Page 13 of Pucking Knox
"Senator's daughter, huh?" He actually smiles. "Good catch. Shows maturity, settling down with a nice girl. Especially one from a respectable family."
If he only knew.
"Just don't screw it up," he adds. "Draft's in three months. Keep your nose clean, keep the girl happy, and you might just go first round after all."
I should feel relieved. This is exactly what I need – proof I'm more than just an enforcer with anger issues. Instead, all I can think about is how Kennedy tasted. How she kissed me so fucking good that I pitched a fucking tent in the middle of a coffee shop.
"Knox?" Harvey's voice breaks through my thoughts. "You coming to team dinner?"
Right. Thursday night at Pietro's. Where Kennedy will be, because team girlfriends always come.
"Yeah," I say, maybe too quickly. "I'll be there."
The restaurant is already crowded when I arrive. Kennedy sits between Sawyer and Grey's girlfriend Maddie, looking unfairly good in a soft sweater that keeps slipping off one shoulder. She'slistening intently as Maddie explains something, brow furrowed in concentration.
"The neutral zone is the center section," Maddie’s saying as I approach. "Between the blue lines."
Kennedy nods seriously. "And that's where most of the fighting happens?"
"Actually," I slide into the empty chair across from her, "most fights happen after the whistle. Usually about protecting our captain from cheap shots."
Her eyes meet mine, that familiar spark of challenge igniting. "Is that what that Providence fight was about? Protecting my brother?"
"Among other things." I let my gaze drift to her exposed shoulder. "Nice sweater."
She tugs it back up, cheeks pink. "Nice black eye. New addition from practice?"
"Your brother has a mean cross-check."
Maddie looks between us, eyebrows raised. "Wait, are you two?"
"Dating," Kennedy says quickly.
"Fucking," I say at the same time.
Sawyer chokes on her wine. Kennedy kicks me under the table, but I just grin and catch her foot between mine.
"We're dating," she clarifies, trying to free her foot. "Just dating. None of what he said."
Grey chuckles, drinking his water as Maddie gawks.
"For now." I run my trapped foot up her calf, enjoying her sharp intake of breath. "But she's a quick learner."
"Speaking of learning." She pulls her leg free with visible effort. "What's a power play?"
I spend the next hour watching her learn hockey terminology from Maddie. I’m definitely not watching how Kennedy’s lips wrap around her straw or the way she gestures with her hands when she's excited. Definitely not noticing how easily she fits at this table, how quickly the other girlfriends have adopted her, how natural it feels to reach across and brush her hair back when it falls in her face.
"Boarding?" she asks, leaning forward with interest.
"Checking someone from behind into the boards." I demonstrate with my hands. "Major penalty, especially if there's injury."
"Like what that Providence guy did to Ace?"
"Exactly. Which is why—"
"Which is why you had to fight him?" She's too clever by half. "Defending my brother's honor?"
"Someone has to." I catch her hand across the table, rubbing my thumb over her knuckles. "Speaking of honor... your place or mine for tonight?"
