Damon snarled, “Who said it was okay to bring these dicks with you?”
“Hey,” Mitch Flashman snarled back. “It’s an open rink.”
“I’m telling Piper you called me a dick,” Grant said. “And she thinks you’re nice. Right.”
“I like your wife. And your brother.” Damon shook his head. “I admit, I’m dying to see you on the ice. And Morgan, before you have a coronary, I’m not skating. Just helping out.” He glared at the rest of the Sharks players. “Well? Get your gear and get on the ice. We might as well have a session for everyone.”
They moved, everyone scrambling to get their gear.
Damon turned back to the Mavs and yelled, “Early scrimmage. Get ready.”
The guys whooped in excitement.
Damon frowned up at Marlie before returning to the players’ bench.
Her phone beeped. She glanced down at the text that read:
Sorry. Gotta help these morons. Lunch might be a little later than I’d planned. Okay?
She smiled.
Sure. But this just means extra dessert and appetizers. Sucker.
He sent her back a Dick pick, this one of a cartoon Dick Tracy and a caption:
I’m detecting masked aggression looking like hunger. Just hoping one day soon I can get the dessert I’m craving as well.
Followed by a heart emoji.
“Idiot.” She snickered.
Jeff whisked her phone out of her hands, stared from it to Damon, and whistled. “Guy’s got it bad for Mad Marlie. I wonder if he’ll make it out alive when it’s all over.”
Marlie grinned. “Not if I have anything to do with it.”
CHAPTER 15
Damon felt really bad for making Marlie wait.
But damn, the Mavs needed a lot of help. But not more than the ridiculous Sharks.
“Hey ladies, my sister skates better than you with one leg tied behind her back.”
“Hmm. Sounds like someone I’d like to meet,” one of the idiots on their team said.
Morgan wiped a hand over his face. “Ignore him, Damon.”
He and Damon stood together on the ice, but only after Morgan had seen Damon wasn’t moving but had only gone out there to be closer to the guys.
Aware of Marlie watching everything he did, Damon made sure to keep his temper under control. Not too hard since everyone wanted to get better and had been genuinely good sports about learning. Although two of the guys on the Sharks didn’t seem to like him much. And that wasn’t Mitch or Grant, who were obviously jealous of his manliness.
He ignored the dickheads though, doing his best to help everyone up their game.
He just hoped Marlie wouldn’t be too angry that practice had run over by an hour. But hell, he was helping her brothers, wasn’t he? That should count for something.
“Your knee good?” Morgan asked. “You look okay.”
“Feeling fine. I’ve been working on those exercises but also taking it easy. I’ve only had to ice it a few times this past week.”
