"Absolutely not. She helped me out last night, but you know her, Syd. Coach hates my guts. I’m the bane of her existence, the fly that won’t stop buzzing around her head. The?—"
"I get it." She sighed, cutting me off. "I want you to remember that I love you, Ted. Like a lot. You’re kind of my second favorite hockey player."
"Hey!" I was not losing out to Ryder in the sister competition.
Her eyes flicked up to mine, her gaze sharp. "This Teddy charm of yours, the one you use on literally everyone, it’s a mask. I know more than anyone why you wear it. Our family was never exactly stable. The yelling, the judgments. It made you think you had to give people only what you thought they wanted from you. Since you were a kid, you said what they wanted to hear, smiled when you thought they wanted you to smile. And you’re good at it. It’s why people fall all over themselves to get into your bed, to be your friend."
I opened my mouth to respond, but nothing came out. Sydney had seen all of that?
She sighed, her tone softer now. "But this is different, Ted. Do you know how many female coaches there are in professional hockey?"
I shook my head, the question catching me off guard.
"Three. Two in the AHL and one in the NHL. That’s it. And Frankie? She’s good. So damn good she could make it all the way to a cup team if she plays her cards right. Having an affair with a player will only give all those idiot men another reason to push back against women in the sport. She can’t go there, and you can’t make her."
"I’d never?—"
"No, you wouldn't. But sometimes, as much as a woman fights it, she can't help who she wants. You're a good guy—the best. I get why women fall in love with you. Just… don't let her. In the end, she'll hate you for it."
I closed my eyes, trying to block out the weight of her words. A wet nose nudged my hand, pulling me from my thoughts. I dropped the last bite of my bagel for Guardian, watching him scarf it down. He was growing fast, but the way he behaved for Sydney—so calm, so obedient—reminded me of how poorly he acted for me.
If that wasn’t a metaphor for my life, I didn’t know what was.
"I’m finished." I pushed up from the table, draining the rest of my scorching coffee. The burn felt good this time, sharp and grounding.
Sydney drove us back home, and I carried Guardian up to my room, where I planned to spend the rest of the day rotting in bed, watching whatever NHL game was on. When I set him down on the bed, he just stared at me, tilting his head as though asking a question. Maybe he was wondering why I’d taken him from Sydney or, more likely, why I felt like a lead weight inside.
I checked my phone, but the only messages were from Ryder and Julian. Julian was busy pranking the guys at the hotel. I felt a pang of regret; damn, I wished I was there with them.
But even more than that, I wanted to see her name flash across my screen. Frankie hadn’t checked on me, and that hurtmore than I wanted to admit. Not that I needed her to, but I wanted her thinking about me. About last night. About how close I’d come to pressing my lips to hers, to laying her down and burying my head between her thighs.
Desire flared in my chest, and I knew I had to push it down, forget about it. Sydney was right. Last night, I’d danced with fire. I was so close to crossing a line.
But damn, part of me wanted nothing more than to step right over it. To taste her. Just once.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
FRANKIE
"Okay, tell me again. What exactly did he say to you?" Shai leaned forward in the booth.
I sat across from her at the taco place down the street from my house. It was unironically namedTaco to Me.
"He chalked it up to a brain injury."
"No, before that." She sighed, clearly impatient. "Teddy Valentine is sex on a stick. I’m just living through you."
"You’ve never…"
"God no. I have a strict no-hockey-players policy." She brushed her wild red curls over her shoulder, her green eyes gleaming. "Doesn’t mean you have to."
"Shai…"
"What? They're all hot."
"I’m their coach."
"And? I’m sure Teddy can keep a secret. Go on, tell me again what he said to you."
