Page 29 of Tempting

As soon as the captain turns off the seatbelt sign, I lean back and pull my hat down over my eyes. We’ve got an hour left. If I can tune out Leo next to me, it shouldn’t be too bad.

“Move,” is growled to my left.

Or maybe not.

I look over to see Easton staring down Leo, and my brother is grinning like a little bitch. “Sucks to be you, brother,” he snorts as he stands up. “Try not to kill him, Cap. We need him on the ice today.” And as Leo moves into the aisle, the asshole laughs. “Plus, he seemed to make your sister happy when she was over last night.” He salutes Easton and disappears down the aisle of the plane. Clearly with a death wish because I’m going to fucking kill him later.

Easton drops down into Leo seat and groans. “Does he have an on-off switch or something?”

“Has he ever?” I don’t bother moving. Not yet.

“Guess you’re right. You wanna tell me what the hell is going on with you and my sister, Sinclair?”

Jumping right in. I can respect that. Still not gonna tell him shit, but I can respect it.

“How long have you known me, man?” I wait. I didn’t know Easton well when we were kids. He was a few years older than me, and he moved to Las Vegas once he was drafted a year after moving to Kroydon Hills. “I mean, if you want to just go by how long I’ve played for this team, it’s four years. If you want to get technical, it’s more like fifteen.”

“She’s my baby sister, Sinclair.” His voice doesn’t carry a warning. It’s more like a plea. “My inexperienced baby sister.”

When I raise a questioning brow, he shakes his head. “Don’t ask. My wife talks about as much as your brother. Trust me when I say I don’t want to know all the things she tells me. A man just doesn’t need to know.”

I sit up and fix my hat, more willing to show him a little respect, now that it’s going both ways. “Then you should know she’s a friend, and I’m helping her out.”

Not a lie. It’s all in the details.

He doesn’t actually want to know more than that, whether he realizes it or not.

“Yeah . . . Just friends. That’s how it starts.”

“Friends, man. That’s it. Nobody’s getting hurt. No asses need to be kicked. No threats need to be issued. I have sisters. I know what you’re feeling,” I try to satisfy his concern and ignore the piece of me that can’t wait to call Mac later.

“You also have parents, Nixon. Kenzie and I have each other. And before you say it, yes, we have Becket and Juliette too. But it’s not the same. Kenz and I have been through hell. Unless there was ever a time in your life where it was only you and your sisters, you don’t get it. For days, it was just us in a house with grandparents we didn’t know. Then we were thrown in Becks and Jules’s house. It was still just us until it wasn’t. That kind of trauma forges a bond you don’t get. Be fucking grateful. But also be real fucking scared. Because my wife, my kids, and my sister are untouchable. And if you fuck her over. If you hurt a hair on her head... If you make her shed one tear—I’ll destroy you. I don’t give a shit that your sisters are my wife’s best friends.”

“Yeah, man... If I hurt Mac, my sisters would be the first ones to skin me alive. But I’m not going to hurt her. Like I said—friends,” I tell him as I try to absorb everything he just told me.

He cracks his neck and closes his eyes. “Yeah. That’s what I used to say about Lindy too. You’re fucking screwed, Sinclair. Don’t say I didn’t warn ya.”

“Consider me warned.” I pull my hat back down over my eyes. “Any chance you want to sit there for the rest of the flight? Leo never shuts the hell up.”

He reclines his seat and closes his eyes. “Wake me up when we land.”

Hunter

You pay me to handle this shit, Sinclair. But I can’t handle shit until I talk to you.

Stop ignoring me or I’ll fly out to your Leave it to Beaver-ville fucking Mayberry-esque town and knock on your damn door.

Season starts in two weeks. Fucking answer me.

I’m standing in the box, waiting for the second game of the day to end with thirty seconds left on the clock when Easton slides next to me. Coach played him first period but pulled him from goal for the second and the third. No need to take chances with the best damn goalie in the league. Not when we’re up by three.

We won the earlier game too, and most of us barely touched the ice.

Fucking exhibition games.

“You going out after the game?” Easton asks like he’s not fishing for more than an answer.

“Nah, man. I’m going to bed. You?” I watch Leo deke Calgary’s defensemen and shoot, but instead of the beautiful swishing sound of a clean goal, it’s the clink against the bars of the net instead. Damn. That should have been a beautiful goal.

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