Page 19 of Breaking the Ice (Denver Stampede #6)

DANI

F ucking hell, why did my father have to be here tonight?

I was already on edge to begin with, and now that he was in the same room with me, my stomach was churning.

I had no desire to paste a smile on my face and chat with dear old Dad, but so many of the people in this room were hockey players who no doubt looked up to him.

And I had no plans to air our family’s dirty laundry, even if he deserved it.

“Would you like another glass of wine to go with your spread?” Gabe asked, eyeing my plate piled almost as high as his.

We’d both loaded up on Anna’s sweets, including two iced snickerdoodles for each of us and a selection of appetizers, and had found a high-top table where we could indulge.

I bit back my smile. I seemed to do that a lot around him—smiling, that was.

I’d just hinted at crushing his idolization of my father and not once did he try to placate me or say, “Oh, Malcolm Albans can’t be that bad. ”

His reaction was a shock to my system. The man was a walking green flag, a situation so unexpected that it was honestly unsettling at times. Which said so many shitty things about the men I’d dated.

“No, I’m good for now. I just don’t know what to sample first. Probably the apps.”

He scoffed. “But what if you get too full? Nah, go for the cookie first. That’s my plan.” He grinned and took a massive bite of the frosting-covered treat. “So damn good,” he mumbled, a cookie crumb or two sticking to his lips.

Heat swirled through my body. I could easily lean around this table and kiss those crumbs away. It would be very girlfriend of me, but I held back.

“Am I a mess?” he asked, picking up a napkin and wiping his mouth.

“No, you’re fine.”

So very fine.

Shit.

“So, I know I said I wouldn’t pry, but I’m all ears if you need to get something off of your chest.”

Then I glanced over Gabe’s shoulder. “For fuck’s sake,” I gritted out.

“Sorry. That’s a bit of a pry, isn’t it? I’m sorry,” he said.

“What?” I turned back to meet Gabe’s gaze. He looked contrite.

“Kiss me. No, hold it. Say something funny.” I started to laugh. He probably thought I was losing it.

“Uhh, okay? Something funny.”

I couldn’t help but snort just as Roger closed in.

“Oh, look, the lovebirds are here,” he derided.

But before I could respond, Gabe leaned in and swiped his tongue against my lips. A soft moan slipped out when he said, “Always delectable.”

I giggled. I couldn’t help it.

“Still trying to act like this is a thing?” Roger asked.

“Oh, Jenzy, didn’t see you there.” Gabe only spared Roger a quick glance over his shoulder, and then he focused his eyes directly on me. “And do you mean this thing, like the fact that I’m in love with Dani because she fucking incredible, and you’re clearly an idiot?”

I sucked in a breath. The words had flowed out of him with such ease that I could almost believe them, and holy crap that was not good for my sensibilities.

“Please, Dani. This is ridiculous. We belong together. We had a good thing going, and you know it. Moving on to Tucks from me? Pssh, your standards are lower than I thought.”

I snorted. “You realize you just insulted yourself, right? I thought goalies were supposed to be smart. I know Gabe is. Smart and loving and supportive. Wouldn’t really call that lowering my standards.”

I could not get a read on my ex, and it bothered me more than it should. One second, he claimed we belonged together, and the next, he tried to insult me for dating Tucks. Pick a lane, asshole.

“I see your dad’s here. Great to see him and catch up. He suggested we all grab dinner one night,” Roger continued, like my words hadn’t even registered, which wasn’t surprising at all. What the hell had I seen in that man?

“No, thanks. Gabe and I have plans,” I said.

It was obvious now that part of Roger’s interest in me was my father. Hell, he hadn’t even cared about the few things I’d shared about growing up with my dad. That should’ve been enough to get me to walk away, but he’d been annoyingly good in bed. Assholes should be shit between the sheets.

Gross. I did not want to think about Roger that way ever again. What would Gabe be like? Probably super attentive and when he made me come first, he wouldn’t boast about how generous he was like Roger had. Ugh, why did I stay with that man for months?

“Why are you even here tonight?” I shook my head. “No. You know what? I don’t care. Just leave me alone.”

“I came because it’s for an important cause,” he said.

“And your PR department told you to?” I fired back.

From what I’d learned about him in our short time together, he wasn’t the compassionate sort.

Gabe was immediately ready to help out at One Center without me even really talking about it, but any time I’d asked Roger if he wanted to join me one weekend and hang out with the kids, it was always an immediate no.

There truly was no comparison between these two.

“Are you trying to cause a scene?” Roger bit out at my raised voice.

