Page 6

T he next morning, Luna showed up at Hunter’s apartment with swollen eyes. Her entire face was puffy from crying off and on all night. She didn’t want him to see how bad she looked. So, she dug into her purse and found a pair of old sunglasses. She placed them on her face and was thankful for this newfound disguise.

She walked into the apartment and walked straight to Adam’s room. He was still asleep and she decided to get breakfast made ahead of time. She started looking for eggs and bacon in the refrigerator. As she started making breakfast, she heard Hunter walk up behind her.

“You are wearing sunglasses,” Hunter said inquisitively. “You are wearing sunglasses inside. Well, you must have slept as well as me.

Luna quickly turned around and looked at Hunter. He still looked handsome, and there were no dark eyes or places of puffiness on his face. She huffed before turning back to making food.

“You look like you slept just fine,” Luna said. “You don’t look tired at all.”

Hunter walked up to Luna's back. He smelled her hair. The scent of her overwhelmed him. He whispered gently in her ear.

“I can’t say what you want me to say right now,” Hunter said softly. “It has nothing to do with you and everything to do with me. Can you please just be patient?”

She closed her eyes in deep thought, and she breathed heavily. His touch made her uneasy, and as she was about to reply to him, she heard the pitter-patter of little feet come into the kitchen. Hunter, too, heard the sounds and quickly backed away from Luna to create a sense of space between their two bodies. Adam walked into the kitchen, and although he was young, he could still see that there was something between his father and Luna. Perhaps it was just a child's curiosity, but Adam asked what was going on.

“Is Luna your new special friend?” he asked his dad.

Hunter was shocked and did not know how to respond. Thankfully, before he had to, Luna intervened in the situation.

"Adam, I'm so glad you're awake! I've been cooking up a storm," she said cheerfully to the child. "Are you hungry?"

Hunter watched Luna with Adam; she was such a natural mother figure. He enjoyed watching Luna be maternal and watching Adam have a proper mother figure in his life. He imagined she would be a good mother and possibly even better wife. Would she be a good wife to him? With that question, Hunter felt the power of vulnerability kick in again. He changed his position to relieve the discomfort and looked down at his watch; he thought now would be the perfect time to escape. She clearly had things under control here, and he had to get to work. He had a long day of training at the ice rink ahead of him. Hunter said goodbye to both of them and left, all the while wondering how Luna was going to respond to him. Was she going to wait for him?

By the time Hunter walked into the arena, his other teammates were already on the ice, working. He looked down at his watch and noticed he was about ten minutes late. He thought he had left his apartment on time, but the commotion of his complicated situation with Luna threw him off guard. He also couldn't stop wondering about whether or not Luna would continue working for him, as well as wait for him to be emotionally available to her. He shook his head and looked back down at his watch. He had to get moving.

Hunter quickly walked to the locker room and began changing into his training attire. And as he was putting on his shirt, he heard the soft voice of a female behind him. It threw him off guard, and he jerked his body around to see who was there in the male locker room. It was Stella.

“I was wondering when you were going to get here,” Stella said with a smirk. “You are about fifteen minutes late at this point.”

Hunter felt the need to be defensive. Coach or not, what was a female doing in the male locker room? That would never be okay if the situation were reversed.

“And you,” Hunter started to say defensively. “And you are in the male locker room.”

Stella laughed. This did not help the situation, and it made Hunter feel more uneasy.

“It is a male hockey team,” Stella said while laughing. “Every locker room is male. I will get out of here. I just wanted to make sure you were ready to lead today’s drills now that you are finally here.”

Hunter was thankful he had finished getting dressed before she walked into the locker room. He watched as she swayed out. She was wearing a miniskirt with tights and a long-sleeved shirt. Her outfit was set off with a pair of long, sexy black boots. She did look good, Hunter admitted to herself, but what the hell was she thinking walking into the male locker room?

That was a human resources violation and a lawsuit waiting to happen. Hunter shook his head in dismay and quickly rushed out to the ice rink. He saw Henry taking the lead on the agility drills. He walked over and joined the rest of his teammates.

