Falling for the Backup is a work of fiction. Names, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

A Loveswept eBook Original

Copyright © 2013 by Toni Aleo

Excerpt from Empty Net by Toni Aleo copyright © 2012 by Toni Aleo.

All Rights Reserved.

Published in the United States by Loveswept, an imprint of The Random House Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.

LOVESWEPT and colophon are trademarks of Random House, Inc.

eISBN: 978-0-345-54971-6

www.ReadLoveSwept.com

Cover photograph: Claudio Marinesco

v3.1

BOOKS BY TONI ALEO

Taking Shots

Trying to Score

Empty Net

Falling for the Backup

Blue Lines

All part of the Assassins hockey series

Contents

Cover

Title Page

Copyright

Other Books by This Author

Dedication

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Acknowledgments

About the Author

The Editor’s Corner

Excerpt from Empty Net

Thank you so much for being there for me, for believing in me and encouraging me to do what I love to do. I never expected to have such amazing people behind me, and because of you I am living my dreams.

So here’s to the best fans a girl could get, my beautiful puck bunnies.

Thank you.

Chapter 1

“Yeah, the meeting went fine, Dad. I feel good about it.”

Jordan Ryan hustled through the Buffalo Niagara International Airport, heading to the terminal where he’d catch his flight back home to Nashville, Tennessee. It had been a long day. He’d flown out that morning to meet with the Rangers and the Sabres NHL hockey teams. Both appointments, though stressful, were over before lunch. Now late in the day he was hungry, tired, and a little anxious. Based on the interviews, it seemed that neither team wanted him, which he knew he couldn’t share. Jordan loved his father, but Bill Ryan, who was not only his father but also his agent, did not accept anything but perfection. Since Jordan hadn’t been perfect for the last two years, he had learned it was best to keep disappointing details out of their conversations.

“Good, I’m glad. So you’ll fly home for the game tomorrow, take a break, another home game, then to Carolina for a meeting with the IceCats?” Bill Ryan asked.

“Yeah,” Jordan said, as he arrived at the departure gate and took the first seat he found available. Leaning his head back, Jordan closed his eyes and finally began to relax.

He hated traveling so much, but right now it was necessary. After tearing the meniscus in his left knee two years ago, he went through surgery and rounds and rounds of physical therapy. Eighteen months of rehab later, he was finally able to play again, but because of his long absence he had been replaced by Tate Odder, who was now considered the best goalie in the league. Fucking A.

As a result, Coach Bacter wasn’t giving Jordan enough playing time—that is, not until Tate’s girlfriend was brutally beaten. When Tate took the much-needed time off from the game, Jordan became the starting goalie. Jordan had missed playing, and being back between the two steel pipes was like coming home. Unfortunately, that was short-lived. His knee had not quite healed, and it went out during the game. Bacter then took him out for good and brought in another backup. Yup. Fucking A.

Jordan understood Bacter’s concern—hell, he had been concerned too—but what he didn’t understand was why he hadn’t played since. He’d had clearance from his doctor for almost six months now, and after a little R and R his knee was fully healed. Not playing was driving him crazy, and even though he loved the Assassins and didn’t want to leave the team that had started his career, he knew he had no choice. He was never going to get playing time being the backup goalie to Tate Odder.

With a defeated sigh, Jordan opened his eyes as his dad continued to talk.

“Fantastic. I feel good about South Carolina. Be good to have you home.”

Nashville is my home, Jordan thought.

He loved Nashville and couldn’t imagine living anywhere else—or playing for another team—but he was going to have to start imagining it. It was happening, and going home to South Carolina was for the best. His whole family lived in South Carolina, and he did like the idea of being there with them rather than living thousands of miles away. Plus, as a kid, he had always dreamed of playing for the IceCats. When growing up he’d practically lived in the IceCats arena, watching his favorite player, Guy Richardson, defend the goal while his own dreams took shape. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. Maybe he would finally find his place in South Carolina.

“Yeah, it would,” he agreed as he heard the attendant’s announcement. “Hey, Dad, I gotta go. They’re boarding now. I’ll send you a text when I land.”

“Sounds good, Jordy. Talk to you soon,” and his dad hung up.

Jordan grabbed his things and rushed to board the plane. Once seated by the window, he stretched out his legs before reaching into his duffel bag for his neck pillow. His teammates always made fun of his pillow, but he reminded them he never had the neck pain they were plagued with after long trips. Neck pain—no. Knee pain—another story. While situating his pillow, he glanced to the aisle and paused when he saw her.

Wow. She had red hair, long and lustrous. He had the insane urge to smell it. Smell her. He had always loved redheads. Her face was round, with freckles scattered along her nose and cheeks. Her lips were full and luscious but were completely overshadowed by her eyes. They were a light green and sexy as hell. As she moved down the aisle, she looked at her ticket, then right at the row where Jordan was sitting. The day was definitely starting to improve.

Her eyes met his and he knew he was in trouble. She blushed before looking away, color creeping up her neck. Jordan felt dizzy. A confident man would get up and help her with her bag before trying to seduce her. Unfortunately for him, Jordan wasn’t that kind of a man. The injury had changed him. He used to be the kind of guy who could talk a lady out of her panties and straight onto his lap, but now he was lucky if he could utter a word to the opposite sex.

Jordan hated how much he had lost after his injury. Not only did he lose his number one spot, but he lost the woman he was convinced he was going to marry. Leanna Masterson was everything Jordan thought he wanted. Big blue eyes, long blond hair, hottest body ever, with legs that went on for days. He thought they’d be together forever, but when he woke up after surgery and the doctor told them that it was going to be a long and rough road to get to where he was before the injury, Leanna was out the door. Good riddance. He was glad she left.

Too bad, though, that she took a part of him with her, a part he hadn’t been able to find since: his confidence. It had been a long time without the company of a woman, and he was lonely. He wanted someone to come home to, someone who would love him unconditionally, but he also knew that right now wasn’t the time. He didn’t know what his future held, and it would be unfair to get involved with someone.

Looking at the beautiful redhead, though, he couldn’t help but think that maybe now he could find what he had lost. He stared down at the floor and took an unsteady breath in as she practically fell into the seat beside him.

Glancing over at her, he noticed she was busy putting away her ticket. She was wearing a long pale-pink dress that did wonders for her skin and also showed off a pair of very impressive breasts. Jordan could see that her freckles were everywhere. He wanted nothing more than to lean over and kiss her shoulder, then, freckle by freckle, play connect the dots with his tongue. Man, he had to get ahold of himself.

She must have felt the power of his stare, because she glanced over at him. Her light-green eyes held his as she smiled, and suddenly Jordan wasn’t sure how much room he had left in his pants. He felt as light-headed as an awkward teenager. As he sputtered to say something, he jerked his hand up, bumping into her Starbucks coffee cup, and the next thing he knew, coffee was all over her lap and her.

Shit.

Aynslee Shaw was having a rough day.

She wasn’t supposed to leave Buffalo until tomorrow but a call from her landlord informed her that a water main had burst in her beautiful Victorian home and her basement was flooded. She only wished she could have seen her niece get married this afternoon. True that she would probably be divorced in no time, but it stung that Lane had gotten married before her.

Hell, everyone had.

Four of her sisters as well as her two brothers were now married. Aynslee and her younger sister Quinn were the only ones left. Quinn was seventeen. She had time. But Aynslee was thirty-one, and her insane Irish family took every opportunity to remind her of her single status. Even though she was going home to face a massive mess, she was more than ready to leave the constant questioning behind.

When was she going to settle down? Find a man? Have a baby?

It wasn’t that Aynslee didn’t want those things—she did. It was just hard to find someone when she was busy with her new job and adjusting to a new town. After going to college in Knoxville, she’d worked in that city for the last seven years, teaching third grade at a nice private school. Aynslee had thought life was perfect. She had a beautiful condo, a well-paying job, and she had Dan McGee, her boyfriend since her senior year in college. They were happy, and things were great. She was sure they would marry eventually. Then suddenly it all felt wrong. She didn’t love Dan the way she had when they’d first started to date, and after Aynslee told him this, Dan said that he felt the same way.

