Page 16 of Faking It with the Enforcer

Hockey may not have the elegance of ballet, but I can’t deny that there’s a captivating gracefulness in the way Wolf moves. In the control he has over his movements. Everything is smooth and precise.

As he skates back down the ice, he catches sight of me, and my heart jolts into my throat when his eyes lock with mine through the glass. He skates right over to me, a slow smile spreading across his face as I stand there and melt, my face hot. Everyone around me turns and stares as Wolf raises one gloved hand.

“Hey, Em,” he calls through the glass, and I blush from the roots of my hair all the way to my collarbone. More people gawk at us.

“Hey,” I force myself to say, raising my hand. I mean, that’s what a girlfriend would do, right? For a moment, he just stares at me, his smile firmly in place. Then he winks at me and skates away.

Oh, he’s good. That was very convincing.

I watch Wolf warm up for a few more minutes, doing my best to ignore the curious stares of everyone around me. Being on stage is one thing. I’ve chosen to be there. I’ve practiced my steps. I know exactly what to do. But being the completely unexpected centre of attention? Yeah, not really my jam. But I can do this. For Wolf. I can pretend to be whatever he needs me to be.

Even if it kills me a little that it’s just pretend, and that’s all it’ll ever be.

The crowd clustered around the glass starts to thin as the players leave the ice, the pre-game warm-up complete. Still feeling the weight of eyes on me, I turn and start making my way to the box, walking up an aisle and then to a specially marked elevator. An attendant checks my pass and then waves me through, pressing the button for me before the doors slide closed. My heart is a steady beat in my chest. From seeing Wolf on the ice, from the wink, from the attention, from the nervous anticipation of meeting these women and having to pretend I’m here because I’m Wolf’s girlfriend.

Once I reach the box, another attendant checks my pass and then lets me in. I’m immediately struck with the luxuriousness of the space. Plush leather seats, a fully stocked bar, and a spread of food that makes my mouth water. There’s a veggie platter, shrimp on a bed of ice, an elaborate charcuterie board, and a tray of fresh fruit. Off to the side, I see an enormous tray laden with pastries, cookies, and cupcakes. Behind the bar, a glass-doored fridge shows off what looks like endless rows of canned beverages.

I glance up to see two young women seated near the glass. They’re both staring at me with open interest.

I swallow thickly. Showtime.

“Hi,” I say, forcing an ease into my voice that I don’t feel. “I’m Emily.”

A petite woman who’s almost as small as me jumps up and extends her hand. She’s ridiculously pretty, with long, shiny blond hair and bright green eyes. “Hi. I’m Lilah. Lilah Ferguson.” Her smile is warm, her body language relaxed, and I take my shoulders down a notch. I’m surprised that she’s not that much older than me, probably only a couple of years. “You must be Wolf’s girlfriend.”

I blush furiously at the wordgirlfriend, but shake Lilah’s hand. “I am. It’s nice to meet you. You’re Coach Ferguson’s daughter right?”

Lilah nods. “I am. And I’m engaged to Kincaid Campbell.” I glance down at her hand, sucking in a breath at the enormous diamond ring on her tiny finger.

Holy moly, that is one huge diamond.

The second woman stands, her striking gray eyes assessing me, but not in an unfriendly way. She’s absolutely gorgeous, with dark curls and curves that make me feel completely inadequate in the boob and butt department. “I’m Sadie Brennan,” she says, her voice friendly and confident. “I’d say we’ve heard a lot about you, but that wouldn’t exactly be true.”

Lilah shoots Sadie a look and elbows her. “Sadie!” She turns back to me. “All she means is that we were surprised to hear that Wolf has a girlfriend, given that he’s…well…”

Sadie shrugs, and then adds with a little laugh. “He’s Wolf. Grumpy, keeps to himself, likes his alone time.”

I have absolutely no freaking clue what to say to that, so I do a lame little hand gesture, waving at myself. “Well, here I am.” I have to stop myself from outwardly cringing.

There’s an awkward pause before Lilah says, “Sadie’s engaged as well,” and I replay what Wolf had told me, that I’ll be sitting with the coach’s daughter and his fiancée.

Whoa. Sadie looks to be about the same age as Lilah, which means there’s likely a big age gap between her and the coach.

Something about that makes butterflies take flight in my stomach and hope unfurl in my chest, like a flower looking for the sun. Like maybe, just maybe, me wanting Wolf isn’t the craziest thing in the universe. Granted, he’d have to actually want me back, which is unlikely.

“Right, to Coach Ferguson,” I say after a beat, acting like I’m super in the know. It clicks in my brain that Sadie is engaged to Lilah’s dad. I wonder if that caused any awkwardness between them, but I don’t ask. Obviously.

Sadie grins and nods, and then gestures towards the seats facing the glass. “Come. Sit. Tell useverything.”

I sit down next to Lilah, my stomach a mess of butterflies and knots. Lilah smiles at me, and I relax a little more. Really, I just need to be myself while getting to indulge in the fantasy that Wolf is actually mine. That I’m actually his.

“So, how did you and Wolf meet?” asks Lilah, her eyes sparkling with warmth and curiosity.

I tuck a strand of hair behind my ear, my cheeks going warm. “Well, um. He’s actually friends with my older brother. So, you know.” I smile and hope they don’t ask for more details, because I don’t have any.

Oh, god. I amsobad at this.

Sadie nods, her gaze a tad more assessing than Lilah’s. “How long have you been dating?”

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