Page 49 of He Has Charm (Boston Brawlers Hockey)
“Okay, if you must know, it’s because of you.”
Triumph fills my chest as if I’ve just scored the winning goal of the fucking Stanley Cup finals. I immediately bring it down a notch because that’s just batshit crazy. Not going there. Calm this shit down. What, am I now into rambling too?Jesus. I scrape my fingers through my hair and chill for a beat.
“I appreciate the thought. Nice to know we’re in this monastery deal together.” She smiles and nods.
“Yeah. Guess that’s the least I can do, keep you company being frustrated and miserable.” We both laugh at that and the air clears of some of that tension, leaving a sweet calm behind like the rink late at night after the game is over and everyone’s gone. The residue of excitement in the air is just enough to entice, but not enough to disturb your sleep later. After our eyes thoroughly connect like ravenous fools, drinking up all the satisfaction possible without touching, I look away first.
“Let’s see if I can cook a meal that will please you enough to make up for the other missing ingredients of our relationship.”
She lifts a brow. “I have to warn you. I’m a tough to please customer, all about perfection.” She gives me a mock stern look.
“Challenge accepted.” I take her hand and shake it. I’m reluctant to let her warmth go, but I do. Then I stand and leave to stow my things and change into an old T-shirt and sweats. When I return, I get to work checking the pantry for everything we need. We make a list of what we’re missing and she insists on going out to buy the items.
“Least I can do. You get busy prepping and doing whatever.” She waves a hand around the kitchen like a magic wand.
“I know you volunteered to go out because you don’t trust me in the wild without you,” I tease. “Afraid I may go off the rails on the way to the grocery store?”
She laughs and grabs her coat. I could live on that laugh. When she leaves, the crackle of energy and joy goes with her, which is strange. Because I could have sworn I was the fun one. I shrug off the idea that she might be an essential ingredient.
Finding an apron in the pantry, I put it on, smiling because it’s pink and it has the letters WWJCD? across the front in black with the fine print spelling it out.What would Julia Child do?Before I get any further there’s a knock at the front door followed by an insistent press of the doorbell. I check my watch and realize it’s my sister Katy. Shit.
I open the door and she launches into my arms. Lifting her from the ground, I swing her around and inside then put her down in the entry.
“How are you and that little bun you have in the oven?” She gets all giddy and dreamy-looking.
“Me and my bun are doing great, but shh, it’s still a secret.” Before closing the front door, I look around and don’t see her husband.
“Where’s that lucky bastard you call a husband?” She screws up her face in mock disgust.
“He had to work so I made my escape. Look at you all in pink. Are you cooking something for me?”
Before I can answer her, I hear the back door open and after a beat, Harper calls out, “I’m back with the ingredients and a surprise. Don’t try and get out of cooking now.”
Shit. Katy looks at me with wide eyes and flutters her eyelashes, stifling a laugh.
“Did I come at a bad time?” she stage whispers. She drops her bag in the entry and wastes no time marching toward the voice coming from the kitchen. I race ahead of her and block her entrance.
“My sister Katy got here early,” I say to Harper as if I’m guilty of something, as if I needed to prepare her, as if I needed to prepare Katy. Harper’s smile goes from pleasant to brilliant before turning wary. But that’s probably my fault because I’m behaving like an idiot with something to hide. Katy punches at my back and shoves me through the door because I let her, realizing I have nothing to hide.There’s absolutely nothing to see here.
“Hi, I’m Katy. And you are?”
“I’m Harper St. John, Maddox’s agent.” You would think she was welcoming Katy to a board room for a meeting with her poised professionalism showing in full force. Shit. Just when I was warming her up.
“Do agents always make house calls?” My sister half laughs as she takes off her coat, takes a stool at the counter, and gives Harper a good once-over while my poor agent, who I wish was my girlfriend in an alternate universe, let’s be honest, contemplates how the hell to answer that pointed question. Fuck.
“Long story,” I say. “Short answer is the Brawlers contract requires a handler and Harper is on duty. Which means she gets to be my roommate for the remainder of the season.” I hate giving Katy so much ammunition for endless teasing, so I’m not going into the details if I can help it. Too bad Harper didn’t get the memo.
“The Brawlers have tasked me with making sure Knight doesn’t get into any more trouble with women or—” Harper says helpfully, with that same formal warden voice, before I cut her off.
“They want me to keep my focus on hockey,” I say. Katy cracks up and points at me, shakes her head, and generally enjoys herself a great deal at my expense. I slide a look at Harper. She looks apologetic for a beat, but then she shrugs. I know she feels no obligation to tell anything but the truth. Katy finally calms down, blots the tears of hysteria from her eyes with a napkin, and smirks at me. The smirk is going to be like a tattoo on her face for the duration of her visit, I’m afraid.
“So you’re cooking to keep out of trouble, I take it?”
“Problem with that?”
“Yes,” Harper says. “I asked him to make spaghetti and meatballs.” She unloads the groceries and assembles the ingredients on the island. I remember she said something about a surprise.
“What was the surprise you brought?” I ask. She turns to me, unsure, poise gone, and I tell her with my eyes—hopefully—sending her the most intense reassuring stare I can—that whatever the surprise is it’s okay. I’m pretty sure it’s okay unless she brought home a sex toy—because that would be the biggest fucking surprise ever—and I can’t even say it would be an unwelcome one, even with my sister gawking. That’s how fucking far out of the friends-only mindset I am with her right now. Even after all my promises and good intentions and flat-out fear, she has me by the balls and confused as hell.
