is so cool,” Jason said. “The Beast! How can you not like that guy?”
Malin was wondering the exact opposite—how could she stop liking him?
* * *
THOM STOOD IN FRONT of the open refrigerator door and examined the contents. Old takeout containers, a few packages of hot dogs, juice, vitamin water and beer. Though he worked hard to maintain a decent diet, it was much easier during the season when meals were provided by the club’s caterer.
“Can you cook?” he called.
“Cook?” Jason wandered into the kitchen area. “Sure. Pizza. Mac and cheese. Man, your place is so cool. What guy wouldn’t love living in an old firehouse? Was it like this when you moved in?”
“No, I renovated it myself.” Thom grabbed a couple of beers, starting to make a grocery list in his head. McCrory and Pedersen had made it clear they wanted him to lay low for the next couple of months, so he wouldn’t be dining at his favorite restaurants. He followed the sound of Jason’s voice to the family room at the rear of the house.
Jason had already found the remote for the television and was flipping through the channels. “You are old enough to drink, aren’t you?” Thom asked before handing the other man the beer.
“I’m twenty-two. But I probably shouldn’t drink since I’m on duty.”
Thom grabbed the remote and switched to the local sports report. “We need groceries. You might as well hit the store. While you’re gone, I’m going to take a run.”
Jason shook his head. “I’m not supposed to leave you alone. If you need me to shop, then you have to come with me. If you’re going for a run, I go with you. That’s what Malin told me and I’m not going to screw it up. I’m supposed to stick to you like glue on rice.” He cleared his throat. “Or maybe it was white on rice. Yeah, yeah, that’s it. White on rice. Flies on flypaper.”
“All right. We can send out for a pizza,” Thom muttered, stretching his legs out in front of him. “Why don’t you go grab a bedroom and unpack your stuff?”
“I can do that later. I—I’m just gonna sit here and watch the sports report.”
“I’m not going to sneak out while you’re upstairs.”
“No, no,” Jason said. “I trust you. Completely. Why don’t I call for the pizza? Malin—I mean, Miss Pedersen—gave me some cash. My treat.”
“Malin,” Thom repeated. “You call her Malin?”
“Not around the office. But she’s my cousin, so it would be weird to call her Miss Pedersen any other time.”
“What else did she tell you?”
Jason shrugged. “Just...stuff.”
“Like what?”
“She said I shouldn’t let you drink. That I should keep you away from sleazy women. I’m supposed to work out with you every day, and if I can get you to read an actual book, she’ll give me a bonus.”
“She expects you to do all that? She must be tough to work for.”
“Nah, she’s really nice. I’ve screwed up a few times—more than a few times—and she always gives me another chance.”
“What else do you know about her? Does she have a boyfriend?” He handed Jason the beer and this time the other man took a sip, his earlier reluctance forgotten.
“I think she used to. Someone said he used to come to the games, but he lived in New York. That’s where she used to live before she came back to Minneapolis.” He shrugged. “I’ve never seen her with a guy. I’m pretty sure she likes men. I’ve just never...”
“What’s her job?”
“Social media. She runs the team website and all the social media accounts. She filters the team’s Twitter posts and Instagram photos. So if you post something that would reflect badly on the team, she catches it before it goes out.”
“I don’t do social media,” Thom said.
“Yeah, I know. You make up for it with all the other stuff that gets posted about you. God, I wish I had your social life. All those beautiful women. Maybe you can give me some advice?”
“Where does she live?”
“Malin? She’s got a place in Merriam Park. I’ve only been there a few times. Just to check on the place while she was out of town. It’s nothing like this place. Just an ordinary house.”
Thom let those few nuggets of information roll around in his mind for a bit, curious about the woman who suddenly held so much power over him. He wanted to dig deeper, to find out every little detail about her. What did she eat for breakfast? Did she sleep in pajamas or the nude? Did she—
Thom stopped himself. This was exactly the kind of thought pattern that had gotten him into trouble in the past. Once he’d decided he wanted a woman, there was nothing that stood in his way. It didn’t matter how long it took or what he had to do to get her into bed. In the end, he always made it happen.
A voice from the TV caught his attention. “A late-breaking report regarding your Minneapolis Blizzard.”
Both Jason and Thom turned to look at the television.
“Trade rumors are swirling, and at the center of the storm is Blizzard defenseman Tommy ‘The Beast’ Quinn. Sources say his off-ice shenanigans haven’t been sitting well with team’s owner, Davis Pedersen. Is Quinn on his way out? Fans are not going to be happy. We’ll have an exclusive on our late report.”
Thom stared at the television for a long moment. With a soft curse, he shut the television off and tossed the remote on the coffee table. “She told me I wasn’t going to be traded,” he muttered. Launching to his feet, he turned to Jason, looming over him in his most threatening manner. “What do you know about this?”
“I—I— Nothing. They don’t tell me anything. I swear.”
“Come on. I want you to show me where she lives. Miss Pedersen and I have some things to discuss.” Thom shoved his hand in his pocket and pulled out the keys for his truck. When Jason didn’t move, he said, “Don’t you have to go with me?”
“She’s probably still at the office,” Jason said.
“I’m not going to talk to her there.”
“You can call her,” Jason suggested. He held out his cell phone.
Thom shook his head. “No, this has to be done in person. Why would she lie to me? I mean, I went in there fully expecting to be traded. And then she decides to put me through this crap. Locked up like a prisoner with you reporting my every move. What’s that all about?”
“I don’t know,” Jason said. “But I do know that if I show you where she lives and you go there, she’s going to fire me. Can you just sit down and we’ll order a pizza?”
“No,”
