Page 12 of The Publicity Stunt

"Are you dating her?" Rudy asks and elbows him as they climb onto the bench.

"Anything off the ice isn't your business anymore."

He scoffs. "You're not dating her. You found a way to make it look like you are just to get back at Sasha. That makes you an asshole ten times over, you know that, right?"

Kace ignores Rudy until it's time to climb back into the game, and he finds his spot on the ice to catch the puck before passing it to the rookie, Brandon, and moves towards the net. Brandon takes his shot, but it bounces off the post. Kace catches it with his stick and smacks it hard between the goalie's legs, surprising him by hitting it from the right instead of the left. Being left-handed has its perks when most people are right-handed.

The train whistle goes off again, and he can't help it. He looks up to find Bri jumping up and down next to her friend, her hands hitting the plexiglass. He points up at her, and she places her hand over her heart with a wide smile.

"Seriously, what kind of bullshit did you pull to get her here? There's no way she's here for you. No way," Rudy says.

Kace just scoffs and looks at the scoreboard. In a matter of minutes, they've tied with Brett's team, three to three. Bri Waters just might be his good luck charm.

Kace came close to his first hat trick of the season tonight. Instead of a third goal, he had an assist for Brandon, who scored his very first NHL goal. It was almost as good, and seeing Bri clap for him made it even better.

She looked so happy, and he thoroughly enjoyed himself on the ice for the first time all season. It didn't hurt that the attention and speculation pissed Rudy off even more with every minute that passed. Serves him right for making the one place Kace always felt like home feel like the worst place in the world.

"Lyons!" Coach shouts as he walks into the locker room.

"Yeah, Coach?"

"Good game. Didn't have anything to do with that pretty singer up in our stands wearing your jersey, did it?"

Even Coach noticed her, and the annoyed look on Rudy's face makes that much better. "We just had a hell of a game and came back strong in the third period. Bran scored his first goal. How's it feel, little man?"

The kid dropped out of college to join the team, and he's only twenty. He's a little shorter than Kace, but not by much, with a baby face and blue eyes. His sandy hair makes him look even younger, and a wide smile spreads across his face.

"Do you have any idea how kickass it was to score my first goal in front of Bri Waters?"

Rudy rolls his eyes and slams his locker. "Whatever."

"He looks annoyed," Brandon says.

"Because he's about to stand in the shower next to me, and it's not just the height that makes him the smaller one," Kace says and chuckles as he heads to the showers.

He turns on the hot water and strips down before standing under the hot stream. It never fails to surprise him just how sore his muscles are until the hot water hits them, and it worries him that his age is starting to catch up quicker than he thinks. He has a few good years yet, but many retire at thirty-five. This means he only has a few seasons left to win the Cup.

Steam fills the small area, and he quickly lathers up to finish up as soon as possible. If he's lucky, Bri will be waiting for him outside the locker room.

"Seriously, did you pay her or something?" Rudy calls.

"Get over it, dude," Kace says.

The water shuts off next to Kace, and the black-haired man sticks his head through the curtain. "I want to know."

"I'm sure Sasha has you feeling insecure about your size, but get out of here, perv."

"She doesn't complain one bit, thanks."

"Then what the hell has you so interested in my junk? Checking out to see if that toy she loves so much was made from yours truly? Spoiler alert, it was."

Reaching out, he pushes Kace. "Fuck you."

"Marshall, what are you doing to Lyons?" Bruno's large voice booms in the showers. "Stealing his girl wasn't enough? You want to fondle him while you're at it, too? Or do you just like to watch him like a Peeping Tim?"

Kace laughs and turns off his water as Rudy backs away. Wrapping a towel around his waist, he walks out. "Tom. It's a Peeping Tom, Bruno. And it's creepy, right? Like, did he start with Sasha as a weird obsession but really wants me? Because it's a little gay to stick your head in my shower, dude. You know we'll never judge, but I just don't see you like that."

"Get your own life," Bruno says and turns on the water three stalls down. "And don't even think about coming in here. Touch me while I'm naked, and you'll end up on the injured roster with a broken hand. Don't test me."

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