Practice was frustrating and rough. I swear the veterans were hitting me harder because of my alleged affair with Jock’s wife, whose name I now knew was Bria. I skated under the radar, tried not to catch the coach’s wrath, and kept clear of Jock. As the backup goalie, he was easier to avoid than if he’d been a defenseman, but I was certain he wasn’t done with me yet.
I stayed on the ice long after my teammates went to the showers. I skated myself into exhaustion, then finally dragged my sorry self to the locker room. By then, the place was empty. The team had had a crappy road trip, and I was guessing they’d gone home to rest or out to party, whatever therapy worked best.
I stripped off my clothes and took a long, hot shower. I closed my eyes and let the almost scalding water beat at my body until I was numb. I’d been hoping to crash at a teammate’s place, but I’d be heading back to a hotel. Not the one I’d been in, too many bad memories of my night with Jock’s wife.
I was furious at myself. I should’ve realized she was hiding something. I groaned at the mess I’d gotten myself into, not having a clue how to undo the damage that had been done.
After drying myself with a towel, I tossed it in the now-empty bin. Even the equipment guys had cleaned up in here for the day. With a start of guilt, I sighed. I was winning points with everyone in this organization.
The hall door slammed open, and I heard footsteps but didn’t bother to turn. I wasn’t in the mood for conversation with anyone. The person was pushing a cart. I heard the telltale rumble of the wheels across the floor.
“Nice ass, you bastard.”
I froze at the sound of a female voice in what was a very male domain. I spun around, not thinking to cover my private parts. Jock’s incredibly hot sister, now dressed in Dockers and a Sockeyes polo, smirked at me from across the room. She showed no shame as she ran her gaze from my bare feet, up my bare thighs to my dick. Her gaze settled there for a long moment. My face heated up hotter than an Arizona sun on the desert sand.
“I suppose that could be considered harassment. How unprofessional of me. I apologize.” She didn’t sound the least bit sincere.
Normally, I’d shoot her down with a clever comeback, but my tongue was currently stuck to the roof of my mouth.
“I’ll get the last of the towels and get out of your way. Leave your stuff for me. I’ll take care of it.”
“You work here?” I stammered like a guy who’d never been in a situation like this before, but I hadn’t.
“Sure do. Equipment intern.” Her responses were clipped and coldly professional. Even her earlier assessment of my assets had been with a cold and clinical eye.
“Wonderful,” I said sarcastically. “Just what I needed to make a perfect day more perfect.”
“That makes two of us. You’d best not mess with me. I’m not nearly as nice as my brother.” She snorted with evil laughter and dropped her gaze once more below my belt, which I realized I wasn’t wearing. I scrambled to pull on my briefs, turning my back on her.
Her soft laughter floated to me, an edge to it. She was going to exact revenge for her brother. I was certain of it.
~~Geneva~~
Just when I thought I was rising above my upbringing, I did something stupid. How unprofessional to ogle the enemy’s privates, but I did it anyway. First of all, gazing at his exceptional male body gave me pleasure. Secondly, I was embarrassing the hell out of him. And thirdly, he deserved to be treated like the jerk he’d proven to be.
When I’d first wheeled the cart into the locker room, my eyes had gone to his bare ass like a junkie to crack. He had the round, muscular ass and huge thighs of a guy who skated for a living. I’d only been in this job since last fall, but I’d seen my share of naked asses and thighs, but this guy’s body was beyond anything I’d seen.
And I wanted him. Badly. Even as I flinched inwardly at what a betrayal such an act would be to my brother. Of course, I did have my scruples, even if they were few and far between, but there were certain things even I wouldn’t do. I didn’t sleep with married men, guys under twenty-one, or assholes. Axel was in the asshole category. That didn’t mean I couldn’t admire his fine body when the opportunity presented itself.
Axel tugged on his briefs, which hugged his butt quite nicely, and glanced over his shoulder, catching me staring. I grinned unabashedly. I wasn’t easily embarrassed, and I wouldn’t apologize to the man who destroyed my brother’s family.
