Page 25 of Gloves Off

Even calm and serious Jamie Streicher looks baffled. One by one, the guys look over to me. My stomach dips with nerves. The bar falls silent as the news spreads like wildfire. I can hear my heart pounding in my ears. Everyone is staring between me and Volkov.

I force an embarrassed smile, my face burning hotter than the sun. “Surprise.”

“There she is,” Hayden singsongs as he approaches. “Dr. Georgia Volkov.”

“Nope.” I shake my head. “Still Georgia Greene. Not changing my name.”

Hayden wraps me in a tight hug, squeezing the air out of my lungs. “Iknewthere was something between you guys. Didn’t I know it?” he asks Darcy. “I said it, right?”

“Mhm.” She smiles. “You said it.”

I make a low noise of frustration that thankfully no one hears over the music and conversation.

“Georgia, congratulations.” Rory wraps me in a hug. “Maybe we can finally get some peace and quiet now that you two have an outlet for all that tension.”

Hayden, Hazel, and Pippa start laughing, Darcy presses her lips into a firm line like she’s trying not to smile, and Jamie just raises his eyebrows, but his eyes are sparkling.

Volkov and I meet gazes, and it’s on the tip of my tongue to say something likein his dreams,but we’re supposed to be happily married and having loads of loud, passionate sex.

I picture Volkov in bed. I’ve seen him without a shirt—he’s ripped, like most hockey players, and the guy is six foot five. I bet that in bed he’d be like he is the rest of the time—pushy, controlling, overbearing. Selfish. High-handed.

Heat twinges between my legs.

“Yep.” I swallow half my drink. “Doing lots of... that stuff.”

Volkov gives me a strange look and I busy myself with finishing the rest of my drink.

“So, you liked him all along?” Hayden presses, still wearing that teasing smile.

Volkov arches an eyebrow, knowing and arrogant. My spinestiffens, and it takes every ounce of my control not to set Hayden straight.

“Yes.” It’s like eating dirt. This is so humiliating. “I liked him all along.”

The athlete recovery program,I chant in my head as I catch a glimpse of his cruel smirk.

Rory gives us ago ongesture. “When did it start?”

Behind the bar, I meet eyes with Jordan.You’re on your own,her expression says.

“We hooked up after the double date.”

“Cool.” Hayden grins at Darcy. “So did we.”

She blushes. They’re all probably thinking that once Hayden and Darcy left, the tension between me and Volkov simmered to a boil before I dragged him by the collar into the bathroom and had passionate, furious sex with him.

In reality, we watched Hayden jealously haul Darcy out of the restaurant before Volkov got up without a word, paid the bill, and left without looking back at me. Just another secret we’ll have to keep.

Volkov clears his throat. “We didn’t think it was going anywhere. That’s why we didn’t tell anyone.”

Everyone glances between the two of us, and my blood pressure peaks again. Hazel’s eyes narrow.

They don’t believe us. We can’t just spout off practiced answers. We need to actually look like a couple.

My pulse picks up as I move to Volkov’s side, and with everyone’s eyes on me, I awkwardly rest my hand on his chest.

It’s like touching a brick wall. The guy’s body is made of armor, and he’s giving me nothing. His T-shirt is strangely soft, though, like it’s been washed a hundred times. A hand on the chest, though? That doesn’t exactly screamtrue love. No, I need more. What would Darcy do with Hayden?

I tilt my head so it rests on his shoulder. This feels so awkward, but a moment later, his hand comes to my waist. Warmth seeps through the fabric of my dress. Except for putting the ring on my finger a few days ago, he’s never touched me. I touchedhimduring our initial meet and greet, when I examined his injuries to see how they’d healed, and he looked like he was about to throw up.

---