Page 86 of Offside Devil

Taylor arches a brow. “Did you actually sign a contract that said you couldn’t date?”

“Well, I mean… No. But it was an oral agreement.”

Taylor grins mischievously. “Dirty.”

“You know what I mean! I told Zane I wouldn’t date anyone else.”

“Then I’ll tell Zane that he doesn’t get to lock you up in his condo unless he’s going to fulfill all of your needs.” She lowers her chin, looking at me under suggestively raised eyebrows in case there’s any chance I don’t understand what she means. “He doesn’t want to actually date you, so he should let someone else step up to the plate.”

The reminder stings worse than it should. That is enough reason for me to relent.

“Fine,” I sigh. “But you have to make it clear to Blaine that this is just a hangout. It’s a get-to-know-you drink or dinner or whatever you all decide to do. It’s not an official date.”

Taylor swipes my phone out of my arm band and starts tapping away.

“Hey! What are you doing?”

“I am sending Zane a calendar invite so he knows you are booked up after the game tomorrow night.”

I frown as she navigates through my phone. “How do you even know my password?”

“I added my fingerprint to your phone ages ago.” She plops my phone back in my hand, looking far too satisfied with herself. “You just worry about what you’re going to wear to your get-to-know-you-before-we-fuck-the-night-away drinks with Blaine, and I’ll take care of the rest.”

I can only sigh. I’ve never regretted a decision so quickly in my entire life.

35

ZANE

It’s opening day, minutes left in our first game of the season, and we’re tied.

The score is knotted up at two apiece, but even worse, Carson and I are each responsible for one of those goals. Beating the other team is great and all, but beating FuckFace Deluth would be even better.

He must be feeling similarly, because the smug bastard hasn’t passed me the puck once all night. Even after Jace called him out between the second and third periods, Carson is willing to be driven straight into the boards rather than pass to me.

“Zane was open!” Jace roars after Carson fires another wild shot at the net and missed. “You might as well have just fuckin’ handed it over to them. Better yet, put the puck in our goal for them, Carson.”

“I didn’t see him!” Carson seethes.

“Keep playing like that and you won’t see any of us this season,” Jace spits. “It’s hard to see from the bench.”

The ref gets into position for the faceoff and my eyes cast out across the crowd. It’s the first time I’ve actually looked around all night.

I breathe a lot easier knowing Mira and Aiden aren’t hiding in the stands somewhere. Even if I hadn’t told Mira to keep Aiden away from the games, there’s no way they’d be here tonight. Not after last week. Not after I backed her into a doorway and threatened her job.

She’s barely looked at me in days and I don’t know what I’m more pissed about: that she disappointed me and fucked up or that she won’t fucking look at me.

I’ve never been in this position before. When shit went sideways with Paige, I was the one who pushed her away. That decision always came with weeks—sometimes months—of her begging me to take her back. Over and over again, I did.

Until the last time.

But Mira isn’t begging. She isn’t even mad. It’s like she’s hit the switch on her emotions. The tension—both real and sexual—I felt between us is gone. It's empty air instead. Flat, dead, empty air.

That should make living with my nanny and fake girlfriend a fuck-ton easier.

I guess, in some ways, it does. I’m just not sure it’s better.

The puck drops. Jace wins the faceoff and slices it to Carson. Then it’s off to the races. Carson finds a hole and shimmies through, streaking toward the enemy goal, but I still curse under my breath as I catch up.

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