Page 92 of The Stud

Another chomp not to display jealousy is delivered.

Why do I get the feeling despite having a real girlfriend, the click circus is going to continue to make him look like the champion commitment phobe that he isn’t?

“Now, about what happened at the hotel,” she leans back in her seat, one shoeless foot being braced on her desk on top of the other. “I would’ve brought it up yesterday when the plane touched down, but I was busy having a brawl in my own home over the fact that I bought the twins buckets to wear since they’re learning to walk.Apparently, that shit makes me the worst parent in fucking history.” Boss tosses her hands up in the air, clearly irritated. “They’re fucking padded!”

“Safety first?” Tanner mirthfully suggests.

“Pretty sure my parents should’ve bought the succubus downstairs one during the walking years and you see how she turned out.”

“Comforting,” smirks Hennington, “given that you are the smarter twin.”

“Exactly.”

“And by smarter, I mean smart enough to know that fraternizing with a player is strictly prohibited – meaning I could fire your ass – which is whynothinghappened when you stayed in Frosky’s room rather than the hotel lobby, right?”

“Isofucking would’ve stayed in the lobby, but they have a whole bullshit can’t sleep there policy.”

The GM flashes amusement yet doesn’t lean into it. “I heard.”

Now, let’s pray to Lidström that’s all she heard.

“What Ihaven’t heardis that nothing happened…” Hoss suspiciously lifts her eyebrows. “I wanna hear that now. I wanna hear that I don’t have to worry about getting calls from the PR department at two in the morning over bullshit ‘fucks his off-ice team’ reports or ‘lets management handle his other stick’ claims or fuckinganything elsethat would be an embarrassment rather than anenhancementof this organization.”

“Nothing happened,” Tanner lies so well without missing a beat that even I almost believe him. “Hoss needed a room to crash in, she ran into me and Peck – who had a phone date with his Slayer planned – so that left me inevitably holding the short straw.”

“That I would’ve sucked any day of the week before him.”

Hennington grins a little wider over the comment prior to nodding. “Good.” She folds her fingers firmly together in her lap. “Because you’re both valuable as fuck to this franchise, and the last thing I want is to lose one or both of you because you couldn’t put this team first. Thisfamilyfirst.” Her hold noticeably tightens. “Ferda?”

“Ferda,” we chant back in tandem.

The simple reminder that everything we do needs to be what’s best for the boys shifts something in the pit of my stomach.

She’s right.

Wedoneed to do what’s best for them…for this hockey family…but what about doing what’s right forus?

Is there any way we can really do both or will we ultimately have to let each other go because that’s what’s best for the team?

Chapter 15

Tanner

Dating in secret?

Not as easy it bloody looks.

Especially not around the holidays.

I swear I’m one team soc’ event away from leaving the best season I’ve ever had in my professional career just to be able tokissmy girlfriend in front of the boys.

And don’t even get me started on the media frenzy I seemingly can’t avoid.

Browsingthe lingerie section had them reporting I must be involved with a lingerie model.

Politely chatting with an attractive pediatric nurse during a charity Christmas caroling competition I attended with Cap resulted in speculations that her and I were a thing – whichshethen posted pictures of her husband to clarify that we weren’t.

And cheerfully signing the coffee cup of a hot pink cowgirl hat wearing bombshellnext todangling mistletoe meant I was cheekily giving her my cell.

---