Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 86105 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 431(@200wpm)___ 344(@250wpm)___ 287(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 86105 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 431(@200wpm)___ 344(@250wpm)___ 287(@300wpm)
In the locker room, guys are ripping off helmets, bumping gloves, yelling across stalls as tape balls fly. This chaos is usually my favorite noise.
But tonight it just feels loud.
Tanner slaps my back as he drops into the stall beside me. “You were zipping tonight, Grizz. Their d-men were shitting themselves every time you touched the puck.”
I grunt, pulling off my jersey. “I see everyone shit themselves when I touch the puck.”
He grins. “Modesty looks good on you.”
I shove him lightly with my elbow, but my mind’s already drifting toward a suite four levels up and a pair of sea-blue eyes I could feel on me even when I wasn’t looking.
I towel off, strip out of my gear, and hit the showers. I’m dressed in street clothes before half the team has even found their boxers. I need out of this locker room, so I can escape this eerie feeling crawling up my insides.
As soon as I shove my hair into place, a group of us heads toward the player exit—a line of suits, cologne, and unparalleled swagger. Everyone’s pumped because Julian is hosting a celebration dinner at Onyx. It’s exactly the type of restaurant normal people book three months out, but the kind where Julian writes a check so he can walk in without a reservation. For all I know, there’s a good chance he owns the place.
Outside, Manhattan is its usual shit show, horns blaring, people spilling out of bars wearing Vipers jerseys. A couple fans shout my name as I step onto the sidewalk. I lift a hand in acknowledgement but not much more.
Tanner gives me a sideways look as we depart. “You good?”
“Yeah.”
It’s a lie and he knows it, but he lets it go.
A convoy of black Escalades is parked at the curb, engines purring and ready to transport us. The first group piles in, and twenty minutes later, we pull up to Onyx. It’s truly the jewel of Tribeca with floor-to-ceiling windows, black stone exterior and a backlit bar.
The restaurant is bumping with low lighting and bursting with the scent of pepper, seared meat, and expensive Merlots. Half the place is already cleared for the team—private dining area cordoned off with velvet rope and staff standing at attention.
“VIPs in the back,” Tanner announces, tossing his jacket at a host.
I shake my head, half amused, half wanting to strangle him. Oh, Tanner.
As I step into the restaurant, I see her, my eyes drawn on instinct.
Daisy stands there looking more beautiful than ever, but what really catches me by surprise is that she’s not alone. I’m trying to figure out who the guy is she’s talking to.
He’s laughing, some easy, familiar sound, leaning slightly toward her as he hands off her coat to the hostess. His hand touches her back, light, casual, but I feel it straight away. Daisy laughs at whatever he says, and she does it in such a way that I can tell they’re close.
“You okay?” Tanner asks, appearing at my shoulder, following my stare.
“Fine.” A vein throbs at my temple.
Tanner’s eyes flick between the duo and me, and his eyebrows rise slowly. “Oooh. Interesting.”
“Shut up,” I snarl.
“Looks like your girl’s got options.”
“She’s not my girl.” The words are out of my mouth before I can even tag them as a lie.
“Mmm.” The skepticism rings loud.
The guy in question leans down and whispers in Daisy’s ear. She tilts her head toward him, smiling, and brushes his arm lightly, in a way I can tell she’s done many times before. It’s so natural, almost effortless, and that tiny movement detonates me.
“This is fucking stupid,” I mutter.
Tanner bites back a grin. “Jealous much?”
I turn and glare at him so hard he physically leans away. “Okay, okay,” he says, hands up. “Just observing.”
“Observe something else,” I warn, and then I’m walking somewhere, anywhere that might distract me. My strides are long enough that Tanner has to jog to keep up.
But everywhere I walk in this restaurant, I can see her in the corner of my eye with that fucking guy attached to her hip. I’m keenly aware of the way she moves and the way she listens to him so intently. What’s worse is the way this asshole looks at her with a sense of familiarity that sets my teeth on edge. A muscle twitches in my mouth with the beat of my pulse, which is running hot as the fury mounts.
Eventually, the rest of the team filters in, dispersing toward the private dining area. Daisy doesn’t see me yet—or maybe she does and she’s ignoring me. I can’t tell which one pisses me off more.
I’m painfully aware of the way jealousy coils within me, a feeling I’ve never experienced once in my entire life. No woman has ever been worth the emotion. But now I feel ready to snap and I’m barely hanging on to my control. This night is going to be a goddamn problem and I’m thinking, it might be best if I just stay away from her.