Free Heart and Snow (Texas Highlanders Ice Hockey) by Suzan Butler

head. “That’s not it. I’m just… There’s other reasons.”
    “So what’s going on with you and my sister?”
    Cody waved his hands and shook his head. “No. I love Jo. We’re good. We’re not—I’m happy with your sister, man.”
    “Well, good.” Doug seemed to relax at that. He’d never seen the man get so serious. Was it possible the man actually had some protective urges toward his family? Cody leaned back against the wooden chair. He sat there in silence for a while next to Doug.
    “Joey’s pregnant, isn’t she?”
    Cody’s gaze shot to the man, shock slamming into his heart. How in the world…?
    Doug grinned. “I thought so. She’s been a little crazy since you guys got here.”
    “I never said she was pregnant.”
    “Yeah, I know my sister, man. Joey’s always been a little bit weird about being a mom. She told Mom when she was eleven that she wanted to get a hysterectomy.”
    “What?” Cody laughed.
    “Yeah, that didn’t go over well. She told Mom that she didn’t want to be bothered. I think Mom was just surprised that Jo knew what a hysterectomy was.” Doug smiled lightly at the memory.
    “It sounds like her.”
    “I imagine that she hadn’t told Mom yet, right?”
    Cody shook his head, feeling sick to his stomach. He couldn’t lie, even though Jo was going to kill him for spilling the beans.
    “Well, congratulations, I guess,” Doug said.
    Cody met Doug’s eyes, uncertainty pumping through his veins. “You’re not going to tell her anything, are you? Jo wanted to tell your mom herself.”
    Doug shook his head. “No. It’s not my news to tell, man. It’s Joey’s. I hope she does it soon, because if I could figure it out, so can Mom. And Mom will be way hurt if she doesn’t tell her.”
    Cody swallowed the hard lump in his throat. It was definitely past time for Jo to tell her parents the truth. He just hoped that she realized it too.
    A child. It was scary how a tiny ball of flesh could consume all his thoughts, especially when it was probably the size of a peanut at that moment.
     

CHAPTER NINE
     
    Gavin grabbed his bag from his cubby and turned to his right, where Misha was getting his stuff. The man had taken off his jersey, and was left wearing a black under armor shirt that fitted his body so tightly. Gavin could see the outlines of Misha’s sculpted chest, the way his upper arms flexed beneath the fabric…
    Porca puttana! Gavin nearly banged his head into the nearby wall. He needed to quit thinking about Misha like that. He cleared his throat. “You ready, man?”
    Misha nodded. Even though he wasn’t smiling, his stupid dimples appeared, as if magically coaxing Gavin to take the man in his arms and kiss the hell out of him. Because that was a good idea in the middle of the Highlanders’ locker room. When Gavin looked up at him, he was spellbound by the seductive burn of Misha’s baby blues.
    “Awesome.”
    The two walked mostly in silence. Gavin was grateful of the quiet after his conversation with Val, and the last two hours of serious fan mingling. When he was in range of his SUV, he unlocked the door, dreading the confined space of his vehicle. His body just went into overdrive around the man.
    It hadn’t always been like this. Actually, when they’d first moved in together, there hadn’t been this intense longing for his roommate. The twenty-two year old was attractive, no doubt about it, and those dimples on his cheeks were sexy as hell. The sandy blond hair falling over his eyes seductively made sure women all but threw themselves at the man. He was so… different than Gavin, and his dark hair and olive skin. Gavin ground his teeth together and slid into his truck. Inside the vehicle, Misha’s spicy scent assaulted him, his cock hardening in his pants.
    Fuck.
    “What was Cody’s problem today?” Misha asked, buckling his seatbelt. “I thought he was going to jump off the bench and kick my ass when Coach started talking.”
    Gavin