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"You need your fans, Gray."
"If they're truly my fans, they'll be happy for me when they see that I'm happy. Anyone else can go fuck themselves as far as I'm concerned."
"Gray."
"No, angel," I say, shaking my head. "You need to listen to me on this. My former publicists never lasted long because theywanted to brand me as some sex symbol, someone puck bunnies thought they had a chance of bedding. I wasn't interested in playing that role then, and I'm damn sure not interested now."
She eyes me for a minute, and I half expect a fight, but then her expression softens, and she smiles. "You're a rare breed, Gray Larsen."
"I'm a lot more normal than you think," I disagree. "Your perception is clouded because of what happened to your sister, and I get that. What Lovelace did was fucked up. He didn't deserve to wear the jersey he wore, and everyone involved in the decision to sacrifice Adrian's reputation for his should be fired. But there are a lot more men like me in professional sports than there are men like him."
She doesn't say anything.
"My teammates are a lot like I am," I murmur, rubbing circles into her back again. She's a little tense, as if this conversation stresses her out. That breaks my heart for her. She's so afraid to trust, but I can tell by her expression that she wants to believe me. She wants to believe there are genuinely good men in this world, men who would have spoken up and saved her sister had they known.
"Tell me about them," she whispers.
"They're all assholes," I say, smiling when her eyes flutter open. "We give each other nine kinds of hell and ride each other's asses. We play jokes on one another and cause enough trouble to drive Kelsey insane, but there's no one else I want to be on the ice with than Kris, Wes, Theo, Jonas, Logan, and the rest of the team."
"How long have you all been playing together?"
"A while," he says. "Theo was the last to be traded to us a few years ago. But we play well together and we've brough the Cup home more than once. It makes staying together a little easier.Management does what they can to keep us here, but it probably won't last much longer. Kris will be a free agent next year."
"Will he leave?"
"Not if he has a choice. Kelsey's in Nashville."
Camila's brows furrow. "He has a thing for Kelsey?"
"Mmhmm. I'm pretty sure she feels the same way, but they avoid each other. One of these days, he'll get his head out of his ass and handle the situation. Then they'll both be happy." I pause. "She needs someone to settle her mean ass down."
"Kelsey is not mean!"
"Uh, have you met her? She's terrifying."
Camila buries her face in the bed and laughs loudly.
"You laugh now but wait until you mess up one of her perfectly orchestrated plans and she threatens to bury you beneath the ice so no one finds your body," I mutter, which makes Camila laugh harder. I can't even be mad about it though. I love that sound. And Kelsey isn't all that bad. I mean, yeah, she's terrifying. She's five-foot nothing and manages to keep an entire NHL team in line. There's no way she's human. But she's also someone I consider a friend. Kris is my brother, but if he breaks her heart, I'll break his face.
"So Kris is in love with Kelsey and Weston just got married. What about the others?" Camila asks when she finally stops laughing at me.
"A few of the guys on the team are married. A few are manwhores," I say. "But Jonas and Theo are more like me and Kris and Wes. We're the old guard. If they had any wild oats to sow, they did it a long time ago. Now, they're focused on the game. Jonas is crazy. I swear to God, if all Canadians are like him, it's a miracle their country is still standing."
Camila laughs again. "He's the giant one, right?"
"Yeah. His big ass is still growing, I think. He's fearless and hyperactive. Plus, he can outdrink anyone I've ever met." It'shonestly impressive. He doesn't drink often, but when he does, there is no beating him. Beer turns to fuel in his bloodstream. "Logan, our goalie, is just as fearless. He's rougher than Jonas though, a bit of a wild card."
"What about Theo?"
"Theo is Theo," I say. "He's one of the best players I've ever met. People fall all over themselves trying to get close to him, but it never goes to his head. He practically lives at the arena."
"Why?"
"He's in love with his maid."
"Yeah, I'm going to need a little bit more than that," she says.
"The girl is young. He feels like an asshole for having a thing for her, so he fucks up his house as much as possible to keep her there, and then spends all of his time here avoiding her," I explain, shrugging. "Don't ask me,querida. It makes sense in his head."
