Page 135 of Slap Shot Scandal
Prince’s furrow deepens and he opens his mouth to speak, but Weston cuts him off.
“Let’s not pretend this is about professionalism. If that were true, both of us would be on the line. Harbor’s the scapegoat here, and that’s not fair. This woman—” He cuts his deep blue eyes to mine, and my stomach flip-flops the same way it always does under his gaze. “Cleaned up our messes, protected us and our image. She kept the Crushers out of the news when Bennett got in the fight. She cares more about the team than herself. That’s why she’s willing to take the fall for this.”
He steps toward me. Only half an inch, but it feels like a mile.
“She doesn’t deserve the humiliation she’s enduring. All for falling for someone.” His voice is softer now, his eyes only on mine. “Falling for me.”
My breath hitches in my throat, and I want to run to him. Throw my arms around his neck and seal our love with a kiss.
But I can’t.
“I won’t let her stand up here and pretend she didsomething wrong just so the rest of us can feel good about ourselves.” Weston scans the room, his gaze lingering on Prince and Keller. “Every crisis, every mess, every scandal—Harbor’s held the line. She’s the reason we got to focus on hockey. And now we’re going to let a fifteen-second video undo all that?”
His eyes flick to mine, burning with an intensity I’ve never seen.
“I won’t let that happen. Trade me instead.”
A loud thud reverberates on the conference table and Coach Keller stands. “Enough. The two of you, sit the hell down. There’s no way in hell I’m trading my captain two days before the first preseason game. Not over some stupid viral video.”
He sits back down, steepling his fingers and glaring at Prince and Tori. Prince licks his bottom lip, contemplating his position. Tori bristles but says nothing.
After a long minute, Prince squares his shoulders. “Well, we have the media to deal with now, Mike. The team’s trending for all the wrong reasons.”
“Yeah, I get it. Probably not a smart decision to let the consultant who pulled you out of a hole walk away. Maybe we should let her do her job, so I can do mine. What I don’t want is more disruption to this team. We need to focus on winning. And that happens on the ice. I personally don’t give a shit what happens outside of this arena, as long as we win hockey games. Now’s not the time to lose another player. We’re already down one Steele—I can’t lose another.”
“Agreed…” Prince’s voice trails off as he steeples his fingers, glaring at first me, then Weston. “We would be two men down…”
Ford of all people raises his hand, and inwardly Icringe. He could stand up and tell everyone the truth right now.
He clears his throat. “For what it’s worth, Mr. Prince, Coach—I wondered why Weston’s been stronger and faster than ever out on the ice. I think maybe I have the answer to his improved performance.” Staring straight at me, I blush under his gaze.
A few of the guys nod, shaking their heads. Bennett raises his hand to speak.
“I hesitate to let you say anything, Bennett, since you’re on probation. But what do you have to add?” Prince gestures at Bennett.
“I second what Ford said. I’ve never seen my brother more locked in. You’d be making a huge mistake letting Harbor go. You wanna see someone spiral? Cut her loose.”
Prince frowns, his brows scrunched together as he contemplates my fate, the fate of the team.
“Damn it. The two of you put me in a real predicament here. I don’t like it one little bit. But after hearing all this, perhaps I was too hasty in my judgment. Harbor, go back to your office and figure out how to make this shine. Weston, stay focused out on the ice and winning the damn Cup this season. The rest of you—stay the hell out trouble and don’t make me regret this decision.”
With that, he rises and stomps out of the room, Tori trailing behind in her stilettos. Keller follows and the rest of the room bursts into conversation.
But honestly, none of that matters to me.
“Weston—” My voice is breathy, lightness filling my chest.
He says nothing, instead taking one long stride toward me. Hand on my hip, he leans down and presses his lips to mine.
Right here in the conference room, in front of the entire team.
“I love you,” I murmur, gazing up at him. The tension vanishes from his face and he breaks into a wide smile, arms wrapping around my waist. Fingers gripping his T-shirt, I melt into his strong body as he holds me tight against him.
Everything about this feels right.
“I love you, Hurricane. And I meant what I said. You mean everything to me.”
There’s a bright flash, followed by the sound of clapping. I pull away slightly and glance at the circle of guys around us.
