Protecting My Heart From The Jock

SPEAK OF THE DEVIL

SIENNA ~

I read his text three times before I finally set the phone down.

*I meant everything I said. Sleep well, Sienna.*

The words sat on the screen. I locked the phone and flipped it face-down on the nightstand, but it didn’t help. I could still see them every time I closed my eyes.

Bear was already sprawled across the foot of the bed, snoring like he hadn’t just spent the last hour glued to my side while I paced the apartment.

I slid under the covers and stared at the ceiling. I hated how much I wanted to believe him.

I rolled onto my side and reached down to scratch behind Bear’s ears. He shifted closer without waking up, heavy head landing on my ankle. The familiar weight should have grounded me. Instead it only reminded me how easily my ex could take even this away if things got messy.

One rumor. One moment of weakness and suddenly the quiet life I’d built would be dragged into the same public circus I’d barely survived the first time.

Kai didn’t understand that part. Or maybe he did and he just believed we could outrun it.

I pressed the heels of my hands against my eyes. Twenty-two.

The number kept circling. It shouldn’t have mattered as much as it did. He wasn’t a kid I know. He was a grown man who’d just signed a multi-year NHL contract, who carried himself with a confidence most men twice his age never managed.

But every time I looked at him I still saw the teenager who’d once asked me to help him with a nutrition project for school. That version of him still lived somewhere behind the sharp jaw, six packs and the hot broad shoulders, and I didn’t know how to reconcile the two.

***

Morning came too fast.

I woke up to Bear’s cold nose pressing against my cheek and the sound of rain tapping against the window. For a few seconds I just lay there, staring at the ceiling, trying to pretend last night hadn’t happened.

I dragged myself out of bed, fed Bear, and stood under a hot shower longer than necessary. By the time I pulled on black leggings, a Vipers staff hoodie, and twisted my hair into a messy knot, I almost looked like someone who had her life under control.

The arena was already buzzing when I arrived. Players filtered in for the morning skate, staff moved through the hallways with coffee and clipboards, and the familiar cold-air-and-sweat smell of the place wrapped around me like a second skin.

I headed straight for my office, unlocked the door, and started pulling out the recovery shakes for the day.

I made it exactly twelve minutes before the knock came.

I knew it was him before I even turned around.

“Come in.”

Kai stepped inside and closed the door behind him. He was already in his practice gear, stick in one hand, helmet tucked under the other arm. His hair was still damp from the morning skate, dark strands sticking to his forehead. He looked unfairly good for someone who claimed he hadn’t slept.

“Morning,” he said.

“Morning.” I kept my eyes on the clipboard in my hands. “Shoulder feeling better?”

“Yeah. The extra mobility work helped.” He set the helmet down on the edge of my desk and leaned a hip against it. “You get any sleep?”

I finally looked up. “Some.”

His mouth curved, small and knowing. “I don't believe that.”

I set the clipboard down harder than I needed to. “We are not doing this here.”

“Doing what?”

“This.” I gestured between us. “The weird looking. The checking in. The acting like everything's normal.”

Kai’s expression didn’t change, but something in his eyes sharpened. “It feels pretty normal to me.”

“That’s the problem.”

He was quiet for a second, then pushed off the desk and took one step closer. Not enough to crowd me. Just enough that I had to tilt my chin up to hold his gaze.

“I’m not going to pretend I didn’t mean what I said,” he told me, voice low. “But I also heard you. You’re trying to be smart. I respect that. So I’ll keep it professional inside these walls if that’s what you need.”

I studied his face, looking for the catch. There wasn’t one. Just that same intensity he’d shown me last night.

“Thank you,” I said carefully.

He nodded once. “Doesn’t mean I’m giving up. Just means I’ll be patient.”

Before I could answer, the door opened without a knock and Cole walked in, tablet already open. He stopped short when he saw Kai standing so close to me.

“Am I interrupting?”

“No,” I said at the same time Kai said, “Just grabbing a shake.”

Cole’s gaze moved between us. He didn’t comment. Just held up the tablet. “Need you to look at the new recovery protocol for the third line when you get a chance. A couple of the guys are still dragging after yesterday.”

“I’ll handle it,” I said.

Kai picked up his helmet, gave me one last look and stepped past Cole into the hallway. The door clicked shut behind him.

Cole waited until the sound of Kai’s footsteps faded. Then he raised an eyebrow.

“You want to tell me what that was?”

“Nothing.”

“Didn’t look like nothing to me.”

I turned back to the fridge and started pulling out more bottles. “Drop it, Cole.”

He was silent long enough that I thought he might actually listen. Then he said, quietly, “He’s not a kid, Sienna. And you’re not made of glass either.”

I didn’t answer. He left a moment later, leaving the tablet on my desk.

The rest of the morning passed in a blur of meal plans, quick consultations, and the constant low-level awareness that Kai was somewhere in the building. Every time the door to the training area opened I felt my shoulders tense. Every time it wasn’t him I told myself I was relieved.

Truthfully, I wasn’t.

Around noon my phone buzzed with a message from Maya.

**Maya:**

Lunch? I can come to you.

Also your ex just emailed me. He’s getting louder about Bear.

I closed my eyes for a second.

**Me:**

Come to the office. I’ll have food.

Twenty minutes later Maya walked in carrying two takeout containers and wearing the expression she only used when she was already annoyed on my behalf. She set the food down, pulled out the extra chair, and fixed me with a look.

“He’s threatening to file for emergency custody of the dog if you don’t respond to his last three emails,” she said without preamble. “I told him to go through your lawyer like a normal person. He didn’t like that.”

I dragged a hand down my face. “Of course he didn’t.”

“You need to call your lawyer today.”

“I know.”

We opened the containers and started eating. Maya talked about a difficult client and the new campaign she was running. I nodded in the right places and tried to keep my mind off the fact that Kai was probably still somewhere in the building.

The door opened again without warning and my heart sank.

Kai stood there, rain still caught in his hair, practice jersey clinging to his shoulders. His eyes found mine first, just for a fraction of a second, before he looked at Maya and the entire expression shifted into something casual and easy.

“Hey,” he said, stepping inside. “Didn’t know you were here.”

Maya grinned. “Stealing your nutritionist for lunch. You want some?”

“I’m good.” He glanced at me again, the look carefully neutral this time. “Just needed to ask about the post-skate recovery window. Is the usual shake still fine or should I switch?”

I kept my voice even, professional. “Stick with the usual. You’re still in the higher-calorie phase until the next body comp.”

He nodded once. “Got it. Thanks.”

Then he looked at Maya. “You coming to dinner Sunday? Mom’s making the thing with the peppers.”

“Wouldn’t miss it,” she said.

Kai gave a small smile, tapped the doorframe once, and left without another glance in my direction.

The second the door closed, Maya shook her head. “He’s been weirdly focused lately. I think the pressure of the season is finally hitting him.”

I nodded, but my pulse was beating fast.

Kai had walked in, looked at me like he wanted to say a hundred things, and then shut every single one of them down the moment he saw his sister.

I forced a small smile and stabbed a piece of chicken. “Rookies always feel it harder the first full year.”

“Yeah.” She watched the door for a second longer, then turned back to me. “Anyway. Call your lawyer. Today. I’m not letting that asshole take Bear just because he’s bored and petty."