Chapter 23 #3
“It’s wonderful to meet you!” Marilyn says excitedly. “Coach, you know what this means, don’t you?”
“That you’ll finally leave Levon and Santo alone?” he asks. “We’re a pack now, no it won’t affect how much of an asshole I am to Levon on the ice, and yes he’s going to Human Resources tomorrow morning to tell them about the development. Did I miss anything?”
“Yes, I need my marketing opportunities, Coach. Caelia do you like kids or pets?”
Wide eyed, I pick up a piece of meat and pop it into my mouth so I won’t be able to talk. Miles’ warm hand sits on my crossed legs, and he begins to pull the material of my skirt up with his fingers. Smooth and sneaky.
“If I told you that she hates both of those things, would you let it go?” Miles asks as I hide a smile.
“I would be a little concerned if she hated both those things, and then ask if she could play hockey,” Marilyn says smoothly.
“Why would you ask that?” I ask, stealing the fork from Miles. The food is really good. If Marilyn wants to talk, it can be between bites.
“There’s a charity game taking place in a few weeks with some of our hockey players and their omegas,” Marilyn explains. “It’s—”
“What charity is it going to?” Miles asks. “This is the first I’ve heard of it.”
“Remember, I haven’t seen you to inform you of it,” Marilyn says smugly. Oh, she’s good.
“I’m alright on skates,” I shrug. Miles’ hand is now under my skirt and he pinches the inside of my thigh for the lie, making me jump.
“It’s going to the Nashville Holding Hands organization so that they can put it toward updating a community ice rink,” Marilyn says. “Since it’s for charity, I expect you to play. It’s not going to be too rowdy, since there are women on the ice.”
I can be as mean as the next person on the ice, but playing against huge hockey players definitely isn’t stacking the advantage on our side.
Miles also no longer plays competitively due to his back injury.
This is a big ask for me too. I haven’t played in years, and I’m not sure how I’ll feel on the ice with other people.
I don’t want to have a panic attack on the ice.
“We’ll think about it,” Miles says, squeezing my leg comfortingly. I’m sure he can only imagine the shit flying through my mind, and feels the emotions through the bond.
Santo is behind my chair in moments, a brownie in his hand to place beside me. I can feel his worry, his scent strong as he presses a kiss against my temple. He smells like chocolate from the brownies along with his usual icing scent. It works.
“Is everything okay?” he murmurs. “I see that Marilyn found her way here.”
“Santo!” she exclaims. “Can you ice skate?”
“No, not at all,” he chuckles. “Ironic, but I never learned.”
“Well, you’ll have to buy a ticket to the charity hockey game,” she says. “Talk to Miles and Caelia about it. I think your omega is dragging her feet a bit.”
“I don’t think my omega likes people enough to participate in an event like this,” Santo says. I mean, he’s not entirely wrong. “I know you want to work on the image of the team, but there are better ways.”
“Maybe, maybe not,” Marilyn says. “Let me know, Miles.”
It hangs like a threat as she leaves, and I wrinkle my nose. I’ve almost finished my plate of food, though I think I have some room for the brownie that Santo brought me. Taking a bite of my dessert, I struggle to muffle my moan.
“No sex noises while eating, please,” Miles chuckles. “If you don’t want to do the charity event, I’ll tell her. Marilyn knows everything about everyone. She has to know who your father is.”
“What does that mean?” Santo asks, sitting on the other side of me.
“It means that Caelia’s father is too hockey focused not to have taught his daughter how to skate and play the game,” he says.
“I was a terror as a kid,” I confess. “Skating helped with my energy. I would have made my dad insane otherwise. Add to that my temper, and it was a match made in heaven with hockey.”
“What temper?” Santo asks, confused.
It’s true, I don’t have as much of one now. “Exactly,” I tease him. “As a kid? My father gave me his temper at birth, I think. I’m much more mellow now.”
“Mellow may be going too far,” Miles says. “I don’t know about you on the ice, babe.”