“Hey, Henry,” Hunter said casually. “Hey, Henry, thank you for covering for me, man. I’m sorry I was late. I can take over now.”

Henry stepped aside and felt discarded. He thought the whole thing was ridiculous. Why wasn’t he in charge of the team? He was just as talented as Hunter, and he was always on time. Tension filled the air, and Henry tried to bite his tongue, but he could not hold himself back.

“Well, just be on time tomorrow, and I won’t have to cover for you,” Henry told Hunter.

He spoke loudly for everyone else to hear. This bothered Hunter. It was one thing to disrespect him in general, but it was quite another thing to disrespect him in front of the whole team. Hunter turned towards Henry. He walked closer and faced him head-on.

“Is there a problem, Henry?” Hunter asked him. “Is there a problem, or did you just not get enough sleep last night?”

“Oh, I’m probably not sleeping as well as you,” Henry laughed. “I am definitely not sleeping as well as you are these days.”

“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” Hunter asked angrily. “What exactly are you trying to get at?”

“I’m just saying,” Henry said with his hands in the air. “I’m just saying that I would probably be sleeping in, too, if I was getting a good fuck from my hot nanny.”

This comment was too far for Hunter. He couldn’t stand him talking about her that way. It was disrespectful to both him and Luna.

“What the fuck are you talking about?” Hunter asked furiously, with his finger in Henry’s face.

“Oh, come on, man,” Henry said defiantly. “Everyone could see the way you looked at her and how protective you were of her when I hit on her. There is no way you are not hitting that! Although, by the looks of you right now, maybe she isn’t a good lay. Maybe I dodged a pretty unimpressive bullet when you cock-blocked me from getting her number.”

Anger flowed through Hunter's veins. His face was red, and his fists were clenched. He was already close enough to hit Henry, and with one foot behind the other, his right fist moved backward and then forward to his face. Before he knew what was happening, Hunter had punched Henry violently.

Other teammates rushed over to him to help pick Henry up off the ice while other teammates got themselves in between Hunter and Henry to stop the fight from escalating even further. It is true that hockey is a violent sport, and it was not uncommon for fights to break out on the ice. However, it was unusual for fights to break out amongst team members. These team members were supposed to be good friends, but Henry and Hunter had no friendship. There was only anger and competition, male competition.

Henry was behind a sea of other team members, but he desperately wanted to get in front of them to hit Hunter back. His nose was bleeding. Hunter did not care if he had broken Henry’s nose. He shouldn’t have talked to him that way. He should not have talked about Luna that way.

Hunter assured his teammates that he was good and would no longer fight. He furiously walked back to the locker room. He felt like a failure. Things were not going well in his emotional or professional life. He felt that he had messed up every good thing in his life.

As he sat down on a bench in the locker room, he debated whether or not he needed to take the day off. Tension was high amongst the team. That was obvious. Maybe it would be best for him not to be present at the arena today.

Hunter gathered himself and walked to Stella’s office. He knocked once before walking in. Before arriving at her office, he had peeked back onto the ice. Other assistants had gotten the team training again. That was one good thing about hockey: physical fights were quickly forgotten. He waited for Stella to give him the okay to walk in.

He was surprised to find Stella with her heels on the desk. She looked serious. He could not tell if she was angry or not. It was always so hard to read her.

“Close the door behind you,” Stella ordered Hunter. “Come over here and sit down.”

Hunter slowly walked over and sat down in the empty chair in front of Stella's desk, which her legs were still on top of. In fact, if he focused his gaze, he could see her underwear showing from underneath her miniskirt. He couldn’t help but stare for a moment when he noticed this. Stella noticed and slightly moved her legs.

He wondered if Stella was showing him her lingerie on purpose or not. Hunter was embarrassed; he didn't want to be known in the world of hockey as someone who started physical altercations over nothing, but he could not have Henry talk about Luna that way. Plus, he was already in a bad mood, and Henry's comments simply added fuel to the fire.

