Page 19 of Puck Off, She’s Mine

The man is doing something to my brain that's not natural. I'm not sure it's legal, either. I tried like hell to avoid the arena after he kissed me at the game, but it didn't help. As soon as they were on a plane to Colorado, I found myself right back here, prowling the halls, trying to figure out what he was hiding.

And somewhere along the way, I came face to face with the realization that I wasn't digging because it's my job. I was digging because it's him. Because, dammit all, he's gotten under my skin.

What he said about not believing rumors or gossip because anyone can start them refused to leave my brain. At first, I thought maybe he was trying to say that Corey started the rumor to make him look bad. I could almost believe that. Almost. Except…I don't think Corey actually wants to make him look bad.

I think Corey is flirting with me to annoy him, simply for the sake of his own personal entertainment. He's not really into me. He simply wants to push Phoenix's buttons. So why would he start a rumor of this magnitude?

It makes no sense.

Hell, nothing makes much sense. But I've spent the last few days pouring over the facts, and they all lead back to one simple truth. If Phoenix were truly in trouble for something serious enough to elicit whispers of prison, he'd be riding the bench or, worse, already sacked. He wouldn't be playing like nothing ever happened. There would be police reports or some sort of paper trail.

The only things I've found are the rumors flowing from his teammates and support staff. The ones he doesn't seem to be in any hurry to shut down. There's no substance to them.

Which can only mean they aren't true. And that leaves me with one glaring possibility: He started them himself. After talking to him this morning, I'm more convinced of that than ever. I just don't understand why.

My notebook contains a whole roster of theories, but they all point to a place I'm not sure I'm ready to go. It feels dangerous, like leaping from a freaking roof and hoping I learn to fly on the way down.

I'm not sure I'm ready to leap.

I'm not sure I'm not ready, either.

And that's the most dangerous thing of all. He's turning me inside out little by little, making me question what I really want. That wasn't supposed to happen. This was supposed to be a job. Instead, it's turning into something else altogether. Something a whole lot bigger.

"Has anyone ever told you how cute you are when you're scowling?" Corey asks, dropping onto the bench beside me.

I startle so hard, I drop my notebook.

He reaches for it with a laugh, but I lunge for it, snatching it back before he manages to get his hands on it. There's no way in hell I ever want him to see any of the shit I've written in there about Phoenix. No way in hell.

"State secrets?" he asks, one brow arched.

"Yes," I lie, flipping it closed before shoving it into my pocket. "Top secret state secrets."

"Oh, now I'm really curious. Anything good?"

"Maybe." I look at him out of the corner of my eye. He's sweaty, his hair plastered to his head. Even so, I can see why women flock to him. He has this effortless sort of charm, and the good looks to go with it. But when I close my eyes at night, it's never him I picture. It's always Phoenix. "I'll never tell."

"Not even what you wrote about me?" He pouts. "Aw, come on. I promise not to tell."

"You're doing it again."

"Too much?"

"Too much," I confirm.

He just laughs and shrugs like he doesn't give a shit, and this is how I know he isn't really trying to get me to date him. I highly doubt he acts like this around women he wants to sleep with. I mean, the man fucks models and actresses on a weekly basis. There's no way they fall for this hapless, incorrigible devil routine.

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Depends on the question."

"Why do you like pushing his buttons so much?" I ask, glancing at Phoenix. He's talking to Bouch on the opposite side of the ice, but I can tell from the tension in his body that he knows Corey is over here, and he isn't thrilled about it.

"Don't know what you mean," Corey says.

"Yeah, you do. You flirt with me just to annoy him."

"Or maybe I flirt with you because you're hot," he says, shooting me a smirk. "Ever think of that?"