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“Rory?”
I turn toward Joel. He comes down the hall from the opposite direction Knox and I came from. Which means he missed our interaction.
My relief helps my smile.
“Just wanted to say hi,” I murmur, stepping up and kissing him.
“Hi,” he replies. “Meet you down here after?”
“Of course.”
He touches my cheek.
I get out of his way, and he disappears into the locker room. I wait for a beat, then another.
The thing is, I’m not confident Joel won’t freak out when I tell him about Knox and me. I love him, yes, but we’re still learning each other. I met him six months ago, and I’m fully aware that this is what they call a whirlwind romance.
But Knox is giving me no choice. I want to marry Joel. I want to be divorced from Knox.
Which means being honest… as soon as the game is over.
I take my seat and lean forward when the Titans skate out. Joel’s all focused when he comes onto the ice, heading to the net and scuffing up the crease. He drops into a stretch, the other players zooming around.
My gaze snags on another player. Knox easily finds me in the crowd. It’s almost unerring how quickly he does it. His gazeburns, and I force myself to look away. I don’t even know how he knows where I’m sitting.
The last game I went to, Joel got me into a suite with some of his friends. That was an interesting experience, meeting those guys. They’re not exactly who I would’ve pegged Joel to be friends with. They all wore suits and drank expensive liquor. But it was a home game and all that, so maybe they were just taking advantage of the grandeur of the situation.
I glance up at the glass-walled suites. It’s better to be up high, sure, but I grew up watching hockey from the glass. And the bench.
Suddenly, the people around me start cheering. It takes me a moment to realize that we’re on the big screen, a group of us with me smack in the center. I wave, forcing a smile, and then look back to Joel.
Because he grounds me, unlike Knox. And this atmosphere.
And the run-in with the owner’s son, who suddenly drops into the recently vacated seat beside me. He leans back, waving and smiling, and I make myself smile brighter.
“Aurora,” he says, like he’s chewing on my name. “McGovern.”
“That’s me.”
We’re drawing attention.
“Romance author. I didn’t expect that.” His attention stays on the ice and his players. “What brings you to the game? And the locker room?”
“Just… visiting a player.”
“Knox Whiteshaw?”
“I know him, yes.” It’s not so much the truth as skirting the question. Mainly because I don’t want to draw unnecessary attention to Joel, and—well, I guess that’s it. Knox is new to the team, and life would be a whole lot easier if he just, you know, was traded again.
“Is the conversation you overheard the other night making more sense?” he asks. “Now that you know who I am.”
I wince.Nowwould be the time to lie. To deny.
Before I can open my mouth, he continues. “It’s actually a good thing we ran into each other again, Ms. McGovern. My operation is running into a few snags, and it could use your help.” He glances at me. “Some people just need a little extra motivation.”
The third period begins. Knox wins the face-off, shooting the puck over to Scofield. They’re a swarm of white-jersey players around the darker home-jersey color of their opponents.
“Who needs motivating?” I frown. “I don’t really know anything. Or anyone else on the team. I’m not really involved in hockey at all.”
