Page 12 of Shots Fired

I’ll admit, after Liam, all I want is fun. However, that doesn’t involve adding to the notches on Archer’s overloaded bedposts. Something tells me I wouldn’t feel good about that, and neither would he for going behind my brother’s back for nothing more than a hookup.

In fact, nothing about getting with a hockey player appeals to me. Any guy I see or date will have zero affiliation with my brother or stepdad. I’m my own woman, and going there invites the kind of potential complications I absolutely do not need.

CHAPTER FOUR

ARCHER

If I buy this entire dress collection and mail it to Darcy, would that come off as obsessive?

“Earth to Moore.” Coach Morgan leans forward, tipping his head over my shoulder as I lean against the leg press with my back to the rest of the room.

I hustle and lock the screen. I didn’t notice him entering the gym, and we shouldn’t be checking our phones during any kind of session—definitely not the first one of preseason.

Coach narrows his eyes suspiciously when I spin around to face him. “Got a girl you’re shopping for?”

A couple of the boys snort out a laugh, Jack and Sawyer included as they spot each other at the bench press. I’m guessing if any one of them knew the real reason I was scouring the internet for the exact dress Darcy wore, their reaction wouldn’t be as lighthearted.

I pull off my backward cap and run a hand through my sweat-soaked hair, demonstrating I’ve put a shift in during conditioning. I remain quiet, thinking better than to respond.

His eyes close further, but he drops the inquisition. Thank fuck. “I’ve got high hopes for you this season, and I want your full attention on hockey and nowhere else.” He leans closer to me, voice dropping an octave. “I know I don’t get to call the shots on your personal life—and I’m not trying to either—but take it from me: These are the prime years of your career. Do not waste them on girls.”

Despite Coach’s best efforts to keep our conversation discreet, Sawyer’s ears prick up, and as he pauses with the Olympic bar mid-rep, Jack takes it back from him and replaces it on the rack.

I turn back to Coach, anticipating my captain to head over any second.

After Darcy left my apartment, I picked up Sawyer’s call and told him exactly what happened with the dark-haired guy and his likely still-bruised jaw. Following a bunch of expletives, he reamed me out for being a reckless idiot.

My crush on Darcy Thompson isn’t exactly news to Sawyer—he’s gathered that over the past two years. What he isn’t aware of is the depth of my obsession.

I told Sawyer a version of the truth, centered around the way the guy spoke about her in a derogatory manner, only leaving out the part where I claimed she was seeing someone on the Blades. Sawyer was convinced the guy would report me and plaster it all over the internet.

Mercifully, nothing came of it. Not a single whisper made beyond the four walls of that restroom.

Maybe the prick did wipe Darcy and my face from his mind after all. Or maybe he didn’t want to open a dialogue explaining why I had landed one on him in the first place.

Bringing my attention back to Coach, I offer him a reassuring smile. “I have my eyes on the playoffs and a new shutout record.”

He hums something inaudible before speaking up, tucking an iPad under his arm. “The playoffs are the minimum. I think we have the potential to go all the way this season, and I need you firing on all cylinders to make that happen.”

“You got it,” I reply.

Seemingly satisfied, he spins on his heel and strides away right as I salute him.

Immediately, Sawyer’s across the room, arms folded over his chest. I’ve played with my captain for a number of seasons. He lost his wife, Sophie, several years ago, and I saw him in his darkest days. I hated to see him that way, but at least he generally kept to himself. Now that he’s engaged to his dream girl, Collins, he’s out of his shell and content. I can’t lie and say I’m not happy to see the real Sawyer back with us. I just wish the newest version of my captain weren’t so fucking perceptive.

“Our coach just unwittingly caught you dress shopping for his stepdaughter, didn’t he?”

I reinforce my headshake with a puzzled look, contemplating if I can pass it off as shopping for my sister’s birthday. “I’ve got no idea what you’re talking about, Cap.”

He just grins, one that leaves no mistaking he’s onto me. Taking a second, he checks his surroundings, likely making sure Jack is out of earshot. “Tell me the truth, Archer. Is this a case of you wanting to fuck her because you know she’s off-limits, or are you actually serious about her?”

I collect my towel from the leg press and wrap it around my neck, giving myself a moment. Instinctively, my eyes track Jack as he steps onto a treadmill, talking with some of the other guys.

“Archer”—Sawyer quietly demands my attention—“you recently punched a guy because of this girl, and lately, you’ve been acting like she’s the only thing you can think about. That, and I haven’t actually seen you leave a bar with a girl, or two, since I can remember. Come to think of it, the last time I’maware of you fucking around, it was with Kassie. You know, the one you had no idea was engaged to a former teammate.”

He chuckles darkly, not finding the recollection funny. Neither do I; that was a shit show I’ll never forget.

“You weren’t even mentally present at my and Collins’s engagement meal,” he continues. “So, I’m asking you straight—as a friend, but also as your captain—what is going on with you and Darcy Thompson?”

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