Faking it with the Grumpy NHL Alpha

CHAPTER 018

*CRASHOUT*

Tyler's POV

I glanced at Megan’s name on the screen then calmly slipped the phone back into my pocket.

She could wait.

“Do we have a deal?” I asked, shifting my gaze back to Flora.

She brought two fingers to her jaw, tapping a slow, agonizing rhythm against her skin. The silence stretched between us, turning thick.

Her chin lifted, her eyes narrowing into slits of pure accusation.

“You spoke to me very rudely the other day,” she said, her voice dropping considerably low. “You need to apologize.”

The air left my lungs in a sharp, incredulous laugh.

“What?”

“At your practice,” she continued, crossing her arms tightly over her chest, her shoulders squaring as if she were stepping into a boxing ring.

“There’s no way in hell I’m apologizing for that,” I snapped, my own arms flying across my chest in an identical defensive mirror.

My jaw ached from how hard I was clenching it.

Who the f**k does she think she is?

“Then good luck finding another person for your little fake relationship stunt.”

Flora didn't hesitate. She spun, her hair whipping through the air as she marched toward the door.

She wasn't bluffing.

She was actually going to walk out and leave me completely stranded.

“Wait.” The word tore from my throat before my brain could veto it.

Flora froze.

She didn't turn around, but her shoulders went rigid.

A cold drop of sweat broke out along my hairline, tracking down the side of my face.

My chest felt tight, the walls of the room suddenly closing in.

When was the last time I had ever apologized to another living soul?

Never.

I swallowed down a lump of pure, bitter pride, my throat burning.

Flora slowly turned her head, staring at me as if I were a ghost materializing in front of her.

“I’m S… S…” The letters tasted like broken glass. My jaw locked, the muscles physically seizing up.

I forced the air out of my lungs. “I’m… sorry.”

The fiery defiance in her eyes wavered, melting into something unexpectedly soft.

“And… I’m sorry for slapping you,” she muttered, looking down at her shoes, a sudden flush rising up her neck. “Even if you deserved it.”

I managed a single, stiff nod, entirely thrown off balance by her retraction.

She walked back to my front. “We have a deal,” she whispered right into my ears.

The words hung in the space between us.

I realized with a sudden, jarring jolt just how close we were standing. I stepped back instantly, ripping my eyes away and clearing my throat to dispel the sudden heat in the air.

Flora’s cheeks were burning a bright, undeniable pink.

“So…” She cleared her throat, her voice cracking slightly. “Is there going to be a contract, or are we just shaking on this?”

My phone rang in my pocket. Most definitely Megan again.

“You should probably get that,” Flora murmured, nodding toward my pocket.

“I will. But first—”

I walked over to the desk, pulled a fresh sheet, along with a heavy silver pen and set it on the desk.

“We write our terms and we sign on it.” I grabbed a second pen, leaning over the paper.

In one aggressive, sweeping motion, I wrote my single, non-negotiable rule.

I slid the paper to her side.

Flora grabbed the pen, sinking into the chair.

For the next ten minutes, the only sound in the room was the furious, scratching of her pen against the paper.

She was writing an entire manifesto.

Finally, she signed her name at the very bottom with a theatrical, looping flora.

“Done,” she breathed, pushing the page back to me.

I picked it up, skimming through the chaotic scrawl of her conditions.

My eyes stopped dead at the very last line.

No feelings should be attached.

A dark, mocking smile tugged at the corner of my lips.

I lifted my head, catching her gaze and holding it until she shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

“You’re getting a little ahead of yourself, aren’t you?” I asked. “You know there is no universe in hell where I develop actual feelings for you, right?”

Before she could fire back, the phone in my pocket erupted again.

Megan.

Third time.

She wasn't going to stop.

I picked up the call and shoved the phone to my ear.

“Took you long enough,” Megan’s voice tore through the speaker.

“I was busy,” I said, keeping my tone perfectly flat.

“Yeah, whatever. We need to talk. Right now.”

“I’m in the middle of something at the—”

“Tyler, I said we need to talk!” she shrieked, cutting me off. “I’m at your beach house.”

The line went dead before I could respond.

I slowly lowered the phone, a cold, heavy knot forming in the pit of my stomach.

I turned back to Flora who was watching me like a hawk.

“Something came up,” I said, shoving the phone away. “I’ll send my driver to take you back to your suite.”

Her eyes widened “What? What about the press? The crowd at the front gates? How am I supposed to get through that by myself?”

“I’ll have it handled.”

I quickly dialed the hotel manager’s direct line, barking out commands before hanging up, then sent a text to my driver.

I looked back at her. “Your suite is clear now. My driver would be waiting downstairs. ”

I didn't wait for her to answer.

I spun around, grabbed my keys, and left her standing there.

The drive to the beach house was a blur. But no matter how fast I drove, I couldn’t outrun the thoughts suffocating my brain.

My mind kept violently tearing back to the question she asked.

Why did I change my mind.

Caddy had written page after page about that girl.

Her stepsister.

It was Flora.

I needed to know if she knew about Caddy.

Why had Caddy stayed away from her?

Why had Caddy kept it a secret from me?

Getting close to Flora was the only way to get answers to my questions.

I wanted to ask her about her birthday just to see if the dates matched the diary.

But then again, pride is a thing for me. I can't let her think she matters to me.

I slammed the brakes, my car skidding to a halt on the gravel driveway of the beach house.

Megan was there, pacing back and forth across the wooden deck like a caged, rabid animal.

Her face was twisted into a mask of pure, ugly fury.

The second the car door swung open, she charged down toward me.

“You f****d me up!” she screamed, her voice cracking under the weight of her rage.

“Whoa, slow down, sis,” I said, stepping out of the car and raising my palms in the air.

“Calm down.” Her fists clenched. “Don’t tell me to f*****g calm down!” Megan roared, lunging at me.

Her chest was heaving.

Her eyes were wild and bloodshot.

“I told you—I explicitly told you—no matter what happens, no matter f*****g what, you do not let that girl seduce you! Since when does a pathetic nobody become a problem for you? What is so special about her, Tyler? Why the f**k did you step in and help her win that bet?!”

“It’s not about the damn bet, Megan,” I said, my voice dropping considerably. “I just…I find her attractive.”

Megan stepped back, slapping a frantic hand against her own forehead, letting out a sharp, hysterical laugh.

“What the f**k are you talking about, Tyler?! You have had thousands of beautiful women throwing their bodies at your feet, and out of nowhere, Flora is the chosen one? Flora?!”

“What do you want Megan?” I hissed, taking a step forward, letting my height tower over her. “Stealing her boyfriend wasn’t enough for you? You still had to go out there and try to publicly destroy her in front of thousands of people?”

Megan recoiled as if I had struck her across the face.

She stared at me, her lips trembling, looking at me as if I were a monster she no longer recognized.

“I didn’t steal her boyfriend.” She thundered. “Sean never loved her.”

“And you think you're the one he loves.”

She went silent for a second, eyes wide in disbelief. “We all know the truth, Tyler,” she whispered, her voice laced with venom. “Anything you do is always for your own twisted benefit. Soon enough, the real reason you agreed to play house with Flora is going to come out.”

“Selfish, narcissistic jerk,” Megan spat, glaring at me with total disgust.

Every muscle in my body went rigid.

My jaw tightened until my teeth ground together.

“What the hell did you just say to me?”

“You are a selfish jerk!” Megan screamed right into my face, her eyes blazing.

“All you have ever cared about is yourself, your money, and your f*****g colossal ego! And that—that exact reason right there—is why Enzo hates the absolute s**t out of you!”