The Penalty Box (Vancouver Wolves Hockey #3)(17)

“If you humiliate me by dating while we are married, I reserve the right to leave.”

A muscle ticked in his cheek. “If you cheat on me, I reserve the right to sleep with you.”

What the hell?

Thoughts of sleeping with him made my heart jackhammer in my chest. “That’s just stupid,” I stammered. “Why would you even say that?”

His jaw tightened as he looked me over. He felt strongly about this. “If you’re wearing my ring, you’re mine. Not to be touched by anyone.”

You’re mine. Those two possessive words shot a dirty thrill up my spine. Was that why I was attracted to him? Could I sense his inner barbarian? Why did I even like that? “That archaic response isn’t even about me. It’s about other men.”

He shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. It’s how I feel.”

What did it say about me that I wanted to be his? I tried to cover up. “It’s stupid.”

“Then don’t sleep with anyone.”

“I’m not going to sleep with anyone. Including you,” I said emphatically, more for my own benefit.

That declaration didn’t even faze him. Which brought me to my next concern. “How are you going to convince the world you fell for me?”

“That’s a non-issue.”

“What does that mean?”

“I’m a guy, remember?”

His response didn’t come close to answering my question.

“So, if we go through with this, how does this work?”

He looked grim. “We get hitched.”

I knew at that moment we were making a huge mistake, but I wanted this. I knew he didn’t, but the idea of living in such close proximity to him for a year was more than alluring. “Okay, I’ll tell Krista in the morning.”

He didn’t even respond. He simply turned around and left my apartment.





*



My hands shook as I texted Jasper.

Me: I’m getting married!!!

Jasper: Shut the front door.

Me: I AM GETTING FAKE-MARRIED TO MICA THE SAVAGE!

Jasper: Holy crap.

Me: Right?

Jasper: I know you deny your mad crush on him, but is this REALLY a good idea?

No, it was a terrible idea. But wild horses couldn’t stop me from going through with this.

Me: He’s paying me a lot of money.

Jasper: How much?

Me: Enough to become debt-free.

Jasper: We can work with that. How are you feeling?

I felt excited. And scared and thrilled. Secretly, I was so thrilled.

Me: Freaked out.

Jasper: I’m just about to board a flight. Can I call you tomorrow?

Me: Yes!

Jasper: You need a game plan. I’ll call you tomorrow.

Me: Love you.





Chapter 6





MICA





The Wolves had publicly announced my suspension and everyone seemed to feel the need to call me. I spent the morning scrubbing the kitchen and cleaning up the remains of my living room furniture while avoiding the barrage of phone calls and texts that were blowing up my phone.

Overwhelming restlessness pushed me to get into my car and go for a drive. After four hours of highway driving, I rolled into Kelowna. I drove to one of the provincial parks that bordered the Okanagan Lake and, on a whim, went for a walk through the pine forest and along the shore. After my walk, out of boredom, I stopped at one of the local vineyards and bought two cases of wine. Then I sat alone at a restaurant bar for dinner, careful to keep my face away from the hustle of the restaurant. I debated staying overnight, but once I was back in my car, the long stretch of highway driving tempted me. Being alone in my car was the one thing that still felt normal.

It was late when I got to my house. A house that no longer felt like home. It felt broken, like it had been in a fight and lost. I scrolled through dozens and dozens of messages, finding a couple of texts from Ryan. I wished I had called him earlier, but now it was too late. The guy was one of my closest friends, and I had been pushing him away just like everyone else. I promised myself I’d call him tomorrow.

My mind was alert, but my body felt fatigued. I crawled into bed and realized what I craved. I wanted sex. Mindless hot sex. I didn’t want to jerk off. I wanted the soft warm flesh of a woman beneath me.

Get used to it, I told my dick. You’ve got a long year of celibacy ahead of you.





*



I had just fallen asleep when my phone buzzed with another call. Disgusted that no one seemed capable of taking a hint, I lifted my phone to turn it off.

Missed call from Charlie Watts

It was after 2:00 in the morning. Why was she calling me so late? Sheer curiosity made me push the redial button.

“Hello?” her voice cracked.

My voice was harder than I intended. “You called?”

Her voice wobbled. “I’m sorry to bother you so late, but I didn’t know who else to call.”

I leaned over and turned on my bedside lamp. “What’s wrong?”

“I tried calling Krista, but her phone is off.”

“Charlie, what’s wrong?”

Her voice hitched. “My house burned down. They think it’s arson.”