Page 15 of Triplets for the Pucking Playboys
He laughs at something she says, that weird bark of nervous energy, then limps off in the direction of the showers.
Sage starts packing up her tape, and when she stands, her back is to me.
I could leave. I shouldprobablyleave.
Instead, I wait until she’s done, then walk the long way around the boards, past where the glass fogs from overnight condensation, and find her in the narrow hallway by the supply closet.
She’s uncomfortable.
I know because her spine clicks straight, her head tips up, and she freezes a half beat before slamming the cabinet closed. “Can I help you?” she says.
She’s still got tape residue on her thumb.
“You could help yourself,” I say, and it comes out harsher than I meant, all edges, all gravel. “If you keep letting Kingston distract you, you’re going to end up in the rumor bin with the rest of the casualties.”
She turns on me, and she looks like a lot of things, but not afraid. “You think I’m a casualty?”
“I think you’re wasting your time,” I say, moving closer.
The hallway is barely wide enough for two, and I let my chest brush her arm.
She’s a head shorter but doesn’t back down.
“Guys like him, they only care about a challenge until it’s not new anymore.”
Her eyes—hazel, with a ring of green like wet grass—don’t leave mine.
“You’re making a lot of assumptions for someone who won’t even let me treat their shoulder.”
“That’s different,” I mutter, caught off guard.
The truth is, I don’t trust anyone with it, and that includes myself. She folds her arms, tape roll pinched in her fingers like a threat.
“You got something to say to me, Sorensen? Or do you just like standing in doorways and making women uncomfortable?”
I lean in, close enough to smell the coffee she didn’t finish.
“You think Kingston is going to save you when Ryland finds out you’re fraternizing with the roster?”
Her voice drops to a whisper, sharp as a skate blade. “I’m not ‘fraternizing.’ And even if I were, it’s none of your business.”
“I’m one of the captains,” I say, because it’s the only card I have left. “That makes it my business.”
She laughs, a bitter snap.
“You know what makes me laugh, Finn? The way you pretend you’re the only one on this team with something to lose.”
I feel the blood heat up the back of my neck.
For a second, I want to push her, just to see if she pushes back.
She would.
She does, in her way: “Instead of policing the staff, why don’t you worry about yourself for once?”
I’m not good at backing down, so I don’t.
I plant both hands on either side of her, caging her in without touching. “Maybe I’m trying to keep you from making a mistake.”
