Page 77 of Ice King

He shook his head, glancing at Assistant Coach Reynolds, who took over the conversation.

“Did something else happen, Ford? Off the ice?” Coach Reynolds wasn’t nearly as gruff as Coach Stryker, but he was still condemning me. I could tell.

“Nothing that means a damn thing,” I retorted, unable to hide my growing fury.

“Then you won’t mind having Dr. Thompson do a quick exam. Will you?”

“What? That’s not needed. You don’t?—”

“Do not do that, Ford,” the coach interrupted. “I’ve heard all the crap about your anatomy from a dozen fucking wolves. Okay? Now, I might not be a doctor, which is why this man is standing here, but what I do know is that shifters have bones and muscles and they bleed the same color of red. Maybe you do have somespecial healing qualities, but I refuse to risk your life to test out that scenario. So you are going to sit on that goddamn table and allow the doctor to check you over. If he says you’re in no danger of puncturing your lung, then fine. However, if he says there’s even a slight chance, then you are not playing tonight.”

“You can’t do that!” Oh, my God. She’d betrayed me. I’d trusted Georgia and she’d betrayed me. How could she do that?

“Yeah, I can and I will. If you’re not going to take care of yourself, then…”

“She did this. She thinks she’s some goddamn doctor when she’s not.”

“She?” he threw back. “You mean a woman who for some crazy reason cares about you and wants to ensure that you actually might have a future not only in the sport but keeping a blood clot from going to your brain? If you’re blaming her for caring, then there is something very wrong with you.”

I’d never seen the coach so fired up.

I shook my head several times, realizing there was no way out of this. So I ripped off my shirt and moved to the table. “There’s nothing fucking wrong with me. I’ll show you.”

CHAPTER 17

Georgia

“Why are you so nervous?” Roxanne asked, obviously noticing I was pacing the cold hallway.

Or maybe my blood had just turned to ice because of anxiety. “Because I had to do something that won’t make me very popular.”

“Uh-oh. What did you do?”

When I didn’t answer, instead pressing my hand against my head, she pulled me into a room, partially closing the door. We were at the arena and I had no idea how the coach was going to handle what I’d told him, but the decision was in his hands and not mine.

And the guilt was eating me alive.

I leaned against the wall, fighting with myself and an innate knowledge that Ford shouldn’t play tonight. I’d witnessed the brutal pain on his face when I’d walked in on him. There was nodenying his scheme of sex making everything better just a ploy. I had to give him credit anyway.

“Ford likely has a broken rib. He was in a fight a couple days ago. I don’t know the details other than he was… defending me. Anyway, I thought he was better, but he stands a chance of piercing his lung. A single slap from a hockey stick or God forbid he’s boarded again, and he could have a medical emergency within seconds.”

“Whoa. You know this how?”

I couldn’t believe I was admitting the truth. I’d had my new life for two weeks and I was fucking it up. “Ford and I have gotten closer. I know it’s against the rules and I could endanger his career, but something just happened and we clicked.” I stopped there to allow her time to absorb the news and time to rake me over the coals.

I didn’t expect her laughter. “Girl, we all know you two are a thing. Did you honestly think you could sneak around like you two have been doing? You light up a room when you’re together. My goodness, the electricity the two of you fire up could keep the arena lit. And that trench coat was sexy but come on.”

The flare of heat on my face was suffocating. “Oh, God. Everyone knows.”

“The internet knows. Apparently, you’ve been ignoring social media all day. After the local news highlighted your tirade against that bitch, you’re the darling of Seattle. And with celebrity comes hatred from puck bunnies.”

“Shit,” I whispered, my nerves prickling. What if Hoffman had seen the news? No, I was across the country and he wasn’t on social media. Like ever.

Roxanne shifted her hips back and forth. “However, I’m not talking about your relationship or social standing. I’m talking about the fact that you obviously have medical training that goes way beyond being a massage therapist. Don’t try and lie to me.”

“Your father didn’t tell you about my background?”

“No. I already said he would keep your secret until he dies. I gathered you came from something abusive, but that’s me just playing guessing games. I figured if you trusted me, you’d share when you were ready.”