Playing the Game (The Renegades) (Volume 3) (19 page)

I am incorrigible
. Regaining what little
decency she had left, she shook her head, trying to get some sense
back, but this is what happened when she was left alone with him.
Looking to the door, she hoped Ben or Coach would come waltzing
through, but no one did.

“
Absolutely.” His deep, quiet voice
broke through her thoughts. “I’d love to meet Kevin.”

“
What?” She knew his lips were
moving but the sound of her own heartbeat clouded her
hearing.

“
I said, absolutely I’ll do it.
Just tell me when and I’ll be here.” The smile was still plastered
on his face. “Anytime you have a request with kids, Paige, I’m
in.”

“
Great,” she whispered. Clearing
her throat and pulling herself together, she smiled. “I’ll remember
that.” Paige was frozen in his gaze, and at that moment she knew
that she had a big problem—she wanted Tyler.

****

“We’re all ready for Kevin. Yes, everything is
wheelchair accessible. There’ll be no issue with that. Great, we
can’t wait. See you soon.” Paige hung up and strolled into the
quiet locker room. She wanted to do one last run through to make
sure everything was perfect for Kevin’s visit.

“
Morning, Paige.” Tyler’s voice
stopped her dead in her tracks.

Her breath caught. She almost choked on the gasp of
air she swallowed. Her papers shifted in her arms and almost
fell.

“
Whoa, sorry. I didn’t mean to
startle you.” He grabbed at the falling papers, and neatly arranged
the pile back in her arms. His fingers, warm and rough, brushed
against her hand. They lingered just long enough, causing her
breathing to pick up.

“
Tyler. I didn’t know anyone was in
here.” Her heart started to pound.
Why does this keep
happening
? Taking a deep breath, she tossed her hair out of her
face and cleared her throat. Straightening her paperwork, she
smiled. “Thanks.”

“
No problem. So you’re here early.
Everything okay? There isn’t a change of plan, is there?” His brow
wrinkled and his eyes darkened.

“
No, of course not. I wanted to
make sure everything was ready for Kevin. It’s my first big project
with the team and I just wanted to do a quick check. I want
everything to be perfect.” That was the truth, besides the fact
that he was making her a nervous wreck sitting there staring at her
with those beautiful hazel eyes and that chiseled jaw.

“
Nervous?”

Very
. “No. Not at all.” She was overheating in
her blazer and didn’t need to sweat through her dress shirt, not
today of all days. Turning away from Tyler she slipped off her
jacket, and looked around for somewhere to hang it up.

“
There’re some hangers over there
you can use.” Tyler pointed by the door, as if he’d read her
mind.

“
Thanks,” Paige mumbled. She placed
her jacket on the hanger and then ran her hands over her shirt,
smoothing the silk fabric.

Tyler stood and slowly moved towards her. “Paige, I
think we should talk.”

Frantically she looked around, searching for anything
to use as a distraction. She thought she’d made it clear the other
day that she didn’t want to have this conversation. But he was
already in front of her. She could feel the heat of his body, his
breath warm on her face. His lips looked so soft.

Her breathing deepened as memories of the way his
lips had gently assaulted hers flooded her mind. She wasn’t
supposed to get involved with him; she was on the job. But her
heart had other ideas. His eyes were focused on her, holding her
motionless and silent. Didn’t he know this is why she quickly
dismissed him from her office the other day? Or did he? Did he know
how he affected her?

Before he could say anything, her prayers were
answered. Loud talking and laughing erupted in the hallway, and
Tyler stepped back. People poured into the locker room, walking
right between Tyler and Paige, ruining any opportunity there might
have been for a heart-to-heart. Photographers started to set up
lighting and ready their equipment. Others unpacked video
cameras.

“
Sorry,” Paige called to Tyler.
Switching back to professional mode, she took a deep breath and
spoke loud in an attempt to talk over all of the madness. “Excuse
me, I’m Paige Martin. I am in charge of this function. If you all
could kindly show me your credentials, we will get started
shortly.” She approached each person, checking their tags to make
sure they were approved to be here. Being her first solo project,
she didn’t want to mess this up.