He read my mind. After pulling his T-shirt over his head, he advanced toward me, stopping a safe distance away. “I didn’t know she was married.”
I shrugged. “Whatever. Don’t expect me to believe you. I don’t like that woman, never have. On the other hand, I’ve only known you for less than twenty-four hours.”
He cocked a brow at me and tried another tactic. “Your brother’s forgiveness is important to me. I’m not that guy. I don’t sleep with married women. I didn’t know.”
“Not my problem. You had your dick somewhere it shouldn’t have been. Do you think my brother is going to get over that?” Despite my words, he was wearing me down. Something in his gaze spoke of sincerity, and I was a much better judge of character than my brother. Not to mention the guy was smoking hot. I was almost jealous of Bria. How dysfunctional was that?
“I’m really sorry. I really am. You have to believe me.”
“I’m not helping you if that’s what you’re asking.” I turned away from him, needing to get out of his overpowering presence. He was sucking me in, making me forget what he’d done. That wasn’t happening. I’d been drawn in by the wrong guy before and had the scars, inside and out, to prove it. Hell, I was hiding out in Seattle to get away from the life he’d sucked me into.
“Give me a chance to prove I’m not that guy.”
I froze in my tracks, almost responded, but forced my feet to keep walking. I pushed my cart out the door and retreated to the safety of the laundry room with its huge, gyrating washers and tumbling dryers.
This wasn’t welcome territory to me. I might come across as a badass, but I knew how to pick ’em when it came to men. Every relationship I’d had ended badly, the last one worse than all the others. I had hit a new low to realize my life needed an overhaul. Now I was here, being a good girl and doing an honest day’s work.
Since I’d been thirteen, I’d been attracted to bad boys, guys way badder than that pretty-boy hockey player would ever hope to be. Regardless, I wasn’t in the market for a one-night stand with my brother’s betrayer, let alone a relationship.
The door opened, and I knew who it was before he spoke. Something in the air changed, became supercharged and sexual. Even the chug-chug of the dryers laboring with their loads of uniforms and towels reminded me of sex.
I heaved an annoyed sigh and turned around. I wasn’t surprised. A fully dressed, yet no less hot, Axel stood in the doorway. He came inside and shut it behind him.
“Let’s try this again.” He held out his hand. “I’m Axel.”
I stared at his hand and shoved mine in the pockets of my pants.
“And you are?”
“Geneva. Geneva Bouchard.”
“Bouchard?” He backed up a step toward the door, as if snapped with a wet towel. “Fuck, don’t tell me you’re married?”
I shook my head. “Not married. Don’t believe in marriage. It’s bullshit. I’m Jock’s half sister. Same worthless mother.”
“I see.”
“You don’t see. If you saw, you’d leave me alone, other than dealing with me on a professional level. I’m not helping you get in my brother’s good graces. Got it? That’s your mess to clean up.”
He studied me for several seconds and nodded. “You’re a hard-ass.”
“When I have to be. Better than being a dumb ass.” I stared pointedly at him. He wasn’t stupid; he got the message.
Instead of being insulted, he threw back his head and laughed. My eyes were immediately drawn to his neck with its cords of muscles. Even his neck was sexy. I shook my head and
turned back to folding towels, welcoming the monotony for once.
“I’m going to show you I’m worth the time.” For a moment, our eyes met. His were dark brown, while mine were gray.
I wasn’t sure if he was worth the time to help him repair the relationship with my brother or worth the time for something else. It didn’t take a genius to imagine he’d be epic in bed. Don’t go there, I warned myself, wondering just how strong I would have to be to resist him if he pulled out all the stops.
“Good luck with that,” I said with a sassy toss of my ponytail.
His grin grew broader. Determination was etched on his ridiculously handsome face, and by challenging him, I might have bitten off more than I could handle, which was a lot. Or had been a lot until Weasel destroyed my confidence and exposed my vulnerable side I’d hidden from the world.
