“I ordered you the protein breakfast,” Roman says.
“Thanks,” I mutter, taking a long pull from my coffee mug. The caffeine hits my system like a lifeline, momentarily clearing the fog of exhaustion. “I need about ten more of these.”
“That bad, huh?” Roman chuckles, stirring cream into his own cup. “I heard you had those kids out on the ice at the ass-crack of dawn. Reid looked like death warmed over at the goalie development session.”
“Play stupid games, win stupid prizes,” I say, shrugging. “They're lucky I didn't?—”
The words die in my throat as she walks in.
She smiles at the hostess, says something that makes the woman laugh, and follows her to the table.
“Earth to Beckham,” Roman says, waving a hand in front of my face. “You still with me?”
“Yeah,” I grunt, forcing myself to look away from her. “Just thinking about the panel later.”
Roman turns to follow my gaze, his eyebrows shooting up when he spots Hennessy. “Ah. I see what's got your attention.”
“Shut up,” I mutter, grabbing my coffee again. “It's not like that.”
“Sure it isn't,” he snorts. “That's why you're staring at her like you want to eat her alive.”
I kick him under the table, hard enough to make him wince.
Our food arrives, giving me an excuse to focus on something besides Hennessy. I cut into my steak with more force than necessary; the knife scraping against the plate with a sound that sets my teeth on edge.
I'm about to take a bite when the restaurant doors open again, and Javier fucking Vega walks in.
My fork freezes halfway to my mouth as I watch him scan the room, his eyes landing on his daughter. He raises a hand in greeting, weaving through the tables toward her.
I haven't thought about him once in the last twelve hours. Not when I had his daughter bent over that table. Not when I filled her with my cum. Not when I plugged her up with my tie to keep it inside her. Not when I ate her out while she slept, or when I came inside her again.
Not once during all of that did I consider that the man who ended my playing career, the man whose hatred for me is only matched by my hatred for him, is also the father of the woman I've been obsessively thinking about.
Talk about a slap in the fucking face.
I’m so fucking glad tomorrow is the last day.
Chapter 9
Hennessy
It's like watching a different person. The man who fucked me senseless last night is now commanding the room with the same ruthlessness he uses on the ice.
I'm sitting in the back row of the conference room, legs crossed at the ankles, pretending to take notes while I watch Beckham absolutely dominate this coaching panel. Every other coach is just background noise when he speaks. Even the moderator keeps deferring to him.
“The problem with youth development today is that everyone wants to coddle these kids,” Beckham says, his deep voice carrying through the packed room without needing the microphone. “They come to college thinking they're already pros, but they don't understand the discipline it takes to actually make it.”
My thighs press together involuntarily at the word “discipline.” My body is still sore in the best possible way, evidence of his ownership lingering with every movement.
I woke up this morning feeling thoroughly fucked, my thighs sticky with his cum. His tie was on the floor beside my bed, soaked through with our combined release. My first thought was that I'd somehow pulled it out in my sleep—until I found my key card placed neatly on the nightstand where I definitely hadn't left it.
The sneaky bastard came back.
“Coach Kingston, how do you balance developing individual talent with team success?” the moderator asks, looking at Beckham like he's about to reveal the secrets of the universe.
Beckham leans forward, his forearms resting on the table. The sleeves of his navy button-up are rolled to his elbows, exposing the corded muscles of his forearms. His expression is intense, focused.
“Individual success comes from team success,” he answers without hesitation. “I don't recruit selfish players. I don't tolerate selfish play. The NHL scouts aren't just looking at stats—they're looking at character, at work ethic, at how these boys handle adversity.”
