Page 80 of Heart Taker

“You’re right, Finntastic. So, who’s the guy, Rufus? Give us the dirty deets.Allof them.”

“You two are so freaking nosy. There is no guy and there will be no deets,” I insisted. “Now, can we get back to our warmup?”

I sighed and pushed off, turning around to find Damien standing at the far end of the ice, his tablet in hand, looking entirely too hot for a man in sweats at this hour of the day. Before, I was always able to push my naughty thoughts about my hot coach aside and move on with my practice. Now? All I wanted to do was skate towards him, yank him into my arms, and kiss him senseless.

I got his trademark warning glare, which only made my pulse beat faster.

Determined not to fuck up in front of Damien, or, worse, have my teammates figure out what was up between us, I skatedto the other end of the ice to get my focus back. It didn’t matter. I felt his gaze tracking me, and I shivered in anticipation.

This was going to be the longest day of practice in the history of ever.

CHAPTER 24

DAMIEN

No one knew anything, right? They couldn’t tell?

Normally, I walked into the rink, confident and calm, with a plan and a purpose. Today, however, I was like a nervous rookie with an itchy jock, pacing and fretting. When I spotted Silas on the ice, it took every measure of discipline I had to ignore him.

And I was successful.

For a good five minutes.

Until I overheard Ethan’s comment about a crush, and I nearly choked on my coffee.

A crush? Why did that word make me run hot all over?

Instead of letting my dick rule my brain, I got out my tablet and got to work. In fact, I’d spent half the sleepless night preparing for today. I added to an already full schedule to ensure there would hardly be any time for me to break with the guys. And I was going to have lunch in my office this time, by myself, and then join them for our strategy session later. A little bit of distance was required, especially when a certain blond defenseman was within reach, distracting me like nothing and no one else.

I managed to keep myself in line throughout the morning, but it wasn’t easy. Especially when Silas made a stunning pass that was worth praising. I worried that I was somehow giving myself away. It felt like a light had switched on inside me and now that I was seeing Silas, and me with him, I couldn’t dim anything. I watched him, intently, and despite his acting cool, I noticed he did the same.

When I paused the game they were playing to offer advice, Silas, of course, gave me attitude. I wanted to silence his smart replies in a way that wasn’t fit for this rink or my job. And I had to keep reminding myself that he was my student, one of my players. That should’ve been warning enough to put an end to this insanity, but the truth was, it felt too damn good to stop.

It didn’t matter that I appeared unaffected on the outside, on the inside I was a fucking mess. My body was hyperaware of Silas in a way I hadn’t been with previous lovers. Not even Eloise. What that meant, I didn’t even want to think about.

I’d skated over so many professional lines that I had no idea where I was going.

After lunch, I met up with the guys in the lounge for our strategy session and two hours later, we headed for the ice again. By the time four o’clock rolled around, everyone was played out. Me included. I called an end to the day and headed back to my office to take a breather and check my messages. And to get advice. I picked up my phone and texted the only person I knew I could count on, the one who would never reveal my secret.

Damien: I’m in trouble here. BIG.

Selwin: What’s going on?

Damien: I crossed the student-teacher line.

Selwin: You mean you and Silas??

Damien: He came to my house last night. We kissed and then he… well, let’s just say that I can confirm I’m bi and not curious. It was incredible.

Selwin: First of all, congrats on your bi awakening. Or reawakening. Second, tell me EVERYTHING.

Damien: This is serious, Sel. I shouldn’t be proud of the fact that I did this. I could lose my job if word gets out.

Selwin: How’s anyone going to know? Silas won’t tell, will he?

Damien: No.

Selwin: And? You both got what you wanted. He’s a consenting adult.

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