He hung his head down low and waited for Stella to start the conversation. She was his boss, after all, and no matter the strangeness between them, he didn't want her to be disappointed in him.

“So,” Stella said thoughtfully as she brought her legs back to the floor. “So, there was a fight, and you threw the first punch.”

“I threw the only punch,” Hunter said proudly.

He was happy that Henry did not have an opportunity to hit him back. That all meant that Hunter had won the fight. Winning fights was important in hockey.

Stella laughed.

“I can’t have my men fighting, Hunter,” she said seriously. “You know that. This is not your first season. From what the others told me, Henry was asking for it, and thank goodness the team has seemed to let today’s earlier events go quickly. However, what happened this morning cannot happen again.”

Hunter nodded and was thankful that Stella was not chastising him too hard about the events. Very few people liked Henry, and he bet that helped him in this case.

“Don’t be late tomorrow, and don’t start a fight,” Stella said seriously.

Hunter nodded in agreement. He noticed Stella lean forward on her desk. Her shirt was slightly unbuttoned, and her cleavage was showing. Hunter saw a hint of a red bra, the same color as her panties. It seemed that Stella was, in fact, trying to make herself seen by Hunter on purpose. Was she seducing him?

“You have a lot on your mind,” Stella said seductively. “What if you did not have to think about anything for a few minutes? How would that make you feel?”

“Well, what exactly do you mean?” Hunter asked Stella.

He could not lie to himself; Stella was an attractive older woman, and she did not strike him as the type of woman who wanted a serious relationship. A fling with her would be straightforward. There would be no hidden messages or emotions. He cared about Luna, but maybe something simpler was what he needed, even if it was only for a moment. He stared at Stella’s breasts again. She noticed his gaze and smiled.

“Did you see something that you like?” Stella asked Hunter.

Hunter remained silent as he sat in his chair, uncomfortable. He was uncomfortable with the fact that he still had feelings for Luna and could not act on them due to his past. He was also uncomfortable that he was turned on by Stella at that moment. Could anyone blame him? He was a man, after all, and as far as he knew, things with Luna were done.

He didn't know what to say or do, and he felt like he was in a lose-lose situation. What would feel good in the moment would hurt Luna later if she ever found out about it. On the other hand, Stella was his boss, and refusing her would look bad on him. Was this quid pro quo?

He shook his head to himself; he didn't think so. It was true that he found Stella attractive, and there was a part of him who wanted this to happen. He had noticed her looking at him off and on throughout the months, and at first, he tried to fight off her flirtatious behavior.

However, now he was wondering if she could really make him feel good and forget everything that was happening. Would a little impulse control be a bad thing? He also wondered if all of him would fit in Stella’s mouth.

He just needed to feel good. So, what if his judgment was clouded? Did it really matter? If things were salvageable for him and Luna. She didn’t need to know about this situation.

“Would you like me to make you feel better?” Stella seductively asked.

Hunter nodded his head up and down. He was going to do this.

“We only have a few moments,” Stella said. “So, we have to make this quick.”

Hunter understood. He looked behind him to make sure the blinds on the door were closed.

“They are closed,” Stella said to him, reading his mind. “Just go lock the door quickly.”

Hunter stood up and walked over to the door and locked it, and when he turned around, he saw that Stella had unbuttoned her blouse entirely.

Her skirt was up, and he saw her matching red lingerie set. Hunter immediately got hard.

“I see you are excited already,” she said seductively. “Why don’t you unzip your pants so I can taste how hard you are.”

Hunter reached down and unbuckled his belt, then unbuttoned his pants and unzipped them, but then something came over him. His body stiffened. What was he doing? He cared about Luna, and even though they were not officially together, he did not want to be with anyone else. This was nothing more than temptation. He quickly got up from his seat.

“Come here,” Stella said. “Sit down, here.”

“I can’t do this,” Hunter said seriously. “This was a mistake. This is not appropriate. You are my head coach! I’m so sorry, but this is a mistake.”

