He watches me for a long moment. “Good.” He sets his phone down. “You mention this to Hazel yet?”
“Nope.”
“Are you going to?”
“I don’t know.” If she doesn’t feel the same way, it’ll ruin everything we have. “It’s fake to her.”
We stare at the TV for a beat. “At least give her the option of rejecting you instead of doing it yourself.”
There’s a long, low whistle, and I look up to see McKinnon standing over us, watching the TV.
“Too bad,” he says as they show my goal stats this season compared to previous years. “Maybe if you spent more time training and less time crying and jerking off to pictures of Hazel, your stock wouldn’t be crashing.”
If Hazel said the thing about me crying and jerking off, I’d laugh, but because it’s her fuckface ex, I just stare at him, territorial anger simmering inside me.
“Need something, McKinnon?”
Streicher gives McKinnon a cold, intimidating stare, but McKinnon ignores it, dropping into the seat across from us.
“Nope.” He smirks, eyes red and bleary. “I can see the appeal of it, though.” He slurs like he’s drunk. Thank fuck Ward took pity on me and gave me my own room for this leg of the trip.
“What are you talking about?” Streicher’s tone is flat and unimpressed.
Connor just smirks right at me. “Miller will find out soon enough.” He catches the attention of a passing server. “Get me another beer, would you?”
My fist clenches with irritation before I give the server an apologetic look. “Thank you,” I tell her before shaking my head at him. “Use your fucking manners, McKinnon. Don’t make the team look bad.”
He scoffs, leaning back in his chair and staring at the server’s ass as she walks away. “She’s fine. She likes me. If you give them too much attention, they get clingy.” He burps into his fist. “But if you leave them wanting more, they work harder for your attention.” His gaze swings to me, eyes full of hate. “It worked for Hazel.”
Even as protective rage roars through me, I keep my expression relaxed and amused. “She’s moved on, and you should, too. It’s getting sad.”
Fucking asshole.
McKinnon winces and makes an exaggerated pained noise. “My groin sure is sore after the game,” he says, grinning at me. “I’ll need Hazel to work on it all week.”
The simmering rage in my veins boils over, and I clench my teeth so hard my molars hurt. “Watch it, McKinnon.”
His drunk smile pulls higher, and my blood pounds. Thank fuck Hazel isn’t around to hear this.
I lean in so only he and Streicher can hear me. “If you make her uncomfortable, I will fucking end you.”
My teeth grit. I’ve never hated someone the way I hate this guy.
McKinnon widens his eyes, pretending to be scared. “Wow. Someone’s got it bad.” He laughs to himself, and the sound makes me sick. “You always did have a thing for my girl, didn’t you?”
His arrow hits me right in the chest, and anger rolls through me like a storm.
“She’s not your girl,” I say in a low, deadly voice, on my feet with my fists clenching and my shoulders tight. “Hazel is mine.”
“Like I said.” His eyes glitter with ugly condescension. “You’ll see.”
On the edge of control, I drag in a deep breath and look around, making eye contact with Ward across the bar with the other coaches. The goalie coach is talking, but Ward watches us with interest.
I’m the captain, and if Hazel were here, she’d encourage me to be the guy Ward thinks I can be.
“Drink some water, McKinnon.” I nod good night to Streicher and he lifts a hand as a goodbye.
In the elevator, I pull in deep breaths, letting them out slow. Fuck, I hate that guy, but what I said about Hazel being mine?
It was the truth.
I scroll through our texts, all the fucking incredible photos she’s sent me over the past week. Hartley’s body is a dream, with smooth curves, swells of cleavage, the gentle dip of her hips—even her collarbones are gorgeous. She has a freckle right over her left breast that I think about licking every time I get a photo where it’s visible.
That she feels hot and desired while taking these photos is what makes me hard, though. Thoughts of McKinnon and my dad fade away as I send her another one.
Her response comes immediately.
It’s a picture of her on her front, hair falling forward and breasts against the duvet. The soft curve of her ass is visible, and need flows through me, making my balls tighten.