Page 103 of Face Off
“Possibly.”
“We don’t just fuck when we’re on the road. I’m literally in the building next door. Think of all the fun we could have on our days off. Plus, I’m superstitious as shit. It would be in the best interest of the team.”
“I’ll consider it,” I say, because itdoessound like fun. “Anything else?”
“We keep our arrangement between us. None of the guys need to know. It’s easy right now, and the more people that find out, the more it’ll complicate things. I don’t do complicated.”
“Deal.” I stick out my hand, and he shakes it. “I can’t believe you were jealous.”
“Seems like I’ve been jealous a lot lately. Your phone calls with friends. The secret handshakes you have with some of the guys.” He topples us backward onto the pillows and holds me close to his chest. “I want that too.”
“You get me here, though. I’m not going home with any of them.”
“Let’s keep it that way. And this is my favorite place.”
I yawn and close my eyes, snuggling into his arms. I’m not usually a cuddler, but there’s something about Maverick’s embrace that makes me want to stay awhile. “You’d like Grady. Hudson reminds me of him. Eternally optimistic. A nice guy.”
“Who doesn’t love a nice guy?” He runs his fingers through my hair and I hum in appreciation. “I’ll have to meet him one day.”
“We’ll see about that. Whose turn is it to ask a question? I can’t keep track.”
“You can ask first. What do you have for me?”
“What did you study in college? Did you graduate?”
“I didn’t. The chance to enter the NHL draft presented itself, and I took it. When I was in school, I wanted to get my degree in biology.”
My eyes fly open. “Biology? That’s surprising.”
“Surprising?Wow, Hartwell. You thought I was a dumb jock, didn’t you?” he asks, and he digs his fingers into my ribs. I shriek and try to wiggle out of his hold, but he doesn’t give me an inch. “I was great in school. Straight-A student, fuck you very much.”
“It’s just an unusual subject,” I say, and he finally relents, letting me go. “I don’t know anyone who studied biology.”
“Now you do.” His smile hits me straight between the legs, and I want to smother him with a pillow. “What did you study?”
“I got my degree in communications. If the whole hockey thing didn’t pan out, I wanted to work in PR. Thankfully my skills on the ice came through. I’d hate having to talk to people all day.”
“People are the worst, aren’t they? Okay. My turn.” Maverick rubs his jaw, deep in thought. “What’s something you want to do before you die?”
“Go to Antarctica. It’s a once in a lifetime trip, and to see the glaciers and miles and miles of landscape no human has evertouched would be incredible. And I want to see the penguins too, of course.”
“That’s a good one. It’s too predictable if I say I want to win the Cup, isn’t it?”
“You’re going to have to think outside of hockey.”
He’s quiet for a minute, and when he talks again, it’s softer. A dream he’s dreamed a thousand times and is finally sharing with the world. “I’d like to set up my own charity and create scholarships for kids who might not have a roof over their heads. Yeah, I want to see the world and travel and spoil the people around me, but my legacy doesn’t mean anything if I don’t share the resources I have with those who get overlooked and might need a little extra help.”
I cradle his chin in my hand. “That’s a wonderful idea.”
“I’m talking with my lawyer about distribution of wealth and a lot of other legal words that go way over my head, but I think we’re going to get the ball rolling on it next season. It’ll be a special milestone anyway—my tenth year in the league.”
“You have a kind heart, Maverick, and it’s special that you want to share it with so many people.”
“Shucks. You’re really inflating my ego over here.”
“For once it deserves to be inflated.”
“How are you feeling? Do you want to try to eat anything else?”
