Free Body Check by Deirdre Martin Page A

you. I don’t want to go out with you.”
    â€œBut I wish it.”
    Janna rolled her eyes in irritation. “Well, I don’t wish it, do you understand? You’re a very nice guy, okay? But I’m not going to go out with you. And the sooner you get it through your head—”
    Unheeding, Lubov reached for her hand and put it on his bicep. “You feel that? Rock solid, a real man. How can you not want?” His voice dropped down seductively. “Admit it, you do want. You—”
    Janna snatched her hand back, flustered. “Alexei, stop it .”
    That was it. Something reared up inside Ty, which he refused to name but couldn’t help acting upon nonetheless. Every nerve in his body thrumming, he strode toward the pair, his brown eyes flashing a warning to his teammate that was unmistakable. If Lubov thought he could behave that way off the ice—if he thought his captain would stand for him harassing a woman—then newsflash, bucko, he had another thing coming. The closer he got, the more Lubov seemed to shrink before him, so that even before Ty grabbed him and pinned him up against an opposing row of seats, he could see Lubov was aware that he’d seriously misstepped.
    â€œWhat part of her ‘no’ didn’t you understand?” Ty growled.
    â€œI am sorry,” said Lubov, his eyes clouding over with shame at seeing his leader’s anger and disappointment.
    â€œDon’t tell me, tell her.” Ty released Lubov and with a small shove, pushed him in Janna’s direction.
    â€œJanna.” Lubov’s eyes were wide as saucers, guileless now. “I am sorry I bother you. I will leave you alone now.” He nervously turned to Ty as if to say, “Will that do?” Ty gave a small, almost imperceptible jerk of the head and then Alexei was gone, hustling toward the back of the train car to escape the watchful eyes of his teammates and lick his wounds of humiliation in private. Ty watched him go, then turned back to Janna, who looked mildly shell-shocked.
    â€œYou okay?”
    â€œI’m fine,” said Janna. “But I could have handled him myself, you know.”
    â€œReally? So why didn’t you?”
    â€œBecause you didn’t give me a chance,” she replied sharply. Pink flared in her cheeks, charming Ty against his will. How many women really, truly blushed these days?
    â€œAlexei’s harmless, you know that,” she was saying. “Half his problem is he doesn’t understand how things work in this country, least of all interactions between men and women.” Her mouth pressed into a thin, disapproving line. “Maybe you could teach him.”
    â€œAre you poking fun at me, Miss MacNeil?”
    â€œNever, Captain Gallagher. I’m merely alluding to an off-ice talent I’ve heard you have.”
    â€œWhat else have you heard about me?”
    â€œYou don’t want to know.”
    Ty laughed. He saw the smile in her eyes then, and responded in kind. He liked this, the easy way they bantered back and forth during the few, rare moments she wasn’t harassing him. Liked her. Which is why he wanted to deck Lubov: because the thought of him even going near her made his guts churn so badly he couldn’t even think straight. Jesus H. Christ. What the hell was wrong with him?
    He stepped back—from her and from himself—gesturing at the papers on her lap. “I’ll let you get back to it,” he said stiffly.
    â€œOkay.” His abruptness left Janna looking befuddled. “I suppose I should thank you,” she said quietly. “It’s nice to know chivalry isn’t dead.”
    Chivalry. Her use of that word pleased him, made his heart swell with pride. But it unnerved him, too, as half remembered feelings from true romances past began drowsily to awaken. He couldn’t let it happen. Wouldn’t let it.
    â€œMaybe you could write the incident up for