Page 24

24

T ristan texted me to wait for him outside the locker room after his game. I am leaning against the wall when I hear the door swing open. I look up from my phone and my heart sinks when I realize it isn’t the man I am waiting for.

It is the man I kind of abandoned at Casino Night and I still feel guilty about it.

“Dean! Hey, how is it going?” I say a little too sing-songy.

He looks up from his own phone and registers my presence. He smirks and glances over his shoulder towards the locker room. “Hey, Brooke. You know, it’s going. I haven’t really seen you since Casino Night.”

He is short with me, but can you blame the guy? I doubt that he wants me to tell him the truth about that night since it involves Tristan. There is an animosity between them that I don’t understand. They are both great players. Charming. Incredibly hot. Maybe that’s where the problem lies…there’s not enough room for all the hotness and talent on one team.

“Um, yeah, about that,” I say through a lump in my throat. Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve hated letting people down. It’s in my DNA. “Something came up and I needed to bolt. I am sorry I kind of…”

“Left me hanging? It’s fine, Brooke. I made do without you there.”

Ouch. I mean, I know I was flirting with him at the blackjack table, but we technically didn’t go together. We met there and it’s not like I was dating him.

Dean advances on me and chills run up my spine. I am really uncomfortable right now.

“I’m curious. Was it that something came up or someone?” he presses.

I swallow hard and avert my eyes towards the locker room, hoping that by some miracle, Tristan will magically appear. “Someone.”

My back hits the wall. What is Dean doing? I don’t like the look in his eyes right now. They are fierce and angry and intense. If Tristan or my brother were here, they would be so pissed at how Dean is treating me right now.

“Hmm.” He presses one of his hands against the wall behind me and leans down. “Who is he?”

“I don’t think that is any of your business.”

“Well, I think that if you are going to be a tease, lead me on and fucking leave an event that I invited you to in the first place, it is in fact my business.”

There is barely any room between us now and my eyes flutter as I cower to Dean. I don’t like where this conversation is going.

“I don’t really appreciate you talking to me like this, Dean. And I don’t think my brother would be very happy that you are making his younger sister feel as uncomfortable as you are making me feel right now.”

I attempt to stand my ground and not let this man intimidate me, but I don’t know Dean all that well and can’t really anticipate his next move. I see Randall at the end of the hallway, but he is preoccupied with talking to someone through his earpiece. Before I can move any further, Dean moves with me. “Dean. I’m sorry, but we were never really dating so I am going to say it again, I don’t owe you anything. I appreciate you inviting me to Casino Night and getting to know you, but I don’t have feelings for you.”

His hand grabs my wrist. I try to pull away, but he is not letting me go.

“Dean, let me go.”

“So, the fact that you led me on and kissed me at Casino Night means nothing to you. Got it. Well, since kissing doesn’t mean shit to you, you wouldn’t mind if I kissed you on the cheek, would you.”

“Actually I would…mind it. I am seeing someone and I really don’t think he would like you kissing me anywhere. Now let go of me.”

I don’t know what is holding Tristan up, but I am not going to stay here in this situation. My self-defense instincts are about to kick in if he does not back off in the next two seconds.

Dean clearly isn’t listening to me because he leans close and kisses my cheek.

I jerk away. “Stop! Stop it, Dean, please.”

Suddenly, Dean is no longer pressed against me. Instead he is the one against the wall, with Tristan’s forearm sprawled across his chest. “What the fuck, Hastings?”

“What, man? I was just having a conversation with Brooke. A conversation that doesn’t concern you .” Dean is trying to get out of the hold Tristan has him in, but he is unsuccessful.

Tristan’s wrath for this man is unhinged and I can tell that if he had the choice, and if he wasn’t the face of the Storm or still making remediations for the fight on the ice almost two months ago, he would beat the hell out of Dean right now. He is holding back, but not enough to let Dean go at this moment.

“It looked like a little more than a conversation was happening.” Tristan looks over at me and registers how I am holding onto my wrist, which is red from Dean’s strong grip.

A switch flips immediately in Tristan’s eyes. They turn dark and cold. He growls, “You touch her again, and I will fucking break your hand and then your precious hockey career is over. Do you understand me?”

Dean laughs in his face, almost like he is mocking Tristan.

Tristan’s eyebrows pull together and he shifts his hands so that now he is holding Dean by his sweatshirt in the middle of his chest. He slams him against the wall as hard as he can. “Do you think I’m joking? So much as fucking look at Brooke and I will end your career.”