“Oh, don’t be like that, Hunter,” “Come here, let me make you feel good.”

“No,” Hunter seriously stated. “This never happened.”

While Hunter was debating being intimate with Stella, outside on the ice rink, Luna walked in with Adam. She had brought Adam to see her father as a surprise. She was also hoping to be able to tell him her answer to his question earlier this morning. She wanted to tell Hunter that she was going to wait for him. She knew waiting would be hard, but she cared deeply about him and thought this was the best thing to do.

She looked down on the ice and didn't see him playing anywhere, but she did see Henry. Henry came up as soon as he noticed her. He really did find her attractive, and his interaction with Hunter earlier made him determined to spend at least one night with her. As soon as she saw him, she was taken aback by his swollen nose.

She immediately inquired about his nose, and Henry made up some lie on the spot, saying that he had fallen on the ice and hurt it. She didn’t know if she believed his story, as he seemed nervous talking about his injury. When Luna asked where Hunter was, he said he didn't know but that he thought he had seen him in the locker room before heading to Stella's office. He asked if she wanted him to watch Adam while she went to look for him, and Luna was thankful for this offer and took him up on it.

Luna slowly walked across the ice rink down to the hallway, and when she finally got to Stella's office, she attempted to open the door and noticed that it was locked. She put her hand on the doorknob, but it would not turn. She thought about walking away, thinking for a moment that no one was in the office when she heard two people arguing.

She pressed her ear to the door and heard Hunter and Stella’s voices — they were arguing. She listened carefully, then gasped as the details became clear. Hunter was having an inappropriate conversation with Stella, and they were arguing about not being intimate. Luna hadn’t known that Hunter had refused Stella’s advances, though it seemed he had almost given in. For all she knew, Hunter could have been with someone else, and that thought hurt her deeply. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

Here, she had come down to tell him she was willing to wait for him. She would endure his emotional problems, but she could not endure this. She wanted to be his only one, and listening to that conversation with Stella would not work for her. It was all too much for her. Her heart was broken into a million pieces. She tried not to cry as she walked back to the ice rink.

When she made her way back to Adam and Henry, it was obvious that she was upset. She tried to keep her composure, as she did not want Adam to see her upset.

“Did you find him?” Henry asked inquisitively.

Luna nodded and sniffled at the same time. Henry noticed her cheeks were streaked. For a moment, he was genuinely concerned. Then, he realized this was his moment to step in and appear to be the knight in shining armor. He wanted to be Henry, the man to the rescue.

“I found him,” Luna finally replied. “He is very busy, though. This isn’t a great time for us to see him at work. Adam, it is time to go.”

She grabbed Adam’s hand, and then he started crying. He wanted to see his father, and she wanted to get the hell out of there.

“Are you sure you can’t stay a bit longer?” Henry asked her. "I was hoping to get to know you better. How about I grab us some coffee, and we can sit and chat until Hunter is free?"

Luna knew what Henry was doing. She was not a stupid woman, but the idea of getting back at Hunter brought joy to her soul. What the hell? She could stay for a cup of coffee and a conversation. Adam continued to cry. She leaned down and hugged him. She told him they would stay and see Hunter. Adam calmed down and began playing with some toys Luna had brought to keep him occupied.

Henry left and got coffee from the break room. On his way out, he noticed Hunter walking out of Stella’s office. He looked frazzled. Henry thought it was odd. Why was the door locked? Why was he speaking to Stella? The whole thing was odd. Hunter’s face was flushed, and Henry slowly walked behind him, carrying Luna's coffee. Hunter was too frazzled to notice that someone was behind him.

Hunter walked back to the rink and joined his team. They were taking a break from training. He looked up when he heard his son yell for him. He then noticed Luna and Adam sitting in the stands. What were they doing here? The timing was horrible. He felt like he had cheated on Luna, even though he was not in a committed relationship with her, and he hadn’t touched Stella.

