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thoughts.
“What do you mean?”
    “Our own after-game celebration. We ought to do something
new, don’t you think?”
    “Sure, I guess. I’m not sure what there is to do in Wild.”
    She could have sworn Gavin muffled a laugh, but when she looked
at him, his expression was all bland innocence.
    “What’s funny?”
    “Nothing. I swear.”
    Beth eyed his rugged profile. Strong jaw, twice-broken nose,
eyes as deep and dark as a cave at midnight. He steered the car with two
fingers, with that casual, completely physical confidence he brought to
everything he did. The other hand rested on his thigh. He wore the rusty-brown,
nubby wool sweater she’d gotten him for Christmas. He carried his good looks as
if they were a coat he didn’t care about anymore. She’d never known anyone so
solid in their own skin. So different from her, quiet, absentminded Beth who
avoided thinking about her own body whenever possible.
    He glanced at the rearview mirror. “They’re flashing their
lights. That either means full bladders or empty bellies. Or both. I think
there’s a diner a few miles up the road.”
    “Good. I fall into the full bladder category.”
    “Bathroom break, coming up.”
    The Bird’s Eye Diner was perched next to a frozen lake with
a view of steep snowy crevasses. The bored waitress barely noticed Beth walk
in, but she perked up at the sight of a dozen muscular guys bursting out of the
van. Beth didn’t blame her. The Renegades were a sight to behold.
    Beth took her time in the bathroom. The thought of facing
her husband’s entire hockey team always made her shy. What did they think of
her? Did they see her as the uptight “boss’s wife”? Did they ever notice her in
a sexual way? She was only a few years older than they were, late twenties to
their early twenties.
    Older women were supposed to be sexy, right? She fluffed her
hair with her fingers. Fine and silky, it refused to do anything but drape
itself over her shoulders. Since those shoulders were covered with a green
fleece zip-up jacket, the chances of looking sexy didn’t seem high. But at
least the jacket gave her eyes a brighter shade of green. And it hugged her
bosom in a way she liked.
    Her mother would have disapproved.
    Rebellion made her unzip the jacket to reveal the top of her
cream-colored shirt. Why must her mother still dictate to her? There was
nothing wrong with playing the part of the coach’s attractive wife. Nothing at
all.
    As she left the bathroom, she added an extra sway to her
stride. Three of the players were waiting their turn for the men’s room. She
kept her head high and offered them a bright smile. They all jumped to
attention with big grins. “Feel free to use the ladies’ room, guys. I won’t
tell.”
    “You rock, Mrs. Coach,” said the cute brown-haired one.
    “Her name’s not Mrs. Coach,” hissed his buddy.
    “I know that.”
    “It’s Beth, right?” The third player looked at her boldly,
in a way that made her wonder if she’d unzipped her fleece a little too far.
    “That’s right. Beth Thomason.”
    “Do you mind if we call you Mrs. Coach?” The cute one smiled
winningly at her. “We’ve kind of got into the habit.”
    “Fine.” Beth kept her smile fixed on her face as she made
her way to the table where Gavin waited. The players had a nickname for her?
They had a habit of referring to her in a certain way? Her mind reeled at the
thought of her being discussed…where…in the locker room? When they were all
naked?
     
    Gavin sensed something different about Beth when she slid
into the chair opposite him. For one thing, the sweet upper curve of her
breasts peeked above her top. He could have sworn that jacket was zipped to the
top when they’d been in the car. He always knew every detail of her physical
appearance. They often provided his only clues to her state of mind.
    “Feel better?” He had to raise his voice over the low roar
of male chatter.
    “Much. Did you order us