Page 28 of Skate the Line

“Early again?” Malaki zips onto the ice with his typical high energy.

I chase the puck, warming up my legs for practice. “I’m always early.”

It’s true. If I’m not with Ellie, I’m at the rink. The only problem lately has been that my nannies weren’t reliable, so I’ve been in and out.

“Yeah.” Malaki slips in front of me and steals the puck. “But not this early. You didn’t take Ellie to school?”

I shake my head. “New nanny.”

Malaki comes to a screeching halt. He rests his arm on top of his stick, and I catch the cheeky grin he’s wearing.

Here we fucking go.

“Is she hot?”

“Is who hot?” Kane takes the ice next.

This is why I come extra early—so I can practice and get in the zone before everyone else shows up and starts pissing me off.

Kane begins stretching. “Does Grandpa have a girlfriend? No fucking way.”

I haven’t had a girlfriend since before Ellie. In fact, I haven’t had a girlfriend since my early twenties. I was too focused on my career. Any woman I spent my time with was just someone I slept with occasionally. Gia just happened to be fertile one night, leaving me with something else to focus on.

“Shut the fuck up, Kane,” I snap.

Emory, in his goalie gear, chuckles on his way to the net. I shoot him a glare.

“New nanny,” Malaki tells Kane and all the other teammates who are listening.

Kane grins before swinging his smug face in my direction. “Well?”

“Well what?” I play with the puck, getting loose in my grip.

Kane skates a circle around me. “How old is she?”

“Twenty-six.” Technically, twenty-five, but twenty-six sounds better. It’s one of the only things I know about her, actually.

Several of my teammates slow their skating. Their blades come to a screeching halt. Anger flies to the soles of my feet, and I curl my lip. “If any of you eventhinkof seeking my new nanny out…I’ll make sure you never fuck another woman for the rest of your life.”

Silence works its way down the line.

Kane chuckles. I immediately stare him down.

“But it might be worth it…” he says. “Depending on what she looks like. We could go out a winner.”

My pupils dilate. My stick drops to the ice, and Kane’s deranged smile appears. He loves a good punch to the face, because he’s a sick fuck.

My teammates haven’t even seen Sunny yet, and they’re already starting their shit. I swoop down and grab my stick and head over to Emory, leaving Kane and my anger on the other side of the ice.

I have to mentally prepare myself for the things they’re going to say when theydosee her, because whether or not I want to admit it, Sunny is fucking gorgeous.

It’s part of the reason why I didn’t want to hire her.

I can ignore her charming smile and the spattering of freckles against her honey-colored skin, but I’m not sure the rest of the population can—especially some of my teammates.

Fuck.

I should have added that to the contract.

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