Fair Play (Hat Trick, Book 1) Read Online Free PDF Page B

Savannah had yanked herself free at the same moment
Mark’s hand landed on Garrick’s arm. She’d stared Bobby right in the face, bright
color in her cheeks, and shoved him, repeatedly and with all her weight,
forcing him to stumble toward the bench while she tore into him.
    “You’re a fucking baby who needs to learn some manners. Go
home to your momma if you want to cuddle. I’m here to work.”
    Her last shove had nearly dumped Bobby on his ass. Heads had
spun and Mike Erdo’s loud guffaw was audible above the noise of the crowd.
    Before Bobby could react, Mark was in his face. “Sit there
and shut the fuck up, or you’re out of the game.”
    Bobby’s innocent exclamation of “what the fuck?” didn’t fool
anyone, but everyone went back to what they’d been doing, preparing for the
next line change.
    Mark had checked on Savannah, but she waved him off. She
hadn’t spared Bobby another glance, so she hadn’t seen the glare he’d drilled
into her back. The death-ray was going nuclear and so, Garrick suspected, was
Bobby.
    Garrick dashed out of the showers, a towel barely clinging
to his hips, and jogged back to his locker. He ignored Rhian’s raised eyebrow,
only cocking his head toward Bobby’s locker before throwing on his clothes. He’d
told Rhian about what he’d walked in on in Savannah’s office, as well as the
ridiculous staring contests and bench antics, so Rhian merely nodded and got
out of his way.
    Garrick’s hip twinged, a bolt of pain shooting down his leg
as he thrust it into his pants, and he smiled grimly. He even had an excuse to
go visit the trainer.
    Five minutes later he was dressed and outside her door,
waiting while she cut tape and unwound bandages from the last of her customers.
He entered her office as she scribbled some notes on what Alexei told her,
while Mike listened in with interest. Garrick smiled. Savannah was growing a
respectable fan club.
    Fortunately, there was still no sign of Bobby.
    Once she sent his teammates out, he dropped his wraps in the
bin and went to her medicine chest.
    “Mind?” He indicated the ibuprofen bottle. He was eating the
damn things like candy these days.
    Savannah smiled. “Sure, help yourself. No more than four
though. And only two tomorrow until after you work out.”
    He sighed. “You’re mean.”
    She laughed. “I’m careful. And you’re trouble. The last
thing you need is to dull your body’s myriad messages telling you to stop.”
    And isn’t that the sad fucking truth?
    Savannah saw his no doubt pathetic expression and cocked her
head. “What?”
    He shook his head, feeling stupid. And old.
    “What?” she asked again, coming closer. “Did I say something
to upset you?”
    She didn’t usually care if she did or did not say something
to upset anyone, but she probably didn’t often see grown men hanging their
heads like sad puppies in her office.
    “It is telling me to stop, isn’t it?” He hadn’t intended to
ask the question. At least, not out loud—to Savannah or anyone else. Silently,
he asked himself every day.
    She drew up short, her eyebrows pinched together. “Your
body?”
    He sighed. “Yes. My stupid, beat-up, crappy old body.”
    One side of her lips quirked up. “It’s not a crappy body.” A
hint of a blush crept into her cheeks. “It’s a strong body, Garrick. It’s a
body that’s in better shape than ninety percent of the men on earth, and
probably ninety-nine percent of the men your age.”
    Garrick winced. “Holy crap, you just said men your
age .”
    Savannah laughed. “Stop it. You’re what? Thirty-four? I’m
sorry if it’s hard to accept, Garrick, but the truth is you can’t play hockey
forever. Not professional hockey.”
    “Ouch.”
    Savannah fell silent He was being ridiculous. But how could
he not play hockey? It was all he knew.
    Rhian’s arrival spared Garrick attempting to explain any of
that. Rhian looked back and forth between them in the growing silence until
Savannah jumped