“You caused one by walking over here. Just go away. Leave me alone. I’ve moved on and I’m done hashing this out with you.”

“Yeah, moved on to a guy who won’t even stand up for you. So quiet, Tucks, tucking that tail between your legs again.” Roger sneered.

Fucking hell, this was ridiculous. I glanced around, but by some miracle, no one appeared to be looking in our direction as people were finding their seats. Dinner must’ve been called, and I hadn’t even finished one cookie, dammit.

Then Gabe’s hand squeezed my hip, but he held himself behind me, not storming to the front. He was the perfect anchor.

“Listen, asshole. I’m only going to say this once.”

Roger scoffed. “Should be good.”

“Dani can handle putting you in your place all on her own. She doesn’t need me to step in like some overbearing jackass. If she does, she knows she just needs to ask and I’m right here and ready. Seems she’s in complete control, though, so I’m just here to support.”

“Like a weak little bitch,” Roger muttered.

Gabe’s hand squeezed my hip again. It took everything in me not to tell Gabe to deck the dick, but I didn’t want him to get into any kind of trouble fighting with a player off the ice when the season was just starting and Roger was all bluster right now.

“Good night, Roger. Do us a favor and write a big fat check for being a big fat prick, then go home.” I spun on my heel, linked my fingers back through Gabe’s, and walked away.

“Fucking hell, that was hot,” I swore I heard Gabe mutter.

“What?” I gasped.

His eyes darkened when I met his gaze. “You heard me. That was hot. I love seeing you stand your ground, put him right in his place. It was beautiful. We deserve all the cookies. You for being a badass and me for not punching him in the jaw.”

I laughed. “Dammit, we left our plates of goodies, didn’t we? Ugh. I just wanted to get out of there.”

“I totally get it. And if you ever need me to step in and help, just tell me. I can just be supportive or I can turn on the macho bullshit.”

My belly fluttered. Why was that so damn charming? How was this man so in tune with me already?

“Thanks. I’ll make sure to keep you posted if I need the macho bullshit.

” I couldn’t resist smiling at him. He almost made me giddy, a sensation I was not familiar with at all.

Fortunately, I could stop dwelling on these foreign feelings because we’d made it back to the dessert table while we talked and he grabbed two plates for us to fill. Smart man.

“There you two are,” Cora said, a bright smile on her face. “I’m so glad you could come tonight, Dani. Sorry it was sprung on you so last minute.” She shot Gabe a glare.

“I know, I know. I’m the worst. Want a cookie?” he asked, holding out his now partially filled plate.

Cora chuckled. “Your sweet tooth is almost as bad as mine. I had at least two. I know we should save them for after dinner, but where’s the fun in that?”

I snorted. “Do you try distracting everyone with cookies?”

He shrugged. “It’s a solid plan. Cookie?” he asked me.

Cora shook her head at him and popped a piece of something chocolate in her mouth. “So good. Having a bestie who is a baker is so ideal,” she said after finishing her bite. “Now, let’s go sit before Christian gets antsy about starting the speeches late.”

“Christian?” I asked.

“Oh, my brother. The man loves a schedule more than anyone else I know. He’s the one who suggested we start our foundation focusing on the hospital. We’ve done fundraisers for them for years, but this is the first time it’s being funneled through the team foundation.”

“It’s a very worthy cause,” I said.

“Oh, and Meredith is here tonight. We can talk about One Center if you want.”

“I would love that.” I needed to talk to our director this week, but I was sure Sally wouldn’t mind any extra help, especially from people who could use their celebrity to get the word out about what we offered.

“Wonderful. You and Tucks are at our table.” She linked her arm through mine. “I’m sorry about Jensen. The Blizzard said some of their guys were coming tonight, but they didn’t provide us with a list. Want me to throw him out?”

“Tempting, but it’s fine. Hopefully, he’ll just leave us alone.”

“Damn right he will,” Gabe muttered.

Cora grinned. “It’s hot when they’re feisty, isn’t it?”

“Yes. Yes it is,” I replied, annoyed at the almost wistful tone of my voice.

I needed to get a rein on my swirling emotions. Between Gabe being all sweet and charming, and Roger and my dad putting me on edge tonight, my brain was bouncing like a damn tennis ball.

“Oh hey, Dani. Hey, Tucks, I saw you talking to your idol. You fangirl over Albans?” Sin asked when we got to the table. I froze.

“Uh, a bit,” Gabe said.

“Dani, did he forget how to talk? Malcolm Albans is a former goalie, one of the best to ever play. Tucks worships the man.”

Gabe shifted on his feet. “I wouldn’t go that far.”