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“Are you married, Lexi?”
“Who’s the lucky guy?”
She manages a polite smile, but just barely. She’s clearly annoyed. I don’t blame her. “I was invited, because I am dating Dylan.”
“Oh, shit,” Cece mutters under her breath, and I know things are about to get bad. The players start making their way down the hall, with Mason out front and Dylan trailing behind him.
I stiffen, waiting for Mason to lose it in front of the paparazzi. I can’t rush over and throw myself between them, because it would make it look as if he had no self-control. It’s all up to him.
Mason pauses, staring at the paparazzi, obviously trying to figure out what’s up. Then he glances over, recognizes Lexi, and a look of confusion crosses his face.
That’s it. No anger, no deep hurt, no longing, just confusion.
Dylan hurries past Mason, elbowing him out of the way as if he’s on the opposing team, and hurries over to grab Lexi.
“Lexi.” he shouts, as if the paps didn’t already know her name. “Hey, gorgeous. Thanks for coming.” He grabs her and plants a big kiss on her, clapping his hand right on her butt.
Well, that’s a little much. He’s acting like a middle school kid at a dance with his first girlfriend.
He finally steps back, and when he does, he playfully flips her hair from her face. Then he puts his arm around her and poses for the paps. I can’t really tell how she’s reacting to it. She’s a professional when it comes to dealing with the press, and she waves with a wry expression on her face.
As they put on their show, I hurry over to Mason, who’s moved out of the way. Fortunately, all eyes are on them, including Cecelia’s. She can’t seem to take her gaze off the display they’re putting on.
I quickly link my arm through Mason’s and hurry him down the hallway until I find an unlocked door, then shove him in, following him and shutting the door behind us. I have no idea what room this is, but at least it’s pitch dark, which means it’s unoccupied and we’ve got a little privacy. I need to keep Mason away from prying eyes in case he’s about to explode.
I fumble on the wall and find a switch, at which point I realize that I am now standing in a closet with Mason Raker.
Mason is scowling.
“Calm down, please,” I beg him. “I’m sorry. I know that’s not exactly the most calming phrase to hear. Listen. You just kicked ass on the ice tonight. You have been doing incredibly well, in every aspect of your life, personal and professional. Please, please do not undo all of your hard work by blowing up in public.”
“I am calm.”
I give him a skeptical look. “You look as calm as a maniac about to go on a killing spree. I know it must be hard to see Dylan and Lexi together, but—”
He grimaces and shakes his head. “It has nothing to do with Dylan and Lexi, but this whole thing has to have been staged by Dylan, based on how he’s acting. I’ve never, ever seen him behave like that before. And why is the press there? Why was Lexi in the wives’ room tonight?”
“Those are all very good points.” I nod in agreement. “Cecelia and I will be talking to the coach, because that had all the potential to be a public relations disaster. I have no idea what happened, but we will get to the bottom of it. I can tell you, though, that we already talked to the guard, and he said that the press were authorized to come in there. I don’t know who did it. It was probably just horrible timing all around, but we’ll make sure that it doesn’t happen again. I don’t know if we can prevent Lexi from being invited to the wives’ area, though. What can we do to help you if that happens?”
He looks down at me, his expression serious. We’re standing so close. He smells like male musk, earthy and masculine.
“Rowan, I’m telling you. I don’t care about Lexi.” The anger has faded from his face and his voice is calm.
“Well, it’s not my business. I don’t care that you don’t care.” I maybe sound a little defensive when I say it. My cheeks heat with embarrassment. I’m not a great liar.
He moves closer to me, pressing right up against me, a solid wall of muscle. I try to remember how to breathe.
“I think you do care.”
“You’re wrong.” Now my cheeks are blazing hot.
“That’s the best you’ve got? ‘You’re wrong’?”
I fan my face. “Whew, this closet needs some air conditioning, doesn’t it?” I smile up at him brightly.
“Listen. I. Don’t. Care. About Lexi. We broke up for a reason. She was not the one, and it had run its course, and it’s fine. Sure, I care about her as a person, but not in any kind of romantic way. I’m more pissed off that Dylan seems to think that I care and he’s trying to use it against me, which I don’t understand.”
I nod. “Sure. Okay. I believe you.”
