Page 117 of Holiday Hostilities

I chuckle at my teammate’s flushed cheeks and slightly slurred words. “Sure.”

The bartender pours a couple more tequilas, and I down mine with a wince. Dallas, meanwhile, doesn’t even flinch, and instead, he beckons the bartender for yet another.

I hold up a hand to signal that I’m good, then turn to my teammate with a brow raised. “Everything okay, Coop?”

He slouches against the bar. “Yeah, don’t worry ‘bout me, Cap.”

But he isn’t smiling.

Nope, he’s staring straight into the bottom of his empty shot glass, lost in his thoughts.

Hmm. This is definitely out-of-character for sarcastic, confident, easygoing Dallas who’s usually the life of the party. And usually flirting and dancing with every woman at said party.

Girl trouble, maybe?

I suddenly remember something he said on the way to the Christmas tree farm.

“Hey, whatever happened to that girl you met a few weeks ago? The one you talked to all night?”

Dallas laughs, but the sound is almost bitter, and I have a feeling I hit on something. His eyes fix on something—someone?—on the dance floor. I follow his gaze and am surprised to see that he’s looking at Coach Torres. “A definite no-go.”

I frown in confusion, but don’t prompt him. Just wait.

He swallows. Scrubs a hand over his eyes. “Can you keep a secret?”

“Always.”

“Turns out she’s Torres’ daughter.”

“Caelin?!” I’m unable to keep the shock out of my tone.

Dallas turns his slightly unfocused baby blues on me. “You know her?”

“We’ve met. How in the hell did you manage to spend a whole night talking to her and not realize who she was?”

“I don’t know,” Dallas replies with a groan. “I swear I had no idea. She didn’t seem to know who I was, either. But after the whole Sadie debacle, if Coach finds out that I made a move on his damndaughter, I’m gonna be traded in a heartbeat.”

“No.” I shake my head. “You’re a hell of a player. You and Griz together on the same line are practically unstoppable. Coach knows you’re a good guy, too.”

“Doubtful.” Dallas grimaces. “Do you know he hauled me into his office a couple days after the cockroach thing and tore me a new one?”

I bite my cheek. “No.”

“He figured out that Sadie’s apparent vendetta against you was actually rooted in somethingIdid.” Dallas winces a little. “Which I’m very sorry about, by the way, dude. We did go out a couple of times, and after it ended, I suspected she wasn’t happy, but I didn’t expect her to go out of her way to take down anyone who might be seen as a playboy hockey player. You got caught in her crosshairs, and that was my fault.”

I pause for a moment, letting his words sink in, and then shake my head. “Sadie’s behavior was her choice, no matter what you did or didn’t do.”

This goes for both SadieandBrandi.

The two have been quiet lately—we played Baltimore last night, and every question Sadie asked me before the game was actually related to hockey. As for Brandi, I had a high-tech security system added to both my house and Olivia’s new apartment, in case of any future incidents.

I’m not too worried about her, though. Thanks to some leaked info by an anonymous source (who was definitely Reagan), TMZ did a big write-up about Brandi’s antics and how she’s blackmailed multiple celebrities and athletes. Meaning that pretty much any credibility she had is now in the gutter.

I can’t say I feel one bit sorry for her.

Unlike for my teammate, who seems totally down in the dumps right now. I put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “I’d never blame you for all that ridiculous media B.S. And neither would Coach.”

“I think he does, though.” Dallas looks stricken for a moment, but he shakes it off, his jaw setting. “I liked Caelin. We had a connection.” He grabs another shot and pounds it. Wipes his mouth with the back of his hand and huffs a laugh. “But, oh well. You win some, you lose some.”

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