I’m nodding.
Holy shit.
I’m nodding.
And grinning.
And shit, shit, shit.
I’m in his arms, my mouth on his, and we’re tumbling to the floor.
His hands are under my shirt, mine under his, our mouths eating at each other in a desperate attempt to sate the crazy maelstrom of emotions engulfing us.
“Ah, should I leave?”
We rip apart. Pant like we’ve been starved of oxygen for a week, and stare at each other with grins so wide I’m sure we look like a couple of lunatics.
Hell, at this point I think we are lunatics.
As one we turn our heads to look up at Drake who’s standing at the edge of the kitchen island with a look on his face I can’t decipher. It could be fear.
That thought stretches my mouth wider. He steps back, gives us a quizzical look, and my grin turns into laughter.
“What am I seeing here?”
“You are seeing the happiest man on the planet,” Walker says.
I open my mouth to speak, to say and woman, but I don’t get a chance because one second I’m on the floor wrapped around him and the next I’m on my feet with Walker’s arms around me from behind, his chin resting on my shoulder.
“She just agreed to marry me.”
He sounds so happy. Like I’ve given him the thing he wants most in the world, and I’d be lying if I said I don’t feel the joy of what we just decided.
“She what? Jesus Christ, you two are certifiable.” Drake shakes his head. “You know this is crazy, right?”
“Maybe it would be for you, but it doesn’t feel crazy to me, it feels right. Like this is what I’m supposed to be doing.” Walker tightens his arms around me. “Like I’m right where I’m meant to be.”
I absorb his words and lean into him harder. They’re both right. This is crazy but it does feel right.
I’ve always followed my gut. Yes, I’m smart and I use my intellect too, but sometimes that takes a backseat, and every time in my life that it has, that I’ve jumped in feet first, I’ve come out a winner.
Rogue sportswear, going after a national hockey franchise, both faced opposition when we started the process of getting them off the ground. And while the second hasn’t proven itself yet, it will. I know it will.
Walker and I feel the same.
It’s the same bone-deep knowledge that this is right. We’re both exactly where we should be.
Hell, I didn’t even think about it before I was nodding. That says everything.
Shaking his head, Drake reaches for his mug. “All right, let’s get a plan of some sort together before you lovebirds fly away.”
“How do you know we’re flying somewhere?” Walker asks.
“I’m sensing things move at warp speed with you two, so it makes sense that you’d fly to Vegas and do the deed. The question is are you going before or after we deal with the clusterfuck Cantrell has stirred up. Oh, and Oakley, expect a phone call from the league sometime today.”
“Shit.” I untangle myself from Walker. “I don’t need this crap. I wish I could punch Jerry in the face.”
“Get in line,” Drake calls over his shoulder as he heads back to the dining room.
“As much as I want to join in with you bloodthirsty people, I’m going to sit back and watch Laken take a shredder to him.”
I grin. “Oh yeah, and don’t forget Rafe. I get the feeling that man will pulverize anything left over.”
“Hey, maybe you should give Laken or Rafe a heads up. I think the league is unaware of the fact Jerry does not own the Knights. They were talking about fines for him leaking the information to me,” Drake says when we join him.
“How’d he get the info?”
“No idea.”
I ponder that and the only conclusion I can come to is someone inside the league gave it to him.
“I think the league has a leak. No one outside the KAW board, and that’s only four of us, and you two know about the contract I signed two days ago.”
“KAW as in Rogue sportswear’s parent company?” Drake asks.
“Yes.”
“Right. So someone inside told Cantrell and he told me…”
“Who the hell would reveal it to Cantrell?” Walker asks. “Nobody likes him that much do they?”
“No, they don’t and—”
It hits me. Like a slap upside the head the knowledge slams into my brain. I know exactly who got the information and passed it on to Jerry.
“Fuck! Motherfucking slut!”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa, where are you going?” Walker tries to hold me in place.
“To open a file. I need to double check my memory is correct before I go all guns blazing after that bitch.”
He lets go of my hand and I race over to my laptop. I already have my phone out, dialing Nat before I even hit a key.
“Hey, I didn’t—”
“Shut up and listen. The info Jerry told Drake I mentioned earlier came from Dugan.”
“Dugan? How do you know that?” Nat asks.
“Because he’s in bed with Kristina.”
“Well fuck.” Nat sighs. “I knew I should have come with you to New York.”
“Get on the first plane you can. If it’s not soon enough, I’ll send the jet. No wait. Call Pa. Get him to fire up the family one.”
“I’m not using your grandfather’s plane!”
“I need it anyway. Don’t worry. I’ll call him next. Just get to the airport.”
“Oakley—”
“Do it, Nat. And bring Blake. I think we’re moving the announcement forward. It’s the only way to get on top of this.”