Verifying the last one, she turned to see Tyler
drowning in a swell of people. The large group had him backed up
against the wall when he caught her eye, waving for her
attention.

“
Excuse me, folks,” she yelled.
“Tyler Kidd is not doing interviews right now. Please move to the
other side of the room. Today is Kevin’s day. He is the one we will
be focusing on. There will be plenty of other days to talk to
Tyler.”

Some rumbled dissatisfaction louder than others with
their backs turned to Paige. Not one confronted her with a
complaint, but she clearly heard a few nasty words being tossed
around against her.

“
Now folks, you all knew you were
here to capture Kevin’s day. If you aren’t happy with the situation
you are more than welcome to leave. You may also want to remember I
am the one who grants your interview requests, especially with
Tyler, so respect and professionalism is appreciated.”

The room grew silent. Out of the corner of her eye
she saw Tyler fight to hide a smile that was pulling at the side of
his lips. “Very good then. Our guest should be here soon, and then
we can get started, but please don’t crowd him either. Remember to
keep your distance and let him enjoy his moment. Be mindful that he
is just a child; take your photos and your video but no microphones
in his face. I will not hesitate to immediately remove you if you
cannot follow my rules. Thank you in advance.”

“
Impressive.” Tyler leaned in close
and smiled. “The way you stepped in and took control, and they all
just fell into line. Melanie would be proud. What would you say to
dinner later?”

His cologne was intoxicating and the heat from his
body radiated against hers. Her breathing sped up as every reason
she shouldn’t agree to that raced through her mind. Her lips,
however, never uttered a syllable. Tyler silently watched her, his
eyes locking with hers.

“
Ms. Martin.” A voice broke the
tension, pulling her away. A blonde woman pushed a wheelchair
carrying a boy who she assumed to be Kevin into the room. She was
tall and thin with her hair pulled back into a ponytail.

“
Yes. Hello, you must be Rebecca?
Please, call me Paige.” She held out her hand, gently taking
Rebecca’s. Turning her attention to Kevin, Paige smiled. “And you
must be the guy I’ve heard so much about. Are you the famous
Kevin?”

“
Famous? No way. But I am Kevin.”
He was adorable, with rosy cheeks, shaggy light blond hair and thin
glasses that framed his face. His smile was wide as he beamed with
pride and laughed at her ‘famous’ comment.

“
I don’t know… I’m pretty sure
after today you will be.” Paige teased. Tyler stepped next to her,
his hand sliding down to her lower back, causing her body to catch
fire at his touch.

“
Hey, buddy! Nice to meet you.”
Tyler shook Kevin’s hand. Besides the sound of cameras snapping
photos, the room was silent. “Mom, is it okay if he comes over to
the bench?”

Rebecca nodded, her eyes wide as she looked at Tyler.
That was the usual look when people met him for the first time.

“
Mom, I’ll be fine.” Kevin
whispered loud enough for everyone to hear. Rebecca wheeled him
over by Tyler’s locker. “Mom, I’m good.” Kevin motioned for Rebecca
to step away. Slowly she did as he asked.

Tyler snickered, but hid his smile before Kevin
looked back at him.

Rebecca moved into the corner with Paige, out of the
view of the cameras.

“
He will be fine with Tyler,” Paige
said quietly. “He loves kids. Plus we’re close enough if he needs
you. Don’t worry.” She wrapped her hand around Rebecca’s in
reassurance and gave her a small grin. Soon Rebecca returned the
smile.

“
So how old are you, Kevin?” Tyler
asked, sitting down at his locker with the little boy right in
front of him.

“
I’m eight.” Kevin fussed with his
hands, folding them and unfolding them, then picking at his
nails.

“
No need to be nervous, bud. Just
remember, I’m nobody special. You are the superstar here.” Tyler
grinned.

Kevin gasped. “What? No way. You are
the
Tyler
Kidd! You’re the best player in hockey.”

Paige held in a laugh. She was far enough away so as
not to crowd them, but close enough to hear every word. Not knowing
how Tyler was going to handle this, she wanted to be able to help
if she was needed. So far, he was doing great.

Tyler waved off Kevin’s comments. “Nah. I’m just a
guy who plays a game. Tell me, what kind of hobbies do you
have?”

