“No, not at all," Dax said. “You can’t feel up or down.”
Fuck, he had thought out loud again. “It doesn’t matter,” he replied gruffly. “I know I love her. Period.”
“Ah. And did you tell her that?”
Jack opened his mouth to sayof course, but to be honest, he didn’t remember using the words. But it had been clear, hadn’t it? “Well…no,” he finally replied. “It just wasn’t the right time. Her brother was there, she was angry, and…no.”
Damn it, he should have said it, right?
Dax seemed to agree. “Man, Jack, the timing doesn’t matter! Really. I’ve had a girlfriend for five months now, so I know a lot about relationships, and I’ve been doing everything right for weeks. Listen to me when I tell you…”
“Dax!” The call echoed down the hallway that led out to the ice rink as an angry redhead stomped toward them. “Are you serious? You knew? And then you tell your sister andnot me?”
“Yup,” Jack said quietly, patting Dax on the back. “You always do everything right.”
Dax’s ears turned scarlet. “Hey, Lucy. Honey,” he said sheepishly.
“Don’t give me that!” she snapped. “You never call me honey! I just can’t believe you didn’t tell me!”
Curious, the other players turned toward them. Dax just grinned uncertainly before saying in a lowered voice, “Jack asked me to!”
“So what? I’m the one who has to fix this now!” She glared up at Jack darkly. “You know you can tell me your big secrets!”
“Lucy, we have a game now!” Coach Gray thundered. “Can’t you beat up your boyfriend some other time?”
“This way it has a dramatic effect,” she said, peeved.
“I don’t care! Now all of you, out on the ice,” Gray barked.
They started moving and Jack noticed out of the corner of his eye that Leon was eyeing him curiously.
“What?” he asked sharply.
“Are you seriously having a relationship with the boss?” Leon muttered. “I thought it was only a rumor. I mean she’s too good for you, right? Smart, mature, and all that.”
Yes, she was. “Shut up, Leon,” he replied dryly and headed onto the ice.
They were playing the Arizona Wolves again and Andre Mäkelä was opposite him once more for the face-off.
As always, the other man grinned arrogantly, the usual drill before the first puck was played. He was about to insult Jack in some way, but Jack would not react and still win the first puck.
“Well?” Mäkelä asked slowly. “What’s it like to lie down with the boss?”
Suddenly, Jack’s shoulders tensed, and he looked through the face shield with narrowed eyes. “What did you say?” he asked quietly.
“I’m just asking what we’re all interested in,” Andre continued, nodding to his teammates. “Is she good? Worth all the stress?”
Jack’s teeth scraped together, and he gripped his stick tighter. It was just stupid trash talk, nothing more.
“Be quiet, Mäkelä,” he replied calmly.
“That’s not a satisfactory answer. But, I guess you’re not the satisfying type, are you?” He grinned. “She definitely has a better job than you. And we all agree she’s hot.”
Jack’s fingers clenched.
“Maybe in a slightly boyish, hippie way, but still definitely fuckable.”
Fuckable.