They parted on good terms, but after Dan left, Aynslee didn’t love Knoxville the way she had before. Her mother had begged her to come home, but she preferred being away—it took a lot of patience to handle her big family. She knew, though, that she needed a change. She checked out the job opportunities in other cities before deciding to look for something in Nashville. A week after applying to New Life Christian Private School, Aynslee learned she had gotten the job. Ecstatic with her good fortune, she packed up her life and made the three-hour trip to Nashville. She moved in to her little house and was beyond happy with how great everything had turned out for the last nine months. Things seemed to be unfolding nicely for her. Aynslee quickly became friends with the other third-grade teachers at New Life, as they all had so much in common. Soon her colleagues began to set her up on blind dates, and although the dates were fine, there was no one she wanted to see a second time. She didn’t know what it was, but she’d decided she couldn’t settle for average after Dan. She wanted that burning love, the one that she would feel from the tips of her toes to the top of her head, and if she had to wait for it, then she would. Her eggs could survive for a little while longer, despite what her mother said.

After a week of her crazy family, Aynslee had been ready to change out of her bridesmaid’s dress and rush to the airport so she could get home. But that would have been too easy. When she went to change, her suitcase was nowhere to be found. She soon learned from Quinn that Aunt Fern must have “accidentally” taken her suitcase.

Fantastic.

So now she was stuck wearing the stupid pink bridesmaid’s dress, her boobs on display for God and everyone to see, while her feet ached in the stripper shoes that Lane wanted all of her bridesmaids to wear. With each painful step she took, the more she cursed herself for making the trip to Buffalo in the first place. She should have just stayed home and given some stupid excuse as to why she and her made-up boyfriend couldn’t attend. Good Lord, her cousin had five other bridesmaids to round out the wedding album, so one less would not have been missed. The only thing that kept Aynslee from balling up into a fetal position on the airplane seat and crying her eyes out was her cup of caramel macchiato from Starbucks. Thank God for Starbucks. Thank God for the sexy hottie it looked like she was going to be sitting next to on the flight.

Hello, sex on legs.

She had never been attracted to someone as suddenly as she was at that moment. He held her gaze for maybe a second before he looked down to situate his yellow neck pillow. She couldn’t keep her eyes off him as she put her laptop case up in the overhead bin, making sure to grab her Kindle and her own blue neck pillow. She knew for a fact that reading the new Kristan Higgins would never happen on this trip, especially with Mr. Sex sitting right beside her. But she had to act as if she was doing something, or she’d more than likely stare at him the whole flight back. Not that that didn’t sound like fun.

Exhausted from the day, Aynslee practically fell into the seat beside him. She crossed her legs and rested her coffee on the seat beside her knee as she buckled her seat belt. Letting out a breath, she looked over, hoping to lock eyes with him. Thankfully, he did look over at her, but as her luck would have it, she didn’t receive a nice smile or a hello. Instead, she got a lap full of her hot coffee.

“Ack!” Aynslee yelped as she jumped up, her Kindle going one way while her neck pillow went another.

“Shit,” a deep voice said from beside her. “I’m so sorry. Can we have some napkins?” he said, the first to her and the next to the flight attendant who happened to be near their row.

Aynslee was speechless and totally forgot the coffee as she looked up into Mr. Sex’s beautiful face. He was gorgeous and had long legs that made her think he was super tall. He had a strong jawline and light-blue eyes that were framed by thick brows. His nose was on the larger side, but she found it hot. Hell, everything about this man was hot. His lips were full, and his jaw was covered in stubbly hair. He had dark wavy hair that curled behind his ears and fell messily along his forehead. She had the craziest urge to run her fingers through it. And then lick him. Everywhere.

His eyes were filled with concern as he helped her pat her dress dry, apologizing over and over again.

“It’s okay, it was an accident,” she reassured him.

She was proud of herself for being able to speak, but when he looked at her, Aynslee promptly forgot how to talk. Her dress was also forgotten as they stared at each other.

Holy fireworks, Batman!

“Ma’am, your things,” someone said, but Aynslee couldn’t tear her eyes from his.

He glanced away first, freeing her from his intense gaze. She then turned and thanked a nice older lady for retrieving her things.

As the woman went back to her seat, Aynslee used her free hand to pat the wet spot on her dress.

“I am really sorry.”

She knew if she looked at him again she wouldn’t be able to stop staring, so she just nodded as she continued to pat.

“It’s okay.”

“Do you have something you can change into before we take off?”

Aynslee shook her head. “Nope. This is all I have.”

She peeked over at him, and he seemed stricken.

“I feel horrible.”

She smiled as she waved him off. “Don’t worry about it. Happens all the time.”

“It does?” he asked.

“Actually, this is the first time it has happened to me.”

He let out a hearty chuckle that caused her stomach to flutter with want. Jesus, he was hot.

“That makes this even worse.”

“No, I mean it, it’s okay. It will be a nice memory and a great story to tell my friends.” Spilled coffee and Mr. Sex. Yum.

He gave her a perplexed look. “How is having coffee spilled all over you a great story?” Mr. Sex asked.

Aynslee smiled as she said, “Well, you see, it only adds to my horrible day—”

“Terrific. I’m glad I could contribute to that,” he interrupted, with a shake of his head that caused her to laugh.

“You should be—it really is a great horrible day. First, I have been in Buffalo for the past week for my eighteen-year-old niece’s wedding and was reminded every day that I am single. Then this morning, the day of the wedding, my landlord calls to tell me a water main broke in my house, flooding the basement. Fantastic, right? But it gets better,” she said, his horrified expression making her laugh again. “My klepto aunt Fern ‘grabbed’ my suitcase instead of hers, and now I have lost a week’s worth of clothes and shoes until my mother can get my bag back and send it to me. My feet are aching because my niece thought that her thirty-one-year-old aunt should wear stripper shoes, and now I’m soaked with coffee. I’m telling you, this is one of those days for the books.”

“I’m not sure what to say. I feel horrible for being the cherry on top of your horrible-day cupcake.”

She flashed him a grin as she jokingly said, “I think the least you could do is tell me your name so I can bad-mouth you later to my friends.”

She could tell he wasn’t sure if she was joking or not, but soon he was smiling back at her.

Holding out his hand, he said, “Jordan Ryan.”

She looked down at his hand and then took it, enjoying the way his large fingers swallowed hers. With heat and tingles running up her arm and other places, she said, “I’m Aynslee Shaw.”

Chapter 2

“I like your name; it’s very unique,” Jordan said after the plane took off.

Aynslee was holding her dress up from her lap as she held his gaze. He felt horrible for spilling her coffee, but in a way he was glad it happened. If it hadn’t, he probably would have slept the whole way home. Instead, he was now engaged in conversation with the beautiful redhead beside him.

“Thank you,” she said, still smiling. “My mom spelled it all crazy weird. You see, a normal person would spell it A-i-n-s-l-y, or even A-i-n-s-l-i-e, but not my mother—she spelled it A-y-n-s-l-e-e. And let me just say, being a four-year-old and learning to spell my name wasn’t easy. Especially when my middle name was Kathleen. It was horrible.”

Jordan liked her name. A lot. He liked her even more.

“So Aynslee Kathleen Shaw?”

She nodded, her grin growing. “Yup, very long and very Irish.”

It was a stupid question, but he asked it anyway. “So you’re Irish?”

“I am, a hundred percent, and before you ask, no, I’ve never been to Ireland. I want to, but I haven’t had the time yet. And, yes, I do love Lucky Charms.”

He looked down at her hands as he chuckled. Besides the fact that she made him laugh, she also made him want to ask her if he could take her to Ireland. Jordan had no clue where the thought came from. He loved Ireland, had been a couple of times, and, for reasons unknown, he thought going with her would be better than all the other times. He didn’t understand it. Why was he so completely taken with her? Yes, she was gorgeous, but simply looking at her had him shifting in his seat, hoping his hard-on was hidden.