My heart is beating uncontrollably because I have a feeling that Tristan isn’t making an empty threat. Why is he willing to put his career on the line for me?

I sense someone walking toward us. Randall is on his way over, looking concerned. Yeah, join the club. Two of the best hockey players in the league are about to go twelve rounds if Randall doesn’t stop it.

“Whatever. She was a waste of my time anyway.”

Tristan sucker-punches him.

Randall breaks it up and gets in Tristan’s face. “He’s not worth it, you hear me, son? You will lose everything. Don’t go low just because that is his specialty. You are better than that, Lawson.”

Thank God for Randall. If it wasn’t for him… I shudder at the next thought that comes into my mind.

Back at Tristan’s place, I rummage through his freezer and hand him a bag of frozen peas. “We can’t keep doing this, you know.”

“What’s ‘this’?”

“Me nursing you back to health after you get into fights. Namely fights with Dean Hastings.”

“It’s so fun, though. Maybe you should wear those candy striper pajamas when you nurse me back to health.”

“Stop deflecting.”

“What, you want me to walk away when he talks to you like that?”

“That’s exactly what I want you to do because you don’t always need to step in and save me, Tristan. Randall was also there and could have handled the situation without you getting involved at all. You aren’t superman, Hot Shot. No matter how much you might…” I wave my hands in a circle, indicating that I am talking about his body. “...look like a tatted-up version of him 24/7.”

“Hmm, didn’t know you had a thing for Superman. Which one? Or do you have a thing for Christopher Reeves? Ugh, please don’t tell me you love Henry Cavill.”

“I hate to break the news to you, Hot Shot, but Henry Cavill has always had my heart. He might just be my kryptonite.” I playfully smile as I stand in front of him.

Tristan smiles and grabs the back of my knees, catapulting me onto his lap.

“Well, you’re definitely my kryptonite, Cupcake.” He checks my wrist. “Does it hurt?”

“A little, but I’ll be fine. Listen, Tristan, you can’t just go around punching people. It’s not how to deal with things. Okay? I’m a grown woman, you don’t have to defend me. And I don’t want you to risk your career over me. It’s just not worth it.”

“Everything I do for you is worth it. You are worth it, Brooke. You have no idea how much I would be willing to risk my career –to risk my position with the team – for you.”

Tristan looks away and I notice that his demeanor changes.

“What?” I ask. “What is it?”

“Nothing.”

“You looked away when you said something about risking your position.”

“It’s nothing, Brooke. Just – you are worth every punch that I give out in defense of you. I am always going to defend you. So you are just going to have to get used to it.”

“Well, I’m not going to get used to it because that’s not how conflict resolution works. Sorry to burst your bubble, Hot Shot.”

“Are you seriously treating me like your kindergartners right now?”

“Yes, I am treating you like a kindergartner right now because you are acting like a kindergartner. Fighting isn’t the only solution, Tristan. Why don’t you and Dean just sit down and talk?”

Tristan laughs. “There’s no talking to Dean Hastings. He’s made up his mind about who he is…”

“Apparently, so have you. Look, I don’t need you to defend me. I just…don’t want to see you lose everything. Like Randall said, you’ve worked too hard. You’ve done so much for your career. I’d hate to see you lose it. Especially over me. I would never be able to forgive myself.”

“Well you wouldn’t have to forgive yourself, Brooke because, like you said, I would make those decisions – not you. I made the choice to punch Dean tonight, not you. And I’ll do it a thousand more times if that means protecting you. Because you are my girl and I am never going to be okay with Dean treating you the way he did tonight. For him touching you the way he did. No man should ever touch a woman like that – or their partner or whoever. That’s not okay. And that’s why I punched him.”

I look into his eyes. They are so honest. He isn’t just saying these things to put a bandaid on the situation. He genuinely wants to be my protector. He doesn’t want me to get hurt. Ever.

Just when I thought Tristan was done saying the sweetest things to me tonight, he continues, “And the fact that he said he wasted his time on you…how is that even possible?” He pushes some hair behind my ear and grazes my jaw with his fingers. “Spending any amount of time with you is not a waste. It’s a fucking gift.”

My heart leaps at his comment. And I realize at this moment that Tristan will do anything for me. I’ve never felt safer than when I am with him. He has a hold on my heart that no one else has ever had before.

I press my forehead to his and say, “Thank you for saying that. I don’t think you realize what a gift you are to me, Tristan.”