Page 7

Oh, man.

Oh man, oh man, oh man.

Lucy gasped and her surroundings blurred. Did Jack West just say he…and Dax…were brothers ?

No. That couldn’t be. She would have known. The whole world would have known! The two were famous. They couldn’t have kept this a secret. And anyway, if they were brothers, they wouldn’t hate each other so much.

Would they?

But why would Jack West claim to be Dax’s brother if it wasn’t true? Oh God, they were both staring at her.

Awkward. Intense. Jack, curious, and Dax…reproachful. Her cheeks became inflamed. Quickly, she cleared her throat. “Um, I’m sorry,” she said hesitantly, wringing her trembling fingers together. “I’m late. Traffic was hell and…you don’t care about that, do you?”

They didn’t answer.

“Well, whatever,” she continued hastily, raising her hands defensively. “What I meant to say was, don’t worry, I didn’t hear anything. Nothing at all! Nothing about brothers or family or…anything.”

“Oh, good God,” Dax muttered darkly as he abruptly started off, dragging her by the arm past Jack West into the darkest corner the entrance hall had to offer, which wasn’t particularly dark, with the dozens of halogen lights hanging over their heads.

“Ow,” she said in surprise and tried to shake him off. “Let go!”

“And what if I do?” he replied suspiciously and let go of her arm with a dismissive gesture, causing her to stumble back a step. “When you told me you were my babysitter, I didn’t expect that included eavesdropping on private conversations!”

“It doesn’t,” she replied hastily, her breathing hectic, her thoughts like rubber balls bouncing around uncontrollably in her head. “It was an accident, I…I…I…” She was at a loss for words. She lacked air. Her heart was beating at triple speed because Dax seemed angry and serious and…shit, what if it was true? What if they were brothers?

That would cause a shitstorm! The press would be fighting fist over claw for this information.

Her whole damn job right now was to stop Dax from being caught up in another scandal, and on the first day she finds out he has a secret brother? And it was Jack West, his declared nemesis?

What kind of soap opera was Dax living in?

“Oh God,” she whispered, pressing a hand to her forehead. “Oh God, oh God…”

That was a disaster! A PR nightmare.

Crap! She would never get a promotion. On the contrary, Leslie would fire her if Dax started a media circus on her watch. She was supposed to save Dax’s image, not watch it go up in flames!

What to do? What to do?

White dots danced in front of her eyes and blood roared in her ears. Her hands were tingling, her mouth was dry…oh no, she was having a panic attack, wasn’t she? Because the word catastrophe was now flashing in three different colors through her mind and…

“Breathe, Lucy,” Dax instructed her roughly, squeezing her shoulders tightly and looking her intently in the eyes. “Breathe before you pass out. I really don’t feel like catching you right now.”

In one loud whoosh, she released the air from her lungs.

“You…and Jack West,” she blurted out. “You… No!”

Groaning, Dax narrowed his eyes, and she could tell he didn’t want to have this conversation.

Tough luck! Next time he would just have to reveal his secrets more quietly!

“No!” she repeated, wiping her damp palms on her skirt. “No, no. The press would have found out! Someone would have known and spread the word long ago. Anyone… No! That doesn’t make any sense, and…”

“Okay, calm down,” Dax said urgently, and the next moment he was cupping her face with both large hands, forcing her to be still. “Man. You’re about to give yourself a concussion. The point is: No one knows and it will stay that way. It’s nobody’s business what Jack and I…” He stopped and took a deep breath. “It’s nobody’s business. End of discussion.”

“Oh my God, the press would go crazy if they found out,” she breathed. “They would—they would—”

“I know what they would do,” he whispered sharply. “None of us could step foot out the door without a camera in our face. That’s why you won’t tell anyone, right?”

She opened her mouth to reply—but was at a loss for words. She couldn’t think clearly.

She had to tell Leslie, didn’t she? So they could come up with a strategy just in case it did come out at some point. It would be her duty, her…her…

Dax’s thumb moved gently over her cheek and she forgot how the sentence was supposed to end. Why were his hands still on her face? She wished suddenly he would stop it, it…it irritated her.

“No one, Lucy,” he repeated urgently as if he’d read her mind.

She swallowed and peered into his eyes. His gaze had never been so intense. Never so…soft. So full of emotions. And only then did she notice how rough his fingers felt against her skin. How gentle his touch was yet how strong his hands were.

