Page 157 of Sin Bin

The sight of his smile made her heart leap for joy. She gave him a shy wave and mouthed, Stay out of the sin bin!

He grinned and mouthed back, We’ll see.

Once the game was under way, Meadow realized that Scarlett hadn’t exaggerated about the differences between watching the game from a suite versus the stands. Everything was more intense down here. The sounds were sharper, the swish of skates and the clack of the puck against stick blades amplified by the arena’s acoustics. She could hear the players cursing and yelling, and every time a body crashed into the boards, she jumped in her seat.

The game was scoreless until the second line sprang onto the ice and Dubinski rifled a shot on goal. As the crowd booed, Meadow and the girls leaped to their feet, clapping and cheering.

“You go, baby!” Jess shouted triumphantly. “That’s how you do it!”

Wearing the biggest grin, Dubinski hugged his linemates before skating over to the bench to slap gloves with the rest of the guys. When Viggo proudly pounded him on the helmet, Dubs practically levitated with happiness.

Jess sat back down with an exhilarated grin. “He is so getting laid tonight!”

Laughter rumbled through their section.

“Lucky guy!” a drunken male voice called out, setting off more laughter and jokes.

The Golden Knights scored twice before Logan drilled the puck into the net to tie the score.

Once again the girls were out of their seats and cheering their heads off. This time the crowd’s boos were mingled with hundreds of fans chanting Logan’s nickname, elongating the word so that Bruiser sounded like Broooo-zer.

Logan grinned and exchanged high fives with his teammates, but his celebration was noticeably more subdued than usual. Meadow’s heart twisted as she watched him skate back to the bench with barely a glance in her direction.

Bianca sighed, draping an arm around her waist. “Too bad we’re not back in Denver. If this had been a home game, the crowd would have sung ‘Happy Birthday’ to Logan.”

“I know,” Meadow said with a wistful smile. “But he wouldn’t have wanted that, so it’s probably for the best that this isn’t a home game.”

Bianca sighed again. “You’re probably right.”

Hunter and Dmitri scored the Rebels’ next two goals. When Viggo posted an assist to clinch the Art Ross Trophy as the NHL’s points leader, Scarlett went totally bonkers, jumping up and down and ecstatically screaming his name as tears ran down her face. Grinning broadly, Viggo skated up to the glass where she sat, patted his heart and gallantly bowed. Every woman in the arena swooned as the beautiful moment was captured on the JumboTron.

When the final horn sounded, the Rebels had squeaked out a 4-3 victory. There was only a smattering of boos from the disappointed crowd. Both teams had won their respective divisions and were headed into the playoffs, so Golden Knights fans had plenty to celebrate.

Since the guys would be tied up for a while with postgame interviews, the girls decided to head back to the hotel to get ready for tonight’s big party.

As they were leaving the arena, Jenna appeared beside Meadow, hugging her around the shoulders. “Thank you.”

Meadow gave her a quizzical smile. “For what?”

“For being here. Logan wouldn’t be coming to the party if it weren’t for you,” Jenna explained. “We always have a big end-of-year bash to celebrate the guys’ hard work and accomplishments, no matter how the season ends. This is the first time that the last game of the season has fallen on Logan’s birthday. He’s one of our best players and a real gem. It broke my heart to think of him missing tonight’s party because of the date on the calendar.”

Meadow searched Jenna’s face. “So it’s definitely a team party and not a surprise birthday party, right? Because, um, it won’t go over too well if he shows up and a roomful of people yell ‘Surprise!’”

“I know. That’s not going to happen.”

“Are you sure?”

“Positive.” Jenna’s expression turned enigmatic. “You just get him to the party, and I’ll take care of the rest.”

The suite was a whirlwind of activity as the girls rushed to and fro getting ready. Good thing there was more than one bathroom.

After taking a quick shower, Meadow donned the Dolce & Gabbana gown the girls had bullied her into buying. In addition to the high side slit that showed off her legs, the slinky red dress had a deep V neckline that made her cleavage look spectacular. She’d also been strong-armed into getting a sparkly pair of Stuart Weitzman stilettos. The grand total of the outfit still made her shudder every time she thought of it.

Scarlett did her makeup, giving her a dramatic smokey eye with matte red lips that really made her features pop. Bianca styled her hair using a big-barreled curling iron, which enabled her to create voluminous waves that tumbled softly to Meadow’s shoulders. The glamorous retro hairstyle was accentuated with a deep side part.

As she stood in the marble bathroom staring at her reflection, she barely recognized herself. She looked—and felt—like a completely different woman.

Bianca looked her over approvingly. “Girl, that man is gonna lose his damn mind when he sees you in this dress.”

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