Page 88 of The Penalty

“Dark chocolate in small amounts has antioxidants. Milk chocolate does not.”

I glare at him. “You know, if you ate more pancakes, maybe you would be nicer and beefier like I am.”

“I honestly don’t know how you can possibly perform at the level you do when you don’t eat anywhere near a balanced diet. Don’t you have a nutrition plan?”

I shrug. “Probably in the stack of papers I shoved in my desk and forgot exists.”

He opens his mouth to respond but stops and watches something over my shoulder. After a few seconds, he sits back in the booth, putting space between us. Turning, I try not to groan when I see a group of my teammates in their hockey hoodies. Shit.

Blondie sees me and gives me a chin nod while elbowing Porter.

Shit.

Porter glances up and then Lancelot who waves.

Craaaaaaaaap on a cracker.

I’m sure one of them will recognize Rhys, especially if they find out his name which would be super awkward if they came over here and I didn’t introduce him. How am I going to explain this to them? He’s literally the enemy. And I just had my hand on his dick like ten minutes ago. Okay maybe it was twenty. That’s not the point.

I wave back and give them a half-smile before turning back around. Rhys has his hockey face on. The one that’s hard to read and yet he looks confident. It’s kinda weird.

“What’s that face for?”

“What face?”

“The face that’s on your face, face.” I point to it.

He picks up his tea and sips it as the boys stop at the end of our table. If we weren’t gigantic athletes, five of us could fit in this booth but if we tried, one side would be butt to butt and very uncomfortable.

“Hey guys,” I greet my teammates as the waitress brings our food out. They move out of the way and she sets the plates down. Lancelot is looking at Rhys weird and I don’t like it. “What’s up?”

Porter looks at my pancakes and snorts. “Goalies are so weird.”

“Hey!” Lance says.

“I rest my case,” Porter says before turning to Rhys. “You look familiar.”

Rhys smirks, taking a drink of his tea. “Do I?”

Bumble bees do a dance in my stomach. What will they think if they find out he’s from the Gods? Will they assume I’m giving him insight to fuck us over? That I’m trying to switch teams or poach him from them?

I don’t know how to play this. Fuck.

“Yeah…do you play hockey?”

Fizzle sticks. He’s thinking about this way too hard.

Rhys looks at me then back up at my captain.

“I do.”

“Who do you play for?”

Come on skull computer, do the thing.

“He plays for the Gods,” I finally open my fucking mouth.

Everyone’s attention locks on me, shocked, angry, confused.

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