I nodded again and grabbed my bags, only to drop them again, my eyes flying to his as I realized what I had just admitted. “Oh, my God. You can’t say anything. Please. Promise me. Please, don’t say anything.”
Ewen reached out, his hands gripping my arms. That touch centered me, holding me together just as I felt like I was on the verge of flying apart.
“Kid. This club, as I told the Daddy Dom you left frantic yesterday, is private, exclusive, and we disclose nothing to anyone without a court order. As long as it’s legal, consensual, and the rules of the club aren’t being violated, our lips are sealed. Got it?”
I nodded, then did it twice more as the flood of panic that had turned my belly, made the blood humming through my veins feel like shaken soda, and my brain become a fireworks display faded away.
“Good boy. Now, let’s get you up to your room.”
Ewen reached down, snatched up both my bags, and motioned to the elevator. A deep breath filled my lungs, and my head bobbed again as I reached to push the button.
The doors swished open, we stepped inside, and they slid closed again without a word from either of us.
“Oh, I don’t know what room!”
“Five-twelve. It’s on the app’s home screen. The community forum might be a place for you to spend some time. With the season ramping up, Daddy Night’s gonna be hard for you to get to unless you’re playing at home, and even then you’re gonna be exhausted after playing two games in a row.”
He wasn’t wrong, and it would be nice to get to know some of the other boys and littles in the community, so I’d have a life outside hockey, even if it was only online.
“I wouldn’t know where to begin or what to say.”
“Logging in is where you begin. Then just lurk until you feel comfortable. And before you ask, you can choose a unique username to protect your identity, and we designed the app so screenshots aren’t possible. Well, they are, but all they get for their efforts is a black rectangle.”
That was comforting, and I told him so. When the elevator stopped, Ewen waved me ahead of him again, then pointed me to my room and carried the bags inside when I opened the door.
“The restaurant next door has great food if you’re hungry. Just tell them you’re at EDGE and the room number. Whoever is working at the desk will take delivery and call you.”
“Thanks. You’ve been a great help, and I’m truly sorry for upsetting Ollie.”
“My brother will be fine. As for my other brother, he’s very fucking protective of his players. Does Will know there’s an issue between you and your roommates and that you’re staying elsewhere?”
“Coach Grigor is your brother?”
Cue the panic tsunami.
“Yes, and like I told Sasha the other day, Will and I don’t discuss the club’s members or the team other than for me to rail at him about losses.”
I laughed, still unsure if mine and Sasha’s secret would be kept, but decided to trust my gut and the man.
“I’ll call Coach Grigor so he doesn’t worry, and I’ll do the same with the people blowing up my phone.”
“Good boy. Remember to eat something, and the room is yours until you let us know you’re checking out. Okay?”
“Thanks.”
He disappeared through the door, pausing to remind me to lock up. I did as told, then dropped into bed, pulling up the notifications on my phone.
I sat up, that buzzy, panicked feeling came back in a rush as I realized who I screamed at on the phone.
Oh, fuck! Oh, fuck! Oh, fuck! Oh, fuck!
NINETEEN
SASHA
“Leave me fucking be!”
I dropped my phone on the end table and my ass on the couch. Hawk jumped up next to me, his head landing in my lap. Mine dropped onto the back of the couch as my hand came to rest on Hawk’s big head. My thumb brushed that spot between his eyebrows that he loved so much while chaos took hold of my mind.