Yes, Weasel. My ex’s name given to him by his motorcycle cronies. His real name was Wendall Mendoza. I never really knew why he didn’t have a cool nickname like Eagle or Rocky or Raven, but the more I got to know him, the more I realized how Weasel was appropriate. He was a weasel, yet he had some sort of strange power over me no man had ever had before.
“Later.” He waved in my direction as he shut the door behind himself.
If Jock knew Axel was harassing me, he’d have one more reason to hate the man. I wasn’t going to tell him. He had enough to worry about with Bria and a pending divorce. Yes, my dear, sweet brother had finally faced reality and called an attorney this morning.
I’d deal with Mr. Hot Ass myself. I’d dealt with worse.
Chapter 4—Darkness
~~Axel~~
By the time I left the practice facility, it was after five, and darkness had descended upon Seattle. It was the end of February, and the days were starting to get longer, but they still had a ways to go.
I walked through the deserted parking garage. A light was out in the area where I parked my car, a black Toyota RAV 4, making it doubly hard to see.
A figure stepped out from the shadows, and I stopped dead in my tracks. My senses were on high alert. I fingered my keys in my hand, positioning them so I could use them as a weapon if attacked.
“Axel?”
I knew that voice, and I almost wished she’d been an anonymous stalker.
“Bria? Or is it Heidi or Hilda?”
She stalked toward me like an enraged lion, and I stiffened, preparing myself for whatever might come next.
“What are you doing here?” I glanced around the garage quickly, hoping none of my teammates witnessed her appearance.
“I’ve been waiting for you.” A determined glitter in her eyes set me on edge. This was no fucking good. We’d had a one-night stand, and I wanted nothing further to do with her.
“Uh, Bria, why are you waiting for me?”
“You have to help me save my marriage. You have to talk to Jock and explain we didn’t do anything. You gave me a ride home, that’s all.”
“You didn’t tell me you were married, and no fucking way in hell does he believe all I did was give you a ride home.”
“You have to tell him nothing happened.”
“It’s too late for that. He knows, and I’m not making it worse by lying about it.” She was delusional if she thought Jock would accept such a feeble excuse. I suspected crap like that had worked before for her. She was a manipulator and those types usually thought they could lie their way out of anything. Not this time.
“Do you really want to be responsible for destroying a marriage and causing such agony to my children?”
“You should’ve thought about that when you sat next to me at the bar. You never told me you were married.”
“You never once told me you were a professional hockey player. That’s on you. If you’d come clean, I’d have never fucked you.” She lifted her chin and gave me this haughty look as if I were nothing but dog shit under her six-inch heels.
“For fuck’s sake, why would I? You didn’t tell me your husband was a hockey player or that you had a husband. You weren’t wearing a ring. I didn’t know who the fuck you were.”
“Jock wants a divorce. You have to help me. Tell him it’s all a mistake, very innocent. You were just being a good guy.” Her anger flipped like a switch, and now she was begging, pleading, cajoling, yet behind the fake tears, I saw the calculation in her eyes.
“Leave me alone. I don’t want any further contact with you.” I backed away, judging the distance between her and my freedom. In ten steps, I’d be in the safety of my vehicle and speeding away from this woman.
“Bria,” I said in my gentlest tone, hoping to calm her, “you seem like a good person. So is Jock. Be honest with him. See if you can patch things up for your children’s sake, but leave me out of this.”
“He won’t even talk to me. I can’t work things out if he does all his communication through his lawyer.”
I didn’t want to be harsh, but nothing else was getting through. “I regret sleeping with you. I want out of this situation. You’re on your own. I’m not lying for you.” There I’d said it. She knew the truth, and now I was getting the fuck out of here. I skirted around her and hurried to my car.
“You can’t mean that. Think about my children and my marriage.”
I slowed my pace and half turned. “Maybe you should’ve thought about your children and your marriage before you left the house that night.”
I didn’t turn again to look at her. Instead, I leaped into my car, locked the doors, and drove past her and down the exit ramp. My last view of her was in my rearview mirror. She stood in the middle of the parking garage, hands on her hips, and watched me go.
