9. Chapter Nine
Chapter Nine
Sarah
Wing Wednesday starts exactly the way it always does.
My phone buzzes at six-thirty.
??Sunshine
You coming down?
I stare at the text. My thumb hovers over the keyboard. We need to establish rules. Boundaries. Figure out what the hell we're doing before we're in public together.
Except public is exactly where we need to be. Public is safe. Public means we can't do anything stupid like ripping each other's clothes off again.
Yeah. Be down in a minute.
??Sunshine
Good.
I open my dresser drawer before I can overthink anything.
I definitely need a bra. And something other than Kevin’s hoodie.
I cannot show up looking like the Walk of Shame, Part 2.
I grab undergarments and clothing that is actually my own and throw them on, trying not to replay last night when Kevin ungracefully took everything off.
I grab my keys, take a deep breath, and try to convince myself that sitting next to Kevin will be totally normal.
The bar is already packed. Wednesday crowd in full swing. The back corner is chaos as usual — the team claiming their territory like they do every week.
Except tonight everything's different. No matter what I tell myself, sitting here tonight will not be normal. Because last night Kevin told me I was so beautiful, then said I was incredible and claimed me as his territory.
And I liked it. I liked it way too much.
Kevin sees me coming and something flashes across his face. Relief maybe. Or hunger.
Both. Definitely both.
I slide into my usual spot next to him and immediately can feel a call back to how he straight up imprinted on me last night.
His thigh presses against mine under the table. The same way it always does. Except now I know what that thigh feels like without jeans in the way. Know how it felt wedged between mine. Know the flex of muscle when he—
Stop it, Sarah.
"Hey," he says quietly.
His eyes scan my face — that defenseman read that misses nothing. His hand finds mine under the table before I can process what's happening. His thumb strokes my pulse point and I'm immediately wet.
This is a problem.
This is a "we need to talk immediately" problem.
"You okay?" he asks, voice low enough that only I can hear over the bar noise. I'm going to combust. Right here in this booth. Death by casual hand-holding.
"Sarah!" Tyler waves from across the booth before I can answer Kevin. "You missed the best road trip disaster. Graham got locked out of his hotel room in his underwear."
"I did not—" Graham starts.
"You absolutely did," Liam cuts in. "Security had to let you back in."
The table erupts in laughter and chirping. Nothing’s changed about Wing Wednesday but me.
So, it’s up to me. I can make this normal. I can sit here next to Kevin and pretend his hand isn't doing absolutely devastating things to my nervous system. Can totally pretend I don't want to climb into his lap right now in front of everyone.
Paige slides in next to Brett. Before she opens her menu, she looks up at me, smiles, catches my eye, and gives me That Look.
And Brett’s staring dead at Kevin. So yeah, he absolutely knows. Paige told him. Which now means, that in addition to me and Kevin, two other people at this table know we slept together.
Plus Lindy and Quinn when they get here, because they were in Paige’s office earlier.
Shit.
Okay, it’s still fine. As long as we keep the actual guys on the team in the dark, everything should be normal.
"Alright, what are we ordering?" Aiden asks, signaling for Jen. As soon as she steps our way, orders fly. Wings. Nachos. Burgers.
Kevin leans close. His breath is warm on my neck and I have to work really hard not to turn my head and kiss him. "You okay?"
"Fine. Tired."
"Didn't sleep much?"
There's a question under the question. I can hear it. An invitation to acknowledge what happened. To stop pretending. To acknowledge the conversation we should have had this morning.
"Four hours," I admit.
"Same." His thumb presses against my pulse. "Worth it though."
My breath catches. Did he just—
"So, Sarah," Paige says, and I look up to find her watching me with a smile that is absolutely nothing but trouble. "Lindy and I were talking more about the calendar after you left. We think it's going to get some serious attention."
"That's good." My voice sounds almost normal. Almost.
"Really good. Like, potential sponsorship interest good."
I straighten slightly, trying to focus on something other than Kevin's hand. "Sponsorships?"
"Pet supply companies. Dog food brands. That kind of thing." Paige's eyes are dancing. She's enjoying this. "Ranger's photos especially."
Kevin shifts beside me. "Ranger's getting sponsors?"
"Potentially. The kind with actual contracts. Actual money." Paige looks between us. "I even made some calls today. We're still working out details, but it could be significant."
The table's gotten quieter. Everyone's listening now.
Then Tyler's voice cuts through. "Wait. Your dog has a brand deal? Before me?"
The table erupts.
