Page 48 of Boards & Betrayal

I turned back to Janet, my eyes blazing with anger. "What the fuck do you want?" I demanded.

She smirked. "I came here to speak to you, but now that I see her…" She cocked her head to the side. "I want to talk to her."

Chapter 15

Ally

Ifelt my pulse race as I watched Thomas square off against Janet. His posture was rigid, eyes hard as he spoke.

“You’ve crossed a line, Janet. Leave Ally out of this,” he growled, voice dripping with menace.

Janet smirked, a venomous edge to her smile. “Why don’t you let her speak for herself? She’s a big girl, right? Or you wouldn’t be about to fuck her on the ice.”

My chest tightened at the words, heat rising in my cheeks. Before Thomas could retaliate, I stepped forward.

“It’s fine,” I said, holding up a hand to forestall any more comments from him. “I’ll talk to her.”

Thomas shot me a look, a mix of concern and protectiveness that only made my heart ache more.

"Al —"

Janet turned her full attention to me, her eyes gleaming with something almost predatory. “So, Ally, how does it feel to have two generations of Morgans wrapped around your little finger?”

I took a deep breath, willing myself to stay calm. “What do you want, Janet?”

“Oh, honey,” she said, voice dripping with false sweetness. “I want what’s best for everyone involved. And that means keeping things... uncomplicated.”

“Uncomplicated?” I repeated, incredulous. “You’re the one complicating things.”

She leaned in closer, lowering her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “Nick told me everything. Maybe we should go somewhere more private?”

My stomach dropped. The fact that Janet hadn’t said anything until now meant she was using it as leverage.

“I hate this,” I muttered under my breath.

Janet’s smirk widened. “Oh sweetie, hate’s just another form of passion.”

Thomas stepped forward again, his protective instincts flaring up visibly. “Enough, Janet.”

But I raised my hand again to stop him. “No, Thomas. Let me handle this.”

His jaw tightened, but he nodded again, staying close enough to intervene if necessary.

“Look,” I said to Janet, meeting her gaze steadily. “Whatever Nick told you doesn’t change anything between us. It’s none of your business.”

Janet raised an eyebrow. “Is that so? Because it seems like you’ve made it everyone’s business by playing both sides.”

My patience wore thin as anger bubbled up inside me. “You don’t know anything about what happened between me and Nick or Thomas.”

“Oh,” she said with mock surprise. “Enlighten me then.”

I looked around the rink. The ice gleamed under the bright lights, a pristine expanse of white marred only by the faint marks from when me and Thomas had been on the ice a few moments ago. The boards were lined with advertisements for local businesses, and the faint hum of the refrigeration systemfilled the air. The scent of cold, clean ice mixed with the distant aroma of popcorn from the concession stand.

The doors swung open, and a blonde girl walked in, heading straight for the skate counter. Her confident stride and athletic build made it clear—this must be the girl Cooper was seeing.

I turned back to Janet, meeting her gaze head-on. “Let’s go in the locker room then,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady.

“You can use my office,” Thomas interjected gruffly, his eyes never leaving Janet’s face.

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