Page 92 of Heartless As Puck

I didn’t know.

Especially not when she was already insecure about her own worth. I turned slowly and walked to our tables. I’d have to head her off. Get in touch with Jane first. But if I rushed in with excuses, would that make me look guilty?

“What’s wrong with you?” Drew asked as I sat down.

I sighed. There was no point hiding it. They’d probably find out soon enough. “Some woman just came onto me, and Rebecca Jansen recorded it on her phone.”

Drew’s eyes narrowed, and it hit me that I might have just made a terrible mistake. He pushed back his chair and scanned the room.

“Don’t worry about it,” I said, but it was already too late. He’d caught sight of her and was on his way to her table.

Drew stood over her, his arms crossed over his broad chest. He made an intimidating sight. “Do you enjoy hurting innocent women?”

Rebecca’s lips parted in surprise. “I don’t want to hurt anyone. I’m trying to protect other women from falling for the likes of you.”

I rushed over and grabbed Drew’s arm, trying to pull him away before he gave her any more ammunition.

“I know that photograph was you, too,” Drew hissed, straining against me. I didn’t know what he’d actually do if I let him go. It wasn’t as if he were about to beat up a woman. Drew may be hot tempered, but he generally directed it at people just as big as him, if not bigger.

“It wasn’t. I—” Rebecca’s voice cut off as I hauled Drew back to the team’s tables.

“You can’t lose your shit like that,” I growled at him, pushing him onto his chair. “It’s exactly what she wants.”

Drew’s jaw clenched and his eyes burned with dark fury. “I don’t understand why you aren’t angrier at her. She messed with your woman.”

I sat, trying to mask my roiling emotions. “I am mad, but Jane wouldn’t want me to get myself and the team into more trouble. Sometimes the best thing you can do is not give people the reaction they want. You’ve gotta shake it off.”

“Just like your beloved Taylor says,” Jesse teased.

“Shut up, Jesse,” I said, wondering why he’d thought that now was a good moment to poke the bear. We needed to help Drew get a hold of himself, not encourage him to blow his top.

Drew exhaled sharply. “Fine, I’ll stay away from her, but it’s not going to be easy.”

I reached across and squeezed his shoulder. “I appreciate the effort.”

“Yeah. You’d better.”

Relieved that that crisis was over, I grabbed my phone and opened my messages, internally debating whether to get in touch with Jane directly or go via Hazel. In the end, I decided that it was best to avoid Jane getting wind of this entirely until I was there to explain it to her if possible. I texted Hazel.

If Jane sees anything that looks like me with another woman before I get home, make sure she knows that it isn’t how it looks.

The reply came only a short minute later.

What did you do?

TWENTY-SIX

AUSTIN

The bar’s main door banged open as a crowd of well-built, familiar men entered, and my finger slipped on the screen as I fumbled with the phone. I caught sight of Alec Wright among the newcomers, and my stomach lurched. Apparently, we weren’t the only NHL team making an appearance here tonight.

From the end of our table, Delacrue shouted at them to get lost. I cringed. While heckling was okay, we didn’t want to cross the line into outright hostility.

Luckily, at that moment, Jesse stood and made a smart-ass comment about how they were welcome to stay as long as they didn’t mind losing at pool as well as hockey. I flashed him a smile, grateful to him for taking the heat out of Delacrue’s words. He winked back.

The staff hurried to make room for the Dragons on the opposite side of the bar from us. I waited until I was sure they weren’t paying attention and then slunk along the tables to Delacrue.

“You can’t pull that kind of bullshit this year,” I told him, holding his gaze even when I sensed frustration rise inside him, simmering behind the brown of his eyes.