Page 72 of Meant for Mayhem

And damn my traitorous body, because I liked it.

“Sorry,” Richard scrambled, his cheeks turning pink. “Interview, Mikko?”

He shook his head, then turned us toward the door. “Not tonight.”

Nolan bit back a smile from where he stood to my left, his gaze bouncing back and forth between us.

“They’re requiring it,” Richard said from behind us.

“No means no, Dick,” I said over my shoulder while we walked through the doors. “My husband’s mine tonight.”

Several snickers followed us, but Mikko’s grin only spread.

“Husband?”

“You are, aren’t you?”

He leaned down, whispering in my ear, “That’s right, rakas. Don’t forget it.”

Leena was asleep when we pulled out of the team parking garage, the only sound in the car her soft snores from the backseat.

Mikko glanced over at me, one hand resting on the steering wheel. “Well?”

I looked away from the blur of Denver lights outside my window. “Well, what?”

“My first game with my wife in the stands.” His mouth tugged into yet another smile. “What did you think?”

I shrugged, then pulled my foot up onto the seat. “It wasn’t as bad as a teeth cleaning.”

A surprised laugh burst out of him, filling the car. “That’s your review?”

“I like to manage expectations.”

He shook his head, still grinning. “I’ll take it.”

Silence settled between us again, comfortable this time. I watched the city pass by, unable to stop the smile that kept threatening the corners of my mouth.

“Actually...” I glanced over at him. “It was fun. Nolan’s alright.”

His eyes flicked toward me before returning to the road. “Yeah?”

“I still don’t understand half of what happened.”

“Nolan didn’t teach you anything?”

“Oh, he tried.” I laughed. “He thinks Carter hung the moon, and I think you’re incapable of staying out of everyone else’s business, both on and off the ice.”

“I’m almost offended.”

“You should be. Defensemen aren’t supposed to score multiple goals per game, Mikko.”

He chuckled, then looked back at the road. “So you had fun?”

“I liked watching you.” The words slipped out before I could stop them. “You looked happy.”

His smile softened. “I do like winning.”

“Maybe that’s why I feel weird.”