"The dog's been with the team less than two years and already has better endorsement potential than Crash's suicide wings," Josh says with the same matter-of-fact tone as always.
"Does Ranger have an agent?" Graham asks. "Can I get his contact info? Asking for a friend."
"This is the best thing that's happened all season," Brett's grinning at me and Kevin.
Kevin's laughing now, leaning back with a smile that absolutely does not make my panties melt. Nope. Not at all. "Pretty sure Ranger's Instagram engagement is higher than yours, Momo."
"That's—" Tyler checks his phone. "That's not… Okay, it's close but—"
"Face it, Momo. You got beat by a dog," Liam says.
"A very handsome dog," Aiden adds.
"With better brand recognition," Josh finishes.
The chirping continues. Kevin's giving as good as he gets. But his hand hasn't left mine under the table. His thumb keeps moving. And I'm acutely aware that we're in public and I want to climb him like a tree.
Food arrives. My usual chicken sandwich that Kevin ordered without asking. Aioli, not ranch. Sweet potato fries, extra crispy. Because he knows.
"How was the road trip?" I ask, trying to sound normal. Like I didn't watch every game. Like I didn't text him after each one. Like I didn't set up a recovery station in his living room and then proceeded to make everything infinitely more complicated.
"Long. Painful. Over." His voice is rough.
"Your shoulder?"
"Getting better." He rotates it slightly, wincing. "Quinn's got me on a strict wellness program to go with the things from the trainers."
"Which you'll follow religiously," Quinn interjects as she pulls out a chair and takes a seat at the far end of the table. "Or I'll bench you myself."
"Yes ma'am."
Midway through the meal, something shifts.
Paige goes pale. Completely pale. Her hand flies to her mouth.
"You okay?" Brett asks immediately, hand on her back.
"The wings," Paige manages. "The smell. I need—"
She's up and moving toward the bathroom before anyone can respond. Brett follows immediately. Quinn's right behind them, jumping straight into take-charge-doctor-mode.
"Is she okay?" Tyler asks, worried.
"Probably just the wings," Aiden says, but he's watching the bathroom door. "They're particularly aggressive tonight."
Lindy follows after Quinn and Paige, leaving just me and six professional hockey players.
The dynamic shifts immediately.
I'm very aware I'm the only woman at a table with Kevin and the guys. All of them watching me with varying degrees of interest.
"So, Sarah," Aiden says, leaning back with his Captain smile. "If Ranger's getting a sponsorship deal, that's pretty exciting."
"It is," I agree carefully.
"Could change things," Liam adds. He's got the same look as Aiden. "For the rescue. For you."
There's subtext I'm not catching but I can feel it circling like a shark.
"How so?"
"Well," Aiden exchanges a glance with Liam that confirms they definitely know something. "If Ranger's got a brand deal tied to the rescue, someone's got to manage that. Which means more time around the team. More time at games. More time with Ranger's dad."
Ohhh. Oh.
Oh fuck.
They know. They absolutely fucking know. But how? Kevin’s a very thoughtful person. He doesn’t kiss and tell. About anything. There’s no way he would have gossiped to them.
Paige? Lindy? Quinn? That doesn’t add up, either. They’d have probably gossiped among themselves — but they wouldn’t have run down to tell the guys. And besides, today’s an off-day. The guys weren’t even there.
My face is on fire. "More time working. It's a professional opportunity."
"Right," Liam says. "Professional."
Kevin's jaw is tight next to me. "Can we not—"
"Not what?" Aiden's all innocence. "We're just talking about Ranger's career opportunities."
"And how that affects Sarah's career opportunities," Liam adds.
"And how Sarah and Kevin will have to work closely together," Aiden finishes.
"Very closely," Liam agrees with a cocky grin.
I'm going to die. Again. Multiple deaths in one day should not be possible.
Actual death-by-chirping.
Kevin's hand tightens on mine under the table, jaw tight, holding back every word he wants to say.
Brett returns without Paige and begins to gather her things, signaling to Jen that he needs to close out their check. The table shifts back to normal chatter, and suddenly I’m hyper-aware that I need to get out of here before I combust.
“I’m going to head home,” I say, and then I immediately remember this is not the escape route I thought it was.
Because home is upstairs and Kevin always walks me up and I don't trust myself to be alone with him right now.
"I'll walk you—" Kevin starts, sounding exactly like what I want but definitely don’t need.
"Absolutely not," Liam cuts in, standing. "Sunshine, you're coming with us to Whistling Pig. Sticks and I need a third for darts and you owe me from last time."
Kevin's jaw tightens. "I should—"