“I…shit.”
Kristen chuckled softly. “You’re trying so hard not to put your hands over your ears and singla la la, I can’t hear youright now.”
“I donotwant to talk about your sex life.”
“Trust me, I don’t want to be talking about it, either. But you not only punched Will in the face, you then ranted about it to your buddies. I don’t know if it was one of them or just some asshole within earshot, but somebody put my personal business on blast, and here we are.”
“So it was just a one-night stand?”
“It was probably going to be a few nights, actually.” When he groaned, she laughed. “I’ll spare you the details, but you know how I feel about the sport. You really think, after all this time being a hockey sister, I’d sign on to be a hockey wife?”
“I’m sorry I might blow up your promotion, Kris. I really am. But what am I supposed to do now? Smile and tell the world I’m thrilled my sister is dating Cross Lecroix?”
“You can’t even bluff your way through a round of poker, so there’s no way you’d pull that off. You don’t have to give us your blessing or anything. Just tell anybody who asks that my personal life is my business and you wish me the best.”
“They’ll still talk. Your boss will probably still hear some of it.” When she opened her mouth to respond, he held up his hand. “No, I get it. As long as your boss thinks you’re in a propercourtshipor whatever, he won’t have a problem with it.”
“I’m not sure he’ll approve of a professional hockey player, but yeah. Basically, that’s the situation. You owe me this, Erik. I’ve lived in your shadow my entire life, and now I have a chance to take a big step forward in my career. If you don’t go along with this, I could lose my promotion.”
“I’m going to do whatever you need to do, but I still think he’s using you to hurt me.”
Her temper rose, and she clenched her hands into fists. “This isn’t about you. I told you last night that, contrary to our father’s opinion, not everything is. Will didn’t know I was your sister when we hooked up.”
“So he says.” Concern for her softened the hard lines of his face. “I mean, what are the chances?”
Kristen remembered the look on Will’s face when he realized he was naked in the bed of Erik Burke’s sister. It had been nothing short of horror, and there was a good chance Erik would never believe it was a weird coincidence in a small world, but she did.
“Believe whatever you want,” she said rather than waste time trying to convince him. “I don’t care. The only thing I care about is you swearing to me that you won’t contradict what Will told the press to anybody. Even Dad.”
“You want me to lie toDad?”
Erik was a lot closer to Lamont than Kristen was. It was just the natural order of things in the Burke family, and she’d accepted it years ago. But she also knew Erik loved her, and if she could get him to make this promise to her, he wouldn’t break it. Not even for their father.
“Let me ask you this,” she said, leaning back in her chair. “Which do you think is more important to Dad—my career and promotion or denying anybody in the Burke family could ever be involved in any way with Cross Lecroix?”
“He’d throw you under the bus if it got him sports media time,” he admitted with obvious reluctance. “I’m sorry, because even though you and I both know it’s true, I hate saying it out loud.”
“I know, but it is what it is, so I need you to promise you won’t tellanybodythe actual truth about me and Will. Please.”
“I’ll do it. I won’t even tell Dad.” She kept looking at him until he chuckled. “I promise.”
“Thank you.”
“Have you heard from him yet? I was expecting him to blow up my phone, but he doesn’t like to distract me from ice time, so it should be coming anytime now.”
She rolled her eyes. “I haven’t spoken to him, but I got a text message demanding I be available for a phone call at six o’clock.”
Erik tapped his phone screen to see the time and then grinned. “Oh, look at the time. I just remembered I have a thing I’m supposed to be doing in five minutes.”
“Chicken,” she teased, and she got up to put their empty glasses in the sink while he put his coat on.
“I’m sorry about all this,” he said sincerely, wrapping his arms around her for a brief hug. “I lost my shit when I saw him in your bedroom, but the rest of it…I would never do anything to hurt you, Kris. I’m really sorry.”
“I know. This’ll pass and eventually it’ll just be a funnyhey, remember that one timestory we tell when Dad isn’t around.”
He laughed and kissed her cheek. “I’d tell you to let me know how the conversation with Dad goes, but I’m pretty sure I’ll hear all about it.”
“No doubt.”
