Faking it with the Grumpy NHL Alpha

CHAPTER 019

*NOT SO COLD*

Flora's POV

The leather seats of Tyler’s car smelled exactly like him.

Outside, the city lights blurred into long, smeary lines against the window. Inside, the silence was heavy enough to crush me.

In the front seat, the driver’s eyes flicked upward.

Our gazes met in the rear-view mirror for the fourth time in three blocks.

He was an older gentleman, he seemed kind, but his eyes held a sharp, calculating weight that didn't match his polite posture.

I shifted in my seat, my gaze focused on him. "Is there something on my face, or do I just look that out of place?"

The driver didn’t flinch. He smoothly guided the sedan around a sharp turn. "My apologies, ma’am. I didn't mean to stare."

“It's okay.” I chuckled.

We continued in silence for a few minutes until I shifted my gaze to the rearview mirror and caught him staring again.

“It's just strange,” He said, his hands tightening slightly on the steering wheel. "Mr. Sinclair hasn't allowed a guest at the house you just came out from. Not since the incident."

“Well I'm his girlfriend now." I said, the word tasting completely foreign on my tongue. I lifted my chin, trying to channel whatever confidence Tyler usually radiated. "And besides what incident?"

"Miss Caddy," he murmured, his voice dropping an octave. He glanced at the mirror again, as if checking to see if he'd crossed a line. "Ever since she died, Mr. Sinclair has never brought anyone to that house. Not even his mom. He rarely visits it himself.”

He looked at me again through the mirror, longer this time.

The name hit me like a puck to the chest.

Caddy.

It had popped up at the gala, and even his bike was named after her. I leaned forward. “Who’s Caddy? I’ve been hearing that name often.”

“Caddy was his mate and lover.” The driver went still for a moment, then smiled softly, like he was remembering something fond. “She was good with bikes, kind of a street girl. Mr. Sinclair was so in love with her.”

You mean the stone-cold Devil on Ice actually loved someone?

The same man who acts like emotions are a highly contagious disease?

“Wow,” I said out loud. “Who knew he was capable of loving someone so deep?”

The driver smiled. “She’s the only person who managed to thaw the ice around him. Besides you, of course.”

The car went silent. I stared out the window, watching buildings pass by. “Can you tell me more about him and caddy?”

“Not exactly ma’am.” The driver said, focusing on the road ahead. “But I think Tyler loves you.”

I spat out the water I was drinking, eyes wide. “Why would you think so?”

“Well, he kissed you and announced you as his woman in front of everyone.”

Before I could press for more, my phone vibrated violently in my clutch. The screen lit up with a video call invite from my mother.

I hit accept, and immediately, Aunt Pam’s face crowded the camera, her hyper-extended eyeliner practically touching the lens. “Flora! Oh my god, Flora,” She grinned like she had just won the lottery. “Where's our new rich boyfriend? Turn the camera!"

"Hi, Aunt Pam. Good afternoon to you too," I sighed, rubbing my temples. "But he's not here."

She scoffed, waving a hand off-screen. "The news outlets are going crazy over you two. Is he as rigid as he looks on TV? Because honey, with a net worth like that, he can be a stone statue for all I care.”

“He's actually just as rigid.” I said, laughing.

“He’s so hot. Does he need a side chick?”

“Whoa, slow down, Aunt,” I said, laughing. “Aren’t you a little bit too old for him?”

“Don’t you dare,” Aunt Pam shot back. “I look much younger than your mom.”

“Indeed,” I laughed.

“I can’t wait to meet him,” she said, all giggly. “I’ll introduce him to all my friends. He’s going to take me shopping—”

“He’s literally Flora’s boyfriend, not yours,” Mom stepped in, rescuing me from her sister.

Dad joined the call too. “Honey, the camera definitely caught your best side. You looked really good in his arms.”

“Thanks, Dad,” I said softly.

“I hope you do love him though,” Dad asked, concern in his voice. “And hope he wouldn’t do the same thing Sean did.”

I went silent.

