Page 12 of Madden

Amusement washes over me, soon cut off by the sound of verbal abuse. I freeze, as does Rosie. She's faster than me. She turns her head and narrows her gaze. "That bitch has got some nerve showing up here," she mutters.

The girl doing the cursing doesn't look familiar. But the words coming out of her mouth are familiar. Is she the one who made the social media post?

Rosie winces and looks in my direction. "Ignore her. Dodge called for security."

My heart sinks. What started out as a good evening has turned bad very quickly.

11

MADDEN

I turnmy head from side to side, trying to relieve the tension that is gripping me. Nothing has been said, but I know Tessa is going to have a hard time being in the crowd tonight. I could kick myself for not saying anything to her, and for not asking one of the other girls to look out for her as I had intended. Time had slipped away from me, and I feel like an idiot. I want to take care of her, and I've screwed up tonight.

I try to focus and go through the team for the first period: Dover makes his debut on the right-wing. Nikoli and Rhodes are on defense. Dario is the center forward, Bradford is in the goal, and I'm on the left-wing.

It's the usual lineup, except that Dover has taken over Lake's position tonight. He fits in well with the team. I shake my head as we skate out onto the ice. My head needs to be in the zone, and I'm sure it will be once I see Tessa. As I skate to where I know she is sitting with the other guests, I notice that she has her head together with both Gemma, Rosie, and Willow. What are they talking about?

Rhodes moves up to me with a grin that turns to a frown when he sees the women. "Should I be worried?"

I snort. "Depends on what you did to upset Rosie, I guess."

"Nothing."

"Then maybe they're plotting against Nikoli or Dario."

"Oh, and it couldn't have anything to do with you, huh?"

"Me? I'm an angel!"

He shakes his head, catches his wife's eyes, and blows her a kiss. I can see Tessa's face, and she doesn't look like she's enjoying herself. She looks sad. I frown and lean against the plexiglass. I pull off a glove and curl a finger to indicate I want her to come closer, I wait. She blushes furiously but does as I say. "Are you okay?"

"I am now." A smile slips across her lips and slowly makes its way to her eyes.

To help, I take off my helmet and kiss her through the glass. When I'm done, I point my finger at her. "Mine."

She looks pleased, though embarrassed by my display of affection. I back up slowly and bow before putting my gear back on. I look in her direction and wink. Her smile is wide and beautiful.

When I turn back to my teammates, they shake their heads in laughter.

"Okay, Casanova, do you think we can start the game?" Dario shouts.

I answer with my finger.

Feeling lighter than when I stepped onto the ice, I take my position. The crowd cheers as the game begins and my heart races with excitement. I can't help but steal another glance at Tessa, knowing her eyes will be on me during the game.

Dover makes a nice slide with the puck in my direction, and before number thirty-two from the opposing team can get to it, I swoop it right out from under him. Dario is open, so I pass the puck to him, and he takes off down the ice, leaving the opposing team scrambling to catch up. Dover is in position to score, so Dario evades a player and passes the puck. Dover windsup for the shot, and with a quick flick of his wrist, he sends the puck over the goal line and into the net. The crowd erupts in celebration as our team takes the lead. I look toward the stands and see Tessa on her feet cheering.

As I rushthrough the shower to get to Tessa, Bradford shakes his head as I fly out the locker room door. Wait till he gets a girl. See how fast he gets it together. I'm not quite together as I'm in the elevator trying to button up my shirt with my tie hanging loosely around my neck.

The door swishes open and I step out into the private lobby on the upper floor. It's busy as usual. I quickly fasten my tie as I walk across the room and enter the suite.

The room is filled with people chatting and laughing. It's not unusual for business to be done during a game. I make my way through the crowd to my girl. I pass Wyatt, who pats me on the back. I think he expects me to meet his guests, but tonight I only have one plan.

Tessa smiles when she sees me and my heart pounds in my chest. Red curly hair bounces when she moves her head. Ignoring everything and everyone around me, I make my way over to her. She takes my breath away. Her face lights up with a beautiful smile the moment she sees me.

I cradle her face in my hands and hold her still for my kiss. "Hi, sweetheart," I whisper, going in for another taste of her sweet lips.

"Hi yourself." She slides a hand around my waist and quickly pinches my ass with amusement in her eyes. I let my body brush against hers, noticing her pupils dilate as she feels my arousal.

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