Chapter 130: The Rumors are true

The blushing fan’s eyes widening as she clutched a brand-new Serpents jersey to her chest.

She looked back and forth between us, her face turning a bright, frantic pink as she took in the sight of the team’s star rookie leaning halfway into the Captain’s personal space before the signing had even officially begun.

​Seriously, this guy...

​I didn’t give him the satisfaction of looking back. Instead, I forced my features into a rigid, completely professional mask and pulled the first jersey toward me, uncapping my sharpie with a sharp snap. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ

​"Name?" I asked the fan, keeping my voice level and authoritative, desperately hoping the noise of the convention center crowd drowned out the steady, irregular thudding of my heart.

​"Uh—Mia! It’s Mia, Captain," she squeaked out, her fingers trembling slightly as she pointed to the back of the fabric. "Can you... can you both sign near the numbers?"

​"Sure, Mia," Reid chimed in before I could answer.

​He didn’t just reach over to take the jersey; he deliberately leaned his forearm along the table, his elbow brushing right against mine.

The contact was brief, but the heavy, intoxicating warmth of his body radiated straight through the sleeve of my polo. Worse, the subtle shift in his position sent another thick wave of frozen pine drifting directly over my side of the table.

​I held my breath, my jaw locking tight as I scribbled my signature on the fabric. I could practically feel the eyes of the crowd—and the lenses of at least three civilian phones—pinning us down, searching for any scrap of body language that matched the photos from yesterday.

​I slid the jersey over to Reid, my knuckles accidentally grazing his chest in the process.

​Reid took the marker, a slow, knowing smile tugging at the corner of his lips as he looked down at the jersey, then back up at the fan. "There you go, Mia. Enjoy the game on Friday."

​"T-Thank you!" she gasped, grabbing the signed merchandise and practically floating away toward the exit lane, already pulling out her phone to furiously text someone.

​I leaned back slightly, trying to create even a millimeter of distance between our chairs, but Reid just shifted right along with me, casually resting his chin in his palm as he waited for the next fan to step up.

​"You’re being too stiff, Cap," he whispered, his voice dropping into that dangerous, gravelly register that was meant entirely for me. "Relax. You’re going to make them think the rumors are true."

​"Shut up and sign the next one," I hissed under my breath, staring fixedly at the incoming line. The rumors are true.

The rest of the morning went smoothly—or at least as smoothly as it could when my pulse was consistently hammering against my ribs.

​Line by line, fans stepped up to the table with jerseys, caps, and trading cards. And with every single group that passed, the crowd’s focus inevitably centered on Reid. It was impossible for it not to. The rookie was a natural behind the table, flashing easy, brilliant smiles that had half the girls and Omegas in the queue blushing furiously.

​"You’re so handsome, Reid! I swear I wish I could marry you!" one Omega gasped, burying her face in her hands after he signed her poster.

​I kept my eyes fixed on my marker, scribbling my name on the next item, but my ears traitorously tuned in to his response.

​Reid let out a low, deeply amused chuckle, leaning back in his chair. "Careful there," he murmured, his grey eyes sliding lazily toward me for a fraction of a second. "My Captain’s going to get jealous."

​I flinched, my hand nearly jerking across the smooth fabric of a jersey. My head snapped toward him, my brow furrowing in immediate, defensive irritation.

"And why the hell would I get jealous?" I demanded under my breath.

​Reid’s smirk only widened, entirely satisfied with the reaction he had provoked. "Because it means they’re stealing me away from the team, Cap," he laughed smoothly, turning back to the fan.

​A collective wave of awws and quiet gushes rippled through the immediate line. The fans were practically vibrating, completely charmed by the easy, playful banter between the stern Captain and his star rookie.

​Seriously, I thought, quickly turning my head away to focus on the next person in line, desperately hoping the high collar of my polo hid the sudden, tight flush creeping up the back of my ear. Too much chemistry. The brat is laying it on way too thick.

​Before I could recover my dignity, two very familiar, identical twin stepped up to the draped table.

​"Well, well. Look who finally decided to look up from his clipboard," Chleo teased, leaning her elbows on the counter and flashing a massive, wicked grin at me.

​Chloe stood right beside her, a more reserved but equally amused smile playing on her lips.

​"Morning, ladies," Reid chimed in instantly. His tone shifted into something genuinely warm and polite. "Good to see you both here."

​"Good to see you too, Reid!" Chleo beamed, passing her Serpents cap across the table.

​The twins openly liked Reid. He was incredibly popular, charismatic, and as far as they were concerned, he was a godsend.

For the longest time, they had constantly teased me about being a lonely, stubborn guy who was entirely too stuck-up about regulations to ever form a real bond outside the ice.

The fact that I had actually brought a teammate over for dinner—and clearly spent so much time with him—made them look at Reid like he was the only person capable of cracking my rigid walls.

​"We saw the photos online from yesterday, by the way," Chleo murmured, leaning in just a fraction closer, her eyes darting between us with immense interest. "You two looked like you were having quite the busy afternoon."

​I felt my jaw lock instantly. I grabbed her cap from the table, aggressively scrawling my signature across the brim before shoving it toward Reid. "We were running errands, Chleo. Like I said on the phone."

​"Right, errands," Chloe echoed from the side, her smile turning incredibly knowing as she watched the seamless, practiced way Reid naturally leaned into my space to take the cap from my hands. "Whatever the reason, it’s nice to see Kain actually has a friend to drag him out of the rink for once. Keep him in check, Reid. He works too hard."

​"Oh, don’t worry," Reid murmured, his pen scratching against the fabric as his shoulder pressed firmly against mine. His grey eyes flashed with a dark, private amusement that sent a shiver straight down my spine. "I’m keeping a very close eye on the Captain."