She blinked and inhaled shakily. Had his face been just inches from hers all along? She felt his breath on her lips. He smelled of warm forest soil and cold ice.

She abruptly took a step back and pulled his hands away from her cheeks. They didn’t touch each other. Ever. She was professional. Highly professional.

“Okay,” she said firmly, taking a deep breath. “Okay, okay. Give me a moment. Let me think. You are…brothers and no one knows. Except you two and now me.” She frowned. “No. Your sister probably knows too, not to mention your parents. But no one else should know because it would end badly. Journalists would want to know why you kept it secret. Because they…” She paused and blinked up at him. “Wait, why did you keep it a secret?”

Dax rubbed his eyes with his thumb and middle finger and took a deep breath. When he looked back up at her, his expression was wary but sincere. “Remember yesterday, when you told me you had a private matter to attend to? That it’s none of my business what it’s about?” he whispered.

She nodded.

“Good.” He raised his eyebrows meaningfully. “Because this is between me and Jack so…please, keep it to yourself.”

Please .

The word echoed in her head. Had he ever said please to her? She couldn’t recall.

“Promise me,” he said his voice urgent, soft but with a note of warning. “My past is no one’s business, Lucy. Because I have to share everything with the fans and the press, I have little in this world that’s all mine. But my past is all mine.”

His eyes were darker than usual. Not desperate, but close to it. Lucy didn’t know what to make of the expression. She had been angry with this man every day for the past eleven months. But now, as he looked at her like that, with the word please on his lips…she couldn’t help but feel compassion for him. Because she understood what he meant. It was his life. And maybe she could make sure his actions didn’t harm the team, but she didn’t have the right to decide who he had to share his secrets with.

His past belonged to him and the present belonged to the world. His future with the organization. And his family was…private. His worries, his fears—those were his alone. Who knew that better than her?

“Okay,” she said quietly and looked down. “I won’t tell anyone.”

“Promise me,” he demanded tonelessly.

She laughed dryly and glanced up at him. “What’s the point of promising?” she wanted to know. “My promise isn’t worth anything to you, anyway.”

He furrowed his brows, visibly irritated. “Who says that?”

“Oh, come on, Dax.” She snorted. “You don’t like me.”

“And?” he asked impatiently. “What does that have to do with whether I trust you to keep your word?”

“It has everything to do with it,” she replied, stunned. “You think I’m a bad person and bad people don’t keep their word.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” His face was a mask of incomprehension. “I don’t think you’re a bad person. I think you’re an annoying person. That’s different. But that doesn’t mean I…” He paused for a moment, looking down at her skeptically. “Now don’t let it go to your head, but that doesn’t mean I don’t respect you. I trust that you can distinguish right from wrong. If that weren’t the case, I’d probably be dead in a ditch already.” The words came out of his mouth hesitantly, as if he were afraid of regretting them later, but now he couldn’t take them back. They hung in the air between them, taking on weight by the second.

“No, you do not trust me,” she replied angrily, because what was he talking about? One of the reasons she was mad at him all the time was his lack of respect for her. “You’re merely saying that to make me like you.”

He laughed. Loudly. It was a genuine, deep laugh that startled her. “Oh, come on, I’m not an idiot. I know that ship has sailed. And, Lucy, if I wanted to suck up to you, I wouldn’t have just told you that I find you annoying! It’s the truth. It’s very, very hard not to respect you. You put up with my stupid comments, you’re brave, and you speak your mind. Not many people do that when they’re face-to-face with me.”

“But…” A tugging began in her center and she couldn’t decide whether it was a bitter tug or a sweet tug. She had spent the last eleven months trying to earn his respect—and now it turned out there was no need? That she had always had it?

She felt as if the information had shut down part of her brain. The fact that Dax Temple didn’t respect her had been one of the pillars on which she had based her hatred of him. And without that pillar, she didn’t know where she stood.

“But you never take me seriously,” she stated, finishing her sentence after what seemed like an eternity.

He peered down at her, puzzled. “I’m making fun of you,” he clarified. “I’m unsettling you so you’re less of a threat to my mental state. That doesn’t mean I don’t take you seriously.” He cocked his head, frowning. “If I’m honest, I’m actually a little afraid of you.”

She had to laugh. This situation was becoming more and more absurd. “Nobody is afraid of me. I’m too small to pose a serious threat.”

