Read Online Major Misconduct (Aces Hockey #1) by Kelly Jamieson - Free Book Online
Authors: Kelly Jamieson
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She’d Google it later. She needed to learn French. “It snows a lot there?”
“Damn right it does.”
“Is it a big city?”
He chuckled. “No. About forty-five thousand people. A good size but definitely not big.”
“Did you grow up speaking French?”
“Oui
.
”
She grinned.
“Everything is French there.” He shrugged, just a hint of French accenting his words. “But my father is Anglophone, so I grew up learning both languages at home. I went to a French school, but I ended up playing junior hockey in Halifax, Nova Scotia, staying with an English family. Everyone on the team spoke English.”
“Huh.” This was fascinating. She shifted in her seat. “How long were you in Nova Scotia?”
“Three years. I was drafted when I was eighteen but played one more year in junior, then started with the Aces when I was twenty. Just turned twenty.”
“How old are you now?”
“Twenty-seven.”
“A seasoned veteran.”
He gave a tiny smile again. “Well, I’m not a rookie anymore.”
“So you left home when you were…fifteen?”
“Sixteen.”
“Wow.”
He shrugged.
“Duncan didn’t leave home until he went to college. That was where he got drafted from.”
“Yeah.”
“Right, I guess you know that. Obviously. Duh.” She paused. “Your parents must be proud of you.”
“Yeah. Sure.” He lifted a shoulder.
“You shouldn’t talk so much,” she said. “Those one-word answers reveal so much about you.”
His mouth opened, his eyes widened, but he didn’t look at her. Then he muttered, “Unholy mother of fuck.”
She laughed. She couldn’t help it. It was funny. “I’m sorry. I talk too much. Ask too many questions. I’m just curious about people. You’re interesting.”
“Fuck,” he muttered again, his fingers opening, then closing around the steering wheel.
“Ignore me,” she advised him. “You have a game tonight. You need to focus on that. Um…want to talk about that? What are you going to work on tonight?”
He didn’t answer and his hands clenched again on the steering wheel. Finally he said in a low voice, “We haven’t been playing well lately. There’s a lot to work on. Been working on getting behind the net, protecting the puck. Once you get around back there, there are different angles and passes, it’s tougher to defend against. Guys are checking you hard, though, you gotta protect the puck and be aware of where they are, stay on the puck. I’m working on getting better at that. Gotta win the face-off and I can get behind the net and watch for plays.”
“Or steal the puck if they have it,” she said. “Sometimes they’re not defensive enough if they think they have possession of it.”
“Yeah,” he said slowly, sending her a long look. “Sometimes that’s when they’re most vulnerable.”
He’d said more in those few minutes than she’d ever heard him say. She liked it.
He parked in his spot at the Moens Center and they got out of his vehicle.
He started toward the ramp where the players entered, then stopped. It was dusky now, and a few stray snowflakes drifted down around his dark shape, a black wool coat over his suit. “Where are you off to?”
“Viviana.” She looked around. “Do you know…?”
“That way.” He pointed. “One block south. I’ll walk you there.”
“No!” She started off. “No, I don’t want to interfere with your game day routine. Thanks for the ride. I’ll find it! Good luck!” She legged it across the parking lot to the street without looking back. Cheese-its, he hated her enough without having to walk her to her destination, which would make him late for his arrival before the game.
Chapter 6
Lovey walked into Viviana and looked around for Jillian. She didn’t see her. It was busy already, so she gave her name to the hostess, who showed her to their table. This was a cool place. She’d almost suggested the Sin Bin, but Jillian said this was good too, new and not too expensive.
A pizza
“Damn right it does.”
“Is it a big city?”
He chuckled. “No. About forty-five thousand people. A good size but definitely not big.”
“Did you grow up speaking French?”
“Oui
.
”
She grinned.
“Everything is French there.” He shrugged, just a hint of French accenting his words. “But my father is Anglophone, so I grew up learning both languages at home. I went to a French school, but I ended up playing junior hockey in Halifax, Nova Scotia, staying with an English family. Everyone on the team spoke English.”
“Huh.” This was fascinating. She shifted in her seat. “How long were you in Nova Scotia?”
“Three years. I was drafted when I was eighteen but played one more year in junior, then started with the Aces when I was twenty. Just turned twenty.”
“How old are you now?”
“Twenty-seven.”
“A seasoned veteran.”
He gave a tiny smile again. “Well, I’m not a rookie anymore.”
“So you left home when you were…fifteen?”
“Sixteen.”
“Wow.”
He shrugged.
“Duncan didn’t leave home until he went to college. That was where he got drafted from.”
“Yeah.”
“Right, I guess you know that. Obviously. Duh.” She paused. “Your parents must be proud of you.”
“Yeah. Sure.” He lifted a shoulder.
“You shouldn’t talk so much,” she said. “Those one-word answers reveal so much about you.”
His mouth opened, his eyes widened, but he didn’t look at her. Then he muttered, “Unholy mother of fuck.”
She laughed. She couldn’t help it. It was funny. “I’m sorry. I talk too much. Ask too many questions. I’m just curious about people. You’re interesting.”
“Fuck,” he muttered again, his fingers opening, then closing around the steering wheel.
“Ignore me,” she advised him. “You have a game tonight. You need to focus on that. Um…want to talk about that? What are you going to work on tonight?”
He didn’t answer and his hands clenched again on the steering wheel. Finally he said in a low voice, “We haven’t been playing well lately. There’s a lot to work on. Been working on getting behind the net, protecting the puck. Once you get around back there, there are different angles and passes, it’s tougher to defend against. Guys are checking you hard, though, you gotta protect the puck and be aware of where they are, stay on the puck. I’m working on getting better at that. Gotta win the face-off and I can get behind the net and watch for plays.”
“Or steal the puck if they have it,” she said. “Sometimes they’re not defensive enough if they think they have possession of it.”
“Yeah,” he said slowly, sending her a long look. “Sometimes that’s when they’re most vulnerable.”
He’d said more in those few minutes than she’d ever heard him say. She liked it.
He parked in his spot at the Moens Center and they got out of his vehicle.
He started toward the ramp where the players entered, then stopped. It was dusky now, and a few stray snowflakes drifted down around his dark shape, a black wool coat over his suit. “Where are you off to?”
“Viviana.” She looked around. “Do you know…?”
“That way.” He pointed. “One block south. I’ll walk you there.”
“No!” She started off. “No, I don’t want to interfere with your game day routine. Thanks for the ride. I’ll find it! Good luck!” She legged it across the parking lot to the street without looking back. Cheese-its, he hated her enough without having to walk her to her destination, which would make him late for his arrival before the game.
Chapter 6
Lovey walked into Viviana and looked around for Jillian. She didn’t see her. It was busy already, so she gave her name to the hostess, who showed her to their table. This was a cool place. She’d almost suggested the Sin Bin, but Jillian said this was good too, new and not too expensive.
A pizza
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