Page 39 of Forbidden Forward

His eyes brighten. “You play?”

“Not for a long time. I’ve been a little busy getting my life back on track and dealing with”—I point at the tire—“challenges.” A sigh punches from me because I can see where my first paycheck is going. “What do I owe you?”

“Owe me for what?”

My brows knit together. “The tires. That had to have set you back a pretty penny.”

“Nah. I got a good deal. Don’t worry about it.”

“But I do worry about it! I need to repay you.”

The smirk returns. “Tell you what. Help me with the kids next time you’re in Beaufort, and we’ll call it good.” Protests rise up inside me, but he holds up his hand and puts on the fierce face he saves for his opponents on the ice. “Don’t even start.”

I can’t stop my smile from spreading—not because the payment he’s asking for is cheap, but because I love the idea of returning to his sailing world. And I have some questions I’d like to ask him.

“Deal,” I agree. “When are you going back to Beaufort?”

His gaze shoots upward, and a strange look comes over his face but quickly disappears. “Not sure. A lot depends on what happens over the next few days.” The cocky, playful tone in his voice is gone.

What’s happening over the next few days? Oh, right! The trade deadline.

We walk in silence toward the elevators. I shouldn’t ask what I’m about to ask, but worry steers me in that direction. In the elevator car, he punches the buttons for our floors and steps back. The question tickles the tip of my tongue as the doors close, ready to fire, when an arm appears in the gap. The doors retreat, and a man pushes his way into the elevator.

“Thanks,” he pants.

I look up and freeze. “Donny!”

Chapter 19

Deadline

Colby

Harper’s eyes move from his sister to me and narrow. “What the fuck are you doing here?”

“I live here,” I shoot back.

His eyebrows hit his hairline.

“He’s on the twenty-first floor,” Jackie informs him. She looks as flustered as I feel.

Harper’s attention is pulled back to his sister, and his expression turns thunderous. “And you know this why?”

“Don’t be such an ass!” she snaps, and I have to hide a smile when he recoils. She might be smaller in stature, but her vibe puts her size at that of a defenseman who packs two hundred and thirty pounds on his six-foot-six frame. “He pushed the button for his floor, so I asked if he lives here. He does. He’s renting from one of your old teammates. A number of your teammates live here. Did you know that?”

She’s a convincing little liar. I’ll have to remember that. Wait. Why does it matter?

Harper stares at her, his expression still hard but faltering. His jaw is working, as if he wants to spit something out but is grinding the words through his gears. Like me, he dwarfs her and probably has a hundred pounds on her, but she’s definitely got the upper hand. She reminds me of a Yorkie, tiny but fierce, whose jaws are clamped tight on some poor schmo’s ankle. That schmo is her younger brother.

Jackie’s head turns from her brother to me and back to him again. “You do know each other, right? Or do I need to introduce you to your teammate?”

God, I want to kiss her—partly because I’m dying for another taste and partly to shut that sassy mouth of hers. I don’t need her brother to be more pissed off at me than he already is. The vibe in the locker room is still jacked up and nowhere near the smooth team chemistry Coach wants. I’m doing my damnedest, but being the supreme asshole he is, Harper refuses to cooperate. He holds all the cards, and he knows it. He wants me gone. My fate hangs by a shredded skate lace dangling from his taped fingers.

Harper’s nostrils flare. “Yeah, we know each other.” He levels his frown at me. “Didn’t know you lived here.”

I shrug. “We’ve never run into each other before.” And since you’ve never bothered to show any interest in me other than the exact spot where you can plant your skate in my posterior … “Didn’t realize you lived here either until your sister told me.” I flick a finger toward her, grateful I am not lying.

Jackie glances over her shoulder at me. “Who did you say you’re renting from?”