wes Davies demands, scowling daggers at us. "We have shit to do."
"Who pissed in your Cheerios?" I ask, skating to a stop beside Theo Kline, who is smiling at his cell phone. I'm guessing his girl, Charlotte, is texting him. He's a helluva lot less pissy since he claimed her a while back.
"Laney took away the baby book," Logan, our goalie, relays in a mock whisper.
"It's about time," I mutter. He's been driving us all crazy with that book since they found out she was pregnant. Honestly, I'm surprised she hasn't strangled him over it by now.
"Right?" Logan smirks. "But he's cranky about it. Apparently, he needs that book to learn how to be a good dad or some shit."
"Jesus Christ." The man has lost his mind since he got his wife pregnant. Not that he was the sanest to begin with, but still…. He's going to be a great dad, and he doesn't need a goddamn book to teach him that.
"You know I can hear you, right?" Wes shoots a dirty glare at Logan, who just snickers. "Maybe if you read books more often about how to care for them, women would last more than a night in your bed, fucker."
Logan's smirk slips. Aside from me and Jonas, he's the only one on the ice every game who isn't married or close to it. He acts like it doesn't bother him, but I'm not so sure that's true. I'm also not entirely sure he's the playboy everyone thinks he is. He's cultivated the image and let it fester, but there's more to him than he likes to pretend. For whatever reason, he's just hellbent on convincing the world that he's the stereotypical hockey player—a manwhore who lives fast and large.
"All right, all right," Kris Jónsson says, calling everyone to attention. "Everyone settle down. We've got work to do." He glances around, a frown pulling down the corners of his lips. "Where the fuck is Jonas?"
"Talking to Kelsey," Wes says.
Everyone turns to look at me as if I'm supposed to know why.
"Do I look like his keeper?" I growl.
"I mean…if you crawl any further up his ass, you may need to be surgically removed," Wes says, causing everyone to laugh.
"Asshole." I smile despite myself. "I don't know why he's talking to Kelsey." I have a pretty solid idea, though. Jamie McGuire. He texted me early this morning to say he ran into her at the club last night. She's a gossip reporter in the sports world and a royal pain in the ass for most of us. I'm guessing he and Kelsey are trying to do some damage control before she tells the whole world that he was at a BDSM club.
That's just what we need the week of our last game of the regular season.
"We'll start without him then," Kris decides.
My phone vibrates in my pocket as everyone turns back to him. I slip it out to see a message from Parker. A weight falls from my shoulders. The anxiety gnawing at me falls away.
She texted. Fuck. She texted.
Rebel: Hey.
Me: Hey, little one.
Rebel: Did you tell Jonas that I was at the club?
Fuck no. I'm an asshole for that, but she should be the one to tell him, not me.
Me: No.
Rebel: I told him I was at a wine festival.
Me: Are you going to tell him the truth?
Rebel: Uh, hello? Have you met my brother?
I have, indeed, met her brother. He's going to lose his shit, especially if he finds out that I lied to him about her being at the club. But she can't lie to him forever.
Rebel: He was a jerk last night when he got home and threatened to send me back to Canada. I'm not currently speaking to him.
Well, shit. That's not good. She's here on a sponsorship visa. If he pulls his sponsorship, she'll be forced to head back home whether she wants to go or not. It's a big threat to make.
Me: What happened?
Rebel: It's a long story.
Rebel: Are we still on for tonight?
Me: Do you want to be?
Rebel: Do you?
I should tell her no and end this now before someone gets hurt. We're already lying to Jonas. We've already crossed too many lines. If I meet her tonight, we'll cross even more. Lines we can't come back from. Things we can't undo. Her brother will fucking hate me.
And yet…and yet…I don't tell her no. I fucking can't tell her no.
Me: Yeah, little one. I still want to see you tonight.
Rebel: Me too.
Our course is set. It's too late to turn back now.
Chapter Four
Parker
"We're at your house?" I gape at Kellan, pretty sure he's lost his mind. "I thought we were meeting somewhere else."
"Like the club?" He arches a dark brow at me, his expression making it clear what he thinks about that. "No, Rebel. I agreed to do this, but I didn't agree to hide you like a dirty little secret in the process."