“I don’t either,” I say honestly. “It could have been the mixture of my medication and the crush of people that set off my anxiety the last time I attempted to skate in public, but I won’t really know unless I try.”
“Well, I think we need to experiment with that before putting you in a high pressure environment like a game,” Santo adds.
“Go ice skating with Levon and I,” Miles suggests, his gaze heating as he watches me finish my brownie. “God, you and chocolate are a religious experience, Baby Girl.”
“Not here,” Santo rolls his eyes. “You cock blocked me earlier, so watch where your hand goes, Miles.”
“Fine. What do you think, Caelia?” he asks.
“About your hand?” I ask, taking the bottle of water that Levon drops off at the table before moving on. That was really sweet.
“Skating, and thanks Levon,” Miles calls after him.
“I’m down as long as it’s not really busy,” I decide.
“Go during the day, while kids are in school,” Santo says.
“Under that condition, I’ll go skating with you,” I say.
“I will watch and drink hot chocolate,” Santo smirks. “I know my limits, and I’m not coordinated enough for skating.”
“Fair,” I giggle.
“Okay, now it’s time to show you off,” Miles sighs, standing. “Take your water. I still think you’re not drinking enough.”
“Yes, Alpha,” I purr, capping my water as I stand as well.
“You’re so in for it,” he mutters, his orange scent getting heavier around me.
“But not yet,” I giggle, twitching my skirt to make sure it’s not bunching at all. Grabbing my hand, he reaches for the plate, but Santo beats him to it.
“I got it,” Santo says. “I need to check the kitchen anyway. I have more batches of brownies in the oven.”
“Save us a pan of brownies?” Miles asks. “If they made Caelia moan, they have to be good.”
Santo merely nods with a grin as Miles leads me across the back yard to meet everyone. I get a lot of surprised glances from people, though Rhett looks like he has questions he wants to ask. I’m sure it’s innocent, but I still stick close to Miles.
His arm immediately wraps around me, helping me relax against him. I may be getting better about meeting new people, but it’s a work in progress.
“Why are you eying my girl like that, Rhett?” Miles growls, pulling Rhett out of his musings.
“What?” Rhett asks. “Oh. It’s just odd that she’s a rival coach’s daughter, is all.”
“You mean like the way that you failed to defend against the Dragons so Troy could slip past you at the last game?” I ask, pulling from my memory. “I don’t have to sabotage this team because you do it for yourself.”
“Caelia also lost her job because the owner of the Dragons thought that she was feeding team secrets to me,” Miles says, his voice low and dangerous. “Are you going to make her life difficult, Rhett?”
“No…no, sir. Ah, fuck. No, Coach,” he babbles. “You also weren’t watching the game that closely, Caelia? All I remember is how your face was buried in your phone.”
“I used to create content for the Dragons,” I explain. “I’m now unable to do any of that because of my contract.”
“The owner of the Dragons is currently being sued for calling Caelia some pretty unfavorable names before he fired her,” Miles grumbles.
I know that my bite marks are healing and on display on my body, and Rhett’s gaze keeps darting to them.
“So this is for real,” he grunts.
“As real as forever gets,” I reply.
“She’s not going anywhere,” Miles says. “Since she lives here, how about giving her some more respect than you would a puck bunny? I can guarantee, Caelia has a pretty low tolerance for hockey players.”
“Hate them,” I mutter.
“Didn’t I see you hugging Levon?” Rhett asks, confused.
“You did,” I say. “It’s very different when fate gives you a hockey player as a scent match. Outside of that? I hope you fall on the ice and break your tailbone.”
“That sounds like a curse,” Rhett complains.
Miles can’t stop laughing. It’s raw, honest, and booming; gaining the attention of others around us.
“You’re going to give him a complex,” he wheezes. “Please don’t hiss at him.”
“I’ll try not to,” I promise, loving the way he pulls me closer to kiss me.
Everyone is staring at us as we come up for air, and my alpha doesn’t give two flying fucks. The rest of the team dinner, he keeps me tucked against him, refusing to share with Levon and Santo.
This is his show, we’re just following his lead.