Although, none of them had me craving another hit quite like the one standing before me.
Shoving both hands into my track pants, I replied, “Just catching up with an old college teammate.”
Bristol’s pale blue eyes narrowed. “Didn’t realize Hannah played Division 1men’shockey. I feel like I would have heard about that.”
I tilted my head. “And exactly how do you know Hannah?”
“Please,” she scoffed with a roll of her eyes.
“Connecticut girl. Right.”
It wasn’t a stretch to say all Comets fans knew Hannah. She was not only their head coach’s daughter, but she also served as their anthem singer. How I hadn’t noticed that before our interaction still irked me. I should have known who she was, but in my defense, the smokeshow who showed up to the club that night bore no resemblance to the sweet girl who sang the anthem. And Hannah was a super common name.
It was an honest mistake. That was my story, and I was sticking to it.
Deciding to blow off her line of questioning—knowing it would only end badly for me—I changed the subject. “You know anything about the team meeting up with the Comets at Pipes tonight?”
It was a long shot, but she was friends with a player’s girlfriend and, as she’d pointed out, a Comets fan, so maybe she had heard something. Why I needed to dig into the catalyst for my earlier tailspin, I would never know. But talking to Hannah about Cal having some of the same post-retirement feelings did help ease the ache. That, and the pretty redhead standing before me, eliciting a reaction. If I had to guess, Bristol’s presence was the more helpful of the two.
Something about her took my mind off everything else in my life. Like when she was near, we were in a little bubble and nothing could touch us, like the rest of the world didn’t matter.
Plush pink lips pursed as she mulled over my question. “As a matter of fact, I do.”
“Care to share?” I prompted.
“I don’t know.” Bristol shrugged. “You wanna tell me why you were all cozy with Cal Berg’s wife before he stormed in and pushed her up against the wall?”
I cringed. She’d been watching longer than I’d thought.
“Not particularly.”
“Then I don’t think I’m interested in sharing what’s happening at Pipes tonight. Why should I give up classified information if you’re unwilling to give me something in exchange?”
My brows rose high on my forehead. “Classified?”
She smirked, turning on her heel and tossing over her shoulder, “I said what I said.”
What the fuck was going on tonight?
Chapter 15
Bristol
Bursting with people, Pipesseemed completely different from the last time I’d been there. The second I stepped inside, Dakota began waving her arms like a crazy person at a table down front. They’d taken a bunch of smaller tables and created a giant long one to accommodate the large group of Comets and Speed players who had come to witness the celebration of love. Not that Dakota knew anything about it.
And sure enough, Hannah was on stage, loving the spotlight as she belted out a classic power ballad. She was making love to the crowd, but you couldn’t deny that woman’s confidence or talent. I wished I possessed an ounce of either one.
Dakota pulled out an empty chair beside her, and I dropped into it. She’d already ordered me a drink, and I tipped the glass of amber liquid to my mouth, savoring the burn.
She gestured around the table. “You remember everyone, right?”
The Comets in attendance were those closest to her and Braxton. Of course, there was his brother, Jaxon, who gave me a warm smile, along with his wife, Natalie, who waved. Then, there were Benji Mason and Cal Berg.They both gave me polite nods, and a few of the Speed players winked at me. Alyssa had been right when she said they were a bunch of flirts, but they were always respectful, which was more than I could say for their head coach.
Just thinking about my earlier interaction with Maddox had my blood boiling. There was more to what happened in that hallway than he’d let on.
I’d watched the entire thing. His entire demeanor shifted after speaking with Jaxon. He became visibly agitated, struggling with what seemed like inner demons. I had been glued to the spot, stunned, when he raised his fist, preparing to strike the wall. Thank God Hannah showed up when she did because I couldn’t make my voice work or my feet move to stop him.
It got more interesting after that. He and Hannah had a hushed conversation, and there was a familiarity between them that I became curious about. When Cal joined them, it didn’t go unnoticed how he staked a claim on his wife, pulling her away from Maddox. Then Hannah said something that made Cal snap, and he shoved her forcefully against the wall.
