Page 38 of The Kiss Connection

I want him to be wrong. “I hate her,” I say, trying to reaffirm my position that Juniper and I are nothing. We’ve never been anything. We’ll never be anything.

We happen to be neighbors, which isn’t pleasant, but it’s not like I have to spend any time with her. We live two completely separate lives.

“Yes, you hate her because she scorned you. Want to know a secret about the kiss?”

I shift in my chair, pushing it back slightly. “No.” I swear he’s going to tell me how good it was, how she tasted, how she moaned when his tongue met hers, and I’ll want to kill him.

“I paid her, bro.”

“What?” All thoughts that I had previously simply disappear. That was not what I expected Archer to say to me. “You paid her?” My jaw drops and I glance over my shoulder at Juniper.

“She plays a mean game when it comes to negotiating. That two-minute tongue fest. One hundred thousand dollars.”

I can’t stop myself. Rage floods through all my senses. Heat is all I see. My eyes burn red, and fire takes over me. My fist is clenched. I yank it back and slam Archer in the face.

“You really fucked up.” Coach Malone blasts the crap out of me for my actions. The worst part is that an influencer managed to film me punching Archer and they sent it out on their socials.

It’s already at over thirty thousand views and it’s been up fifteen minutes. The comments are non-stop, as are the likes and shares.

What I did is going viral, and there’s no way to stop it. I’m on a train that isn’t slowing down, and I can’t even jump off.

Coach Malone has me cornered in a dark hallway between the bathroom and exit.

“I know.” I avoid his stare. Archer has an ice pack from the kitchen on his face. I’ve got one for knuckles.

“You think this is funny, kid?” It feels a bit like my old man yelling, Coach, but at least it’s not the owner of the Ice Dragons. I don’t know what he’d do if he saw the fight. He was in another room, and two of the guys on the team are keeping him off his phone and getting him liquored up for when he finds out.

“I don’t,” I say. It might be best if I didn’t answer him at all. Coach prefers to leave questions open-ended or where you think he’s expecting an answer, but your silence is what he prefers.

This seems like one of those times.

“You’ll be lucky if anyone pays so much as a cent for your ass on stage tonight. This is going to require some hardcore PR to fix.”

It’s no secret hockey players get into fights on the ice. But we’re expected to keep a level head off the ice.

“Don’t worry about the auction,” Conrad says from behind me. I didn’t even realize he was in the hallway with us. I assumed he was still handsy with Juniper, dancing with her real nice and close.

Shit.

If Juniper isn’t with Conrad, then where is she? Has she seen the video?

Grimacing, my hand throbs, but I ignore the discomfort. Archer’s got a nice bruise forming just below his eye.

“I don’t know what’s gotten into you, Myles, but it needs to stop. You’ll be lucky if the league doesn’t suspend you. Hell, I ought to bench you for unsportsmanlike conduct. I don’t give a shit that it’s off the ice, this is a hockey event; you’re here with the team. You represent the Ice Dragons. If you can’t live up to the expectations and responsibilities set forth in your contract, you’re not going to be with us for long. Is that clear?”

I don’t argue with Coach. He’s right. After being reamed for what feels like half the night, it’s suggested that I keep my head down, stay out of trouble, and get back to my table.

Archer has been moved to another table for the evening. Coach Malone is now joining us.

Well, fuck.

The fun is dead.

I guess I deserve that. The rest of the table won’t be so happy for the switch-up. Conrad’s lucky he’s not the one I decked.

Juniper barely looks at me. She sits perfectly straight; her hands tremble every so often. She appears nervous, but I’m unsure why. Is it because of me? Does she think I’m going to hurt her after I took a shot at Archer?

I open my mouth to tell her I’d never hurt a girl, but quickly shut it when Coach leans closer to me. “Archer told me why you went after him. Not saying I wouldn’t have done the same, but it would have been after the gala.”