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So far, her experience of me is the nice guy everyone knows. But given half a chance, I’d fucking love to show her not just what it felt like to date a guy who treated her right in public, but the way he would put his hands on her in private too.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

JACK

“Great practice this morning.”

The entire locker room falls silent, not just because Jon entered, but also because of the compliment he just paid us.

I thought, over the years, I’d seen all sides to my stepdad’s personality. Turns out, NHL Coach Morgan wasn’t one of them.

“We’ve ground out some unexpected results against teams that were predicted to hand us our asses. That means, going forward, the league will be more wary of coming up against us. Bar a couple of you who I’ll speak to in private, I’m happy you stepped up the intensity out there this morning.”

Beside me on the bench, Sawyer is still hunched over, his forearms resting on his knees. He left it all out there in sprints and drills and led like a true captain.

I clap a hand on his back, noticing his shirt is slick with sweat. “Doing all right there, old man?”

Without moving the rest of his body, Sawyer turns his head to look at me. “I often ask myself why I like you. This is one of those times.”

My palm circles his back as he brings a clenched fist to his mouth.

“If you’re gonna puke, please make sure it’s not on my new Nikes,” I plead.

Sawyer waves a hand, indicating he’s fine, before my attention snags on Jon and Tyler in the corner of the room. Tyler shrugs with his palms out at his sides as Jon continues to talk. I don’t need to hear what he’s saying to work out he’s not happy. And I’m not surprised either. Of the few exceptions Jon just mentioned, Tyler is definitely at the top of that list. Truth is, he has been for a while, and that has everything to do with him substituting extra gym and ice time for nights out. If Kendra has seen the evidence of his antics online, she hasn’t said anything.

As Jon finishes up his conversation with Tyler and stalks out of the room, my mind drifts involuntarily back to Sunday. The way she looked in that dress I’d picked out for her for the gala, the way she genuinely cared about the still-unanswered message from my dad.

The way I left at the crack of dawn this morning. I wish I were racing to grab a shower and heading back home to climb back into bed with her before she had a chance to get up.

“If I wasn’t already nauseated from practice, I sure as fuck would be from the look on your face.”

“Say what?” I reply, Sawyer’s voice infiltrating my thoughts.

He swallows thickly and stands, pulling off his shirt. “You look like a lovesick puppy or something.”

I mirror Sawyer’s actions. “Stuff on my mind—that’s all.”

With our backs to the guys, we both face the bench and work on getting ready to hit the showers. I swear I can physically see the cogs turning in my captain’s head.

“Why don’t you just come out and say whatever’s on your mind?” I ask, peering into my change bag to see if Kendra is up yet and has seen the overnight oats I left her in the fridge last night.

It’s a part of her training routine, I’ve noticed, but when shegot home late after a heavy practice, she headed straight for bed and didn’t make them herself. So, I did.

“I don’t need to since I know you aren’t that fucking stupid.”

I’m still smiling at Sawyer, but I can’t help the twinge of dread that creeps into my brain. He’s talking about the gala.

“You’re going to have to be more specific.” I play dumb.

He scratches at his chest in the usual way. “Kendra. You’re taking Kendra, aren’t you?”

I open my mouth, but he holds up a hand.

“And don’t ask me how I guessed. Your smile has gone from annoying as hell to all-out sickening, and since I’m the only one who knows about your living arrangements and your feelings for her … well, let’s just say, I won’t be rivaling Sherlock with my conclusions.”

Pausing on getting undressed, I prop my hands on my hips. In three days, it’ll all be confirmed anyway. “Yeah, I’m taking Kendra to the gala.”

“What the actual fuck?” Tyler’s breath blasts at the back of my neck.