Page 98 of The Puck Stops Here
But being invited into their mum’s home, seeing the twins with their beloved mom… you’d have to be an ice queen not to melt!
And she couldn’t afford to. Not for karma, and not for Blake.
15
Astrid’s voice had gone up an octave or two. Her smile was too wide, her eyes too startled… could his brother not see it?
Maybe they were pushing their lives on her too much. Hell, the woman probably knew more about them than they knew about themselves by now. But he wasn’t about to draw attention to her discomfort by asking her outright. Instead, he finished up his main meal in silence, letting Aiden, the king of schmoozing, do his thing.
And normally he’d tune it out. Not tonight though. Not when it was Astrid offering up more of her life…
Her career, her mother, her grandparents and their ancient family home in the English countryside with its freezing cold halls and hounds that she adored. How much happier she’d been running around its grounds with them than playing the shivering lady indoors. He found himself smiling as he imagined her doing just that…
‘I’d like a dog.’
Both Aiden and Astrid shot a surprised look his way. Had they forgotten he existed?
‘You would?’ his brother asked.
‘Not now, while we’re away so much of the time, but yeah, in the future.’
Astrid smiled, a teasing twinkle in her eye. ‘I can see you with a dog.’
‘If you’re thinking of a Chihuahua, you can stop it right now.’
She laughed. ‘How did you guess?’
‘You had that look in your eye.’
He loved that he could read her. Loved that it made her blush too.
‘Just think of all the extra ladies you could attract if you had a cute little handbag dog…’ she murmured.
Aiden chuckled. ‘It would soften your image quite nicely, bro.’
‘I thought my image was being softened quite nicely by Astrid’s article.’
‘Is it, Astrid?’
‘Well, yes, but an added dose of cuteness wouldn’t go amiss. Maybe we ought to get one for the photoshoot we have lined up.’
Aiden laughed harder. ‘Oh yes, that’s a great idea!’
‘You’ve booked it in?’ Blake said over him.
‘Oh yeah, sorry buddy, I forgot to say. Between the powers that be and Astrid, they’ve lined us up a photoshoot week after next.’
‘Great.’Not. ‘Where?’
‘Good question. Where do you think would work best?’ Aiden asked her.
She caught her lip in her teeth, her eyes drifting to the living area…
‘Oh no you don’t,’ Blake said, reading her mind. ‘The rink makes more sense. We’re players, it’s who we are.’
‘Yes, but everyone sees that side of you all the time. This would give them an insight into another side of you.’
The side they were now showing her, but… a photographer? Pictures that would then be pushed to the world… lauding their riches… ‘I don’t like it.’