“Fuck, fuck, fuck. We don’t need this bullshit. We’ll have enough to deal with when the old boys find out we got the team.”
“One battle at a time. Get Blake and get up here.”
“See you in a few hours. And keep me posted on what you’re organizing.”
“Will do.” I don’t bother saying goodbye. I’ve got too much to pull together and Nat knows it.
Once I open up the file I’m looking for, I skim through the report and find the dates I need. I’m noting them, as well as scribbling down possible ways to deal with this as they occur to me and hoping this doesn’t blow up our dreams.
“I hope to fuck those bastards don’t break our contract,” I mutter.
“Get in front of it and they won’t. They can’t anyway. The backlash would be horrendous if they pulled it for something you didn’t do. It would look like they freaked out about your gender. Or we could make it look that way.”
My gaze snaps to Drake’s and a slow smile curls my mouth. “Oh, I really do like you.”
“What do you need me to do?” Walker asks.
“Call Rafe. Let him know what’s going on with Jerry. You can tell him Drake gave you the info; you don’t have to reveal who he said got the team. Just give him the bare bones so he knows the league is going to want to punish the Knights.”
“They can’t penalize them when he’s not the owner, can they?”
“Probably not but they’d need to know that,” Drake adds.
“I think this scandal may eclipse the franchise announcement.”
I glance at Walker. “Let’s hope so. Although if it does, it won’t distract them for long.”
“We don’t need them distracted forever. Just long enough to get some things put in place.”
Drake clears his throat. “And by your use of we I’m assuming you’re looking to be involved with the new team?”
“Ah…”
I hide a grin. Walker just put his foot in it if his plan was to keep Drake in the dark about his new job. His sigh filled with resignation makes me laugh.
“Yeah, I’m involved. Oakley?”
“Up to you.” I’m still reading and something that I should have noticed before jumps out at me. “Well, shit.”
“What now?”
“She’s also been in bed with Lilibeth Mortimer.”
“The wife of Boris Mortimer?”
“Yep.”
“Jesus.”
“I’m so glad your taste in women has improved in recent years, Walker.” Drake has a point.
I don’t bother to hide my grin this time. “Me too.”
“Getting back to what we were talking about.” Drake says. “How big is your involvement?”
“They’ve offered me head coach.”
When the silence drags on a bit I look up. What I find is Drake struck dumb. His mouth opens and closes and honestly, the confusion on his face is a little annoying.
“What? You don’t think he’s a good choice?”
“I, no… but…” He shakes his head; hopefully it clears it so he can remember all that Walker has achieved. “You want him to coach the newest hockey team in the league?”
“Yes. We do.” I stand up straight, hold up a hand. “And before you give me the same bullshit excuses Walker did to try to convince me our choice is wrong, let me say this. Take a few minutes to think about his career on and off the ice. Only then will I let you try to convince me. Not that you can.”
“Huh.” Drake folds his arms over his chest and leans back in the chair.
A quick glance at Walker shows he’s grinning at me. He mouths thank you and I get back to pulling information together from the PI’s file.
A few minutes later Drake interrupts me.
“Where’s his contract?”
I can’t stop the smirk. “Walker? In my briefcase in the bedroom.”
I don’t need Drake to say anything else. He’s said it all by asking for the contract. But when Walker leaves the room, he speaks anyway.
“He’ll be the youngest coach in the league.”
“I know.”
“He’ll also be a fucking good one.”
“He will. But he’ll be more.”
Drake chuckles. “Damn if you didn’t snag a better option than any other coach out there I can think of.”
“His assistant coach is Blake Watts.”
“Well, fuck me. You’ve got the big guns—wait. Isn’t she part of Rogue sportswear?”
“Yes, she’s one quarter of KAW.”
“If I remember right, KAW is four women.”
“It is.” I raise my gaze to watch his face.
“Damn. Any chance you need an in-house agent?”
Laughing I lower my eyes back to my notepad. “You’ll be my first call if we do.”
“Always wanted to live somewhere warm,” is Drake’s reply.
Grinning, I keep my head down and get back to lining up all the information I have on Kristina Bancroft’s many and varied rendezvous with several people either in or connected to the NHL.
“Here. Should I read it before you?” Walker places his contract in front of Drake.
“You can’t sign it yet and I’ve never steered you wrong on a contract before.”
“True. True.” Walker pulls out a chair but before he sits, asks, “Anyone need a top up, some food? Should I order in something for lunch?”
I note the time and consider how full I am from our breakfast with Shelby. “I’m good for food but maybe put another pot of coffee on in about ten minutes.”
“I’ll pass on the coffee, but I’ll take a glass of cold water,” Drake murmurs distractedly.
