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“It’s the off-season,” he reminded. His summers, besides working out to stay in shape, were his own. But when training camp started in September, his life belonged to his team.
“Don’t listen to anything he says,” Silas told Bridget. “He plays professional ice hockey and obviously got hit by a puck a few too many times.”
“Wow. Which team?” she asked.
He told her and they started up a conversation about the sport. Silas looked over at me, then stood and started searching the cabinets. He found where the glasses were and filled one from the dispenser in the fridge door.
I followed him with a glass of my own. “I know what you’re thinking,” I whispered.
“What, that those two are better matched?” he whispered back.
“Scout’s less of a puppy than he is,” I replied. “She doesn’t need a puppy.”
No, she needed someone to give her gentle guidance. Reassurance. Orgasms.
Silas glanced at Dex and Bridget, how Dex was waving his arms around talking about carrying the Stanley Cup trophy, with Theo listening on, amused by our little brother’s antics. I was ridiculously proud of Dex. We’d known he’d play professionally when he was ten and carried his PeeWee team to state champs. He just had that ridiculous innate talent and was drafted out of college in Minnesota because of it.
“She doesn’t look at him like she looks at you,” he replied.
Bridget’s eyes widened and she laughed at Dex, then put her fingers over her lips. He had a knack for making any story sound exciting.
“How’s that?”
“Like he’s her brother and you’re her–”
“Don’t even say it,” I prompted. “I’m not that fucking old.”
He shrugged. “Fine. Doesn’t matter anyway. Daddy kink wasn’t on your quiz.”
Definitely not. Based on her response to the praise I doled out and being called a good girl, it made sense she was into someone so much older. Learning about her parents… I didn’t think she had a Daddy thing either. But she did crave reassurance. Affection. Approval.
Dex couldn’t give her what she needed, that was for fucking sure. He was too young for her, too into himself to pay close enough attention to her subtle tells. I saw them all and was working on responding to them correctly. It seemed in the past day I fucked up. A lot.
But she was here in my house, and she was meeting my brothers.
A big deal for a first unofficial date.
“I want to know what was on her quiz,” he said, pulling me from my thoughts.
I growled, backed it up with a glare, then said, “Only if you want to die.”
“So there really is one,” he added. He played me and got the answer he wanted. The fucker. “I figured as much. You wouldn’t share that shit in an email without a very good, and strategic, reason.”
“I just didn’t expect Bradley to be so good at his job,” I muttered.
I would make sure he only worked regular business hours from now on so I could fuck up without anyone knowing.
26
BRIDGET
* * *
“We went to the pet store to get things for Scout, then got deli sandwiches, didn’t end up eating them because Maverick ate me and then his brothers interrupted because they read his email and I ran off in a sheet but it turns out they read Maverick’s sex quiz and not mine and we’re going out to dinner later and I need your help picking an outfit.”
I didn’t take a breath when I blurted all that to Mallory after Maverick had dropped me at home. Since I sprinted across a field barefooted and pretty much naked, I needed shower and a change of clothes.
“Hang on. Hang on,” she said. “I have questions. Many questions. First one.”