Besides, the thing with Stella would never happen again. He put a firm, professional boundary. If she didn’t want a lawsuit, Stella would not proposition him again. He just had a momentary lapse, right? That is what he told himself, anyway. He stared back up at them. He saw Adam pointing in his direction and decided he had to go up and say hello. He was genuinely happy to see his son and Luna. He just needed to act normally. His guilty conscience was getting the best of him.

As he started walking towards them, he noticed Henry giving Luna a cup of coffee. What the hell was that? Henry should know better, especially after the physical altercation they had had earlier, to stay away from Luna. He tried to tell himself it was just a cup of coffee, but then he saw him sit down and begin talking to her. They seemed to be hitting it off. Both of them were laughing and smiling. He needed to intervene and fast.

Hunter quickly walked up to where they were sitting. Luna was surprised to see him. Adam ran to his father, and Hunter picked him up and held him in his arms. He knew there would not be a second altercation if he was holding his child. No one would stoop that low.

As Hunter held Adam, Luna and Henry continued to talk amongst themselves. She did not even acknowledge him. He thought that was odd. He also noticed her eyes were a tad puffy, almost like she had been crying. She took another sip of her coffee and made a deliberate attempt not to look Hunter in the eye. She felt betrayed by him.

Hunter, out of guilt, let the conversation between her and Henry continue. He took Adam down to the ice and let him play with a puck and a hockey stick. It felt good to have his son with him. If only he could get the rest of his personal life in order.

Suddenly, he saw Stella walk out onto the ice. She looked disappointed. Hunter noticed this and thought she had no choice but to get over it. He was mad at himself for allowing her to tempt him and even more upset that he almost was intimate with her. Thank goodness he still had some self-control left.

“I see a lot of players standing around!” She yelled. “Everyone on the line, and give me drill number six!”

That was everyone’s cue to get back to work. They had been taking a break for too long, and their first game of the season was right around the corner. Hunter brought Adam back to Luna, who said goodbye to Henry and thanked him for the coffee.

“Thanks for bringing him by,” Hunter said to her.

It was the first time they looked each other in the eye since earlier that morning. Luna remained silent. He knew something was wrong, and even though the door was locked and the windows were shut, he worried she knew the truth. He did not know how he would get himself out of the situation he had just created for himself. He watched as they walked away,

“Hunter!” Stella yelled from the ice rink. “Hunter, get your ass on the ice and give me drill number six now! Come on, let’s move!”

Hunter ran down to the ice and started practicing with the team. What a hell of a day, he thought to himself. Regret and anxiety filled his body. He had to do what he always did when bad things happened. He had to leave everything on the ice.

Luna and Adam arrived back at the apartment. By that time, it was lunch, and she began preparing a meal for herself and Adam. What a day it had already turned out to be. She could not believe Hunter had sex with Stella. She knew they were not officially a couple. Still, she felt a strong connection between them, and the thought of him nonchalantly being with someone else right after he had asked her to wait for him to be emotionally available was unbelievable to her.

What did waiting for him mean? Did it mean letting him walk all over her? Did it mean letting him use her? No matter how much she cared for him, she wasn’t going to let that happen. She knew that she deserved to be treated better than that.

By the time evening came Luna had decided that it would be best to leave her position as Hunter's nanny. The whole situation was becoming too much. It was all too complicated, and she did not think she could handle any more drama. Her emotions were all over the place. She did not want to have this conversation with Hunter. Her heart was breaking at just the thought of talking to him, but she had to get these emotions off her chest.

The time continued to move slowly, and Hunter was still not home. Her mind wondered if he was with Stella again. The memories of the moans she heard earlier that day of the two of them having sex overwhelmed her. She wished she could leave the apartment, but she did not want to leave Adam alone. She looked at the clock again. Where was he? He was usually home by now.

Just as she was in mid-thought, she heard the front door to the apartment open. Hunter was finally home. Whether she was ready or not, it was show time. She tried to prepare herself emotionally. Luna was sitting at the kitchen table when Hunter walked in. He immediately felt the tension in the room. His guilty conscience was still nagging at him. He was dying to know why Luna was upset, and he hoped she had not found out about the situation with Stella.

