Page 25 of Press Your Luck

He was right. I took a deep breath and forced myself to concentrate on the practice. I couldn't let my personal life affect my coaching. But as the players scrimmaged, their shouts echoing through the arena, I found my mind drifting back to last night. Guilt and confusion blended. What the hell was I doing? Sure, I’d been fantasizing about Naomi like a perverted old man, but to really act on it? That was nuts. Worse, the experience was unlike anything I’d ever had. It was more than just scratching a sexual itch. But even thinking that, how could it have been more? Naomi and I rarely said nice things to each other. How could I be feeling something more than lust?

An even bigger question was why she'd let me fuck her. She was seeing Max. She was clear that she thought I was an old man. Past my prime.

God, I hope I proved that last part wrong.

Jesus fuck, get a grip, Pierce.

I'd made a promise to myself when I became a coach that I would be professional. And I was. Oh, sure, I took a few of the players under my wings at times. For a few years, Bo was like a son to me. I was the only one looking out for his best interests.

But when I became a coach, I no longer indulged with puck bunnies, the women who liked to hook up with hockey players. I’d never been tempted by another coach, but a few teams had sexy female owners. One had shown an interest in me, but I’d resisted. It didn’t seem wise to fuck someone from a rival team.

I watched Bo skate past me as he barked out commands to the player.

Gritting my teeth, I called out to Bo. "Hey, do me a favor and take over practice for a bit. I need to find some pain reliever."

“Sure thing.”

With each step I took toward the locker room, the weight of my mistake bore down on me. As I entered the locker room, the harsh fluorescent lights overhead did nothing to soothe my throbbing headache.

I made a beeline for the first aid supplies, rummaging through the plastic bins until I found a bottle of pain reliever.

Just as I was about to pop a couple of pills into my mouth, the door swung open, and Reed walked in. His brow furrowed when he saw me, and I could tell he was itching to give me a piece of his mind.

"Looking for something?" he asked.

"Headache," I mumbled, emptying two pills from the bottle. "Had a bit too much to drink last night."

"Ah, yes," Reed said, folding his arms across his chest as he leaned against a locker. "The charity auction. How could I forget?"

I didn’t want a lecture. I didn’t need one. I was punishing myself just fine. "Look, Reed—"

"Save it, Pierce. I know what happened between you and Naomi. And I've got to say, I'm pretty disappointed."

Oh, shit. Did he know we were in the conference room? I couldn’t let him see my worry. "Disappointed?" I scoffed, feeling a flare of anger despite my pounding head. "What are you, my father?"

Reed's eyes narrowed. "No, but I am your partner and your friend. And I care about this team. So when I see you getting caught up in some ridiculous drinking game with some woman half your age, it makes me question your priorities."

"Naomi's not just some woman," I snapped, only later realizing I might be revealing too much. "My life is none of your business."

"Isn't it?" Reed challenged. "We're in this together, remember? We bought this team to make something great, not to indulge in our own personal fantasies."

"Fantasies?" I repeated, my blood boiling at the insinuation which was stupid because he was right.

He sighed. “Look, it’s been clear that there’s something between you two. Analyn calls it chemistry. Bo sees it too. But unlike Todd Marshall, we don’t like drama and angst. We certainly don’t want gossip. Jesus, don’t you remember how fucking annoying it was when the only thing that seemed to matter was what crazy thing Bo was going to do off the ice?”

“It’s not the same.”

“She’s practically a kid.”

“She’s not much younger than Analyn.”

He stared at me. “What’s going on?”

“Nothing. We’re good friends, Reed. I love you like a brother, but some things aren’t any of your business.”

His jaw tightened. “If it affects the team, it’s my business.”

“It won’t affect the team.”

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