“At least let me drive you home.”
“I’m fine taking a cab. I was an independent person before I got pregnant, and I still am now. I don’t need a man sweeping in to save the day and rescue me from loneliness.”
“First I was waltzing and now I’m sweeping,” he muttered. “You’re almost as abrasive as Liam.”
I leaned closer so only he could hear me. “Fuck you, Bennett. I can’t believe I skipped out on a good book for this.”
He opened his mouth to say something, but I turned for the door, not looking back. I hoped Riley was gone when I got home, because I wasn’t in the mood for any more conversation tonight. And hopefully, he’d left the Chinese food, because I was starving.
Bennett
My thighs burned with exertion as I pushed off the ice. Line drills wore down even those of us in top physical shape if we did them long enough.
“Again,” Orion yelled.
We all went back to the line, the scrapes of blades on ice and an occasional grunt the only sounds in the arena.
I’d sweated all the way through my clothes and pads, but I didn’t mind line drills today. Being physically worn down calmed my racing mind.
I hadn’t heard from Charlotte since she’d left the pizza place the other night, other than a text with a date, time, and address for a doctor’s appointment next week. I’d come close to texting her an apology several times but had stopped myself.
She was a hothead, just like her brother. The difference was I didn’t give a shit when Liam was pissed at me. But Charlotte had been on my mind every minute since we’d fought.
Normally, I could have talked to Liam or Killian about things, but this time was different. Liam was out for obvious reasons, and Killian was distracted as hell by his pursuit of Sidney Stahl, our team owner. So I was left turning the conversation with Charlotte over and over in my mind instead.
Practice finally ended, and I tossed my sweaty clothes to the floor in front of my locker to head for the shower.
“Still seeing the new woman?” Liam asked from his locker next to mine.
“I’m not seeing anyone,” I said in a grumbly tone.
“She mad at you?” He grinned.
I just stared at him silently. The fucker wasn’t getting to me today.
“Hey, I need a favor,” he said.
“Can it wait ’til I get a shower?”
He pulled his shirt up and over his head, tossing it onto the bench.
“No, I’ve been meaning to ask you for a few days, but you’re always in a weird mood. It can’t wait any longer.”
“What is it?” I asked, leaning against my locker.
Liam’s expression clouded. “Some asshole knocked up my little sister. When I find out who he is, I’m gonna beat his ass into next week. I want you to be there so you can pull me off of him if you think I’m about to kill the fucker.”
I had to keep my expression impassive. Had to. But inside, my blood pressure was skyrocketing.
“Uh . . . yeah, man. Sure. You know I’ve got your back.”
“Good. I don’t care how far I have to go. When I find out who this guy is, he’s gonna be sorry he messed with my sister.”
I cleared my throat, trying to keep cool. “Well, you know, they’re both responsible for it, not just him.”
Liam scowled. “Charlie’s a great person. She’s not the type to sleep around. This guy preyed on her when she was down over breaking up with her boyfriend.”
My heart just about stopped. Preyed? “She said that?”
“No, but I’m a guy, so I know what went down.”
“She doesn’t want to . . . uh, tell you who he is?”
He shook his head. “She gave me some bullshit about how they’ll co-parent without being in a relationship and him wanting to be involved with the kid.”
I said a silent thank-you to Charlotte for that. She must not still be too pissed at me if she hadn’t made me out to be a jackass.
“And you don’t want that?” I asked.
“Fuck no.” Liam glowered at me. “Any guy who’d screw my sister the first time he met her and not call after that is a douchebag who deserves pain. And to not even use a fuckin’ rubber? I’m gonna end him, Bennett.”
I sighed deeply. Liam was going to lose his shit when he found out I was the douchebag. It would affect our friendship and maybe even our ability to play together.
“I’m hitting the shower,” I said, rubbing my forehead.
I stood under the steaming spray of water for a while, hoping it would wash away some of my tension. No luck, though. By the time I stepped out and wrapped a towel around my waist, the locker room was mostly empty.
“Hey, Morse.”
I turned at the sound of my last name and saw Orion looking at me from the door of his office.
“Come on in when you’re dressed,” he said.
I nodded, wondering what the hell I’d done to warrant a call into his office. I kept my nose clean and played well. But still, he was a fairly new coach and we were under new ownership. I didn’t feel as secure as I had before.
After I’d dressed in sweats and a T-shirt, I pushed open the door of Orion’s office and knocked on the doorframe.