Page 98 of Pucking Strong

“We just want you safe,” says Jayla. “And we want more for you than a fake marriage to someone who can’t love you the right way.”

“Does he love you right, Ted?” Shae presses.

I glance over at the TV again. Henrik is silent now, leaning away from the table, arms crossed, as Assistant Coach Denison answers some question about draft prospects. I lick my lips, trying to suck moisture back into my mouth. How did my own family so wildly misread this entire situation? Henrik Karlsson want me?Loveme? I think fucking not.

“You guys, you’ve got it all wrong,” I finally say. “He doesn’t love me. He’s just acting up there. That’s just his media training. He’s a professional and he’s done it before.”

Shae raises a brow. “Before when?”

“We were interviewed for ESPN,” I admit. “The interview will go live in a couple days. Guys, he’s just a really good actor. Like, Olympic level. Literally. But I swear, he doesn’t think about me that way.”

Natalie’s eyes narrow like a fox on a chicken. “I knew it.”

But next to me, Marcus leans in, draping an arm around my shoulders. “You know, Ted, you’re right. When I’m not interested in someone, I make sure to stare at them every chance I get too.”

“He wasn’t staring,” I say on a breath, heart racing.

“Oh, please,” cries Shae. “Don’t listen to Nat. He couldn’t keep his eyes off you! Why else do you think he kept skating by, batting those handsome lashes?”

“Hey now,” warns Darius, perched on the arm of the couch by her side.

I shrug out from under Marcus’s arm. “He’s a hockey player. He was skating by because he was playing hockey!”

“Is that what he was doing between quarters too?” says Jayla. “When he came over to flirt with you? Pressing his hand to the glass and running those fingers through his hair all, ‘Oh, hey, Teddy, look at me lookin’ so fine out on this ice. Think we could melt it?’”

“They’re called periods, Jay,” Raf mutters.

She waves him off. “Whatever! My point is that Henrik had more than hockey on his mind.”

Raf shrugs. “Well, if you’re gonna talk about it, get it right.”

Ignoring their bickering, Shae leans forward. “Do you really not see it?”

I think my brain is fucking exploding right now.

She huffs, leaning back. “I swear, Teddy, you spend more time dreaming up the mennotinterested in you. Now you got one with a ring on his finger, standing up for you like that in front of the whole world, but you’re over here telling us he’s just a friend? He’s just acting? Pretending to love you for a bunch of cameras?”

“Ted, that ain’t right,” Marcus says with a shake of his head. “You deserve better than to be some man’s fake trophy husband.”

“I’m not convinced it’s fake,” Jayla adds. “The way he was looking at you all night?” She pretends to fan herself. “Hoo, he looked like he wanted to eat you with a spoon.”

“I think it was the jacket,” Raf teases.

“Enough!” I launch from the couch and march over to the TV, cutting it off. “Can we stop plotting a romance novel, please? Henrik and I are married, yes. But for purely technical reasons. There is nothing between us. Henrik’s made it clear he doesn’t want that from me. Ever. We’ve never even kissed, okay? It’s not a real marriage, so, everyone, just stop. There are no lingering touches. No prolonged eye contact, or whispered words, or-or flirty banter …”

I fall silent, waiting as my world tilts on its freaking axis. Because oh my fucking god, we’ve doneallthose things. Well, not the kissing. But even with no cameras rolling, Henrik and I are touching literally all the time. He never hesitates to take my hand or brush against me, sit right next to me on a sofa or chair.

And eye contact? Are you kidding me? We’re constantly catching each other’s gaze and holding it until I feel my insides heat with longing. Whispered words? Check. Flirty banter? Uhh, pretty sure I challenged him to sleep with me again tonight. And if his body language was any indicator, he plans to accept. Sure, we’re just sleeping. But it’s still pretty intimate to hold a half-naked man all night.

And what the hell was that in the AV room earlier? He pulled me to him. Not the other way around. He came to me, and he held me. He held me like … god, like I’m the only thing in his life that makes the world stop spinning—

Stop.

I close my eyes, stifling a groan. I can’t do this. I can’t go here. No, because they’re right. This is what I do. Teddy O’Connor loves to be in love. I love reading between the lines and looking for the romantic subtext in every interaction. I love throwing myself heart-first into another man’s arms, just praying that he, or god, or a strong wind will catch me.

But I knew what this was going in. I’m helping him get and keep temporary custody of Karolina. Once the court sees how good they are together, he can file for full adoption on his own. That’s when he’ll kick me to the curb, and not a moment before.

He won’t keep me from Karolina once we’ve split. I know he’d never do that. But knowing Henrik and I are only temporary, I’ve deliberately tried to do things differently. I’ve been trying to be more like him, more rational and even-tempered, leading with my head over my heart.

---