Page 10 of Dirty Play

Chapter four

~ROWAN~

The last bite of eggs vanishes from my plate as I lean back in my chair, watching Avery scrape the last bit of avocado out of the shell for her toast.

“You don’t have any oat milk,” she says without looking up.

“I don’t buy oat milk,” I reply dryly. “What even is oat milk? Cereal water?”

“It’s for people who don’t want to die of cholesterol at thirty-five.” She tilts her head at me with a small laugh.

“You—” I stare at her in mock horror. “You mean I only have a couple more years left?”

She lets out a real laugh this time, tossing a napkin straight at me. I catch it mid-air, breaking into a laugh myself.

“How’s it there?” I ask, nodding toward the window. I have the perfect view of her house. Well,theirhouse.

“Very good,” she says with a grin, her cheeks turning red. She’s dating and living with one of my best friends now. A fact I fought like hell against at first. I didn’t think my little sister would end up with someone like…him.

But here we are. And truth be told? I couldn’t picture her with anyone else now.

I let out a hum, standing to clear the table. Avery follows, leaning against the counter as I rinse the dishes.

“So,” she starts, her voice casual, but there’s a glint of mischief in her eyes. “I met your new PR agent. She seems really sweet and talkative.”

“She’s annoying.” I glance over my shoulder, one brow arching.

Avery furrows her brows. “She didn’t seem like that to me. Though she did call you a pain in the ass,” she finished off with a mumble.

“A pain in the ass?” My eyebrows shoot up to my hairline. I turn off the water and dry my hands, facing her fully. It wasn’t the nicest thing she could’ve called me, but it wasn’t the worst I’ve been called by any means.

“And I told her how good a heart you have, despite it.” Avery nods as she talks, fighting back a laugh.

“Instead of a big heart, why didn’t you tell her I have a big—” I close my mouth, reminding myself that this is my little sister. Not Damien, Ares, or one of our other teammates.

“Gross.” Avery scrunches her nose the same way she’s been doing since she was little.

I lean against the counter and cross my hands.

“Rowan.” Her expression softens, her teasing fading into something more serious. “I know you have issues with the press. But maybe you’re being a bit harsh. Maybe you need to give this another chance.”

I sigh, shaking my head. “The media doesn’t change, Av. I don’t want to contribute to it any more than I already have. They’ve stolen enough from us.”

Avery doesn’t respond right away, just watching me with those eyes that see too much. Finally, she steps closer, wrapping her arms around my waist and resting her head on my chest.

“It wasn’t your fault, Rowan,” she murmurs against my chest.

I stay silent and kiss the top of her head, my lips lingering against her hair.

I can feel the smile against my shirt before I glance down at my watch.Shit.

“Alright, I have to go,” I say, ruffling her hair the way I used to when she was small enough to climb up on my shoulders like a monkey. “This pain in the ass is on a schedule.”

The rink is alive with the sharp sound of blades carving into the ice, the snap of sticks against pucks, and the low hum of our coach barking drills from the sidelines. It smells like sweat, rubber, and ice. It is my space, my battlefield.

“Rowan, set it up!” Damien shouts from the blue line, his husky voice carrying over the chaos. He and Ares are the only ones that call me Rowan in here—a habit they couldn’t drop.

I see Damien, solid as a wall, waiting for the puck. I’m already ahead of the play, reading the ice. Ares is sprinting to the net, his speed making him impossible to pin down. Perfect.

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