Page 63 of Ice Devil

I rolled my eyes while grabbing the Sambuca. The combination was something my reporter friend had forced me to try. Maybe I wanted to feel her around me if only with drinks. Well, hell. Was I getting to be sappy? When I laughed, he ribbed me with his elbow again.

“Why do I feel as if there’s some story there?”

“Let’s just say I had to deal with a drunken jerk coming onto her. Seemed like a fine idea at the time.”

“Yeah, well, don’t forget there are eyes and ears everywhere.” I sensed he was teasing me as that was something we’d both dealt with. Since the winning streak the naysayers had been dropping like flies, rabid fans taking their place.

Complete with marriage offers.

I glanced at the television overhead, snorting as I did. Another replay.

“That recent article she wrote was pretty fucking amazing,” Ford said.

“Oh?”

His snort was one I’d heard since I was a child. “She did a good job. I take it she quoted you and didn’t leave anything out.”

I leaned in, grinning like a kid as I did. “I’ll let you in on a little secret. We wrote the article together.”

“Really? And you were trying to tell me the two of you weren’t that close?”

As I swirled the bottle of beer, I shrugged. “Okay, so we’re close.”

“Did she get this great interview on film? I’d love to see it.”

“Ha. Not a chance.”

“And why is that?”

My brother knew when I was hiding something, playfully punching me. “Ouch. Let’s just say she was sitting in my lap during the exchange.”

He was about to spit out his drink, cupping his mouth just before he did. “Okay. That is… something. At least she had your full attention.”

“I’ll say. She was wearing little else than a tee shirt. It was hard to concentrate.”

We both laughed and it felt good to be able to share something so intimate. I couldn’t imagine what would happen if anyone else knew how close I’d gotten with Sloane.

“She coming to the playoffs?”

“Since it’s her job, I would guess at least a game or two.”

“Just remember to concentrate. We could go all the way with this one.”

“Yeah, well, the Wild Dogs are gunning for a repeat of last year.”

His playful look was also something I would never forget. That’s how he’d managed to grab so much attention with the ladies. “Then we can’t let them.”

We clicked beer bottles, both nodding in solidarity. No, we definitely couldn’t let them.

A blip caught my attention coming from my phone. When I looked down, I smirked while doing a little happy dance.

The Wild Pony: Did you miss me?

I’d decided to keep our attachment a private affair and the nickname suited her.

Me: Were you missing?

The Wild Pony: So cold. I guess I’ll find another boyfriend.