Page 12 of Shootout
“You’re an asshole.”
“Thank you. I try my best. I had no idea you were that Jessie.”
“If I’d had hockey skates and the right stick, I’d have kicked your ass.”
“You almost did,” I conceded. I was surprised by how hot I found it that she might’ve beaten me. “You’re a legend in women’s hockey.”
She ducked her head as if embarrassed before lifting her gaze with a smirk. “And you’re a legend in men’s hockey, and I’m not talking about just on the ice.”
I shrugged. My antics on and off the ice were legendary. What could I say? I enjoyed myself. Nothing wrong with that.
“Want to play a prank on Jason?” Her eyes glinted in a way that made me nervous, yet grateful she didn’t seem angry at me.
“Didn’t we already do that?” I assumed we’d go back inside and tell him the kiss was a joke, and that’d be that, other than his most likely hating me all the more for participating in making him look like a fool in front of the entire team. Unfortunately, explaining our shower encounter without getting murdered would be more difficult.
“I think we should take it to the next level.”
My eyebrows shot upward as my filthy mind imagined the next level.
“Not that level,” she growled.
I frowned and sighed, giving her a pouty face. Jessie snorted; her brilliant smile lit up her face. She’d been beautiful naked, but that smile spread beams of warmth through my entire horny body and woke up my not-so-sleeping giant.
“Are you going to help me prank him or not?” she pushed.
“More than we already have?” Talk about playing with fire, but I was intrigued.
“Yes.”
Get the best of Wild twice in one day? She’d just made me an offer I would never refuse. I grinned. “What do you have in mind?”
“Just follow my lead.” She winked and grabbed my hand, leading me back to the bar. I had no clue what she planned. If I was smart, I’d run the other way, but I didn’t. At this point, I’d follow her anywhere.
Hand in hand, we strolled toward the table. Several sets of eyes watched us approach. A couple guys moved over to make room for us between Vick and Wild, which I’d have preferred they hadn’t. Grabbing a few chairs from a nearby table, I squeezed them into the open space. Jessie sat next to her brother, and I sat next to Vick. He arched a questioning brow, and I shrugged.
“That was so much fun. Thank you.” Jessie leaned into me and clutched my arm, gazing up at me adoringly as if I were the most important man on earth. That girl could act. I was impressed. I played along, hoping my performance came close to matching hers. All the while, I felt the burn of Wild’s anger sizzling around us.
“Great fun.” I smirked, ignoring the surprised glances around the table.
Wild shifted on his stool and cleared his throat, visibly reining in his famous temper. “Did you two know each other before you both moved here?”
I waited for Jessie to answer. “We met in Seattle a month ago after Banks had been traded, and I was in town for a job interview.” Her smile was innocent, yet not. “We spent a whirlwind week together and kept in touch for the next month. You were out of town. I had to find a way to entertain myself, and Banks is incredibly talented at entertaining me.”
Wild ground his jaw so hard I waited for it to shatter. “Why is today the first I’m hearing of this?”
“Why wouldn’t it be?” she shot back. “I don’t tell you everything, big brother. In fact, I barely tell you anything.”
Wild grimaced and cringed slightly as if her words had struck a nerve. I wisely kept my mouth shut. “But you didn’t know she was my sister?” His accusing glare swung back to me. I flickered my gaze to Jessie, but she didn’t come to my rescue. Great, I’d have to wing it and hope Wild bought our story.
“I did, but I figured it was safer to play dumb, considering how tight you and I are.” My sarcasm wasn’t lost on the man. He grimaced as if he were in pain.
“We both know how you feel about Banks and wanted to keep this quiet as long as we could,” Jessie supplied more info.
“Until Geneva blew our cover and caught us in a moment of—” I stopped when Jessie’s eyes flashed fire before she regained her composure and smiled sweetly at me.
“It wasn’t exactly that. Nothing like it.”
Wild’s expression was skeptical. Time to end this convo that’d get me nowhere but deeper on his shit list. I turned my attention to Vick to discuss our earlier practice.
