Pucking Strong: An MM Workplace Hockey Romance (Jacksonville Rays Book 4)

I jerk a few paper towels out of the dispenser, roughly drying my hands. Behind me, a toilet loudly flushes. Christ, this is such a disaster. Why did I agree to do this? I didn’t want to. I should have said no the minute Poppy proposed the idea of a group date. I like my teammates, and I enjoy their company. And I really do care for their families. But their lives are their own. I’ve never been one to interfere or engage.

And Teddy is different. Who I am with Teddy is different. Is it so wrong that I like the Henrik I am with Teddy to be different than the Karlsson I am with my team? At this point, the two versions of me feel all but irreconcilable.

We should leave. We can still salvage the rest of this evening. I should go out there, drag Teddy off his stool, and take him back to that hot dog stand on the beach. We went there on Karolina’s first day in Jacksonville. We can eat hot dogs and drink more beer, and I’ll let him ask me as many questions as he wants. We can talk until the sun rises. Then I’ll take him down to the surf and kiss him in the waves.

This is a good plan. This is safe, and comfortable, and intimate. All things I like when I’m with Teddy.

I toss my used paper towels in the trash and head for the door. I only get it halfway open before Ilmari Price pushes his way in, towering over me with his massive 6’5” frame. There’s a reason he won an Olympic gold medal and two Stanley Cups. The man is built like an iron giant, and he has the flexibility of a gymnast. Even retired, he’s still in pristine shape.

He slips inside the bathroom, but he makes no effort to go to the urinal or a stall. Instead, he folds his arms and stands with his shoulder slightly in front of the door. “Why are you acting so odd?” he asks in Swedish.

“I’m not,” I reply defensively.

He just stares down at me, leaning against the wall.

I groan, rubbing the back of my neck. “Is it really that bad?”

“Worse,” he mutters. “I think Teddy is close to tears.”

My gut churns at the thought. “I don’t know how to do this.”

“Do what?”

“This.” I gesture towards the bar. “I know what Teddy wants from me. He wants me to laugh, and tell jokes, and be the center of attention as easily as Jake or Novikov. But I don’t do this. I’m not that man.”

Ilmari just shrugs a shoulder. “Maybe you are. Maybe you’d enjoy it if you tried.”

I glare at him, crossing my arms too. “Like you’ve tried? You haven’t said a word all night. You’re just sitting across the table, watching me drown.”

“But I’m here,” he reasons.

“What?”

“Six years ago, I wouldn’t be. Six years ago, I was like you are now, living only for myself.”

This has me feeling even more defensive. Cursing under my breath, I step into his space. “I live for others. My every thought is for others.”

“You provide for others,” he corrects. “You live for yourself. Always in your own head, always wanting your own way. You were just the same out on the ice. You play as part of a team only when it suits you. And I say that with no judgment,” he adds. “As I say, I was exactly the same.”

“What happened for you to change?”

The corner of his mouth tips with a smile. “Rachel. Then Jake. Eventually Caleb. Now the children we share. I am forever changed by the people in my life who made changing feel not only possible, but desirable.”

I fight a smirk. “Jake before Caleb? That’s surprising.”

He shrugs again. “It shouldn’t be. Jake is the beating heart of our family. I knew I needed him in my life long before he ever knew he needed me. I would follow him to the ends of this earth. He’s the reason I’m here tonight. He wanted me here, so I’m here.”

“Jake Price calls, and the Mighty Mars comes running?”

“I would do anything for his happiness,” he replies with a solemn nod. “Including spending an evening having an awkward dinner with you.”

I groan.

“What would you do for Teddy’s happiness? What is he worth to you?”

A lightness grows in my chest at just the thought of him. His smile, his laugh, the way he’s always anxiously twisting his wedding ring on his finger. “Anything,” I reply. “Everything.” I look up, staring into Ilmari’s bearded face. “I want to give Teddy everything.”

He raises a scarred brow. “So, it’s not fake then?”

“What?”

“Your marriage. The rumor is that it’s fake … as much as I’m privy to team rumors, retired as I am.”

I scoff, dragging a hand through my hair. “You’re married to the head of PT, the head of equipment management, and the team captain. And you’ve been the President of the WAGs for four years. I doubt there’s a person alive who hears more Rays gossip than you.”

He dares to shrug again. “Caleb and Tess think it’s funny to keep nominating me. I’ve begged them to stop. Besides, it’s a title in name only. I have no real power. And I pay no attention to the gossip. But I’m pleased for you.” Reaching out, he squeezes my shoulder. “Teddy is a good person. He’s good for you.”

I brighten a little. “You think?”

“A man like Teddy is loyal to the grave. He’s like my Jake. Pour into his cup and watch as he returns your effort tenfold.”

His words send a chill down my spine. All I can picture are the red frames of Keziah Wilson’s bespectacled face as she voiced her grievances that hummed with the power of prophecy. She called me an empty glass with no bottom. Those words have haunted me ever since. Now Ilmari Price is standing here, telling me I need to pour back into Teddy the bounty he shares with me.

“What if my cup is empty? What if I have nothing to give him? Or what if what I have isn’t enough? What if I’m not enough?”

His eyes narrow. “You think his faith in you is misplaced? You think Teddy would pick his life partner poorly?”

“No.”

He steps in closer, making me lean away. “Do you intend to break his heart?”

“No!”

Another step has me backing away from him. “In my official capacity as President of the WAGs, if I know you intend to break his heart, I’m required by my oath of office to kick your ass.”

“No—” My hip hits the sink and I raise both hands in surrender. “Fuck—Mars, stop.”

“We can take this outside right now.” He points over his shoulder towards the door. “Caleb will hold your arms for me—”

“No,” I all but shout.

He holds his glare for another long moment before finally nodding. “Good. Then go back out there and salvage the rest of this miserable evening.”

All my breath leaves me on a heavy exhale. “How? What do I do?”

“Try harder.”

“Well, do you have any ideas?”

His lips purse with a smile, and I perk up, pushing away from the sink. “Do you have one?”noveldrama

“I have one.”

Hope blooms in my chest. “What is it?”

He just chuckles, shaking his head. “Come with me.”