Page 50 of Keeping it Real

“Duly noted.Give me the ground rules you want followed, and I will follow them to a tee.”

The easy way he folded took some of the satisfaction out of her victory.

He sighed.“In my defense, I was aggravated with all the shit people were posting about you, Finn, and Hattie.In hockey, the best defense is a good offense.Taking charge of the narrative made sense.Sloane may be a bit flakey, but she knows what she is doing.I thought you might be a little more appreciative.”

Well, when he put it that way.

“I am appreciative.”

So appreciative that I want to lick you from your throat to your navel right now.

She started as if she’d said the words out loud.Thankfully she hadn’t.Even more maddening, Alek didn’t seem to be as affected as she was.But then, what had she expected?

“Sloane’s plan is working.Everyone is in love with Finn’s dog.”He pulled a tattered T-shirt from his laundry basket.“Me, not so much right now.I thought you said you’d keep her out of my stuff.”

“I promised to keep her away from your tighty-whities.I didn’t say anything about ratty old T-shirts.”

He stalked across the room to where she stood admiring the view.“This was a favorite.”

Up close, she recognized the logo from the Ivy League championship.She gently fingered the cotton, buttery soft after years of washing.

And years next to Alek’s body.

“Jamie had one just like it,” she whispered, surprised at how hard the memory was hitting her.“Hattie used to sleep on it.”

She didn’t realize she was crying until he reached in to brush the tear off her cheek.His bare chest was now inches from her.He smelled like soap and temptation.She gulped in a breath.

He must have mistaken it for a sob because he gently cupped her face with both hands.Her eyelids fluttered closed on their own.She felt him hesitate before he pressed his lips to her forehead.They lingered there before his palms slid back to his sides and he stepped away.She pried her lids open just in time to catch him dragging in a ragged breath.He gestured to the T-shirt.

“Keep it.Give it to the dog.It makes sense that she’s taking my things because she misses Jamie.”

He walked over to his equipment bag, plucked a Henley out of it, and shrugged it over his shoulders.The muscles in his back put on a show, flexing seductively before the fabric slid over them.

Feeling very much like the voyeur she was, she hurried to the door before his words stopped her.

“Sheridan.Next time knock.”

Shame washed through her.She nodded before softly closing the door behind her.Caressing the shirt between her fingers, she carried it to her room and tucked it beneath her pillow.

Fourteen

The moodin the dressing room following the game that night was tense.The Mayhem had dropped another one.The fans weren’t shy about letting the players know how they felt.A chorus of boos rained down when the team exited the ice.Alek slumped down on the bench at his stall, not even bothering to remove the thick pads shielding his legs.

Coach stood with his hands on his hips staring his players down.“You guys have somewhere else to be tonight?Because it felt like you were phoning it in out there.”

When no one bothered to answer, he swore savagely.

“In the six weeks since preseason,” he continued.“We’ve gone from a well-oiled machine to a team that looks like a bunch of pee wees starring in a Disney film.”He looked directly at Alek.“I’ve given you guys the space to work things out on your own.But if this keeps up, we’ll be making some changes.No one is safe.”

With that threat hanging in the air, he turned on his heel and stormed out of the dressing room.His job was on the line as much as any of the players.Except tonight’s debacle rested squarely at the tip of Alek’s skates.He’d let five biscuits slide past the pipes.He couldn’t even blame Merriweather.For once, the guy was where he was supposed to be whenever he was on the ice.

Alek opened his mouth to offer up some sort of apology, but Picard quickly shot him down.

“Nope.”He pointed his stick at Alek.“Don’t even start.The second we admit to having a weak link, this whole team falls apart.And you’re not a weak link.You’re in a slump.”He looked around the room, meeting the eyes of every teammate.“We all have ’em.But the one thing about the Mayhem is we don’t let it tear us apart.The rest of us need to step up and put the puck in the net.We didn’t execute tonight.Me included.”He heaved a sigh.“I’ll go out there and take the heat from the media.No sense letting them in here to pepper us with redundant questions.”He moved toward the door.“In return for my taking one for the team, everyone better come to morning skate prepared for an extra hour of drills.”

He directed that last part at Merriweather.The defensemen nodded without comment, surprising Alek and probably everyone else in the room.

“Okay, then,” Picard said.“After all that extra work tomorrow, we’ll reward ourselves with a nice team building exercise—dinner at my place.Be prepared to have some very grateful ladies afterward because I’m sparing no expense.”

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