Underneath It All (Storm Series) Read Free Page A

I’d end up looking like an ass, since she hates me and would surely reject any invitation to spend more time with me than she’s forced to.
    Ms. Rossa pulled the chair from behind her desk, and mostly to irk her, he instead perched on the front edge of the desk, pulling his jersey on over his head once he’d settled himself. With a sneer she wasn’t quite able to hide, she handed him the book then scooted to the back of the room, where she leaned on the wall and raised her eyebrows in an unmistakable “get on with it” look.
    Okay, woman. If that’s how you want to play, fine. But remember, you mess with the bull, and you’ll get the horns.
    He grinned. “Hey , everybody.”
    Fifteen small faces stared at him.
    “Class, say hi to Mr. D’Amico ,” Ms. Rossa prompted. “He’s here to read you a story.”
    “Hi , Mr. D’Amico,” went a chorus of voices.
    “Today we’re going to read, well, I’m going to read,” He smiled and a couple grinned back, “ Fancy Nancy ?” Glancing toward the back of the room, Rob schooled his expression. She’d have to try harder than that to rattle him. He was an NHL player who’d go toe-to-toe with anybody and wasn’t about to let this sprite of a thing intimidate him. “ Fancy Nancy it is.”
    Opening the book, he brutally suppressed a grimace as the glitter on the front cover brushed off onto his hands, with some settling on his jersey. He ignored the snicker from the back of the room, refusing to give this Ms. Rossa the satisfaction of knowing he had heard her.
    After Rob began to read, h e discovered he needed to hold the book out to the side so the kids could see the pictures and he could still read the words. Good thing he hadn’t done an intense arm or shoulder workout beforehand. Lifting a coffee cup, much less a book, after one of those was a potentially painful experience.
    He read and read.
    How freaking long is this book?
    At least the kids finally livened up, pointing out things and leaning forward in their seats. When he finished, he closed the book with a flourish. More glitter fell to the floor and this time he smiled; he’d had the foresight to hold it away from him. Can’t get me twice with that crap.
    “Pretty cool, huh? I love reading. See, I’m a hockey player.” He indicated his jerse y, clearly violating Ms. Rossa’s “don’t talk to the kids” rule. Rob had a sudden urge to stick out his tongue at her like Sebastian had done during scrimmage earlier in camp, but managed to hold himself back. “We spend a lot of time waiting for buses, flying on planes, sitting around our hotel rooms before games, whatever. If I couldn’t read, I’d be pretty bored.” Not entirely true since his tastes ran more to engaging in video game tournaments against his teammates, but he wasn’t about to mention that. Obviously he could read; he just preferred something a little more active.
    One little girl raised her hand. “I saw a hockey game on TV with my daddy.”
    “Oh yeah? Did you like it?”
    She c rinkled her nose. “Do you fight like those guys did?”
    Think fast, D’Amico.
    “Things can get heated in the middle of a game because everybody’s trying so hard, but I always play fair.” Total cop-out answer, but he doubted she’d know the difference.
    That was a close call.
    A boy in the class was waving his arm like one of those guys guiding a plane to a gate. Enthusiastic kid. Rob couldn’t help but smile. These kids were giving him a kick; that was for sure.
    “My dad says the Storm won’t go anywhere without a change in the front office.”
    Seriously? How the hell do kids remember stuff like that?
    Rob looked to Ms. Rossa for guidance. She was half turned away, silently shaking with laughter. Fat lot of help she would be.
    With a level voice, he answered, “I just play the game. I let other people worry about that kind of thing. Anyway, I need to get out of here since you guys have a lot of important learning to do, but I’ll be back