“I’m not a kid,” Parker snaps, finally looking at us. “I’m a professional hockey player, same as you. And I know what I just saw.”
“What do you think you saw?” I ask, even though there’s no point pretending anymore.
“I saw my coach and teammate about to hook up in a bar bathroom.” His voice is blunt, matter-of-fact. “I saw two people who are going to destroy their careers if they keep being this reckless.”
“It’s not what you think,” Zane says.
“Really? ‘Cause It looks like you’re both so desperate to get your hands on each other that you’re willing to risk everything in a public bathroom where anyone could walk in.” Parker shakes his head. “Do you have any idea what this could do to both your careers if it gets out?”
“We know the risks,” I say.
“So you’re willing to throw everything away for this? You’re both thinking with your dicks instead of your brains.” Parker’s voice gets harder. “You think management’s going to accept it? You think the media’s going to be understanding? Coach fucking his player is a story that annihilates everyone involved. And Tate, I didn’t even know that you were…”
His voice trails off as if he doesn’t even believe it.
Parker’s accusation stings because he’s not wrong. We have been reckless and stupid, letting our attraction override our common sense.
But his last words chill me. “Nobody knows,” I say. “About me.”
And everything else he just said? He’s a hundred percent right, and we all know it. The league doesn’t have a great track record with relationships that blur professional lines, especially when one person has power over the other’s career.
“What do you want?” Zane asks.
“Just be smarter than this. Both of you.” Parker looks at us. “You need to figure out how to keep your hands off each other until you’re not coach and player anymore.”
“And if we can’t?” I ask.
“Then you’re going to get caught. Maybe not by me, maybe not tonight, but someone’s going to notice. Someone’s going to put the pieces together. And when that happens, it’s not just going to be your careers on the line.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean the team’s gonna get dragged into it, too. The organization gets dragged into it. Everyone who works here gets to deal with the fallout because you two couldn’t keep it professional.” Parker’s voice drops. “I’ve got a career to think about too. We all do.”
Fuck, he’s right. It’s not just about us anymore. It’s about everyone who could get hurt when this inevitably explodes.
“So what are you saying?” Zane asks.
“I’m saying be careful. Be smarter. And for Pete’s sake, stop acting like horny teenagers who can’t wait five minutes for privacy.” Parker checks his appearance in the mirror, straightens his shirt. “I never saw anything. But next time, there might not be someone who’s willing to keep their mouth shut.”
He heads for the door, pauses with his hand on the handle.
“For what it’s worth, I hope you figure it out. But not like this. Not in ways that fuck up all you’ve both worked for.”
The door closes behind him with a quiet click, leaving Zane and me alone with the reality of how close we just came to losing everything.
“Damn,” I breathe.
“Yeah,” Zane agrees. “We’re fucked.”
TWENTY-ONE
zane
The parking lotat Sunrise Manor is half empty at eight-thirty PM. I barely made it for the tail end of visiting hours. I’ve been sitting in my car for ten minutes, staring at the building through my windshield, trying to remember the last time I was here.
Four months. Maybe five. Long enough that the guilt sits in my stomach like a rock.
The automatic doors slide open, and the smell of disinfectant hits me, along with the knowledge that the people within these walls aren’t coming home. Like Dad.
