That I like her and want to keep her.
I’m stunned by how quickly the thought forms. But I can’t say that in front of Alia and freak her out. Hell, I can’t say it out loud period. We’re fooling around and, unless something changes, I’m in no position tokeepher.
Maybe it’s because I made her orgasm, because she trusted me with her needs last night and showed me so many broken and damaged pieces of her confidence, that I feel so protective of her this morning.
I throw an arm around her shoulder and shrug. “We’re friends, and we made a choice. It’s no one’s business except ours.”
Theo almost croaks, snapping at me immediately. “Not when it affects the team, Finnigan!”
“Theo.” He turns toward Alia whose sweet eyes are so wide and glimmering with guilt, that he groans, shaking his head.
“No, no, no,” he complains. “You can’t give me those puppy eyes! We’re dead meat if Moore finds out you two are sweep-checking each other into bed!”
“What does that mean?” she asks innocently and, despite having just been caught, I can’t help but snort. She’s so fucking cute, it kills me.
“I’ll teach you the hockey terms later, Tots. Every possible meaning.” I wink, enjoying her blush at the innuendo.
“No!” Theo snarks, folding his arms across his chest. “There will be noteachinghappening. I hated school for a reason. This isn’t helping.”
Like a frustrated tiger who’s suddenly found himself faced with an adorable but willful cub, Theo stops blustering when Alia reaches out and places a hand on his arm.
“I’m sorry it’s so distressing to you,” she says. “We never meant for anyone to find out and I. . . I hope you don’t think badly of me.”
“You’re not the one I’m thinking badly of.”
He glares at me and I shoot him a sheepish grin. I understand how this looks to him. I even understand his worry about how this could affect team dynamics. It’s why I’d tried to stay away from Alia in the first place.
“It wasn’t Cal’s idea. It was mine.” Alia steps in between us, shielding my body behind hers. Her arms curl backward protectively. Theo is as tall as me, with muscles built to withstand pucks shot at him at 90 mph. The man is a tank and Alia is not. Still, her willingness to defend me heightens my need for her. I want to throw her on the bed and thank her by sinking deep into her. My hands settle on either side of her hips while she continues to address Theo.
“I know Ro’s protective but this is for me.Iwant this. I like and trust Cal. I know I can’t force you to keep my secrets but, as my friend, I hope you can.”
“Why don’t you tell Moore you’re dating?”
“We’re not dating.”
The smile on my face slips, but I recover quickly. I don’t like hearing it, but she’s been honest about what this is.
“Alia!”
“You’ve slept with women you’re not dating, haven’t you?” she retorts. “Puck bunnies, I believe you call them?”
To my immense amusement, Theo turns beet red. He points at her with a trembling finger, sputtering, “You don’t understand what a sweep check is but puck bunnies you know?”
I guffaw, wishing I had a camera recording this. Who’d have thought Alia would bring down Novak like this?
Actually, I did. Life may have torn her apart, but the unmistakable fire of resilience had always simmered underneath her unassuming surface.
“I’m a puck bunny now,” she declares with more passion than I expect. “I’m fooling around with Cal so that makes me a puck bunny.”
“No!” I snap, even as Theo whips his head from left to right, his expression like a distraught father learning that his precious daughter owns g-strings that don’t cover either ass-cheek.
“Puck bunny isn’t a nice term,” he croaks, looking nauseated.
“Then why do you use it?” Alia’s question is genuine, but it leaves us both floundering for a response.
“The connotation is that they are. . . promiscuous.” I cringe as the word leaves my mouth, but even more when Alia’s head swivels to gawk at me.Oh, she’s not impressed. Shit.
“Promiscuous,” she enunciates in a tone that dares me to repeat it at the risk of getting smacked. “You mean, like the two of you?”