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"You were looking for the Stingrays' locker room," he growls, eyes narrowed. "Why? What do they have to do with illegal betting?"
"Maybe nothing. Maybe something. I don't know yet."
"Care to explain?"
"Care to explain why you told my boss you were working on this story with me?" I ask instead of answering.
"Because I am working on it with you." He holds his arms out. "You need an inside man. You got it, Trouble."
"Nope. No way."
He lets his arms fall. "Why the fuck not?"
"I'm trying to fly under the radar, Colter. Having a giant hockey player tagging along is the exact opposite of flying under the radar."
"You think there's illegal betting going on at the arena, right?"
"Something like that," I mutter, eyeing him sideways. And then I huff. "Why would hockey players from other teams meet with a bookie here?"
"Who the fuck was meeting with a bookie?"
"I'm not sure I should say."
"Gordon," he guesses, reading my expression.
"Maybe." I chew on my bottom lip. "Your team has played two games here. I've seen players from both teams meeting with the same bookie before the games. Why would they do that?"
"Gambling addictions? Illegal betting? Match throwing? Could be any number of reasons they'd meet with a bookie." Colter scowls, pacing around my office. It's cramped to begin with thanks to the eight filing cabinets Daniel insists on keeping in here, but it feels even smaller with Colter in here. "You're sure they were meeting with a bookie?"
"They met in an alley behind the arena. I got photos of them exchanging money. And the bookie is Elysa's situationship, Gavin. They were definitely meeting a bookie."
"Situationship?" A ghost of a smile touches Colter's lips.
"She's avoiding him because he's a bookie but hasn't broken up with him. It's a whole complicated thing." I wave away the question. "It doesn't even matter."
"Fuck, you're cute when you ramble."
"Colter!"
He blinks and then rapidly shakes his head like he's trying to clear cobwebs from his brain. Or, knowing what I know about him, it's more like he's trying to clear dirty thoughts from it. "Sorry, Trouble. You start rambling, and I hear the goddamn angels sing."
He's shameless. Truly.
"Oh my God. Please, leave my office." Before I fall in love with you, and you break my heart.
"What about our story?"
"My story, Bossy. It's my story." I step behind him, plant my hands in the center of his back—an hello, muscles—and gently push him across my office.
He balks at the door, spinning around to grab me at the last minute. My plan to kick him out goes up in smoke as his mouth slants down on mine.
"You love kissing me." He breaks away from my mouth to gloat.
"Shut up, Colter." I drag his mouth back down to mine like the greedy, crazy woman he's turned me into.
We end up making out for five full minutes before he pulls back with a groan. His wild hazel eyes meet mine. "That goddamn mouth is dangerous, Trouble." He swipes a thumb along my bottom lip, shaking his head. "You better finish kicking me out before I do something you regret, or we get caught again."
My stomach twists itself into knots at the reminder of what happened last night. We can't do that again. Gossip runs rampant in small towns, especially ones like Silver Spoon Falls. I don't want to be the next victim for the mill when I just moved here. Charlie and Adalynn have already been fodder. The whole town probably thinks our family is crazy. It's my job to protect us. It's what I've always done. Protect my sisters.
