After a one-night stand flips a grumpy hockey goalie's bad luck, he pursues his team's new dental assistant to rebound his abysmal season.
Trapped in a small town, my life has been planned, controlled, and boring. After my sister and I failed to kee...
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The pity in her eyes crushed something in me.
With all the shit piling on me and nothing to show for busting my ass day after day, her pity was too much.
My knees weak, I sagged into the wall. "What?"
With cautious eyes taking in my state, her hand extended. My glove was soaked with sweat, but she held one finger as those beautiful blues filled with resolution.
"I'll do it."
Her quiet, concerned words filled me like a single pump of air into a deflated tire. "Yeah?"
Mirroring my wall lean and holding onto me like a mom who consoled their kid after a loss, she nodded.
My throat tightened, and I was so fucking tired. Tired of nothing games. Tired of pushing myself, sweating out every last ounce in me every night, for it all to go fucking nowhere.
"What I said about telling Farris? I'm sorry. I won't—"
"You're hurting, but lashing out is not okay." She raised her chin, her resolve admirable. "And, for the record, I think you're nutty."
No argument here, but I kept silent, even when she dropped my hand and jabbed my chest.
"Just once, so I can prove you wrong. You can't carry on like this, or blackmail me, although I want something from you."
"What?" She could have my fucking car or keys to my house. Actually, keys weren't a bad idea.
"You have to work on your temper, get your teeth cleaned, and encourage the rest of the team to get theirs done too."
"That's three things." The second suggestion dizzied my head, so I gave a slow shake. Not my teeth. Anything but that.
The guys whose teeth she'd cleaned raved about her kind touch, welcoming smile, and tits close to their heads. Ignoring them put me in a worse mood, even though she'd been nothing but professional.
Including now. All she wanted was that I supported her job, which supported us. She proved her worth to the organization while I proved how much of an asshole I was.
"If you want to lean over me upside-down, there's a much better position we can use."
She gave me a scrunched-nose, unimpressed scowl. "Take it or—"
"Take." She didn't say I couldn't show up drunk, because there was no other way I could get through it.
Uncertainty filled her eyes, but she nodded. "Okay. So... yeah."
As I was about to ask if she was sure, the locker room door opened.
"Schmidt, shower, then team meeting." Coach glared at Morgan. "Miss Hart, why are you still here?"
"Wardo should see Gilbert before leaving. You know, get this situation checked out." I circled my glove around my face. "Being last, I said I'd tell him."
