I squeezed my hand at her nape one last time to center both of us and then looked to my right.
Where I found Roger Jensen, goalie for the other Colorado team, glaring at me.
“Seriously, Dani? Making out with Tucks? What the fuck?” Jenzy said before I could acknowledge him.
“Tucks?” she asked.
“Fuck. You don’t even know who you’re kissing? Real nice, Dani. Real fucking nice. And what the fuck, Tucks. Get your hands off my girlfriend. We handed you your asses last night so you’re in here trying to steal my girl?” He closed in on me and I immediately stood up, shifting my body in front of Dani’s.
Our asses? We’d lost by one goal last night. Fuck. That wasn’t the point I should have been drilling home right now.
His girlfriend?
She poked her head around my body to face him. “I am not your girlfriend, Roger. We broke up over a month ago. We are done, like I’ve told you more than once.”
“Come on, baby. You don’t mean that.” He held out his hand to her, but she kept herself pressed to my back.
I felt her step around me, but I barely moved. I didn’t know Roger well, but he’d always come across as an asshole, and the tension radiating off of him right now was high.
“Yes, I do. We’re done, and I’ve moved on.”
“With a man you clearly don’t even know, and of all the people you could’ve picked, it figures that you’d go for another goalie. Guess that’s your type.”
“You’re a…” she started, turning toward me, and then paused and looked back at Jenzy. “You’re an asshole, Roger.”
I wondered if she’d been about to ask if Jenzy was right, if I was also an NHL goalie, before catching herself. How many goalies had she dated? And I hadn’t missed the almost sneer in her voice when she’d started talking. Roger had probably soured her on hockey players. Dick.
Roger crossed his arms over his chest, puffing out like the asshole he was. I wanted to deck him.
“So how long have you been dating?” The condescension irked me. “I mean, Tucks, you haven’t even been back in town that long, right? Preseason just started.”
“I guess when you know, you know.” Her voice was saccharine-sweet.
He rolled his eyes. “Please. You don’t even know his name.”
“Yes, I do. It’s Gabe. Gabe Tucker,” she replied.
It was probably easy to guess my last name based on my nickname. I was one of the lucky guys who didn’t end up with an annoyingly stupid nickname that I hated. I bit back a chuckle thinking about poor Micahtron.
“Good guess.” He sneered again.
“It’s not a fucking guess,” she fired back, and I finally stepped in, done with his dickish behavior.
“I believe she’s made herself quite clear, Jensen.” I wrapped my hand around Dani’s waist so we’d appear as a solid unit. She stiffened for a brief second, then shifted into me, so I took that as a sign to keep her close.
“Really, dude? My leftovers? You’re all trying to take our fans, and now you’re taking my ex.”
“Are you fucking for real right now? I’m not some possession,” Dani bit out. “But at least you finally got one thing right. I’m yourex.”
“Of course you aren’t a fucking possession. Roger’s just being a dick and needs to watch his mouth,” I said, not sure how alpha man she wanted me to go to defend her.
Roger sneered. “I’d wipe the floor with you, Tucks. Try me.”
Dani tried to move back in front of me, and I let her slightly adjust, still keeping my arm around her.
“Knock it off, Roger. Just go home. We’re done, and I’m dating Gabe now. I’ve moved on, and so should you.”
He scoffed. “You going to let her talk for you? Tucks tucking his tail between his legs. That tracks.”