“That’s a shame,” he managed to say. “Not about the Lucky Charms, because honestly it’s the best cereal imaginable.”

“Right?!” she laughed.

He shot her a grin but didn’t hold her gaze for long. He wasn’t sure if he was embarrassed or what, but she made him nervous while also making him feel good. How strange was that? What surprised him most was that he liked the way she made him feel.

“But, really, Ireland is a beautiful place.”

Her face lit up at that, and he swore he couldn’t see straight because blood was rushing to his head.

“You’ve been!” she said loudly, smacking his arm.

He flinched playfully as he nodded.

“I have, three times.”

“Wow!” she gushed, as she sat up straight in her seat. “I’m so jealous. I’ve always wanted to go, but my dad hasn’t had the time to take us. After my grandpa died, Dad took over the pub, so we couldn’t travel—no one runs the pub but family. And now that I’m older, I haven’t had the time to plan a trip. I want to go so bad.”

Jordan was intrigued. Turning in his seat, he asked, “Pub?”

“Yup,” she said with a nod. “Been in my family for decades. It was passed down to my dad, and soon it will be passed down to either Brady or Flynn, my brothers. It’s a cool place, the best pub in Buffalo.”

“I bet,” Jordan said with a smile. “So, are you the baby of the family?”

She laughed. “Oh, no, I’m one of eight.”

“Holy shit!” he exclaimed, receiving dirty looks from most of the passengers around them.

As Jordan apologized, Aynslee giggled, bringing her legs up onto the seat and laying her head on them. He hadn’t meant to be so loud, but one of eight?! He was an only child and didn’t have the experience of growing up with brothers and sisters.

“Yup, I’m number five. I have four older and then three younger.”

“Wow,” he said, his face burning a little. “I’ve never met anyone from such a big family.”

“That’s crazy! You make me feel weird,” she laughed.

Jordan liked her laugh. It was infectious and made him join in with her. He realized he hardly ever laughed anymore. He had been so focused, so obsessed with hockey, that it was nice to just sit back and crack up with someone.

“So you don’t have any brothers or sisters?” she asked.

He shook his head. “Nope, I’m an only child.”

“Well, I bet you always had enough Lucky Charms,” she joked.

He laughed. A big hearty chuckle that came straight from his gut.

“Yup, always.”

“Wow, I couldn’t imagine. I’m so jealous. Was it very quiet growing up?” she asked, leaning toward him, her elbows resting on her knees and her hands holding her face. She reminded him of a child, her wide eyes gazing up at him as if he were an oddity, while he was thinking the same of her. He was intrigued by not only her looks but by the mere fact that she grew up with a big family. Did she get claustrophobic? Did she really love all those people? She seemed to, from the way she talked about her family, but at the same time he heard the longing in her voice when she talked about going to Ireland.

He wanted to know everything. He felt as if he could talk with her forever. His insecurities were still there—but fading by the minute. He was getting lost in her, and it made him nervous and excited at the same time. Dangerous. And disturbing. Remembering that she had asked him a question, Jordan smiled as he shook his head.

“Nope, I was a crazy child.”

“I don’t believe that. You seem so quiet. I feel like I am forcing you to talk to me,” she said.

“Nah. I feel bad for spilling the drink on you, that’s why I’m talking to you.”

She looked offended for maybe a second, then her face broke into a wide grin. “Oh, you have jokes.”

“I try,” he said offhandedly, looking down. Her giggles ran down his spine. He was never one to be turned on by silly laughter, but hers had him harder than steel. Taking in a deep breath, ignoring all the dirty thoughts he had about her, he tried to figure out the last time he was this turned on. He couldn’t remember. Was it before Leanna? Maybe after. But when? He hadn’t been with anyone since then. Hadn’t wanted to. But now—he couldn’t wait to rip off his clothes and hers.

But it wasn’t just physical. He couldn’t ignore the fact that he wanted to talk to Aynslee. Since the injury, Jordan hadn’t sought out company; he usually kept to himself. Shea, his captain from the Assassins, always teased him about being a hermit because he’d rather read or play games on his iPad than hang with the guys.

God. For the millionth time he cursed his injury. And his luck. But maybe his luck was changing.

Looking around, trying to think of something to say, he noticed that resting on her leg was the bright-blue neck pillow, much like his. With a smile, he pointed to it. “I love them.”

Jordan realized that Aynslee was still in the position she had been since they started talking, and she was watching him. His pants were getting tighter by the minute.

Aynslee placed the pillow on her neck, sat back, and smiled at him. “I don’t fly without mine.”

Their eyes locked, and it took all of Jordan’s self-control not to grab her and get down to business. He wanted her. Badly. Now. On the plane. And he didn’t care if Grandma from Row C watched. Hell, they could all watch as he bent her over the seat and ripped apart her dress to get to the prize he was craving. He would ravish her with his mouth, and after making her come, he would bury himself deep inside. He nearly groaned out loud.

What the hell did he really think was going to happen? He would reach over, kiss her, and then leave? He couldn’t ask for her number or try to take her home with him. He wasn’t the kind of guy to just fuck and leave. He wanted a relationship. He wanted true love, with kids and a big house, his wife waiting for him when he came home from long road trips. He wanted to be someone’s forever.

But right now those things were out of his reach.

Aynslee had never been so turned on in her life.

Something about this guy made her want to climb him like a tree and hold on for dear life. He was completely gorgeous, and when he smiled she felt tingles. It was insane how someone so good-looking, someone who probably had tons of girls throwing themselves at him, wouldn’t meet her eyes for more than a few seconds.

She had never met anyone like Jordan. He was quiet and reserved, not the cocky, full-of-it type of guy that she had been dating lately. She felt safe, which was crazy, having just met him, but something was happening between them. He was nice and listened to her when she talked. Even if he didn’t look at her for very long, she knew he was listening. It was as if he was embarrassed or nervous, which was completely ridiculous! He was beautiful, for goodness’ sake, and she wanted nothing more than to let him have his way with her. Repeatedly.

She didn’t care how slutty that made her sound either. She couldn’t remember the last time lust smacked into her this hard, and she knew it meant something. She only wished that she could read him a little better.

“Are you traveling to Nashville for work or pleasure?” she asked when they were finished discussing how weak the plane’s drink menu was. After the day and week she’d had, a nice hard girlie drink was in order. Jordan didn’t want a girlie drink, though he assured her he could kill a good malt lager right now, but the airlines didn’t offer any of that. So they were stuck with the choice of crappy beer, wine, and soft drinks.

Jordan looked up and smiled. It wasn’t a huge one, because it didn’t reach his eyes, but it still sent butterflies swirling around in her stomach.

“I live there. What about you?”

“I live there too.”

He nodded, glancing back down at his hands before asking, “Why do you live in Nashville when your family is in Buffalo?”

Aynslee shrugged her shoulders. It was the question everyone wanted the answer to.

“I am a teacher in Nashville. I went to school at UT in Knoxville on a scholarship, and in return all I had to do was teach in Tennessee for five years. It was a pretty sweet deal, since most of my schooling was paid for.”

“That sounds like a great deal,” he said, looking over at her.

She nodded. “Yup. I was going move home after those five years, but then I met this guy and ended up staying in Knoxville longer than I had planned. Then I moved to Nashville and haven’t left yet.”

“So you are with someone?” he asked.

She shook her head. “Nope. We broke up about a year ago; that’s why I came to Nashville.”

“Oh,” he said, a grin tugging at the sides of his mouth. Jordan adjusted his neck pillow before asking, “Why didn’t you go home instead of moving to Nashville?”

“My family loved my ex, and they were upset that things went south. We both fell out of love—it was an easy break. I think my mom cried more than I did.”

He laughed. “When my ex left me, I think my mom was the same way. She saw my ex as a walking baby machine, but Leanna had no desire for kids at all.”

“Oh, sorry,” she said.

“Yeah, so really it was probably for the best that she left.”

Aynslee nodded as her heart pounded out of control. He was basically saying he wanted kids. She wanted kids, they looked to be around the same age, and, unless she was a complete idiot, she was sure there were sparks between them.

