At the very least, I have my mates at the end of the day, although I’d very much like to have Lily waiting for me, too. Even better if she’s wearing my jersey. I still haven’t figured out what to do next—how to fix this situation my thoughtless words landed us in. The only suggestion Del had in her bag of tricks was to give Lily a minute to think.
But I can’t dwell on that right now. I can’t let my team down by playing distracted again. And I’ll need all my wits about me to stay alert to Jennings’ antics, which becomes all too clear as we hit the ice and skate the circle to warm up. Every time Jennings and I pass each other, he sneers at me.
Surprisingly, he and I rarely cross paths during the firstperiod. And when we do, he seems hyper-focused on the game. After the second period, we’re tied, and so far, I’ve only gotten a few sharp glances from the git. Maybe his coach had a chat with him as well, and there’s nothing to worry about.
In the third period, I score a goal, putting us in the lead. Unfortunately, it’s Jennings’ ugly mug I have to look at for the faceoff.
Keeping Coach’s warning front and center, I keep my head down, align my skates, and brace my stick on the ice. The lineman positions himself, his hand holding the puck hovering over the ice.
“I was hoping I’d get a face-to-face with His Majesty.” Jennings’ chirp snaps my head up. His mouthguard makes his grin almost comical.
“Just shut it, man,” I growl back.
Ethan watches from the outer edge. “He’s a goon, Pay. Roll it off.”
I give a quick nod just as the lineman drops the puck, which I win, taking a direct shot on goal, but their goalie catches it, stopping play.
Without saying a word, Jennings skates by me but slows as he passes Luke, who shakes his head and shoves him away. Jennings must think this is all fun and games, judging by the way he’s laughing.
Luke glides my way as we juggle places for the next faceoff. “Jennings seems to think you’re someone important, Pay. Any idea what he’s talking about?”
“Haven’t the foggiest.” But this moment makes the decision for me. After the game, I’ll talk to Lily since she’s part of this and make a plan to tell the blokes everything. Just making this choice lifts some of the heaviness I’ve been carrying around. The sooner I get this cleared up, the better.
I score another goal just seconds before the end of the third period and get a jolt of satisfaction when Jennings leaves the ice in a huff because we beat thePirates again.
Telling my mates the truth isn’t the only thing I want to talk to Lily about. I want to tell her I’m crazy about her—to her face. If she feels anything for me at all, we’ll find a way to make our relationship work even if she wants to continue being a bodyguard.
Now that I’ve had time to think, I realize I should have never said the things I did to her. If I can trust her with my life, I should trust her to make her own decisions. The last thing she needs is a bloke like me telling her what to do.
I leave the locker room filled with anticipation and a rough script of what I want to say to her. She’s the first thing I see when I walk out, standing there wearing a tentative smile. And my jersey. I wrap my arms around her and lower my head so only she can hear.
“I’m a right bloody idiot, aren’t I?”
She tilts her head back, leveling me with those hazel eyes that capture my soul every time I look into them. “I’m not sure how to answer that. Give me some context.”
“What I said at the fundraiser. I was wrong to tell you what you can or can’t do. I’m properly sorry.”
Her hand slides up my chest and cups my face, and then she lifts her face, pressing her lips against mine. Her touch is warm and tender, filled with so much emotion. This feels real. No acting. Not a game.
Takes everything in me not to take the kiss to the next level, but now is not the time or place. And we need to talk.
I grab her hand. “Let’s go home and have a proper chat.”
She lifts a brow at me.
“I meant an actual conversation.” I hold our clasped hands against my chest. “There are things I need to say to you.”
After a moment, she nods.
With Luke in tow, Sophie approaches us, smiling. “Anybody up for some hushpuppies?”
“As lovely as that sounds, Lily and I are heading home.”
She grins at Lily. “All good?”
“We’ll see.” Lily glances at me and smiles as if she’s promising to explain later.
Luke braces my shoulder. “Great job not letting that goon get to you, Pay.”
