Page 79 of Treat

Grant leaned in, his shark eyes glittering. “Look, Jude. You’re a good hockey player. You’ve got good hands, some experience under your belt, and the best hockey IQ I’ve seen in a defenseman in this town since Nick Lidstrom.”

Jude blinked, caught off balance. Being compared to a seven-time Norris Trophy winner was possibly the biggest compliment he’d ever received, and the incongruity of hearing it while being simultaneously berated was strange, to say the least.

“But that doesn’t mean you can’t fuck this up,” Grant continued. “This team—this town—aren’t invested in you yet, and until they are, you have to keep your ass clean.”

“I’m going to marry her.”

Grant shoveled a hand into his hair and grabbed on so tight Jude wondered that he didn’t yank it out. “What?”

“I’m going to marry her,” Jude repeated. He hadn’t meant to say it—it just popped out—but now that it was out there, he realized it was exactly what he wanted.

“You asked her to marry you?”

“Not yet,” Jude admitted. “But I will.”

“Why?”

Jude stared at his agent, a man who had been his friend, and thought how very sad it was that he didn’t know. “Because I love her.”

“Jesus Christ.” Grant scrubbed a hand over his face. “Look, I know this last year was a lot. The call-up, the move, not being sure if they were going to keep you or send you back down.”

Jude sipped his drink and nodded, wondering where this was going.

“And I know you haven’t gotten laid in a while.”

Jude started to ask how the hell he knew that, but Grant was still talking.

“And if you want to have yourself a tasty little treat?—”

Jude’s grip on his temper slipped. “She’s not a damn lollipop,” he snapped.

“Jude, listen?—”

“No, you listen.” Jude set his drink down. “You’re a good agent, and I appreciate everything you’ve done for me. But if you push this, if you make me choose between you? I’m choosing her.”

Grant’s face went to stone. “You’re making a mistake.”

“If I am, it’s my mistake to make.”

Grant stared at him for a long moment, his hand fisted on the table. “I’m not going to change your mind about this, am I.”

It wasn’t a question, but Jude answered anyway. “Nope.”

“Because you love her.”

“Yep.”

Grant tapped his fist on the table, a muscle ticking in his jaw. “We need a plan for when the press starts asking questions.”

“I’ll talk to the team’s PR office. Brynn has a pretty good relationship with them. We’ll see what they think and come up with something.”

“I want my people looped in.”

“I’ll have Brynn talk to Chloe.”

“Fine. One thing.”

“What’s that?”

---