Page 116 of Body Check

Thad looked up from his phone, surprise written all over his face. “Uhh, hi, Dakota.”

“I was wondering if you’d be able to take a short break this morning. Grab a coffee with me?”

Thad blinked, and then a smile tugged up the corners of his mouth. “Let me guess? You finally realized my brother was the boring one.”

“Mmm, not quite,” Dakota said, suppressing the urge to roll his eyes. “Although, he is the reason I want to talk to you.”

Thad arched an eyebrow questioningly but when Dakota didn’t respond, he sighed and nodded. “Sure. Buy me a coffee and we can talk.”

It was too cold and snowy to go outside, so after they grabbed coffee—or green tea in Dakota’s case—from the small café in the lobby of the facility, Dakota steered them toward a deserted part of the building.

Thad grinned at him. “So, you have me alone now. What’s the big secret? You want to have a threesome with me and my brother or something?”

Dakota choked on his tea, raising a napkin to his mouth so he wouldn’t spray it everywhere. “Uhh, no. Not at all.”

Thad shrugged. “Hey, some people are curious about the whole twin thing.”

“Mmm, notmything,” Dakota said.

“Damn.”

Dakota ignored him. “I want to tell you something, but first, I need to ask you to promise to keep it between the two of us.”

Thad squinted. “Are you sure you aren’t angling for?—”

“No!” Dakota protested. “I’m not.”

Thad held up his free hand. “Fine. I promise. Your secret is safe with me. What is your big confession?”

“Gavin and I are dating.” Dakota looked him in the eye.

Thad snorted. “No shit. You hooked up at the club and the hotel in LA. Haven’t you been dating since then?” He took a sip of his coffee, arching his eyebrows in a way that reminded Dakota so much of Gavin.

Dakota sighed. “More or less. But it’s … it’s more serious now.”

“And you don’t want me to squeal to anyone because it could be a big scandal since he’s your boss.” Thad smiled, but there was a mean edge to it lurking around the corners of his lips and a hard light in his eyes.

Thatwas nothing like Gavin at all and, for a moment, Dakota wondered if he’d made a huge mistake coming to Thad. But he and Gavin had discussed this. They’d agreed Dakota approaching Thad was the best option. He might listen to Dakota instead of immediately shutting down.

“We’re planning to go public soon,” Dakota said calmly. “And Gavin is stepping down as president of hockey ops so there won’t be a conflict of interest.”

Thatdidget a reaction.

Thad whistled lowly. “Well, daaamn, big brothermustbe serious about you then.”

“That’s part of it,” Dakota agreed, and a quiet thrill went through him at the thought of the fact that yes, clearly Gavin was serious about him. “But it’s also because he had a health scare recently. He was having heart issues and had to go to the ER before Christmas.”

Thad froze for a split second before recovering. “What’s that to me?” he asked cooly, taking another sip of his latte.

Dakota sighed. “Look, I know you and Gavin have had a difficult relationship but surely you care?—”

“You don’t knowanything,” Thad hissed, his expression shuttering and turning cold as he stepped toward Dakota like he was trying to intimidate him into backing up. “You know nothing about what my brother?—”

“I know the truth about the robbery and that you falsely confessed to protect your brother,” Dakota snapped, standing his ground, despite the height and width Thad had on him.

Dakota had sworn to himself he wasn’t going to lose his temper, but he would also swear Thad knew how to press every button both he and Gavin had. Or maybe he was like that with everyone.

The surprise on Thad’s face was almost gratifying, although it disappeared quickly, smoothing out into a bored expression. “So what? What difference doesthatmake?”

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