Walker leaves to fulfill Drake’s request and I finish logging dates and names from the PI’s report on Kristina when my phone rings.
I stare at the device as it vibrates on the table.
“You should answer it.”
I look at Drake. “I’m not sure I’m ready yet. I need to get a few things straight in my head first.”
“Okay, let it go to voicemail then…” He trails off as it does exactly that.
“I don’t want them in charge of the announcement. Or at least I don’t want them doing it without KAW there.”
“So don’t let them. Ask for a joint press conference. Make it seem as though you’re deferring to them but nudge them in the direction you want to go. Do you have anything ready to go?”
“We do. And I may have a way to get the league to agree with my timeline too.”
“Oh?”
“Cami, KAW’s fourth. Her father owns the FNB Network. I can get access to their New York station. Hijack the seven o’clock sports news maybe.”
“Do it. If you can give them a time and a place before they even suggest doing a press conference or release, you’ll be in control.”
Grinning at Drake, I say, “I really do like you.”
“Hey, I was being serious about the job.”
“I might just take you up on it.”
Walker comes back with iced water for all of us. “Called Rafe. Told him shit was going down with the league and Cantrell was in the middle of it. Didn’t tell him what, just said Cantrell had leaked some info he shouldn’t have to Drake, who called a league contact.”
He flops into a chair and leans back, arm crossed over his chest. The position shouldn’t get me going but there’s no denying the simmer of lust popping in my veins.
“We’re getting married.” It’s not a question. I know the words are true and saying them out loud makes them more so. Not to mention the smile it puts on my face.
“Damn straight, we are.” He unfolds his arms and leans toward me. “As soon as we fix this cluster, we’ll get to work organizing the wedding. Do you want a big one?”
“No. I like Drake’s idea.”
“Vegas?”
“Maybe. I need to call Pa.” Shit. I forgot about getting the jet ready for Nat and Blake.
Scooping up my phone, I hit speed dial one, speaker and put the device on the table beside my laptop.
Pa answers on the second ring. “What have you done now?”
“Huh? I’ve done nothing… Shit. Did someone call you?”
“Yeah, that suck-up Dugan.”
“Dugan called you? He’s the one who leaked the info!”
“Did he now? Well, that changes a few things. I’ll call the pilot, be there in a few hours.”
“Can you bring Nat and Blake with you?”
“Of course. You girls should have been together for this to begin with. I told you that.”
“It wouldn’t have stopped this from happening.”
“Probably not, but you wouldn’t be dealing with it on your own either.”
“I’m not. As soon as I hang up, I’m calling Cami. I need to highjack FNB’s New York studios.”
“I’ll get the other two to you, I’m assuming Cami isn’t going to want to come.”
“Ha! She wants nothing to do with it other than vague details after things happen.”
“She’ll come around.”
“She hasn’t with Rogue.”
“No, but from what Fenton tells me, she’s getting mighty frustrated with her job lately.”
“Oh, why? She hasn’t said anything to us.”
“Fenton didn’t go into the details other than he’s hoping she’ll break away from the paper and do her own thing.”
“I want her on our media team, but she’s being stubborn.”
“Sounds like someone I know.” I can hear the smile in Pa’s voice. “Anyway, call if you need anything else; I’ll round the girls up and see you soon.”
Pa hangs up before I can thank him or say goodbye and when I look up, the two men are staring at me. “What?”
“Fenton Barnes? Your Pa knows Fenton Barnes?” Drake asks.
“Yeah, him, Fenton and Gerald are—were—best friends. My Grams used to call them the triple threat.”
“Wait. Wait.” Walker holds up his hands. “You grew up with Cantrell?”
I shake my head. “No. He’s older than me.”
“Not by much.”
“Enough. Plus Pa never wanted me around him. I hung out with them whenever they got together. Gerald is the one who told us to go for the franchise.”
“Gerald Cantrell Senior told you to bid for a NHL team?” Drake asks with a shake of his head.
“He did. But we were already talking about it because of Blake.”
“Why because of her? She played professionally—why would she want to own a team?” Walker asks.
“Because we all saw what those women go through to get to that level, the shit that goes on behind closed doors.”
“Then why not a women’s team?”
“We’ll go after one of those next.”
Drake laughs. “You wanted to start with the hard shit first, then move to the easier.”
“And that right there is why we went after the men’s league. Since when is the women’s league easier? Why do you even think that?”
“Huh.” Drake sits back. “Damn. I didn’t even realize what saying that implies.”
“We know physically there are differences between men and women but the game is the same. Plus,” I add with a grin. “There’s nothing more satisfying than proving women are just as capable as men in an area traditionally controlled by men.”
Drake grins. “It’s going to be like watching a cat among the pigeons.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah, you ladies are going to go in there and slaughter them all.”