“
I watch every Renegades game, of
course, I like to play hockey on my video game, and I like to
read.”

“
Kev, tell him what you do in the
driveway.” Rebecca urged.

“
Mom
.” He groaned, rolling
his eyes and shaking his head towards his mother. His face turned a
light shade of pink. The room stayed hushed until Kevin finally
started to talk again, but not before he let out a small sigh. “I
spend a lot of my time indoors, because of my chair. I can’t play
ice hockey or Dek hockey like my brothers, so I play it on my video
games, and I’m pretty good at it. Sometimes when the weather is
really nice out, my brothers set up the hockey nets, and my brother
Billy gets his goalie gear on. My other brother, Tommy, pushes me
in my chair around the driveway while I hold my hockey stick. My
dad cut my stick down special so it’s easy to use while I’m in my
chair. Tommy pushes me so I can deke and steal the puck off other
guys. I even get to shoot at the net.”

“
That sounds like a lot of fun. Do
you ever get a goal?” Tyler asked with wide eyes. Paige’s heart
squeezed seeing him act so natural and sincere with the little boy.
He looked like he was genuinely hanging on Kevin’s every
word.

“
Of course I do!” Kevin
beamed.

Paige couldn’t help but chuckle; Kevin was the cutest
thing. He might not think he was anything special, but this kid was
truly an inspiration. She scanned the room to make sure everyone
was documenting these special moments. This would be wonderful
publicity for Tyler, and Kevin deserved the attention.

“
Obviously. Well, I have something
special for you, Kevin.” Tyler waited for Paige to hand him the
jersey. “This is your very own jersey.”

Kevin unfolded the Renegades jersey. It had number
one on the back and his last name. “It has the C on the front for
captain.” Kevin scrunched up his face. “But you’re the
captain.”

“
You’re right, I am. But now you’re
the captain too. The owner of the team, Mr. Nolan, wanted me to ask
you if you’d be willing to be our second captain. I need a right
hand man.” Tyler grinned a toothy grin.

“
Of course I will! Thank you,
Tyler!” Kevin leaned over and wrapped his little arms around
Tyler’s shoulders, giving him a big hug.

Paige tensed up. Not knowing how Tyler was going to
react, she poised to swoop in to save the day. But to her surprise
he wrapped his muscular arms around the little boy, pulling him
into a full embrace. Paige’s throat tightened with emotion. She
couldn’t help herself; she pulled out her cell phone and snapped a
photo, then quickly hid the phone in her pocket.

Rebecca wiped a tear away from her eye. Paige grabbed
her hand again and squeezed it. “You have a very special boy
there.”

“
I know I do, but thank you. Thank
you for this wonderful day for him. I know he’ll remember it
forever.”

“
I have a feeling he isn’t the only
one.” Paige had once thought Tyler was just a jerk with no real
value. She might have suspected she had him all wrong, but she
wasn’t totally convinced. Until today. He laughed at every joke
Kevin told, and they discussed hockey plays and recent Renegades
games. Kevin even gave Ty some pointers on how he could improve his
game, and the kid wasn’t wrong. They posed for some photos and
Kevin was interviewed by the Renegades’ official
reporter.

“
Hey Paige, c’mere,” Tyler
called.

Paige knelt down so she was almost at eye level with
both of them. “What can I do for you guys?” She balanced herself
carefully on her heels, but her tight pencil skirt wasn’t helping
matters any. The slightest wrong move seemed like it would tear
where she knelt. An urgency to get up filled her until little soft
arms wrapped around her.

Kevin leaned in and hugged her tightly. “Thank you
for today, Miss Paige. I’ll remember this day forever.”

This time Paige wiped a tear from her eye. Wrapping
her arms around his little person, she no longer was worried about
her skirt. “Kevin, it’s my pleasure. Meeting you has been the
highlight of my day.”

“
Paige,” Tyler said, as she stood
up. “Kevin said he was hungry. I was wondering if we could get a
pizza for lunch. What do you think?”

“
Well, I don’t know… I think
there’s someone we need to check with first. Mom? What do you
think?” She glanced back at Rebecca.