“Yeah. I’d think so.”

Jordan smiled at her, and Aynslee wanted to lean toward him, touch her mouth to his, only for a second, just for a small taste, but before she could even move or think that through, the pilot’s voice came over the speaker, informing everyone to buckle up for landing. Aynslee couldn’t believe it. It was almost time for them to part ways, and she didn’t want that. She wanted to get lost in his body; she wanted to know him; she didn’t want to leave! She glanced over to see if he felt the same, or even looked as if he did, but he was buckling his seat belt, eyes toward the front of the plane.

Surely she wasn’t an idiot. She was certain he was attracted to her, that he felt the earth shake when they looked into each other’s eyes. Was it all one-sided?

Shit.

As the plane approached the runway, Aynslee tried to control her breathing. She was nervous not only about landing but about trying to get the courage to ask him for his number. Call her old-fashioned, but she’d always thought the guy should ask the girl. She knew she couldn’t leave that to him, though. He was too shy or something, and since he couldn’t look her in the eyes, she doubted he’d ask her out. But how was she supposed to ask him?

Hey, can I get your number?

Maybe we can get coffee?

Do you want to have hot dirty sex with me? ’Cause I want to have hot dirty sex with you.

Ack! Why was getting a man so freaking hard! She didn’t want to scare him, but, then again, she didn’t want to watch him walk away.

After they had landed and the seat-belt sign dinged off, indicating passengers were free to move about the cabin, Aynslee got up to get her things. Jordan stood, watching her, and that gave her hope that maybe he would ask.

Sliding her bag onto her shoulder, she smiled up at him before walking down the aisle. He followed behind her, and she hoped that he wasn’t staring at her butt. The coffee had soaked all the way through, and she was certain she had a big brown spot on her rear end that matched the front of her dress. As she stepped from the plane into the terminal, Jordan came walking up beside her.

“That dress is ruined.”

Aynslee nodded as she looked down at her stained pink dress.

“Yup, no big deal—it was ugly anyway.”

Jordan smiled. “I thought it was nice.”

Aynslee was sure he was kidding her, so she glanced up to see his expression but instead caught him looking down at her chest. For once she thanked the heavens for her busty breast size. Her mom always said, “For such a little girl, you have some huge knockers. They are from my side of the family, you know.”

He must have realized she saw him staring, because his face flushed.

“Thanks.”

Jordan informed her, “The back is ruined too. Do you want me to walk behind you until we get outside?”

Aynslee laughed and rolled her eyes.

“I’m pretty sure that is only a ploy to check out my ass.”

His laugh startled her, but in a good way.

“I would never do such a thing,” he managed to say.

“Sure, you wouldn’t,” she teased as they walked toward the baggage claim. She didn’t have any bags to pick up but figured she’d walk with him, to lengthen their time together in the hope that he’d still ask her out.

He shot her a mischievous grin, his eyes bright as he held her gaze. She thought it was the first time he was actually being unguarded in the short hours she had been around him.

Moving closer to her, he said, “Okay, maybe you’re right.”

“I know I am,” she countered, as his scent swirled around her. He smelled so good, it made her toes curl and also made her want to nuzzle his neck and stay there for days.

His grin grew as he continued, “But I was also trying to hide the fact that you have a brown spot on the back of your dress. I still feel horrible about that.”

She waved him off. “Don’t be. It’s okay—I am trashing this dress first chance I get.”

Aynslee smiled to herself as her confidence returned. There was no way he wasn’t going to ask for her number. He was totally into her.

Reaching the baggage claim, they both stood there and watched the other passengers gather their luggage. As the carousel went around again—she was certain that had to be the fifth time she had admired a gorgeous Gucci roll-on—Jordan looked over at her.

“Do you not see your bag?”

She glanced up at him and shook her head. “Remember? My bag was lifted by my crazy aunt.”

He laughed. “That’s right.”

“Do you see your bag?”

“I have mine,” he said, tapping the side of his duffel.

“So we stood here for fifteen minutes for nothing?”

Jordan smiled. “I think we did.”

They both laughed as they headed toward the exit door. When the chill of the March air hit Aynslee in the face, she rushed to pull her sweater out of her laptop bag. It was a bulky yellow sweater, which looked lovely over her hideous pink dress, but there was nothing she could do about that. It was all she had.

“Wow, nice sweater,” Jordan said, trying to hold back his amusement.

“Thanks,” she sighed as she adjusted her laptop bag on her shoulder. Thank God she had this sweater to keep her warm. “My aunt seemed to like my jacket too.”

“Sheesh, you should watch out for those klepto aunts.”

Aynslee nodded as she giggled, “I know, right?”

“There is my ride,” Jordan said, then turned back her way. “Do you have a ride home?”

Oh, how she wished she didn’t. She could always say no and then take a taxi back. But that could be costly, and she didn’t have the money to waste.

Shit.

“Yeah, my car is parked in long-term.”

Aynslee swore he seemed disappointed as he glanced away from the sleek black town car that apparently was waiting for him. It looked like an expensive car, and as she watched his profile, she tried to place him. Nashville was full of famous people, but she didn’t recognize him. Maybe he was a businessman; maybe she should have found all this out before planning to sleep with him. That would have been smart. He could be a male porn star for all she knew!

With a small kind smile, Jordan readjusted the duffel’s strap on his shoulder. His eyes held hers as the air crackled around them. She knew the words she had been waiting to hear since the moment she sat down on the plane were about to be spoken—male porn star or not, this man was too gorgeous and sweet to pass up.

“Well, it has been a pleasure meeting you,” he said in a low rough voice, making it extremely hard for Aynslee not to swoon. Okay, who was she kidding, she did swoon, and by the way his grin grew, she figured he knew it too.

With her face turning bright red, she said, “Great to meet you as well. That was probably the best plane ride home ever, coffee and all.”

Aynslee expected him to laugh, but instead Jordan bit his lip as he looked over at the waiting car. A driver got out and waved as he opened the back door for him. Jordan held up one finger before turning to Aynslee. He looked down at her once again, and she could see the lust swirling in the depths of his enticing eyes. Aynslee smiled, moving closer to him—why, she didn’t know, but something was pulling her to him, and she’d be damned if she was going to fight it. She watched as his hand came up, and she swore it was going to rest on her face before he smothered her in kisses. Instead, Jordan readjusted his bag once again before moving away, muttering, “All right, well, see you around.”

Aynslee was stunned as he hurried to the car and quickly disappeared inside. Then, still not able to catch her breath—or move, for that matter—she watched the driver get in and pull away from the curb. Unexpected tears rushed to her eyes as the car drove away.

He was gone.

Chapter 3

“He just drove away?”

Aynslee nodded as she leaned against the counter in the teachers’ lounge of New Life Christian School. Her friend and colleague Sadie Wallace looked as confused and shocked as Aynslee had felt when she’d watched Jordan ride away. It still didn’t make sense! In her head, he’d asked for her number, they’d chatted for another second or so, and then she was flat on her back in that town car. It would have been a long and satisfying trip home. For both of them. Aynslee would have seen to that.

Looking up at Sadie, Aynslee shook her head. Sadie had been married for four years to her sweet nerdy husband, Phil, and was pregnant with their first child.

Stupefied, Aynslee said, “Yes, with nothing but a see-you-later! I swore, Sadie, that we had chemistry; I could feel it in my bones, and I really thought he was into me!”

Sadie nodded her head in agreement. “Well, of course he was—you’re hot as hell, Ayns—but it doesn’t make sense. Do you think he’s, like, a weirdo or something and that’s why? Or maybe he’s gay!”

“That man was not gay. I know a gay man when I see one, and, let me tell you, this man had sex written all over him. Hot, lusty, yummy, female-on-male sex, and, God, did I want him.”

Sadie giggled a little as she rolled her eyes. “Okay, well, then, I have no clue,” she said, chewing on her lip.

“I really thought he could be the one. I felt the sparks when he looked at me, Sadie. I couldn’t believe when he walked away.”

Sadie smiled as she asked, “Are you sure it wasn’t just lust?”

