Page 100 of The Husband Game

Dustin ran her through the interview and she let out a soft hum when he was done.

“I can certainly live with you being a little riled up in an interview, but you know all of your appearance contracts stipulate we get to preview anything before release. If you want a section of footage edited out, they can’t deny us.”

“I know.” Dustin hesitated, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel. “I—I think I want to keep it though, if you’re okay with it.”

“I’ll give it a listen when they send it over, then let you know. But it’s okay, Dustin. You don’t have to be perfect all of the time,” she said quietly.

“Don’t I?” he joked, but his throat felt weirdly thick.

“No.” Kate let out a little sigh. “I do appreciate you making my life easy and so does everyone in the head office but this is the first we’ve ever had to acknowledge your personal life. And I know it gets complicated when sexuality comes into play. You have every right to defend yourself.”

“I don’t even think it was Liz and Tad who had the issue with it,” Dustin admitted as he turned into his neighborhood. “They were asking the questions that have come up from fans.”

“Still …”

“I know. I’m just feeling guilty.”

“You’ve spent a long time building your media persona,” she said. “I mean, you were already trained long before you joined the team.”

Dustin nodded. It was true.

His father, Theo Fowler, had been an NHL player and captain of the Chicago Windstorm.

Once it had become clear Dustin would likely follow in his footsteps as a high draft pick, and as a player for a prominent franchise, he’d taught Dustin how to navigate the media.

Theo had gotten Dustin training, warned him of the dangers of saying the wrong thing to the wrong people, and taught him how to manage his social media. It had helped Dustin avoid so many potential missteps.

And while over the years people had sometimes called him bland and boring and said he had no personality, in a market like Toronto that blandness had served him well.

“I was well trained,” Dustin acknowledged, realizing they’d both fallen silent. “So I’m feeling guilty for veering off script.”

Kate let out a quiet chuckle. “You know, Dustin, when I realized who you were married to, I expected Charlie would be the one I had to worry about saying controversial things. Before his retirement from skating, he had a bit of a reputation.”

“Surprise!” Dustin joked as he turned into his driveway. “Now you have to worry about both of us.”

“I’m not though,” she said, sounding almost puzzled. “That’s what’s odd. I was worried this marriage would blow up in our faces but I feel much better now that I’ve met Charlie.”

“Even if I’m the one who’s going off half-cocked on podcasts now?” He hit the button for the garage door opener.

She chuckled but quickly grew more serious. “Honestly, I think fans will appreciate getting a glimpse of the real you, Dustin. While I absolutely understand your desire to remain private, and in general I encourage it, I think at times you went a little too far with it. I think marrying Charlie is the first thing you’ve ever done for yourself without thinking about how it would impact the team.”

And well, after that, all Dustin could do was thank her and put the car in park, thinking carefully about her words.

CHAPTER TWENTY

Charlie hummed quietly as he let himself into the house that evening. It had been a very good day at work. He’d met with Natasha and Jordan this afternoon about remodeling their downtown condo and he’d loved the ideas they had for their place.

But he stopped in his tracks at the sight of Dustin in the kitchen. Music was playing and he stood at the stove wearing low-slung shorts, no shirt, and a towel draped over his shoulder.

He danced a little as he stirred something and sang along. He was a good dancer but wow was he a bad singer. It made Charlie smile and he just watched for a few moments, enjoying the flex of the muscles in Dustin’s shoulders and the sway of his hips.

And that ass. Jesus.

Charlie mentally fanned himself. He didn’t top often but he was glad he’d made an exception for Dustin the other night. That had been hot as hell. He was only sorry it had been in the dark.

Next time he’d definitely have to get a long thorough look at Dustin taking his cock because wow.

Dustin turned to grab something off the counter and caught sight of Charlie. His entire face lit up. “Hey, kitten. How was your day?”

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