Page 46 of Second-Rate Superstar

God, he looked like he could split Hannah in half. And I meant that in a good way. My core clenched just thinking about it.

The man stalked closer, shaking his head, eyes drifting toward the ceiling.

“He’s huge.” The words flew out of my mouth before I could stop them, and I immediately slapped a hand over it in embarrassment.

Leaning over, Hannah whispered—well, at least what she thought was whispering; I was pretty sure they could hear her in the next room, “Can confirm he’s bigeverywhere.” My eyes widened before dropping discreetly to the area of his crotch on approach. “Oh, and he’s pierced too.” Hannah sighed. “Feel free to use that in your book.”

Stopping before us, the man exhaled heavily, eyeing Hannah with disapproval. “It’s one in the afternoon on a Wednesday, Hannah.”

She reached her arms out to him like a toddler, and he willingly pulled her out of the chair, where she proceeded to cling to him. Or, more accurately, he held her up with how unstable she was on her feet.

Hand snaking up his chest, Hannah replied, “I booked you for a wax, honey. You know how much I love your smooth chest.” She turned to me. “A stubbly chest is as bad as a prickly pussy. Remember that.”

It was like watching a train wreck. I couldn’t look away, no matter how hard I tried.

“Not today. I’ve gotta get you home, then get back to work.” The man spoke with a hard edge to his voice.

Pouting, she huffed. “Fine.” He began to lead her away, but she turned around, halting him. “Cal, don’t be rude! Say hi to Dakota!”

Cal pinched the bridge of his nose with his free hand. “Hello, Dakota. Allow me to apologize for Hannah being unable to hold her liquor.”

I waved shyly. “Not a problem. We had a fun time.”

“Clearly,” he muttered, peering down at Hannah plastered to his side, her hand moving toward the waistband of his jeans, and he had to reach out to stop her from venturing lower.

“Hannah drove me today. If you want, I can drop her car off if you send me a location,” I offered. “I barely had a sip or two of my mimosa.”

Shaking his head, Cal replied, “I’ll drive her car home. I figured she’d be incapacitated, so I had a car drop me off. It should still be out front, and you can use it to get where you need to go.”

“Thanks.” I gave him a small smile.

Turning, he led Hannah away. The words said to her barely reached my ears. “What am I gonna do with you?”

Beaming up at him, her voice carried. “You love me, big guy. It’s cute that you pretend I don’t bring the spice to your life.”

I chuckled behind my hand as they left the room, and the nail tech finished up the final touches on my feet.

Their interaction was entertaining, but it also made me think. I could only imagine the hell that would rain down if my mom had ever been caught day drinking to excess in a public place. I could hear my dad’s rant in my head now about how embarrassed he would be. That she was a reflection of him.

But of course, Mom would never have done something to displease him. As much as I loved her, she had been a complete doormat when it came to my dad. Not that that had worked out well for her in the end.

Cal was annoyed with Hannah, sure, but there was still affection in his eyes. He’d dropped everything in the middle of his workday to come and take her home. That spoke volumes about where his priorities lay.

The more I learned about these Comets couples, the more intrigued I became.

Chapter 11

Dakota

“I still can notbelieveyou hung out with THE Hannah Moreau,” Bristol said from her perch on my bed as I prepared for my skating session with Braxton.

I shrugged, tugging on the sweatshirt he’d bought me the last time we went to the rink. “She’s just a person, Bristol.”

“No.” She shook her head. “She’slegendary. And now that she’s dating Cal Berg? Talk about a power couple in the hockey world.”

“Aw, do you need me to set up a playdate for you with Hannah?” I teased.

“You say that like a joke, but I would sell my left kidney to be friends with her. If you want a first-class ticket into the Comets’ inner circle, she’s it.”

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