Aynslee shook her head. “No, there was lust and want too—believe me, my dress wasn’t the only thing that was wet. But, seriously, it was more than that. At least I thought it was. And now I will probably never see him again,” she sighed.

Sadie reached out, taking Aynslee’s hand and squeezing it the way she did with her third-grade students.

“If it is meant to be, y’all will find each other,” Sadie said in a reassuring way, and then she asked, “Have you tried to Google him?”

“That’s creepy. I’d be like a stalker or something.”

Sadie laughed. “No, you won’t. You know his full name, right?”

Aynslee nodded. “Yeah, Jordan Ryan.”

“Interesting … I swear I know that name,” Sadie said, as she pulled out her phone and entered his name. Aynslee watched as she typed. When Sadie added Nashville, all of a sudden the word Assassins came up beside it. “I knew it!”

Aynslee looked up at her, confused. “What? Knew what? What is Assassins?”

Sadie touched Jordan’s name, and soon his picture, along with other information, was on her phone. Aynslee had no idea what any of it meant, but Jordan’s beautiful face was staring back at her. His hair was falling in his bright eyes, while his face was covered in the sexy dark scruff that made Aynslee’s knees weak.

Sheesh, he was hot.

“He is a hockey player! He’s the backup goalie for the Assassins.”

Aynslee was even more confused. The sweet, socially awkward guy she had shared a plane ride with was a hockey player? Weren’t hockey players assholes who loved to fight and beat people up? She always thought most of them didn’t have any teeth. Didn’t they have females at their beck and call?

“Really?”

“Yup. He used to be Phil’s favorite player, but then Odder was brought up when Ryan was hurt, so now Phil’s an Odder fan. Ryan hasn’t been the same since the injury.”

“Injury? When was that?”

“Like, two years ago? Ryan has been filling in while Odder had some family stuff going on. I think his girlfriend was hurt or something—I don’t know, I’m not obsessed like Phil is. I only watch hockey for the hot guys. Have you seen Shea Adler or, hell, even Jakob Titov? Holy mother of hot hockey players!”

Aynslee said, “Not only do I have no clue what you are talking about, but I had no idea you loved hockey so much.”

Sadie laughed. “Oh, yes, hockey is a part of life.”

Aynslee shook her head. “I always thought hockey was a violent sport, for violent people.”

Sadie put her hand on her chest, obviously offended by Aynslee’s words.

“Hockey is violent but no more so than football, and, besides, the guys are amazing. The Assassins are very involved with our community. They came to the school last year and did things with the kids, and they hold events for disadvantaged children too. They are awesome guys—I mean, look at Aiden Brooks.”

“Yeah?” she said, knowing that Sadie was talking about one of Aynslee’s third-graders.

“His dad is a hockey player; he’s a forward for the Assassins.”

Aynslee was completely shocked. “Really? He is such a sweet guy. Nice to look at and he has all his teeth too.”

“Right! Told you! Jeez, Ayns, I am totally offended that you are so clueless about this.”

Aynslee laughed as she said, “My mom never let the girls watch many sports; she said it was too much for our sweet minds.”

“This is the very first time I do not agree with your mama. Hockey is amazing, and the men are hot to boot. I think I need to give you a hockeymacation.”

Aynslee couldn’t stop laughing. “Hockeymacation?”

“Yes, I am going to school you in the art of hockey, and you are in luck. Phil can’t go to the game tonight. I was going to take my sister, but this is an emergency: We are going together.”

“What! Seriously?”

“Yes, you need to be educated.”

Later that night, Aynslee found herself in a hand-me-down Jordan Ryan jersey in the middle of Luther Arena. In her hands, she had the hockey-fan essentials—according to Sadie anyway.

Beer and bacon on a stick.

It was completely mind-blowing to her that she’d spent three bucks on bacon on a stick, but, Aynslee had to admit, it was pretty damn good. Sadie had the same snack, but she drank water and wore an Adler jersey with a number six painted on her face and carried a foam sword that said NASHVILLE ASSASSINS on it. Sadie looked like a complete dork, waving her sword in the air, screaming at the players as they warmed up on the ice, but, then again, Aynslee probably looked crazy just sitting there inhaling a piece of bacon. On a stick.

Once the players were back on the ice after the opening ceremony, Sadie finally sat in her seat and looked over at Aynslee.

“Ready for some hockey?!”

Aynslee threw one hand in the air. “Whoo!”

“That’s the spirit.”

“Where is Jordan?” Aynslee asked, searching the ice. He wasn’t in the goal thingy, and she didn’t see him on the bench.

“He’s right there,” Sadie said, pointing directly in front of them.

When Aynslee saw him sitting in the entranceway at the end of the bench, her heart skipped a beat. He looked so freaking good in a dark-purple jersey, all padded up, making him much larger than she remembered. He didn’t have his helmet on, only an Assassins ball cap that hid his eyes. His mouth was set in a straight line, while his eyes, presumably, were on the ice. Beautiful.

Sadie nudged Aynslee’s thigh, bringing her attention back to her. “Now, listen up. We have five-on-five hockey here, unless there is a penalty; then it would be four on five. A penalty happens when someone does something wrong, and those guys in the white and black will call it. Then the player will go into the box …”

Aynslee felt as if she were listening to the teacher on the Peanuts cartoons: Wa wa wa wa wa. She didn’t understand what Sadie was talking about, but, surprisingly enough, she was enjoying the game. She had no clue what the hell icing was or why Adler got a penalty for tapping some guy with his stick, but apparently it pissed Sadie off. Sadie was usually such a sweet girl, but Aynslee figured all bets were off when it came to a hockey game. Her friend was screaming louder than most of the men and using language that would make a sailor blush.

Everything was so confusing, but by the end of the second period, Aynslee not only knew what icing and hooking were, but she was quickly turning into a hockey fan. The rush of the game was unbelievable—she loved it! The Odder guy hadn’t let one goal in, but she wished she could see Jordan play. He looked as if he were sleeping, but when a puck flew into the bench, everyone hit the deck except Jordan, who caught the puck with his big glove and handed it back to the coach. He moved like a ninja, and she’d bet he was the same way on the ice. Or in bed. Sigh.

“I wish he were playing.”

Sadie shook her head. “Nah, we’re playing the Wings; we need Odder in the goal. We can’t lose, and, like I said, Ryan isn’t the goalie he used to be.”

“That’s so sad,” Aynslee said, her heart breaking for him.

Maybe that was why he’d walked away from her. Why he was so closed off. She wanted nothing more than to close the distance between them and tell him that, even though she didn’t know him well or know how he played, she thought he was awesome anyway. Aynslee shook her head; she couldn’t do this. It didn’t seem right to watch him from afar when she knew that something had been between them. There had to be a way to meet up with him again.

“Do you know where they practice?” she asked suddenly.

“Yeah. They are leaving for a road trip tomorrow; their next home game is next week, Saturday, and there is a practice that Friday morning.”

Aynslee thought for a moment.

“And next Friday’s the last day of our break.”

“Yup. Wanna go?”

“Yeah,” Aynslee said with a nod. “And I’m gonna get that man’s number.”

“It’s thirty.”

Aynslee looked over, ready to smack Sadie, but she was grinning and all Aynslee could do was laugh.

Shoving Sadie’s arm, she said, “Shut up. You know what I mean.”

“And you thought that when you Googled him, you were stalking him,” Sadie said, still grinning.

Yes, it was a little stalker-ish to show up at his practice, at the place he worked, but she had no choice. Surely when he saw her, he would know that he couldn’t walk away again. Maybe he’d thought about her as much as she’d thought about him. She wondered if he went to sleep at night wishing she were there. Or maybe he was fucking anything with tits and had completely forgotten about her. It was a possibility, but Aynslee couldn’t give up, not yet.

With a huff, Jordan ran his hand through his hair as he waited in line at Starbucks. He hated waiting in line, and if he hadn’t had a good hour and a half to spare before going to the airport to leave for South Carolina, he would have been irritated. He was not excited about this trip at all—another game where he would keep the bench warm. He wished his body ached, that he had the bruises that Tate had after last night’s win, but instead he had nothing. He may have jammed his finger when he was putting on his pads, but, other than that, nothing.