Hunter placed his gym bag on the ground and walked towards Luna slowly. He looked her straight in the face while she stared forward. She still could not even look at him. He decided perhaps small talk would lessen the tension in the room between them.

“How was your day?” he finally asked her, breaking the silence.

Luna stayed silent for a moment. She was trying to choose her words carefully.

“My day was pretty shitty,” she finally said bluntly. “My day was shitty, Hunter.”

Hunter was taken aback. He was coming to the conclusion that perhaps she did know about him and Stella, but how did she find out?

“Why did you have such a bad day?” he asked hesitantly.

“Why don’t you tell me?” Luna asked. “Why don’t you tell me why you asked me to wait for you, and then hours later, you discussed having sex with Stella?”

Hunter was taken aback. He stayed silent for a moment. She knew. He didn’t know how she knew, but she did. He was angry with himself for not being able to control his emotions. Did he lie about it? Did he deny everything? Hunter contemplated what was the best thing to do. Then, he looked at Luna.

She was obviously crushed. He knew what he had to do. Although he didn’t want to do it, he knew it was the best thing to do, given the circumstances. If he ever wanted to be with Luna in the future, if he ever wanted her back again that is, then he had to be honest with her. He had to lay everything out on the kitchen table.

Hunter took a seat next to Luna. He tried to reach over and grab her hand, but she shifted her body away from him.

“It was stupid,” Hunter said seriously. “I had a momentary lapse. I don’t know why I almost did it, and I won’t do it again, Luna. Nothing happened with her! I swear! It was only a temptation.”

“Do you love her?” she asked him honestly.

“No,” Hunter replied immediately. “No, of course, I do not.”

“Do you love anyone?” she asked in retaliation.

This question took him off guard. Vulnerability was not his specialty, but he knew that he had to be vulnerable right now. He took a deep breath before answering her question.

“I don’t know,” Hunter finally stated honestly. “I don’t know, Luna. My whole personal life has been a mess since my wife died. I loved her, and when she passed, I didn’t know if it was possible or appropriate to ever fall in love with someone again. That’s why I go back and forth, and it's why I seem so distant at times. I know that I give mixed signals, but I am confused about what is okay for me to do. Even though she is gone, I feel like I am betraying her.”

"Then why did you flirt with your head coach, of all people?" she asked bluntly, unable to hold back any longer.

The words hung in the air between them, heavy with accusation and frustration. Luna hadn’t planned on being so direct, but the question had been gnawing at her for too long. She needed answers. She needed to understand why he had allowed such an inappropriate dynamic to unfold. It wasn’t just anyone—it was his head coach, someone with authority over him, someone who should have been off-limits. The thought of it infuriated her.

Her heart raced as she waited for his response, eyes locked on his, searching for any hint of regret or explanation. She didn’t want excuses; she wanted the truth, no matter how much it might hurt.

“I guess I was just trying to escape the madness of everything,” he stated. “I know it wasn’t right, but I was not thinking clearly. I know that I hurt you, but in my mind, that conversation with her was an escape to just feel good for a moment. Plus, nothing happened between us. Sure, I enjoyed the flirting for a moment, but in the end, I turned her down. I told her that I wasn’t interested. I just wanted to feel good about myself for a moment. Is that really a crime?”

This last comment hurt Luna. She wondered if she didn’t make him feel good enough. Her self-confidence dropped. This was all too complicated. Was he worth it? She did not know. She tried to hold back her tears. Hunter noticed she was becoming emotional.

He hated seeing her upset, but he also couldn’t help but think that his feelings were valid. His life had become drastically more complicated after the death of his wife. She didn’t understand that because she had never lost a spouse. How could she possibly understand what he was thinking or feeling?

Then, he wondered if Luna's lack of understanding was his fault. He had not opened up to her, and maybe he should have been more open about how he felt. So, Hunter decided to do something he was not used to doing; he decided to be vulnerable with a woman.