Page 31 of Gross Misconduct

“We will once you say you’ll try.”

I’d been thinking about Warde for a while. When Coach Anthony had told me he would be named alternate captain, a part of me wanted to tell Coach all the reasons why that was a shitty idea. I was so sure the A would go to his head and he’d drive the guys nuts, but watching Warde work with Ethan to lead the team had been surprising to see. In fact, I’d never tell Ethan this, but Warde was the natural leader of the two. Ethan could be more easily swayed by the other guys when Warde would dig in, but be fair about it.

Warde had changed, and I was pretty sure his time with Tangi had a hand in that. She’d worked with him during his knee injury, and he’d mellowed when he’d returned to the Kodiaks. And maybe, just maybe, some of the guys were intimidated by him. Warde was one of the few players I knew who came to the rink to play hard. I had to wonder if guys who weren’t so committed resented that, which would be pretty much the whole team.

“Fair enough. I’ll try. So back to you.”

“I’ve thought about therapy,” she said. “My friend Wolseley swears by it. Have I ever mentioned her? She’s a vegetarian chef who also specializes in vegan food.”

“Sounds delicious,” I said sarcastically.

“You should try it. And it is delicious. Anyway, she swearsby therapy, but I always thought I was fine. I’m not fine. I’m bitter.”

For so long she hadn’t shown any vulnerability, and it made me feel good that she could trust me. “Look, we are all fucked up in our own way, so don’t feel bad. And I think therapy is a great idea.”

We walked a mile or so, but it was getting dark, so we headed back to the car. I drove her home and as usual, walked her to her door.

“Do you want to come up for a bit?” she asked. Her blue eyes looked hopeful, but by the way my cock was reacting to the invitation, it was probably a bad idea.

“How about next time?”

“Sure,” she said, trying not to look disappointed. I felt like a shit, so I did the only thing I could think of and pulled her in for a kiss. She smelled of citrus and jasmine, and I wanted to kiss her forever. When she returned the kiss, I knew I’d made up for my screwup just a little.

I broke off the kiss and touched her lips. “We’ll talk later.”

“Yes,” she said breathlessly.

I waited for her to get into her building before heading back to my car. I checked my phone for the first time. I’d had it on vibrate while I was on my date with Jill. I scanned some texts and saw one from Taylor asking me to call him no matter the time. I phoned him on my short ride home.

“What’s up?” I asked.

“Nothing good, I’m afraid. I talked to Lex’s agent today. We know each other pretty well. Turns out the league is about to suspend him indefinitely. Something about gambling.”

“Oh shit. Well, that’s no secret. But what’s the big deal? Tons of guys gamble.” I thought of Ethan’s epic Rummy game. The winner got five grand. Was the league going to come down on him and myteammates for that?

“It’s not just gambling at the casino or on cards. They think he’s betting on games.”

Fuck. That was serious. “I knew he liked to gamble, but I would have never guessed he’d bet on games. I feel bad for the guy.”

Taylor cleared his throat, and I knew more was about to come, I had a feeling I wasn’t going to like it. “People are blaming you and his wife.”

My jaw dropped. “What!”

“It’s nuts, I know, but people need someone to blame, and everyone wants to see Lex as the good guy. The news of his suspension isn’t coming out until tomorrow, so I’m working on a statement. Obviously, it’s ridiculous to think that you would have anything to do with him betting on games, but that’s where we are. I just wanted to give you a heads-up. I’m going to let Dave know tomorrow. The Kodiaks should know about this.”

Just what the team needed. A distraction and something else to blame me about.

Chapter Sixteen

Jill

Dave was in my office first thing the next morning. I already knew why. I was still recovering from my super-hot kiss when Jeremy had called. I wasn’t even smarting from the fact he hadn’t come up to the condo. Maybe that was a good thing. What if things had progressed to something more than a kiss? I was not ready or interested in being another notch on Jeremy’s bedpost. When he’d called so quickly after leaving, I thought that he may have had second thoughts. Instead, he told me about Lex and his impending suspension and how everyone in Vegas was blaming Jeremy. How ridiculous.

“We have a situation going on. Lex Donnelly is going to be suspended by the league for betting on games. Normally, I wouldn’t give a shit, but for some reason, Jeremy and the Kodiaks are being dragged into this.”

“I know about it already, and I’m working on it.”

“You are?” The surprise was obvious on his face.