Page 110 of Meant for Mayhem

My shoulders dropped.

The panic that clawed at my throat eased back enough for me to breathe normally.

When I gave her a small nod to let her know I was okay, Shannon turned toward Richard, her expression hardening.

“And you.” She pointed at him. “He explicitly told you not to talk about us. I said if you needed to mention me, fine. I’m a grown-ass woman. I can handle a Google search and a few strangers on the internet deciding they hate my eyebrows. But you mentioned a child.”

Richard opened his mouth, but Shannon held up a hand.

“No. You don’t get to PR-spin your way out of this, Dick. You took the one thing Mikko asked you to protect and gift-wrapped it for every bored asshole with Wi-Fi and a search bar. So either you’re catastrophically bad at your job, or you’re such a sad, attention-starved little man that getting your name quoted on a hockey blog was enough to make you cum in your pleated pants.”

Frankie let out a little snort laugh, sinking into the chair across from me. He reached for my wrist to track my pulse, but I waved him off. With Shannon standing between the staff and me, my anxiety was all but gone.

She turned on Camille next, pointing a finger at her. “And you. Mikko isn’t a number on your roster—he’s my husband and Leena’s father. He asked your staff to respect his boundaries, and Dick here rode right over them. I heard it, and so did half the plane. So whatever bullshit he’s about to spew to save his ass, I will go toe-to-toe with anyone here until you regret the day you ever hired him. Got it?”

Camille smirked, her eyes looking back and forth between Shannon and me.

The plane was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. My wife reached a hand out behind her back, and I took it. She squeezed, the little motion grounding me, checking on me even now.

This time I couldn’t breathe, but it had nothing to do with a panic attack.

Watching Shannon stand up for me—for us—meant more than I could put into words.

Camille walked toward us, sliding a business card between her fingers and holding it out to Shannon. “If you ever decide to change careers, call me. The NHL could use more women like you.”

Shannon looked down at the card, then at Camille. “I hate hockey.”

A round of laughter broke over the plane, shattering the tension thick in the air.

“I like her,” Camille said as she passed us, patting me on the shoulder. “Don’t mess that up.”

I stood, wrapping a hand around Shannon’s waist. “Don’t intend to.”

Once everyone had taken their seats and returned to normal conversation, Shannon spun in my hold. Her hands rose to grip my face, pulling me down until we were nose to nose. “Are you okay?”

I closed the rest of the distance between us, laying a gentle kiss on her lips.

She sucked in a little breath that reminded me of how we’d spent the morning, and I kissed her again, a little more possessive this time.

“Shut your eyes, Leena, you don’t need to see this,” Logan said from behind us. “Me, on the other hand⁠—”

I pulled back and looked back at him. “Not one person here wonders why you’re single.”

Leena clapped her hands over her mouth, and the rest of the team laughed.

Shannon’s cheeks tinged pink, but it was my turn to grab her hand. I squeezed it reassuringly, then led her back to our seats.

Logan handed Leena over to me while Shannon took her seat. “Well, that was exciting.”

“I think I peed a little,” Logan said, and the boys around us laughed again.

Carter leaned over me, knuckles held out for Shannon. “No dead bodies and no panic attacks, so I call it a success. Welcome to the Yeti, Shan.”

She chuckled, then pulled two princess tiaras out of her backpack for Leena, placing one on each of their heads. Next came a plastic tea set and a bottle of water to fill each tiny cup.

Instantly, the fierce woman who’d stood between me and everyone who held control over my contract dissolved into the kind, playful version of herself she turned into around Leena. I couldn’t look away, amazed that she was capable of such fire and tenderness in back-to-back moments.

Shannon poured water into a plastic pink cup big enough to hold a swallow. “What?”