Dax took a step closer and slowly leaned down to her, depriving her of the space and air to breathe. “Size doesn’t always matter, Lucy,” he whispered, his voice so raspy and soft that goosebumps crawled down her spine. “The others just don’t seem to know you and your iron will as well as I do.” He jerked upright again and stepped back. “So, will you promise me? It’ll be our secret?”

He stuck out his hand and looked at her expectantly.

What else could Lucy do but grab it and whisper, “I promise.”

Like jackals to carrion, the press descended on Dax and Jack as soon as they walked onto the podium and dropped into their seats.

Lucy expected this and was usually good at skipping the awkward questions and directing the sensible ones to the right recipient. Today, however, she was…muddled. Not focused. She found the question What?! on her mind as often as the word asshole usually was when she thought about Dax. She would have liked to blame it on the cacophony the two dozen journalists created with their shouted questions, but that wasn’t true. She just wasn’t listening properly. Her mind was filled with questions and doubts…and the image of Dax’s face: Gentle, not hard.

Leslie had disappeared to deal with another PR emergency, leaving Lucy in charge, and she was happy about it. She didn’t want her boss to see how slowly her mind was functioning today, how long it took her to tell reporters that they were “not disclosing detailed info about training status at this time” and “had no information about Darron Clark’s son possibly taking over as owner.”

In fact, she was grateful for Jack West. She only knew him from the arena and interviews on television, but one thing became clear to her within seconds: He knew how to deal with the press. He knew how to market himself as saintly, which had earned him his nickname. He exuded consistent, warm peace and serenity—while Dax was a lone, tense bundle who didn’t open his mouth.

Lucy watched the two, their hands clasped on the table, Jack with a smile on his face, Dax’s expression not hostile, but not exactly child-friendly either.

Brothers. They were brothers.

Half-brothers.

But they apparently grew up together and… It was irrelevant. They had more in common than rivalry. They were connected by the blood that flowed through their veins.

She slowly let her gaze wander back and forth between the two. They were incredibly different men. Jack was blond with green eyes and Dax was dark with blue eyes. Jack was clean-shaven, and Dax’s stubble was a lumberjack’s dream. Each had a distinct posture: Jack’s was open and free; Dax’s was tense, his shoulders hunched.

But then there were their strong jaws, the way their eyebrows furrowed when one of the journalists asked a stupid question…and she knew Dax’s cheek had the same dimple that Jack sported when he laughed.

Yes, they were related.

And yet, Dax hated Jack.

What happened? What could a seemingly kind-hearted and open person like Jack West have done to turn his family against him?

“Mr. Temple, your rivalry with Jack West is well known to all hockey fans,” a male voice boomed over the constant flurry of flashbulbs. “How do you feel about having to work with him now and play for the same team? Will your mutual dislike affect your game?”

Lucy’s stomach lurched.

One question. She had promised him that she would let one question through to him. And this was it.

She nodded at him, allowing him to respond, and their eyes locked for a few seconds. They were like two interlocking rings, designed to hold tension. Then Dax replied slowly, but in a firm and neutral voice, “I have always respected Jack West as a worthy opponent.”

It didn’t answer the question. But it was a good quote. The quote she had put into his mouth.

She smiled. A relieved, generous smile—and for a second, she almost thought the corners of Dax’s mouth were twitching in response. But she wasn’t sure because a second later she was distracted.

“Mr. West,” the same reporter called out, “what do you think?”

Jack shrugged nonchalantly and gave Dax a quick pat on the back. “I’m looking forward to playing with Dax. He’s one of the best and most ambitious strikers in the league…” He grinned and gave Dax a sideways glance. “…And certainly keen to learn a few more things from me.”

Lucy gave Dax credit for not showing any signs of anger. Instead, he raised a single, cynical corner of his mouth and said calmly, “We’ll see who learns what from whom.” The next moment, he held out his hand to Jack—and the other player grasped it firmly.

Lucy’s shoulders lost their tension and she smiled again. That was all she had wanted to see—and all the press would get to see.

“No more questions,” she said sharply, standing before motioning for Jack and Dax to leave the stage.

Yes, they were brothers. Yes, they were estranged and Lucy was itching to find out why. But it was irrelevant. She didn’t really care. It wasn’t like she was friends with Dax. She wasn’t a part of his life. She was simply his babysitter.

It’s very, very hard not to respect you. You put up with my stupid comments, you’re brave, and you speak your mind. Not many people do that when they’re standing face-to-face with me .

She swallowed and turned her back on the flurry of flashbulbs. Yes. Just his temporary babysitter.

Nothing less—and definitely nothing more.