Page 102 of Daring the Hockey Player
"You suck, Greyson!" Atlas jumps to his feet and shouts at Jasper. Not that any of the players can hear him, but it makes me hate Atlas a thousand times more.
"Fuck off," I say, staring at Atlas.
"Oh, hit a nerve," he snickers. "Wasn't hard to figure out which one." He nods toward my jersey and the number 45 on the front. Jasper Greyson's number.
Emerson keeps her cool. She doesn't say a word, but I can tell she's watching the entire exchange.
"Go back to your seat," I repeat and glance over my shoulder, looking for the six-foot-tall guy who had been sitting in that seat earlier.
"This is my seat. I traded tickets with that dude. There's zero chance that he's coming back here to these shitty seats," Atlas says.
"And why would you do that?" I don't understand him. What possible reason does he have for wanting to sit next to me? Is it that important to him to make my life eternally miserable?
"As I said before, I don't believe that you're dating any of the players."
"We haven't met," Emerson interjects, and I'm not sure if she's trying to destroy any last shred of dignity that I have left or come to my defense. I doubt the latter. "My fiancé is Kyler Greyson."
He tilts his head, staring at my sister. "I knew you looked familiar. He brought you onto the ice and proposed. Publicity stunt much?" Atlas goes right for the jugular with the accusations.
"And you're dating Kyler's brother?" Atlas glances from Emerson to me, still unconvinced.
"We're living together," I say. That's not a lie. We do share an apartment, just not a bedroom.
He snorts under his breath. "Right." Atlas folds his arms across his chest, and he glances from Emerson back to me. "If you really do have connections to the Ice Dragons, prove it."
"Prove it," I repeat, unsure what the hell game he's playing.
"Family, significant others, they have VIP access. Where's your badge?" he asks. His VIP badge dangles from around his neck.
Emerson pipes up, and I momentarily hold my breath. "This isn't our home arena. We don't have a wives' room when we're on the road or a VIP badge for every game, especially when we're surprising the guys by showing up to one of their away games."
"I'll bet it's a surprise," he mutters. "And you have an invitation to the wives' room?" Atlas asks, glancing from my sister to me.
"Yes," Emerson answers. I'm not sure if she's answering for herself or for me. Is that a lie, or does she have access to the wives' room? Is that even a thing?
"Fuck, where did Jasper go?" I ask, realizing that he's no longer on the ice. He's on the players' bench, and the Ice Dragons are getting their asses kicked by a landslide.
"He and Kyler got benched," Emerson says.
I'm surprised that the puckhole sitting beside me isn't gloating. But he's focused on his brother, Knox, attempting to score.
The Ice Dragons do a decent job of keeping the Island Bruisers at bay, which makes the game exciting.
By the third period, Jasper seems to be refocused, and he even blows me a kiss in the stands, which I swear melts my heart and my panties.
"See, I told you he's my boyfriend." I glare at Atlas.
I can feel Emerson's gaze burning as she's waiting for an explanation. I'm surprised she's not grilling me, but she is good at reading people, and my discomfort with Atlas is obvious by now.
"He could have been blowing anyone a kiss in the stands," Atlas says with a shrug. "I don't buy it."
"How many Ice Dragon fans do you see around here?" I ask.
Atlas presses his lips together, but he doesn't answer my question. He has to know that I'm right.
"Doesn't mean shit, Amber," Atlas says. "I still think you're a liar."
"I'll prove it to you." I stand and shuffle through the row, heading down the aisle away from the ice rink.