Love Tyler? No f*****g way.

That’s absurd.

The kiss flashed in my mind but I brushed it away quickly.

“We’ve arrived,” the driver said, snapping me out of my thoughts.

“Mom, Dad, Aunt Pam,” I said. “Let’s pick this up again later. I’ve got to go.”

The car glided to a halt in the private underground garage of the suite.

The driver stepped out, opening my door with a crisp bow. "Have a good evening, Miss Flora."

"You too." I murmured, stepping onto the concrete.

The stairways up to the suite felt agonizingly long. I needed to get out of this dress, wash the scent of Tyler’s expensive cologne off my skin, and sleep.

My steps caught as my gaze landed on the figure standing right in front of me.

“Here comes the Captain’s bride,” Sean said, his lips widening into a large smirk. “Her royal majesty—Flora.”

I played along, taking the upper hand with a sweet smile. “Oh, poor Sean. Have you been waiting for me? I went to meet my man.”

Sean laughed. “Your man? You really believe someone on Tyler’s level will settle for someone like you?”

“Well, he just did, didn’t he?” I mocked. “Guess I wasn’t just a dork after all.”

He chuckled, a nasty, hollow sound, as he walked towards me, stopping just short of my personal space. "You really think that kiss and bullshit announcement changed anything?” He scoffed. “You're a rebound, Flora. A PR stunt to make a monster look human. When Tyler Sinclair gets bored of playing house with a girl from the suburbs, he's going to drop you. And you won't even have anything left of yourself to pick up.”

Every word was designed to cut, but for the first time, the blade didn't pierce.

I took a step closer to Sean, looking down at his shoes. "Till then I suggest you enjoy your hockey career while you can.” I paused, shifting my gaze to meet his. “Because right now, my boyfriend is the captain of your team so If I were you, I’d be very careful about how I speak to his woman."

Sean’s smirk faltered. His jaw tightened, a flash of genuine anger crossing his eyes as I walked past him down the hallway.

A breath I didn't know I was holding escaped my lips. I turned the corner to my bedroom, desperate for sanctuary.

Tyler was right after all.

I need to show Sean I have the upper hand now.

I threw the door to my bedroom open and the sight stopped me dead in my tracks.

The air in the room was hot, thick with the heavy scent of sweat.

Lucille was riding a guy I’d never seen before—hot, sweaty, very enthusiastic.

She was on top, hips moving with purpose, head thrown back in pleasure as the guy gripped her thighs, groaning. The sounds, the movement, the way she was completely lost in it—it was intense and very much not what I needed to see right now.

“Oh my god!” I shrieked, slamming my hands over my eyes. “Lucille!”

A sudden scramble of sheets followed. “s**t! Flora!” Lucille gasped.

By the time I peeked through my fingers, the guy was frantically pulling on a pair of jeans, his shirt inside out as he practically sprinted past me out the door, muttering a panicked apology.

Lucille was sitting cross-legged in the center of the wrecked sheets, her hair a wild, static nest, a triumphant, wicked grin plastered across her face. “Oh Flooooraaa, I was having the time of my life. Didn’t anyone teach you about proper timing?”

I collapsed into a chair. “What the f**k, Lucille? Do you even know that guy?”

“I think his name was Jaxon? Or Jace?" She shrugged, completely unbothered, pulling a satin robe over her shoulders. “Who cares? He had arms like steel columns and he knew exactly what to do with them. No strings, no drama. Just pure, unfiltered sex.”

I scoffed. “You sound possessed right now.”

“The only thing I’m possessed with is his veiny d**k hitting the walls of my v****a. God, Flora, he was so good I was getting into it—”

I shot her a mean look and she stopped mid-sentence.

Just then, the doorbell rang.

Lucille blinked, her mischievous grin fading into confusion. "Are you expecting someone?"

"No," I whispered, a sudden spike of anxiety hitting my chest.

Lucille slid off the bed, padding softly out to the foyer with me trailing a few steps behind.

She opened the door, her eyes going wide. “Flora, I think you need to see this.”