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Tricks of the Game

Chapter 1

Duncan and I stepped out of his truck into the brisk September air. I took a deep breath, enjoying Chicago’s subtle shift toward fall. I tightened my signature blonde ponytail as I marched toward Johnny’s IceHouse, ready for the final practice before the Blackhawks opened up their preseason against the St. Louis Blues. Although this was my first season as assistant coach, I felt as though I had been with the organization forever. Duncan, my fiance and high school sweetheart, had been with the team for his entire career, so I had called Chicago home for the better part of my adult life thus far.

“See you at practice,” Dunc said, completely void of all emotion as he headed toward the locker room. I sighed, making my way to my office to change into practice clothes and answer a few emails. Duncan and I had been on the rocks for years now; the constant beck and call of being a Blackhawk had taken its toll on our relationship long ago. We both thought getting engaged would help put our relationship back on track, but we had done almost no wedding planning since he popped the question 3 years ago. After the engagement didn’t fix our problems, we attempted to have a baby together. Fertility problems plagued us from the start; once we finally were able to conceive, we miscarried within a few weeks. The loss of our second baby was the final attempt for me. I accepted the fact that we would probably never have children of our own, and I took it as a sign that I needed to keep moving forward with my career and put starting a family on hold. Dunc didn’t agree, and it remained a major point of contention between us. When the assistant coaching position for the Hawks opened up at the end of last season, Duncan insisted that I leave my position on the IceHogs and make the move to Chicago for the sake of our relationship. I agreed and took the job simply to pacify him; we both knew this relationship was nearing its expiration.

I finally arrived at my office, trying and failing to shake the memories of the night before. Duncan and I had been lost in yet another argument about trying for a baby when I finally had enough and drove away, finding myself on the doorstep of a very familiar face… a knock on my door pulled me from my thoughts to see the culprit from the night before.

“Hey, Jess,” Patrick Sharp said, flashing that award-winning smile at me as he walked into my office. “How are you feeling this morning?” He asked, a look of genuine concern washing over his face.

“Better,” I lied, knowing he would see right through me. “You really did help though,” I told him earnestly, pulling him in for a hug that I knew would leave me feeling weak. He wrapped his arms tightly around me, engulfing me with the scent of his cologne. He placed a hand on my cheek, gently caressing my face.

“I’m here for you, pretty girl,” he said, placing a kiss on my lips that sent shivers through my spine. “I had a really wonderful time with you last night.”

“I did too,” I smiled. Guilt ran through me I was reminded of the make out session on the couch after Evelyn fell asleep. No one had ever kissed me like that; no one had ever given me the feeling of wanting to give them every piece of myself, not even my fiance. We hadn’t gone further than making out, though it was clear we were heading in that direction soon. As awful as I felt for being the woman I swore to myself I would never become, I didn’t want it to stop. I promised myself that when Patrick and I did make love for the first time, I would no longer be with Duncan. Patrick kissed me again, pulling me back to the present.

“Come over after practice,” he said, dropping his hands down past the small of my back. “Let me show you how much better I am for you,” his deep voice was dangerously flirtatious, tempting me to accept his invitation. Screw it, I thought to myself.

“I’m there,” I promised, feeling his chiseled physique against my hand. “Get down to practice. I’ll be there in a minute,” I said, kissing him before he walked out my door, clicking it shut behind him.

Shit, I said to myself. I totally forgot I had a lunch date planned with my best friend Emerson, the Media Relations manager and wife of our captain, after practice. I knew we would have plenty of time to grab lunch on the upcoming road trip to St. Louis, so I grabbed my phone and sent her a text saying I had to cancel and would stop by her office to explain after practice. I secretly dreaded having to tell her about my late night escapades with someone we were both so close to. Emerson loved Duncan like a brother and was always talking about how excited she was for our wedding. I didn’t have the heart to tell her it was never going to happen.

I tried to shake the negativity from my head and pulled on my yoga pants and the Hawks hoodie with “Coach J” stitched on the back that Patrick had gifted to me after I got the job. I grabbed my skates out of the locker I kept in my office and headed down to the ice.

Practice went off as usual, aside from the fact that I had to yell at Duncan when he blatantly skated away from his position near the goal, allowing Kaner to score. He stormed off the ice after I called him out, effectively ending his practice for the day. Due to the outburst, I ended practice half an hour early in an attempt to pull myself together before I headed to Patrick’s house.

“What the fuck was that about, Jess?” Duncan seethed as he approached me in the hall. I had never seen him so angry.

“I should be asking you the same thing,” I spat back, standing my ground. I would not let him push me around when I was just doing my job. “You skated out of the way when you knew Kaner was about to score! Pull that shit in St. Louis and I’m benching your ass.”

“Oh, excuse me!” He growled, taking one step too close. “I was just absolutely sick of watching my fiance eye fuck Sharpie in front of me!”

“You have no idea what you’re talking about, Duncan,” I lied, absentmindedly taking a step back. His aggressive behavior was starting to scare me; he never acted this way.

“Oh please,” he chuckled. “You don’t think I know that’s exactly where you went last night after our argument? Let me make something crystal clear, Jess,” he said, grabbing my shoulder. “I have done everything for you. If you think you can-” his rant was cut short by Patrick slamming him into the wall.

“Do not touch her like that,” Patrick warned, his voice dangerously low. “Do not talk to her like that.” He released Duncan from the wall and walked my direction. “Let’s go Jess,” he said, putting his arm around me and walking me back to my office. With the click of the door, the realization of what had just happened hit me. I was afraid of my fiance.

After a trip to Emerson’s office to explain and a short car ride, we were finally back at Patrick’s house. His basset hound, Shooter, happily greeted us as we entered his cozy townhouse. I slipped my shoes off in the foyer and headed straight for the large, open concept kitchen to grab something to eat. I already felt more comfortable here than in my own home.

“Pizza is on the way, babe,” I turned to catch Patrick slipping his phone into his pocket.

“Chicken and bacon with stuffed crust?” I asked, slipping my hands around his waist and resting my head against his chest.

“Of course,” he kissed my forehead and picked me up. “I know just how my girl likes it.”
Patrick carried me over to the oversized sectional and set me down before grabbing a blanket big enough to cover us, Shooter, and six kids. Shooter jumped up next to me and snuggled up under the covers, laying his head on my lap. I scratched behind his ear, happy to have a furbaby to snuggle with. I leaned into Patrick, kissing his chest as he turned on a movie.

“You need to leave him, Jess,” Patrick looked me in the eyes, gravely serious. “I was so afraid he was going to hurt you today. That isn’t what a healthy relationship looks like.”

“I know,” I sighed as a replay of the morning’s events played through my mind. Patrick was absolutely right; my relationship with Duncan wasn’t healthy, and now I was afraid of him. There was just one issue with me leaving him. “But where am I going to go? I’ve lived with Duncan my entire adult life.”

“Why don’t you move in here?” Patrick saw my laugh coming. “I’m serious Jess. There’s an extra bedroom. I’ll respect your space. I just want you to be safe,” he soothed, pulling me in for a kiss.

“I’ll think about it,” I promised. “I’ll make a decision while we’re on the St. Louis trip.” I smiled, thinking about how much I would enjoy living with Patrick. It would be strange living with someone other than Duncan, but I felt confident that Patrick and I had been friends long enough for this to be a success; however, I didn’t know how I was going to break the news to Duncan.

Notes

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