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He blows out a breath. I feel his chest swell, then still. "Go to sleep."
I close my eyes, sure I’m not going to be able to do so, then surprise myself when I surrender to the darkness. When I open my eyes, I know I’m alone. On the pillow beside me is my phone. I pick it up and swipe the screen to find a message: "Gone for practice. See you after work. Dress warmly. I’m taking you out."
My phone buzzes with an incoming call. I accept it as a voice call.
"I can’t see you, why can’t I see you? Are you naked, Gio?" Mira’s voice filters through.
"I’m—"
"You’re naked and freshly fucked, admit it."
"Okay, fine, are you happy now?"
Her screech almost takes my ear off, and I hold the phone at a distance. "I knew it. Does this mean you two are together?"
46
Rick
"So, the two of you are together?" Finn asks.
I pull on my T-shirt, then my sweatshirt and sit down on the bench to pull on my socks.
"Is that why you’re taking her out on a date?"
"It’s not a—" I stop. Actually, it is a date, so can’t deny that, but still how did he—
"How did I know it was a date?" He chuckles.
I finish tying up my shoelaces, then straighten and scowl up at him. "How did you?"
"You were so nervous during practice, your performance was all over the place."
"It wasn’t all over the place."
"It was not only all over the place, it was under the ice. If it had been any deeper, I’d have had to look for you and found, not the captain of the ice hockey team who’s already tipped to lose the league, but one who’s head and heart are not in the game because they’re somewhere else." Edward glares down at me.
Finn winces. "To be fair, it wasn’t that bad."
"It sucked arse," Edward snaps.
Finn hunches his shoulders, then jerks his chin. "Catch you later, Stone." He sidles off. Coward. I glower after him.
The rest of the dressing room empties out in a hurry, until it’s only the very angry General Manager of the team and me.
"What the fuck is wrong with you?" he bites out through gritted teeth. At least, he waited until we were alone before he chewed me out. That’s something, I suppose. Not that it matters. I knew how badly off-form I’ve been lately. Which is why it doesn’t surprise me when he sinks down next to me and runs his fingers through his hair. "I can see by the look on your face you already know what I’m going to say."
"So don’t—" I begin, but he holds up his hand.
"You’re not like the rest of them. You’re older, more mature—"
"You mean, past my prime?"
He frowns. "You know as well as I do that, while it might take more time for you to recover from a game, what you have in experience both on and off the ice makes you invaluable as a captain."
Yes, I’m aware. No, I don’t need someone else to tell me that. No, I’m not insecure… Not normally.Not until a siren swept into my life and blindsided me. I blow out a breath.
His frown deepens. "You’re not a man known for his lack of confidence. In fact, it’s your larger than average ego that's helped you come this far. And it's an asset when you’re leading a team on the ice."
