Page 27 of Penalty for Boarding

She laughs, the sound pure joy. “That's your master plan?”

“Yeah. It is. And I’ll have you know it’s a pretty good one.” I dip down to kiss her, but stop suddenly and pull back slightly, my brow furrowing. “Wait. You don't have any pets that need feeding, do you? Because that could seriously derail my naked forever plan.”

“No pets.” She tugs me back down for a kiss. “Just a few plants that are probably already dead from neglect.”

“Perfect.” I deepen the kiss, losing myself in the feel of her. “Then Operation Permanently Naked can commence.”

She giggles and I roll to my side, pulling her with me so we're entwined like vines, inseparable and growing into each other.

“Calvin,” she murmurs, her lips brushing my collarbone. “Are we really doing this?”

“Fuck, yeah we’re doing this.”

I nuzzle her against her neck, my hand trailing down the outside of her thigh when the buzzer to my front door sounds, making us both jump.

“Seriously?” I groan, dropping my forehead to her shoulder. “We couldn't even make it ten minutes into my brilliant plan before needing clothes?”

Olivia giggles, pushing at my chest. “Go see who it is. I'll be here, staying naked as requested.”

“Tease.” I steal one more kiss before reluctantly rolling out of bed and hiding my throbbing erection beneath a pair of sweats and an oversized t-shirt.

The buzzer sounds again as I make my way to the intercom. When I check the camera feed, I'm surprised to see Coach standing there with an elegant woman I don't recognize.

“Yeah?” I answer, trying to keep the irritation out of my voice.

“Calvin, son. We need to talk. Can we come up?”

I glance back toward my bedroom, where Olivia is waiting. “Now's not really a good time, Coach.”

“Well, if you had your damn phone on, this could have been a phone call.”

“We’re not really in the mood to take calls, either. Both of us turned our cells off.”

“I get it. The media’s camped out around your apartment. They’re taking photos of me right now. Can you just let us up before they start writing articles about me?”

“And why would I want to do that?”

“It's about your job. Both of your jobs.” The woman beside him steps forward. “I'm Margaret O'Brien, Declan's aunt. I'm also a contract lawyer, and I think I can help.”

Something in her tone makes me pause. After a moment's consideration, I buzz them up.

When I open my apartment door a few minutes later—after making sure Olivia is decent and we both look somewhat presentable—Coach makes the formal introductions. I notice immediately how his eyes linger on Margaret in a way that reminds me of the way I look at Olivia—like I can’t look anywhere else.

“Seems your teammates have started a bit of a revolution,” Margaret says as she takes a seat in my living room. Coach remains standing, his hands shoved in his pockets, looking uncharacteristically uncomfortable.

Olivia and I exchange a glance. I can tell she's as curious—and as wary—as I am. We take seats opposite Margaret, who opens a sleek leather briefcase and extracts a stack of papers.

“A revolution?” I look to Coach.

“Margaret here specializes in contract negotiations,” he explains, his voice gruffer than usual. “When Declan told her what happened, she spent all night going through the standard NHL contracts.”

“And I found something interesting,” Margaret adds, her sharp eyes assessing us both. “The clause they're trying to use to force your separation? It's potentially discriminatory. We could make a case that both organizations are overstepping their bounds in attempting to control their employees' personal lives.”

She pulls some papers from the stack and holds them out to us. “I've drawn up agreements that would not only reinstate you with the Nighthawks, Calvin, but would also bring Dr. Angelo on as our new head of sports medicine. Consider it a trade of sorts—one that benefits everyone involved.”

I feel Olivia stiffen beside me. “You mean... I'd work for the Nighthawks?”

Margaret nods, a knowing smile playing on her lips. “The team could use someone with your expertise, especially with playoffs approaching. And this way, there's no conflict of interest to speak of. We’ve discussed it with the Fury, and as long as you remain compliant with your NDA, they shouldn't have any grounds to contest it.”

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