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Every curve of her body fit against mine like she was made for me.

“Dalton,” she whispered, her voice laced with want. “I⁠—”

The sound of the gym door slamming open shattered the moment. We were being edged by the Universe.

“Hey, Cap,” Jimenez’s booming voice echoed through the room, followed by the distinctive shuffle of feet on the rubber flooring. “You left your keys in—oh, shit.”

Ari and I sprang apart, scrambling to stand. Her face turned crimson, her hand flying to smooth her hair, like that would erase the evidence of what had almost happened. I took a step back, trying to get my breathing under control while sending my best friend a death glare, promising a beat-down on the ice next practice.

Jimenez froze mid-step, keys dangling from his hand and his mouth agape as he looked between us.

“Whoa. Didn’t mean to interrupt…whatever y’all were doing.”

“Yeah, no shit,” I growled. “What the hell? Don’t you knock?”

“In a gym?” he shot back, clearly trying not to laugh. “Sorry, didn’t realize this was a private session.”

Ari groaned, covering her face with her hands. “Oh my god. I need to leave. Immediately.”

“No one’s leaving,” I said firmly, pointing a finger at Jimenez. “Except him.”

He held up his hands in mock surrender, his grin unapologetic. “Relax, man. I was just dropping off your keys. But hey, good for you, Coach. Didn’t know you had it in you.”

“Out,” I barked.

He winked at Ari on his way out, earning him another murderous glare from me. “Later, lovebirds.”

The door clicked shut behind him, leaving the two of us in awkward silence. I turned to Ari, who was now pacing in a small circle, her face still bright red. I desperately wanted to pick up from where we’d left off, but I could see by her panic that the moment had passed. Again.

“I can’t believe that just happened,” she said, her voice muffled by her hands. “I’m going to die. Right here. Please bury me under the squat rack.”

“Darlin’,” I said gently, stepping in front of her and prying her hands away from her face. “Hey, it’s fine. Jimenez is an idiot, but he’s harmless.”

Her eyes met mine, still wide with embarrassment. “He’s never going to let this go, is he?”

A smile tugged at the corner of my mouth. “Not a fucking chance. But I will kill him if he says anything to anyone.”

That earned me a small laugh, and I felt some of the tension ease. “Can I help?”

“Of course.” I tapped on her temple. “We’re going to need all that murder show knowledge you’ve got up there.”

She rolled her eyes, but the corners of her mouth were tipped up in a smile. “You’re lucky you’re cute. Otherwise, I’d be halfway out of here by now.”

I chuckled, relieved to see her mood lifting. “You’re not going anywhere but into the passenger seat of my car.”

Picking up our bags, I led her out of the gym, my hand at the small of her back, as I tried like hell to ignore the worst fucking case of blue balls I’d ever experienced.

THIRTY

DALTON

PREACH, MAMI!

Media Day prep was in full swing when we made our way through the side entrance of the arena. The rink was buzzing with activity. Photographers, marketing teams, and press were setting up, and I was about to head to where Jimenez and the rest of the team were gathering when a loud voice cut through the crowd behind us.

“Okay, where are all the hot men?” A woman with the blunt black bob came storming in, juggling a drink carrier loaded with coffees in one hand and an armful of chaos in the other. “So you’re the fine ass white boy that has my cousin’s chonies all wadded up in a knot,” she said, dragging her eyes down my body in an assessing manner, stopping at my legs. “Do you have any thigh tattoos? Because if not, you really should reconsider it, she loves⁠—”

Whatever else she was going to say was cut off when Ari stepped up and slapped a hand over the woman’s mouth, looking mortified.