Cage's Misconduct (NHL Scorpions #3) by Nikki Worrell Read Free Book Online Page B

baby brother watches that stuff.” She shook her finger at Crystal, too. “And you! Don’t you have nightmares?”
    “No.” She answered that too quickly.
    “No?” It sounded to me like Crystal was as afraid to watch them as Zoe, but she loved her time with Aiden and Gary, so…
    Vlad didn’t think they were much different than Zoe, either. “I think they all have nightmares. That’s why the three of them wind up sleeping under the table in their ‘fort’. Who do they think they’re kidding? They don’t stay to comfort Crystal—Crystal is the adult there.”
    We all got a laugh out of that, including Crystal. “They do squeeze my hands at the really scary parts.” Her cheeky smile made us all laugh again. “Boys aren’t as brave as they pretend to be.”
    “Speaking of boys, I’m gonna run. I want to grab a hot dog and a beer before I go out and wait for Cage.”
    “Ah, so that’s why you insisted on driving yourself.” Zoe nudged me with her elbow and wiggled her eyebrows. “Caving in on the party boy, are you?”
    I pushed her back with a snort. “No.” Maybe not my most convincing argument. “We’re just friends.”
    “Sure. Well, you kids have fun.”
    I watched the Bejsiuks ride down the escalator as I stood in line for my food, thinking once again how nice the three of them looked together.
    By the time I got to the parking lot, I was sporting a nice yellow mustard stain on one breast and a wet spot on the other from my spilled beer. Awesome.
    ***
    Cage
     
    Karen was standing at the fence line with the fans who were waiting for autographs after the game when I stepped out of the arena. Her mere presence made my heart lighter, and I couldn’t help the satisfaction I felt at seeing her there waiting for me.
    I signed autographs and accepted congratulations for the win while Karen waited off to the side.
    “I’ll be right with you, Karen.” She casually strolled around the fringes of the crowd, smiling at me whenever I caught her eye.
    When the crowd finally dwindled down to the diehards who waited for me to be mostly done so that they could grab a few minutes of conversation, Karen approached.
    I couldn’t help but notice the marks on her shirt. And where they had fallen. “Have some trouble tonight there, darlin’?”
    She waved her hand in the air in dismissal of her messed up shirt. “Missed my mouth a couple of times. But you didn’t miss anything tonight, did you? You were awesome, Dalton.”
    Signing my last autograph, I patiently said goodbye to the hangers on. “Thanks. It was a tough game.”
    “I could see that. You didn’t have a whole lot of help out there, but that’s the way it goes sometimes. Price of being a goalie, I guess.”
    “Being hung out to dry? Yeah. Honestly, it’s hard not to get pissed off when I feel like I’m the only one out there playing. But I’ve learned not to say anything out loud. Those kinds of proclamations don’t go over so well in the locker room. And really—more often than not, winning or losing is a collective effort.”
    “Good for you; and I agree. Hockey’s a team sport. I get that. But tonight it was all you. Did you get fined for your little show?” She asked her question with a smile, so I knew she wasn’t berating me.
    “Yeah. It’s only a hundred bucks, but I’ll donate another hundred to the animal orphanage. I always pay double. I figure it’ll help my Karma.”
    The metal barricade still separated us as we spoke, and I wished it was gone. I watched her digging for her keys, and thought about asking her back to my place for a while.
    “Well, I’m going to get going. I just wanted to tell you I enjoyed the game and to thank you again for the tickets.”
    “Thanks for coming. It meant a lot to me, having an actual friend in the stands.”
    “What do you mean ‘an actual friend’?”
    I found the thought highly dissatisfying that she would pity me. That ‘actual friend’ comment just sort of slipped out.