I drove aimlessly down the street, keeping one eye on the rearview mirror. Satisfied I wasn’t being followed, I turned into the parking lot of a pub that served pizzas. I was starving.
I checked my phone for messages, finding a couple texts from Easton inviting me over for beer and, guess what? Pizza. I texted him back that I’d bring the pizza if he had the beer.
I picked out two pizzas loaded with meat and drove the short distance to Big E’s condo.
An hour later, Easton, Steele, Kaden, and I had finished off both pizzas and a good amount of beer. I was disappointed to learn Easton’s fiancée and the kids had flown to Arizona for the weekend to meet with the grandparents. I’d been looking forward to meeting them.
A pink elephant lounged in the room, and so far, no one had broached the subject on everyone’s minds. I had to say something. They had to know my side of the story.
“Look, guys, I didn’t know Bria was married—to anyone. I ran into her the day I got into Seattle. She walked into the hotel bar. I was flying high because I’d been called up. She sat next me, and I bought her a drink. She wasn’t wearing a ring. She made it clear she was interested, and I took her up on it. I had a whole evening ahead of me and didn’t want to spend it alone. I had no fucking idea she was married.”
No one said a word. In fact, they looked everywhere but at me. I was annoyed.
“Easton, you’ve known me for a long time. Come on, have you ever seen me show interest in a married woman?”
“No,” Easton admitted. “But—”
“But what? I didn’t know she was married.”
The guys exchanged glances.
“Seriously? Guys, we’re Puck Brothers. You know me. I wouldn’t do that. She met me in the parking garage tonight and asked me to lie for her, tell Jock that I’d only given her a ride home because she was drunk.”
“She expects him to believe that?” Easton was incredulous. Well, so was I.
“Jock’s insisting on a divorce. She thinks I can help change his mind by lying and painting her in a good light while expecting me to go along with a lie Jock would never believe. It’s the old two lies don’t make a truth. I’m not digging myself any deeper.”
Steele shook his head in disbelief and groaned. “Axe, you’re in deep shit.”
“I’m fully aware of that.” I sighed. �
��Jock hates me, and I can’t blame him.” I looked at each one of my bros, assessing whether or not they were in the Jock camp or the Axel camp. Kaden was studying me as if trying to figure me out. Steele had on his usual unreadable mask. Easton was frowning, sympathy shining in his eyes. I knew I could count on Big E. He always had my back. And he’d help me persuade the other two.
“I always wondered about that woman. Jock’s seemed depressed this entire season. Since none of us knew him prior to this year, I didn’t know if his behavior was normal or not. I assumed being a backup goalie and never getting in the game would be discouraging.” Easton scratched his chin and took a sip of his beer. He wiped his mouth on his sleeve and set the beer down on the glass coffee table.
“Yeah, and his wife never joined the WAGs at the games or any charity events they sponsor, even though they always have a nanny,” Kaden said. “Ziggy has never met her, and he’s been on the team a lot longer than us.”
“Probably a good thing he hasn’t met her. He’s a horndog,” Steele said grimly. All of us considered the possibility.
“I wonder if she’s been with other guys on the team?” Kaden said.
“Oh, man, that poor bastard.” Easton turned to me. “She was at the hotel down the road from the SHAC when you met her?”
I nodded. “And I had to be the lucky one.” I sounded sulky, and I guess I was a little. Being called up was tough enough without this added stress. Then there was Jock to think about. I truly felt for the man. His marriage had been a lie, and he understandably looked for a person to blame other than her. I was certain I hadn’t been her first affair.
I rose to my feet and walked over to the bar in the corner of the large room. I rummaged around in the cabinet and found a bottle of Jameson. “Anyone else?” I asked, holding up the bottle. All three of my friends nodded their heads. At least I wouldn’t be drinking alone. I filled four glasses with ice and poured the whiskey in each. Once everyone had their drinks, I settled back on the couch.
“I believe you,” Easton said.
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