Jordan had planned on getting a coffee and relaxing in his favorite chair just to pass time and to get ready for the meeting he had late that afternoon with the IceCats. He hoped to God they liked him and wanted him; he was tired of not playing, and with each passing day he was becoming increasingly bitter. He was never like this, and he knew something was really off. He couldn’t blame it on the fact that he wasn’t playing, though, because that had been going on for months. Recently there was a new loneliness, and there was only one reason that would make him feel like that. Or one person.

Aynslee Shaw.

God, he’d fucked up. He should have tried to get her into bed, at least get laid, but he knew that it wouldn’t end like that. She was the kind of girl he could fall for and even marry. Jordan didn’t understand the instant attraction or the need he felt for her, but for the last five days all he’d done was think of her. Even when he was on the bench last night, acting as if he was watching the game, he scanned the stands for a fiery redhead, knowing he wouldn’t find her. Jordan never regretted anything, but he regretted just walking away.

But he’d had no choice.

She wasn’t someone he could leave behind, and with the uncertainty of everything in his life now, there was no way he could get into a relationship with her—even if she made his heart want to come out of his chest and beg her to love him. Nope, he had to keep that shit locked up. Things were too complicated. In a perfect world, things would be simple and he could pursue her, but his world wasn’t perfect. Not even close.

Letting out another huff, Jordan started to think the guy at the front of the line was ordering for his whole office. What was taking so long? Jordan pulled his phone out of his pocket. As he looked down, he noticed that the woman in front of him had red hair, and it made him smile. He imagined what Aynslee was doing. She was probably at school, teaching young minds. He wondered if she thought about him—why that mattered made no sense to him, but he was still curious if she did. He also wondered what it would have been like to peel that pink dress off her and bury his face between her fantastic breasts. Just thinking of her tits had him rocking back on his heels as his dick twitched to life. Man, why couldn’t life be a little steadier for him right now? If that were the case, he’d have her flat on her back in no time.

The line finally moved, and Jordan let out a thankful sigh as the redhead reached the counter.

“Can I have a tall vanilla Frappuccino?”

Whoa, he knew that voice.

“Yup, name?”

“Aynslee,” she replied.

He couldn’t believe it. His heart started to pound, and without thinking he said, “Hopefully I don’t spill this cup on you too.”

She looked over her shoulder, and confusion was replaced with a wide grin. As she turned to face him, he noticed that she must be heading to work: Dress slacks and a purple blouse gave a nice view of her cleavage. He was pretty sure that if his third-grade teacher had worn something like that, he would have started to like girls at a much younger age. “The last time that happened, I had a wonderful trip home, Mr. Ryan.” Among other things.

He chuckled before he looked up at the barista and ordered a mocha Frappuccino. Paying for both their drinks, he said, “This one is on me, just in case I spill it again.”

She smiled at him as they moved to the other end of the counter to wait for their drinks. “This is a welcome surprise,” she said, her eyes searching his.

She looked so good that he wanted nothing more than to get her tangled up in his sheets. Her hair was curled around her face, her makeup bright, matching the purple of her shirt. Her lips were glossed and her smile was unstoppable. He couldn’t believe how good he felt being around her.

Nodding his head, he said, “I was thinking the same thing.”

She looked away, her cheeks full of color as she asked, “How have you been?”

“Good,” he said with a nod as he reached for their drinks. “Are you staying here?”

“Are you?”

He nodded.

“Then I am too.”

They shared a smile as he led her to the back, by his favorite chair. He loved this Starbucks; it was only a mile from the airport the Assassins used. Sitting down across from her, he took a sip of his coffee before asking, “Are you skipping school?”

She laughed and shook her head. “No, we are on break. Today is an in-service day.”

“Cool. I always loved in-service days.”

“Me too, when I was kid. Now I hate them!”

As Jordan took a quick drink, he saw that she was watching him, a small smile playing on her lips.

“I bet,” he said, looking down at his cup. Nothing was said for a moment, and then he asked, “Did you trash the dress I ruined?”

She shook her head before pushing her red locks off her shoulders.

“I couldn’t do it.”

“No?”

She held his gaze. “No, it’s in my closet, and every time I look at it, I smile at the memory of how I got those brown spots.”

He averted his eyes, feeling a blush creeping onto his cheeks. She was flirting with him, and he liked it. He wanted to flirt back, to lean across the table and tell her how beautiful she was, but he refrained.

“I should probably buy you another dress.” So I could then take it off.

“It’s okay, you bought me coffee.”

He nodded, biting down on his lip as she looked at him. He loved the way she did that, held him hostage with her green eyes.

“This is true,” he agreed as she giggled.

He felt like a teenager, fumbling for things to say.

“Did your aunt send your stuff back?”

She sat up suddenly and smacked the table. “Let me tell you what that old biddy did! She said she didn’t take my things! That it was all hers! Can you believe that?”

Jordan shook his head as she went on, “My mom is going to get my stuff back from her, but, for goodness’ sake, what is my aunt thinking!”

Jordan couldn’t stop laughing. She was so animated, so pretty, as her arms flew through the air.

“My favorite gym shorts are in that suitcase, and I haven’t been able to run the same since I got home without them. She’s impossible,” Aynslee said, shaking her head too.

“You run?”

He was glad she wasn’t offended by his question. It was just that her body seemed too lush and feminine to be that of a runner.

“Yup. I have a love affair going on with food, and if I want to keep eating like I do, I have to keep running.”

His mouth pulled into a grin as he nodded. “Same thing with me. I run too, mostly to keep my knee in shape, though.”

“Your knee?” she asked looking up at him. “Shouldn’t you be worried about both knees?”

He chuckled. “Yeah, but I tore the meniscus in my left knee about two years ago; I keep messing it up, I’m still recovering from it.”

She nodded as she said, “Ouch.”

“Yes, it sucked, but I’m doing much better.”

“That’s good,” Aynslee said before leaning toward him. “Since you are an only child, does that mean your mom was going crazy taking care of you?”

“Yeah, she came over from South Carolina and didn’t leave for three months. It was horrible.”

“I bet. With me being from a large family, you’d think my mom wouldn’t have time to baby me, but when I broke my ankle, she came and stayed with me in my little bitty dorm room for two weeks. She carried my books to class and everything. My mom is the best.”

“Wow, she sounds great.”

“Yeah, I love my mom and my dad. They are nuts, and my family is huge and loud and over the top, but they are mine, you know?”

Jordan couldn’t agree more. “Yeah, my mom and dad are a handful, but I wouldn’t change them for the world.”

As he took a drink of his coffee, Jordan recognized the song that was playing: Hunter Hayes’s “Somebody’s Heartbreak.” It was one of his favorite country songs right now, and as he looked across the table at Aynslee, he couldn’t help but want her to be his heartbreak. He just didn’t want to be hers, and that was why nothing could ever come of this. It didn’t matter if he was insanely attracted to her, or that they both had the same values when it came to family, or that she’d made him laugh more in the last twenty minutes than he had in the last two years. None of that mattered, because he couldn’t hurt her.

“So I have to tell you something,” she said softly.

Jordan gazed at her beautiful face. He wished he could reach over, take her hand in his, and kiss her knuckles before smothering her mouth with his. She had the most kissable lips he had ever seen. He could tell by the way she looked at him that she wanted it too, but he knew he couldn’t chance it. Because if their lips met, he wasn’t going to be able to stop.

“Okay.”

“I Googled you.”

He raised an eyebrow as he asked, “You Googled me?”

“Yup, and before you think I’m a complete stalker, I’m not … yet.”

“Yet?” he said with a chuckle.

“Before I saw you today, I was planning to show up at your practice next week.”

“You stalker, you,” he teased with a grin.

