Page 18 of Branded (Breakers Hockey)

Eighteen

Kailey

I could barely look at anyone the next day.

My only saving grace was that I was working at my office at the practice facility rather than the arena—and thus, nearby what would certainly be the forever blush-inducing locker room.

I still blushed a lot, though.

Mostly because the guys had the morning off with a light optional skate in the afternoon, so they’d begun occupying the player spaces, including the locker room at the practice rink, from fairly early in the morning.

Chatter had echoed through the hallways.

Big male bodies moving through at regular measure.

Something I’d seen because I’d kept my door open.

Hoping that a certain big male would poke his head in.

Last night, he’d gotten me dressed, and then himself, taking his time during the latter, and totally not caring that I’d done my share of staring at his unabashedly naked body, enjoying the way his muscles bunched and loosened, rippling under his skin, reminding me of the strength he’d used to hold me in place, the husky commands, all as he’d slowly pulled on his clothes.

The only time he looked mildly uncomfortable was trying to button up his slacks.

Which was mostly because he was making his own portable penis tent and trying to wrestle the monster in his pants down so he could tug up the zipper was no easy task.

I’d shocked the shit out of myself by offering to help.

And would never forget the shock on his face, and how that shock had transformed to glee when he’d realized I was playing with him.

Well, it was a serious offer because I did want to touch and stroke him.

But it was a serious offer for a later time, considering we were playing with fire already by having gotten half (me) and completely (him) naked in a public space. Where we both worked.

And…yeah.

Had I dreamed about him bending me over the bench, taking me from behind, driving me to another orgasm (since I knew he was fully capable of getting me there)? Yes.

Had I understood that we’d already taken enough risk? Unfortunately. Yes.

Plus, since I’d been thinking about risk—interspersed with all that naked ogling—I probably wouldn’t have been able to concentrate on hanky-panky time.

Okay, probably not true.

I had the feeling that Smitty would be able to distract me. Anytime. Any day of the week. Any?—

A knock on my open office door.

I head jerked, gaze flying up, anticipation coiling in my belly and?—

Oh.

It wasn’t him.

Two of the guys stood there…Raph and Theo. They’d been friendly and nice in my limited interactions with them so far, but that they were here? That anticipation coiling morphed into anxiety. It twisted and spun, sliding up to grip my lungs.

Theo nodded at the chairs in front of my desk. “Can we sit down?”

“Su—” My throat seized, but I managed to wave a hand to the pair of wooden chairs.

They walked in, Raph all strong, bulky strength, mischief in his eyes, Theo leaner and with a ready smile.

Folding into the seats, their big bodies taking up too much of the space in my office.

Their gazes were on mine, making it hard for me to focus, impossible to speak.

But I could move, at least, so I grabbed a pencil and brought it to my lap, using it to keep my hands busy, to try to distract my mind from the spinning.

Take away the hyperfocus.

Redirect.

There wasn’t impatience on their faces.

No, it was…eagerness. At least on Theo’s. Raph’s was placid, as though he were just there to watch things unfold—not in a cruel way, but rather like he was curious and wanted to see where things went.

Or at least, I hoped so.

Cruelty hadn’t been something I’d experienced with this team.

I hoped that it continued not having a place here.

“Oliver said you play Legends of the Dragons?” Theo asked.

Okay, now that was a hard right in the conversation that I hadn’t expected. Surprise had my throat loosening. Talk of something I was comfortable with even more so.

Or maybe it was that they didn’t seem to be in any hurry.

Still, even though I’d gotten one syllable out.

Even though I was studying their faces, my heart pounding, searching for that impatience with half my brain, while the other half braced and also tried to formulate the proper response, vacillating between the two of them.

But even as they waited, as the silence stretched, nothing crept in. No snarky undertones or disappointment or barely concealed fury.

Just two men content to sit there until I got myself together.

The tension in my body relaxed, the pencil I’d been spinning in my hands slowing down until it stopped, and I managed to reach up and set it on my desk.

“Yes,” I said. “I play it.”

A ripple of excitement. “Please, tell me that you’ve gotten the new update. What do you think of…?”

He described some of the new types of game play—being able to look through their dragon’s eyes as they flew, the new guild component and online cooperative quests, going on about them in a way that only a true fan of the game could.

Which relaxed me further and I was able to chime in about my level and my guild name and the current quest.

“No way,” he breathed. “I’m not nearly ready for that. My druid is only a level sixty-four.”

I smiled. “I was lucky enough to work with one of the developers before he went off and started working on the game. He let me play a beta copy,” I admitted. “So, I was able to get a jump on some of the inner workings when the real version was released.”

His eyes went wide. “No way ,” he said again.

Which had me biting back a smile, because he wasn’t all that young, maybe a year or two younger than my twenty-seven, but he was young in life, I thought. Sweet and kind and funny and…not saddled by a dark past.

Dark past?

My mother was more interested in her own life than mine, and my dad was an asshole.

A giant, insensitive asshole with a pocketful of money and an inferiority complex that meant he needed to make himself bigger and smarter and wealthier and better than everyone else.

Baggage, yeah.

But not exactly a dark past.

Or at least, I was trying to not live in the dark any longer.

A move, new friends—new nerdy friends I was actually able to talk to, even after Raph joined in on the conversation (though it was quickly evident that the widely-known prankster wasn’t into video games and had tagged along for reasons only known to himself).

So maybe less of a dark past and more of a bright future.

Yeah, I liked the sound of that.

A lot.

“Did you want to see if I could get you an invite to my guild?” I offered unexpectedly, several minutes later.

Theo’s face lit up. “You’d do that?”

I smiled. “Of course.”

“That would be epic,” he declared, showing me his youth again, and with his enthusiasm sweeping through the room, I felt very young, too. Young and light, or maybe bright and clean and…not anxious.

Myself.

I felt like myself.

First Oliver. Then Hazel and Smitty. Now Raph and Theo.

Next, I’d be raising my hand at meetings and demanding that I be able to talk.

Ha.

But it was a nice thought.

Today, I’d settle for an awkward conversation turning pleasant, for a new member of my guild and a few calmly exchanged words with Rafe. I’d take the goodbyes I managed to call out, and I’d take the bag Rafe asked me to pass on to Smitty.

No doubt the reason for the mischief on his face.

And the reason he’d tagged along.

“Why?” I asked as he handed over the bag. “Smitty and I?—”

“He looks at you right, darlin’,” Raph said lightly. “And”—he nodded at me—“you blush very prettily whenever his name is mentioned.” He leaned in, asked quietly, “Want to tell me about it?”

“So, you can use it for blackmail?” I returned.

Then realized I’d made a mistake.

Because instead of denying anything was happening between me and Smitty—and I’d now been around the Breakers enough to understand that not denying was as good as confirming for the gossip-loving crew (sometimes everyone knew each other’s business more than a small town in a romance novel)—I’d confirmed that something was already happening.

And it was blackmail worthy.

Shit.

That was…not good, very not good.

Raph surprised me by winking and tugging lightly at a strand of my hair. “Secret’s safe with me.”

Sure, it was.

But before I could say anything further or press him for details, he’d turned away, tossing a wave over his shoulder, and disappeared into the hall.

I glanced down at the bag, shook my head, and decided that I’d deal with it later.