“For a hundred thousand dollars.”
“No.”
“For a lifetime supply of chocolate, flat rate.”
“Tempting, but no.”
“Okay, for staying out of the press for five years.”
“Oh, please, Leon, you wouldn’t be able to do that if you were dead and buried!”
“You may be right, but, Lucy, you have to meet me halfway!”
She laughed loudly. “No, I don’t.”
“Well, it would be nice of you. But fine, then… A Lamborghini?”
“No.”
“A trained bear.”
“What?”
Leon clicked his tongue and folded his arms. “Come on, everyone wants a trained bear.”
“And you know a dealer who sells them?” Lucy asked incredulously.
The defender scratched his chin and leaned against the boards. “Not exactly, but I would find one if…”
“Please, don’t bother, Leon!” she interrupted, alarmed, sending white clouds of her breath up in the ice rink. The player caused more scandals than Dax. She didn’t want to be forced to babysit again, even though it had ended well last time…
As if she had summoned him with that thought alone, Dax appeared next to her and put his arm possessively around her shoulders. “Say, what are you two doing here? What are you talking about? Why were you laughing? I thought we all had to be on the ice for that stupid group photo.”
Lucy grinned. He was cute when he was jealous. “Oh, just super uninteresting things. Leon just wants to know what my price is so I’ll consider sleeping with him, now that I’m obviously dating hockey players,” she stated happily.
“He did what?” Dax’s voice grew louder as he abruptly dropped his arm and stepped forward. “Leon, what the…”
“Get a grip!” the other player said, annoyed, and waved him off. “She wouldn’t sleep with me even for a trained bear — she must really love you! That’s the most depressing information I’ve ever received. Such a waste.”
“What’s a waste?” asked Matt, who had emerged from the tunnel behind them. “The group photo?”
Lucy sighed. “The group photo is a tradition.”
“The law that women are the property of their men is also tradition,” Dax muttered.
“Hey!” She elbowed him angrily. “Whose side are you on?”
“Not the group photo,” he explained matter-of-factly.
Matt chuckled softly. “I thought now that you are with Lucy, it was your duty to support her in her job.”
Dax peered down at her in dismay. “That’s not true, is it?”
She rolled her eyes. “Of course it’s true! You’re my boyfriend, you’re practically obligated to go out on the ice cheerfully and tell your teammates to smile into the camera. Especially Moreau! Otherwise, he looks like a hitman.”
“But that’s Fox’s job,” Leon interjected. “He can’t take the captain’s job away. He’d be a spoilsport.”
“I hate to say it but Leon’s right,” Dax agreed seriously. “You can’t use me to force the others to behave. That wouldn’t be fair.”
She frowned in mock seriousness. “So, you don’t want to keep sleeping with me?”
“Oh, that’s a low blow,” Matt muttered.
“And blackmail,” Leon chimed in. “Dude, Dax, I have a good lawyer I can recommend to you.”
“Leon, why are you still standing here?” she asked with a sigh.
“Because I wanted to ask Matt if that’s a hickey.”
Everyone immediately turned to Matt, who blushed and pressed a hand against his neck. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Wait.” Lucy raised her hand. “I thought you were out with Maddie yesterday?” Her sister had canceled on her yesterday because of it! “Does that mean…no!”
“No!” Matt exclaimed, shocked. “No, no. For God’s sake. Maddie and I are just friends. We wouldn’t…” He narrowed his eyes and shook his head as if the mere thought was difficult for him. “Yes, I was out with her, but the hickey isn’t from her!”
“Then who gave it to you?” Dax asked.
“Someone else!”
“You left Maddie alone?” Lucy concluded in disbelief.
“She wanted it that way!” Matt replied and shrugged. “She practically chose the woman for me.”
“She…what?” Lucy didn’t understand.
Matt sighed. “It doesn’t matter. Come on, Leon, the team photo is waiting for us.” The next moment he pushed the young player by the shoulders onto the ice, where three quarters of the team were milling about.
Lucy watched him with her mouth open. “Maddie chooses women for Matt?”
“I’ve heard crazier things,” Dax stated, unimpressed. “But I’m not surprised. I thought…there might be something going on between your sister and Matt.”
“What?” She opened her eyes in shock. “No! Maddie wants to get married and have kids, and Matt wants fun. They would be a disaster together. It’s good they’re only friends.”
Dax grinned. “For a while there, you thought that it would be good if we were just friends.”
“A very short while,” she defended herself. “Now, back to getting everyone to smile pretty…”
He snorted. “I’m not going to be your little go-between, Lucy, just so we’re clear,” he whispered, gently cupping her face.
She smiled. Well, she’d see about that. “But you will behave from now on, right? Be good and polite to everyone so that the newspapers have to write about what an angel you are?”
“I don’t know. Sometimes you like it when I don’t behave,” he whispered, tugging at her earlobe with his teeth. “How am I supposed to know when it bothers you that I’m mean and rude and not polite at all — and when you enjoy it?”
Heat gathered heavily in her abdomen. “Um…well…so…”
“Yes?” he asked, gently kissing the spot behind her ear, her neck…
“Dax, stop!” she said breathlessly. “Leslie’s coming, you have to let go of me.”
“But I like touching you.” He ran his hands down her sides.
She laughed. “I know! But we signed that form about being professional at work.”
“Ah.” He pulled his head back to look at her. “Did I understand correctly: Leon can promise you a trained bear for sex — but I can’t kiss you in front of everyone?”
“Yes. Exactly. You have it exactly right.”
“There are a lot of rules I’m going to have to learn, aren’t there?”
“I’m afraid so. But I hope…they’re worth it?” She looked up at him uncertainly.
Dax smiled broadly, making her heart melt like chocolate in the sun. “I know they are,” he whispered, brushing his lips against hers as lightly as a feather before joining the other players on the ice.
The photo was a disaster, but at least Dax smiled at her the whole time…
Sierra Lewis 