She laughed, and he watched her face turn red. He loved when she blushed. She was so beautiful. It made him feel good that she wanted to see him again, because he wanted the same thing, but, again, that was bad, very bad. He needed to walk away, to tell her that nothing could ever come of this, but she would smile, and for some reason he would forget the reasons why he couldn’t ask her out. Good God, it wasn’t as if they were going to get married. What was wrong with him? They could date, have fun, and when he knew what his future was, he’d leave. It could just be for fun.

But when she met his gaze, he knew it wouldn’t be that easy.

“Anyways,” she said, hiding behind her coffee cup, “you’re a hockey player, huh?”

He paused. She gave him a nervous smile, and he nodded his head. “Yup.”

“That’s cool. I went to my first game last night.”

His heart fell as he looked down at his cup. If she was at the game, she’d seen him on the bench.

How embarrassing.

“It was fun—confusing, but fun. I saw you. I even waved, but I’m pretty sure you didn’t see me.”

He shook his head. He had searched for her and still missed her. That sucked—but not as much as it sucked that she saw him warming the bench.

“Sorry, I didn’t,” he said, picking at the paper sleeve around his cup. “I don’t play much.”

When he looked up at her, she nodded. “Your knee, right?”

“Yeah,” he said quietly.

Jordan felt like a loser. Suddenly the great time they were having was dimmed by his bitter mood. He hated feeling this way. He wanted to be a man who was worthy of her, but he wasn’t. He was a washed-up goalie who was begging teams to take a chance on him. Aynslee deserved someone better.

“I’m not what I used to be.”

She eyed him, holding his gaze as she ran her hand up and down her cup. She seemed to be grasping for words, but there was nothing to say. He glanced nervously around the room, feeling completely stupid. Why had he even talked to her? He should have just let her walk away when she ordered her coffee. Of course she’d looked him up online; she’d probably read that he was worthless now, that his own team wouldn’t play him unless they were desperate. That some twenty-two-year-old had taken his spot.

None of that mattered, though, because he was leaving and it was for the best. As he had been telling himself from the beginning, he couldn’t start anything with her. He just couldn’t. Standing up, he looked down at her welcoming, sweet face.

“I have to go.”

“What?” she asked as she stood up too, confused. “Why?”

“ ’Cause I do. I gotta catch a flight and stuff, so … yeah, bye.”

Jordan turned then and rushed out of Starbucks, not stopping even when he thought he heard her call his name. He got in his truck, started it, and drove out of the parking lot. Even though his heart was pounding, telling him he was a complete idiot, he knew it was for the best. When he reached the exit, he glanced in his rearview mirror before heading out onto the road—and saw her standing outside, with her hands on her hips. He wanted to roll down the window, apologize, anything, because he didn’t want to leave, but he knew that he had to.

He promised himself he would never see her again.

Chapter 4

“How’s the knee, Jordan?”

Jordan looked across the table at the IceCats GM, Sean Rogers. Jordan’s heart was pounding in his chest while sweat dripped down the middle of his back. It was cold in the room, but Jordan’s nerves were out of control. He hadn’t realized how much he wanted to be on the IceCats until he stepped foot into their arena. Walking past all the posters and photos of the team winning the cup and at charity events reminded Jordan a lot of the Assassins. But the IceCats needed a goalie, while the Assassins only needed a backup.

Forcing a smile, he looked straight into Sean’s eyes and said, “It’s good. I’m ready to play.”

Sean nodded. “You were a force to be reckoned with before the injury.”

Jordan heard the were loud and clear. That needed to change.

“I still could be if I was given the chance. When I played eleven games straight for Tate Odder while he was out, I let in only seven of two hundred and fifty shots on goal. I am ready to play full time—I’m tired of warming the bench.”

Sean trained his eyes down at Jordan’s file. Then he looked up, smiled.

“I agree, but has Bacter given you a reason why you are warming and not playing? You and Odder are very similar players.”

“I don’t know. All I know is that I want to play and I’m not getting the time I need on the ice playing for the Assassins.”

Sean paused for a moment, looking back down at the table.

“You have been with that team since you started in the NHL. Are you sure you want to leave?”

Was he sure? It would hurt to leave the Assassins. He loved the team, but he loved playing more, and just as he was about to say that, he thought of Aynslee. Disturbing. Was it his subconscious letting him know that he was walking away not only from the team but from her too?

Shaking his head, he said, “As much as I’ll miss them, I have to go to a team that will play me, and I think that team is the IceCats. I have dreamed of playing for this team my entire life, and I am ready to show you that I can be the star goalie you need to bring the cup home once again.”

As much as he believed he would kick ass, Jordan was worried that he wouldn’t be happy when he left Tennessee. It was an insane thought, because his family was here and being a part of the IceCats was his lifelong dream, but he would be leaving his team, his friends, and Aynslee. Aynslee. As much as he tried, he could not get her out of his mind.

“Sounds good, Jordan. I feel good about this. I’ll talk to your dad, talk to the owner of the Assassins, and we should know something in the next couple of months. I think you are going to look great in our IceCats jersey.”

Sean stood then, holding out his hand. Jordan stood too and took Sean’s hand, shaking it earnestly—while in his mind a certain redhead smiled at him. Things were moving for him and that was great, so why wasn’t he as happy as he thought he would be?

“Sean said he thought I was going to look great in an IceCats jersey. I’m pretty sure that means something,” Jordan said as he passed the green beans to his dad the next evening at dinner.

“Hopefully something good,” Bill replied with a nod.

“I’d love to have you home, honey; it would be wonderful,” Jackie, his mom, added before reaching over and squeezing his hand.

“As much as I like being home, Mom, I gotta go where they’re going to play me.” Sometimes his mom didn’t realize that his job was to play hockey. She still saw the little boy, all dressed up in his goalie gear, loving the game more than anything.

“I know, I just hope it works out,” Jackie gushed as she smiled over at Jordan’s father. “Make it happen, Bill.”

Everyone laughed at her comment as they ate dinner and chatted about their favorite topic: hockey. Jordan had learned from his father that Buffalo was keeping their options open and would be in contact before the end of the season. Jordan knew what that meant. They didn’t want him. He tried not to let it bother him and focused instead on what his mother was telling him about her quilting. It was hard to listen, though, when he saw his career going down the drain. If the IceCats didn’t want him, he was fucked. He would end up going somewhere he didn’t want to go or, worse, he’d have to continue playing as someone’s backup. When Jackie looked up at him expectantly, Jordan smiled and said, “That’s great, Mom. I’m proud of you.”

Jackie beamed as she stabbed a shrimp and placed it in her mouth.

“Been telling her for years to enter her quilts; she is so hardheaded,” Bill teased.

Jackie snarled as she shook her head, “I am not hardheaded; I just thought you were being biased!”

Bill laughed before reaching across the table for his wife’s hand. “Maybe I was, but I have good reason to be.”

As Bill kissed the back of her hand, Jackie shot her son a smile. Jordan smiled back, then looked down at his food. His parents were still crazy in love after thirty-five years. It was something he wanted to have. When Aynslee came to mind again for the umpteenth time that day, he let out a sigh.

“So, Jordan,” Jackie said, switching topics, “have you heard from Leanna lately?”

“Mom, we have been apart for almost two years, and, no, I haven’t heard from her, because we are not together.” Would she ever drop this subject? He loved his mom, but it was getting old.

Jackie tsked at him and rolled her eyes.

“I only ask because I spoke with Carol last week.”

Carol was Leanna’s mother and Jackie’s good friend. Jordan disliked her almost as much as he did Leanna.

“That’s nice,” he muttered as he continued to eat.

“Did you know that Leanna is pregnant?” Jackie asked, causing Jordan to choke on the shrimp he was trying to eat.

“Excuse me?” he croaked.

“Yes, the father is a businessman. Carol said they are getting married this month. Isn’t that nice?”

Jordan couldn’t believe it. Leanna never wanted kids when they were together. It must have been a surprise pregnancy. Or maybe she just hadn’t wanted to have kids with him. Either way, he really didn’t care.

“It’s something, that’s for sure,” he managed to reply.

“Yeah, Carol asked who you were seeing. I said that you were too busy with hockey to actually worry about a wife or about giving your old decrepit mother a grandbaby.”

