Troublemaker - Lisa B. Kamps Page 0,39

admit that to Nathan. "My point is, she didn't try to wipe me out and she could have. She hasn't asked for money. She hasn't asked for anything, period."

"Doesn't mean she won't."

"For fuck's sake, Shaw. What the hell do you have against Morgan? What the hell has she ever done to you?"

Nathan looked equal parts surprised and stunned at the question. His gaze drifted from mine down to the ice then back again. "Nothing. I mean, she seems okay enough."

"Then what's the problem?"

"I told you, I'm just watching your back."

"And I told you I didn't need it. Whatever is going on between Morgan and me is our business and nobody else's."

"Fine."

"Fine."

"Just don't bitch when she wipes you out."

I inhaled a deep breath of chilly rink air and ground my back teeth together. "That isn't going to happen."

"I hope you're right."

I took another deep breath, exhaled sharply, then changed tactics. "You think Addy is a good judge of character?"

Nathan's eyes narrowed and for a few seconds, I didn't think he'd answer. He finally relaxed and shrugged. "Yeah, she is."

"Then maybe you should trust her if you don't trust me."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"It means she seems to like Morgan just fine. Her and Jacqui both do. If they didn't, I doubt that Morgan would be spending so much time with them."

A frown creased Nathan's forehead and I could tell his mind was working overtime, trying to think of some argument. The truth was, there wasn't a single argument he could come up with and he knew it. Morgan had been spending a lot of time with Addy and Jacqui, damn near every day since that night we'd gone on the ghost tour last week. I got the impression that Morgan was glad for the company even though she hadn't said as much. I also got the impression that she wasn't really used to having many friends so I was secretly thankful that the two women had kind of taken Morgan under their wings,

I was also extremely grateful to both of them because Morgan hadn't made any mention of leaving. Of course, we hadn't really talked about her staying, either, but I'd take what I could get.

I also had to admit that Nathan had a point, even if it was a small one: I had no fucking clue what I was doing, not when it came to Morgan. A part of me could admit that our situation wasn't normal, not by a long shot. Morgan was a runaway bride who showed up at my apartment and, for reasons I didn't understand, I invited her to stay. Not just for a night or two but for more than three weeks. We were practically living together.

Normal? No, not really.

Did I care? Oh hell no.

I liked Morgan. A lot. I enjoyed spending time with her. The sex was out of this world but that wasn't the only reason why. I actually looked forward to going home now, knowing Morgan would be there waiting for me. We'd settled into a routine, a comfortable one, and I didn't think that was a bad thing.

Normal, no, but definitely not bad.

The problem was, I had no idea how Morgan felt about the whole thing. For all I knew, she was still planning on leaving. We hadn't talked about it and I'd let myself think that her leaving was no longer an issue but maybe that was just wishful thinking on my part. Maybe I was just fooling myself.

Or hell, maybe I'd simply become obsessed and refused to see reality.

No, I hadn't reached that point—and I wouldn't. But maybe I needed to sit down with Morgan and talk, make sure we were on the same page.

Whatever that was.

A door slammed to our right and I turned in time to see Coach Somers stalk out onto the ice, followed by the rest of the coaching staff. Break time was over, which meant Nathan's interrogation was coming to an end.

It also meant we were probably going to have our asses handed to us for one reason or another. Coach just had that look about him. I couldn't really blame him, considering our play had taken a dive this past weekend. We were still in last place—surprise, surprise—and sinking deeper with each loss.

"Everyone, center ice. Now."

I swallowed back a groan, shoved my helmet into place, then skated toward center ice with Nathan and the rest of the team. Everyone had similar expressions of doom on their faces, like we all