Page 18 of Playing to Win

He nodded.

“After I saw that video, and knew why you were upset and that your reputation was being trashed because you couldn’t explain that you were hurt I’d ditched you for Faith’s party, I told my boss. And the organization has decided our relationship doesn’t cross any lines. We can go public.”

He looked like he was following, but I couldn’t forget he must still be feeling the effects of his hangover.

“Now we can start sharing our couple stuff on social media, and then we’ll officially explain. We’ll spend time with the Bonfire because now we don’t have to protect our secret. Instead of being resentful of women’s hockey, you’ll be our biggest fan. Do you have a problem watching women’s sports?”

He shook his head. “I feel stupid I’ve mostly ignored that. I’ve been focused on getting to the NHL and kinda of blanked out anything else.”

He wasn’t the only one who “forgot” we existed, so I’d try not to hold it against him. “We pretend we’re dating, and that you know nothing about Frank and that you’re Faith’s friend. Okay?”

He stared over my shoulder and shook his head. “I don’t know if I’m any good as an actor.”

“Do you want to stay with the Blaze? Because this is their plan, not mine.” Could he at least pretend that spending time with me was better than a root canal? I might not be drop-dead gorgeous, but I’d done my share of dating and there wasn’t anything particularly objectionable about me. Unless it was that I was an athlete. Maybe Braydon wasn’t as into women in sports as he’d like to think he was.

Men. Seriously, life would be easier in many ways if I was into women. Wouldn’t it?

He nodded, meeting my gaze again.

“So first you’re going to have to appear to like spending time with me.”

His cheeks flushed. It looked good on him. “I’m sorry. I’m still a little hungover, and the last twenty-four hours have been a lot.”

I got it, I did, but he had to catch up with the program now. “I understand, but if you want to salvage your professional reputation, that means you have to sell the story that you find me attractive.”

A corner of his mouth kicked up, and that looked even better. He let his gaze fall from my face, down what he could see of my body behind the desk and back up. Goose bumps pebbled my flesh, and I was glad I was wearing pants and long sleeves.

“So I should objectify you? To sell us?”

My cheeks were heating up, becausethat? Totally checking me out, and he looked like he appreciated what he saw. Whatever had been his problem before, maybe he did find me attractive.

“Let’s start with an exchange of the basics. If we’re dating, there are things we should know about each other.”

Now he was looking back at my face and frowning. “You probably know all about me.”

He’d never crossed my radar before last night, since I didn’t work with the Inferno. But now I knew where he’d grown up, where he went to school, and a lot about his hockey life. I also was the only person who knew his biggest secret. “Well, I had to research you for my job before last night’s game. I can give you my basic story.”

He rubbed his temple with a forefinger, eyes closed. Yep, hungover, still feeling like crap. He did have a lot to take in, but I wasn’t sure how much he could keep in his memory banks at the moment.

“Have you taken painkillers?”

His eyes shot open. “Like, illegal ones?”

“No, for your hangover.”

“Yeah, Luke gave me something.” I must have looked questioning. “My roommate. He plays D for the Inferno. My phone died last night, so he had to wake me up and give me the news.”

Right. We needed someplace with privacy while we caught up on each other’s life stories. He had a roommate and so did I. This office was our safe space for now.

“We need to do this, but you also need food and beverages. I’ll bring something here. I’m going to email you some info on me you can look at till I come back. And tonight we’re going on a date.”

It was a good thing this was fake, because Braydon looked like he’d swallowed battery acid again. And when someone was dating me for real? That was not the look I got.

Chapter7

Jaydon

Braydon

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