Page 45 of Glory Troll

Bouncing on the soles of his boots, the mohawk-like fur between his cute ears flopping over his high brow, he waved at me. He reminded me of an eager puppy about to play fetch with his human. “Hi, you must be Ollie. I’m Finn, the team’s new PR guy. Bo asked me to help you find your seat.”

“Wow, thanks. Now I feel special.”

He considered me for a moment, as if wondering if he dared to say what was on his mind. “Judging by the way Bo looks when he talks about you, you are special to him.”

It was rare that I was lost for words. Small Talk King Oliver Bright was usually all professional charm and in control of the moment.

Yet I blushed beetroot red at Finn’s words, lost for anything to reply with.

“Come, I’ll take you to the family seats.”

Am I considered Bo's family?

It was cold in the rink, naturally, but a warm, fuzzy feeling spread through my body. And I had stolen one of Bo’s Pumas hoodies to keep me warm.

“I’ll introduce you real quick. Vee?”

With my thoughts still on myfamily, I hadn’t noticed the green. Oh my God, he was a chicken. Exactly how Bo had said.

“This is Ollie, Bo’s partner. Ollie, meet Vee, Nate Decker’s fiancé.” The young man’s smile grew wider at the word, exposing his sharp fangs. Gosh, I had never met anyone as happy about other people in love as this guy.Adorable.

The enormous chicken in a blue and yellow jersey with the number seven got up, and offered me a four-fingered hand to shake.

That guy is even taller than Bo.

“It’s lovely to meet you.” I shook hands with him.

“And you. Welcome to Veitsreuth.”

“Cheers, mate.” Damn, my grin widened even further.

“Vee, can you take Ollie down to the back door after the game? He doesn’t know his way around yet.”

Yet. Family. Everyone behaves like I’m here to stay.

Are they wrong?

A second, smaller voice in my head dared to ask the question I had no answer to yet.

After I’d been stupid enough to get myself fired over my feelings, I hadn’t thought I’d ever be in a position where I considered risking everything again.

With Bo, it differed from what Arden and I’d had. We’d been colleagues at a fancy hotel in the south of England, we’d been attracted to each other, sure. But I knew now that I had never loved him. We hadn’t even had much to say to each other apart from all the bickering at work.

Bo took up every single ounce of space in my head, my heart, my soul. If I was being truly honest with myself, I wouldn’t have come here if it had only been a physical thing.

I would have let that little seedling of mutual attraction wither and die, because Lone Fox was more to me than a mere job. For the first time in years, I had felt like I belonged somewhere.

And then I met him. And everything had changed. When he called me his, I didn’t cringe or want to run. I wanted the world to know he was mine. I wanted to nap with him, and watch him play, wanted him in me, wanted him to own all of me.

You need to tell him before you fly back.

Coming back to the present day made me realise what felt like an eternity in my head must have been barely a few seconds in real life.

“Sorry, I spaced out for a moment.”

“No worries. We’re good here, Finn. I’ll take Ollie under my wing. You get back to your command centre.” Vee gave the young man a small wink. He returned it with a grateful smile and bounded away down the stairs. “He’s in charge of the social media coverage. Sit. Is this your first time at a game?”

I liked the chicken man. “Yeah, unless you’re counting that time when the guys played against the kids in Scotland.”

---