Killian

Worst. Assistant. Ever.

       

Killian

I swore loudly, knowing what the ref was about to call before he even said it.

"What?" Lucas Watson demanded from the ref. Watson was my right winger tonight. Bennett, looking on miserably from behind the bench, was sitting this game out with a sprained wrist.

"Goalie interference," the ref said.

"Are you kidding me?" Watson yelled, slamming his stick onto the ice.

"Settle down," the ref cautioned.

"How did I interfere?" Watson skated after the ref and I rolled my eyes and took off after him. "There was no way I could stop myself. You want me to fuckin' fly or something?"

The ref turned and I grabbed Watson by the shoulder. "Shut your fuckin' mouth before I shut it for you," I said in a low tone.

He shook his head, but raised his hands in the air and retreated.

"That was bullshit," he mumbled.

"Do your time in the box and get focused," I said sternly.

Was this what I'd been like at twenty-three? I hated to admit it, even to myself, but yeah, I'd been even worse. I'd been a hothead with no impulse control for a while. I'd mellowed in time and advanced to captain. So why had I only recently had the sense to mellow out my personal life?

My answer was sitting in the owner's box right now. I looked up there, hoping she could see me even though I couldn't see her.

From the time my skates hit the ice for a game, I was thinking about her watching me. It created an uncomfortable tightness in my chest. The only person who'd ever come to a game just to watch me play was my mom. And even though Sid was here as the team's owner, I felt her eyes on me when I was playing.

If we slept together, would I hold her interest anymore? I wanted her so damn bad, but the thought of her having me and then moving on didn't sit well. My only hold on her was our intense physical attraction. I wasn't successful enough to keep her for anything more.

And since when did I want more? As I fought for control of the puck, I was still thinking about Sidney watching me. My shoulder bounced off the glass after a shove and I didn't even feel it. My drive to impress Sidney propelled me, and I eased the puck to Liam, who took off with it.

She was right. Us sleeping together was a bad idea. She already had a hold on me that seemed to grow stronger every day. Every look between us sent me deeper into a hole I couldn't climb out of. Not that I wanted out. In fact, I was willingly diving deeper.

Our attraction was intense. Since kissing her, I'd had vivid dreams about her body. The sounds of desire she'd made when my mouth was on her still rang in my ears.

She'd wanted more, and she'd wanted it bad. But if we slept together, there wouldn't be any more. She'd move on to some suit with a tiny dick and a huge bank account.

If that happened, I wouldn't be able to see her every day and keep my sanity. I'd blown my shot at the big league, but I was still a professional hockey player, and I wasn't giving that up. Not even for Sidney Stahl.

Chapter 6

Sidney

Excited chatter and a sea of blue filled the Flyers' largest VIP suite. This idea Keri had come up with for a post-game meet and greet between the players and season ticket holders was genius.

Every player was chatting with the fans. I'd overheard several conversations about our winning streak. Some fans were using the time to get pucks and other merchandise autographed. And Shuck was having an animated back and forth with a fan about comic books. If that rang his bell, it worked for me.