2. Barnett

two

Barnett

T here's something familiar about the woman talking to Cassi, but I can't quite put my finger on it. She doesn't look like a normal hockey fan, even if she is wearing a jersey with Teagan's name and number on it.

"Billings! Are you listening to me?" I snap my head back to Coach Davis not realizing my eyes had been following Cassi and the mystery woman as they walk arm and arm down the tunnel.

"Sorry, Coach," I mumble, causing Caspian and Holden to snicker beside me.

"Like you two are any better." Coach spits out. "If it were up to me, I'd be sending you three ass hats to Iowa instead of Marks, Andrews, and Gibson." Coach grumbles as he walks back to the rest of the team, sitting on the bench waiting for his direction now that he's done bitching at the three of us.

Damn, the rumor is true—Coach is sending them to a goat farm in Iowa to play for his sons' team, the Iowa Poseidon. Coach Davis has three sons who have all followed him in their love of hockey. Although they may not have played many years in the pros, they are up-and-coming coaches in the hockey world.

It's nice to see a family that actually likes each other, unlike my own, who can't stand to be in the same room together. Something the tabloids have a field day with—a world-famous hockey family whose never-ending feud continues.

If my older brother Brock wasn't such a dick, my family might actually get along, but he's caused such a rift I haven't seen or talked to anyone in my family for years. The only time I see Brock is when our teams play each other, which is rare but more often than I would like.

Brock constantly runs his mouth during the games, making fun of anyone he thinks he can get a rise out of. It's a good thing I'm immune to his childish behavior, or I'd probably spend more time in the penalty box than I usually do when we play his team.

"Yeah, Caspian is from Norway—he'd probably feel right at home on a goat farm." Holden nudges Caspian's shoulder, causing Caspian to roll his eyes.

"If anyone around here would be comfortable around a goat, it's you, Holden." Caspian nudges Holden's shoulder right back only with a little more force.

I drown out their banter and let my eyes roam back to the tunnel, hoping to get another glimpse of the mystery woman, but she is already gone.

"What are we going to do tonight?" Holden snaps his fingers in front of my face, "Earth to Barnett. Which club should we hit tonight?"

"We should probably cool it for a while. I don't have any desire to live on a goat farm in the near future." Caspian pushes past me, skating to where coach Davis is giving our team an earful.

"Yeah, Holden, maybe not tonight." I give him a small smile and turn to follow Caspian to the bench.

I'm not sure what Holden's story is. He's definitely the life of the party wherever he goes—the fun, happy one. But there are times like now when I see a side of him that doesn't want to be alone.

The rest of the practice went as well as expected. Coach yelled at pretty much everyone before dismissing us to the locker room. Now I just have to get through my weekly meeting with my agent, Cassi, and then I can go home, watch some TV, and relax. The strange thing is that usually, it's just the two of us in the meeting, but today, Caspian and Holden are joining us in Cassi's office.

"I'm sure you are all wondering why I'm meeting with the three of you together instead of individually." She doesn't wait for us to reply before she continues, "I'm not sure if you all know Hadley Ford, former child star or not."

Know her? She's my all-time fantasy woman. I've watched every one of her shows at least fifty times. You would think that after all these years, I would be over my childhood crush, but just hearing her name brings back all those adolescent first crush feelings. She's been absent from the entertainment business for a few years. I wonder what she's been up to?

I've been busy with my life and hockey career, but every now and then, when I'm flipping through the channels in a hotel room for an away game, I look for reruns of her TV shows.

"Hadley is looking to break away from her good girl TV image and break into the music business." Cassi continues.

"What's that have to do with us?" Caspian asks.

"It seems the Minnesota Norse hockey team has a reputation for sharing one woman among three guys—even the owners are involved. Hadley wants to fake date the three of you to smudge her perfect reputation. While you're fake dating her you will need to give her your one hundred percent attention and make this as real as possible."

"Wait a minute, if we're only fake dating, why can't I hook up with anyone else?" Holden leans forward in his chair with a scowl.

"Jesus, can't you keep it in your pants for a few weeks? She needs our help, and there are not too many more of us who are still single on the team." I know Holden has a different woman in every town we play in, but for once, maybe he can do something for someone else.

"It's fine—let him run around and dip his cock in every willing hole—we can take care of Hadley—we don't need him."

"Unfortunately, Caspian, she wants all three of you for some reason. So, Don Juan over there will have to figure out how to abstain from sex for awhile." Cassi waves her hand at Holden in a dismissive manner.

"You've got to be kidding me? Now I'm being forced to do this—unreal."

"No one is forcing you, but I did get a promise from Coach Davis to give the three of you a little leeway when it comes to all the fighting you've been doing on the ice. As for your partying off the ice, I want you to know that you're fine as long as it includes Hadley and doesn't go against the team's code of conduct. But it has to be all three of you, or the deal is off."

"I'm in," I say a little too eagerly because, unlike Holden, I'd give up sex forever if it meant I could help out my childhood crush, even for only a few weeks.

"Me too," Caspian says, and we both turn our gaze to Holden, waiting for his answer.

"Fine, I guess I'm in too." Holden crosses his arms over his chest.

"Okay, well, now that we have that settled before your meeting with Coach Davis, I want the three of you to go to the team doctor and get STD testing."

"What?" We all say at the same time.

Enjoying a puck bunny now and then is a perk of the job, but I always bag it up, and I'm pretty sure Holden and Caspian do, too. Plus, this is a fake relationship I don't anticipate any of us actually hooking up with Hadley.

"Look, I know this is only a publicity stunt, but I can't trust the three of you not to try and sleep with Hadley. She's young and beautiful, and for some reason, she picked the three of you to fake date, so there's no telling how far she wants to take this. Since I represent all four of you, that's my condition. I've already talked to Hadley, and she is clean." Cassi is so matter-of-fact with her statement; it's almost like she is a robot, which is how much of a cutthroat agent she is. I'm beginning to wonder if she is human at all.