“For the love of God, Jackie,” Bill complained as he shook his head, “you have all the time in the world to be a grandma. Let this boy get his career straight.”

Jackie playfully slammed her hand on the table. “Why can’t you just knock a girl up? I need a grandbaby.”

Jordan worried that his mom’s comment wasn’t all in jest.

“I swear I am never coming home again.”

“I don’t blame you, son,” Bill laughed.

“This isn’t fair. You are thirty-three, Jordan—give me a daughter-in-law and a baby to love and spoil!”

“Please, Mom, stop.”

But Jordan couldn’t completely discount his mom’s plea. Thoughts of Aynslee continued to haunt him. How could he have been so stupid? Twice. He wanted to see her. Hell, he wanted her. Badly. But what was going to happen when the IceCats or some other team wanted him to play as a starting goaltender? It was the main reason he had walked away. He couldn’t hurt her by letting something happen between them. He would be setting them up for failure, because if she wouldn’t move home to be with her family, what made him think she’d move for him? All in all, the whole thing would end in heartbreak, and Jordan couldn’t do that to her. Or to himself.

“I can’t believe he walked out on you twice!”

Aynslee agreed as her nail tech, Brittany, went to work on her nails. She loved Brittany: She was highly inappropriate, cussed like a sailor, and most of her body was covered in tattoos. She was also hilarious, and Aynslee was completely envious of her. If Aynslee could get away with it, she would definitely have a tattoo or two. But it wouldn’t fly at New Life. And she was pretty sure her mother would kill her.

“It is crazy, because she’s hot, right? Tell her, Brittany. She thinks it’s because she’s not hot enough for him,” Sadie complained from the seat beside her. “He’s a sexy hockey player.”

“Not hot? Are you crazy! Hockey player or not, babe, you are smoking! I’d give my left nut to be as gorgeous as you!”

“You have nuts?” Aynslee asked, holding back her laughter.

“Of course I do! I stole my husband’s!” Brittany declared, causing the whole salon to laugh. “But seriously, Ayns, you are beautiful and smart, and funny! Any guy would be lucky to have you.”

Aynslee whined, “But why did he walk away without at least getting my number? Twice! What is wrong?”

“Maybe he’s gay?” Brittany asked with a shrug.

“That’s what I said, but he plays hockey. Then again, hockey players can be gay,” Sadie supplied thoughtfully.

Aynslee wanted to scream. “He is not gay! But I don’t know what to do—do I keep after him or do I give up?”

Brittany shrugged as she concentrated on painting the polish perfectly on Aynslee’s nails. “I mean, I like getting laid regularly, so I think you should go after him, but, then again, maybe you shouldn’t. You’ve given him ample opportunity to get you into bed, and he failed. Move on, my friend, move on.”

The problem was, she didn’t want to walk away. But she was afraid. She had every chance to watch his practice last week and she didn’t. She was afraid to face him again, because even though everyone guaranteed her that it was him, not her, she was beginning to feel as if she wasn’t up to his standard. Maybe he wasn’t attracted to her.

She had replayed their impromptu coffee date over and over in her head, and she couldn’t find anything that would have caused him to run. She didn’t know what to do, but she did know that for the last week all she’d done was search YouTube and Google for Jordan Ryan. When she wasn’t watching the Assassins’ games to catch a glimpse of him, she was online looking at videos of him. She was completely pathetic.

“Listen, don’t worry. Just because he jumped back into the sea, that doesn’t mean another fish won’t swim by,” Brittany said. “Keep swimming.”

Aynslee smiled as Sadie said, “Plus, you never know, maybe you’ll run into each other again. Third time’s the charm, you know.”

“I don’t know, like Brittany said, he ran out on me twice. I’m not sure I want to give him a third try.” She was a liar.

Sadie nodded before saying, “This is true, but I don’t believe you for one second. If you ever saw him again, I wouldn’t put it past you to attack him, and in the good way!”

Aynslee laughed out loud as Brittany said, “Hell, yeah, you should take him and squeeze him and then kiss the shit out of him! I bet you he wouldn’t go anywhere after that!”

“Yeah, right. He’s, like, six five, two hundred and something pounds—there is no way I could take him out and make him mine without hurting myself!” she said through her laughter, even though the last thing she wanted to do was laugh.

Aynslee felt more like crying. She put on a good front, but it was bothering her. She wanted Jordan to realize that, if he gave her a chance, they could be happy. She had hopes of him being the guy for her. Call her crazy, but she was completely smitten, and she was more than ready to move forward with him. The only thing she needed was for him to be on board too, and there was no telling if that was ever going to happen. He was untouchable, and Aynslee didn’t know what to do, because giving up just didn’t feel right.

But what else could she do?

After Brittany finished her nails, she hugged Aynslee tightly. “If it’s meant to be, then it will happen.”

Aynslee smiled and nodded. She got her wallet out and had just paid when Sadie came out of the bathroom for the thousandth time. The poor girl was sick as a dog. Apparently the baby didn’t like anything she ate. Aynslee felt horrible for her. She looked terrible.

Holding her stomach, Sadie glanced over at Aynslee. “I am not running today.”

Aynslee laughed; she’d figured that. “I didn’t think so, not when you couldn’t even sit long enough to finish your nails.”

“Yeah, I’m going home; I’m sorry. Maybe tomorrow?”

“Sure thing, babe—same time, same place. Bye!”

The friends exited the salon, and Aynslee waved at Sadie, wishing her well, then jogged to her car to put her things away and to grab her iPod. After strapping the player to her arm, she ran across the street to Centennial Park. For the last four months, Sadie and Aynslee had been running midmorning every weekend, which was Aynslee’s favorite time to run. She hated when people watched her, so she tried to go when no one else would be there.

Even though she missed having Sadie beside her, she was enjoying the quietness of the park. After stretching, Aynslee pushed PLAY on her iPod and began to jog down the path.

Centennial Park was one of the best things about Nashville. It was beautiful, with lush trees and acres of green grass. A large pond full of geese brought a certain magical quality to the park. It was her oasis, and she loved her time here. As she dug in deep, taking quicker strides, her mind wandered, as always, to a certain goalie.

What was she going to do?

Letting out a long sigh between her gasps for breath, she pushed hard, rounding her favorite pond as she bobbed her head to Swedish House Mafia. She usually made three trips around the pond, but as she was coming around for a second time, she stopped dead in her tracks. Leaning against the rail, drinking from his water bottle, was Jordan. She was so surprised, it was a miracle she didn’t stumble forward as her eyes drank him in. He was sweating, a lot, his purple T-shirt dripping as he took in deep breaths. God, he was hot. There was something about a man drenched in sweat that made her think of naughty sex. And Jordan drenched in sweat—there was seriously nothing hotter.

Aynslee’s heart leaped when he glanced over at her. She knew she wasn’t looking her best, but she didn’t give a damn. She had been thinking of this man for a week, and for some reason they had been brought together again.

This time she wasn’t going to allow him to run away.

“This is getting weird,” he laughed, as his eyes ran up and down her body.

Aynslee smiled as she closed the distance between them. When she stopped in front of him, he said, “So you weren’t at practice; that means you’re not a stalker, right?”

He’d noticed she wasn’t there!

“Nope, not a stalker.”

“I know, I was just teasing you,” he said, in a raspy way that made it hard for her to even think. She stared down as she took in a deep breath. She needed some answers—now.

“Why did you rush out on me at Starbucks?” she asked, lifting her eyes to his face.

He focused on the distance while Aynslee waited for his answer. Looking back down at her, he said, “I’m sorry I did that. I have a lot on my mind, and sometimes I get nervous when I don’t know what to say or do, and … yeah, sorry. Like I said, I’m not the person I was before my injury; a lot of things have changed. My life is a complete mess right now.”

She nodded as she kept her gaze locked on his. Her heart was pounding, and she was convinced that Jordan could hear it. Aynslee knew there was really only one thing to do. She took a step and closed the space between them. She came only to mid chest on Jordan, and for once she cursed her shortness. Looking up, she crooked her finger at him, motioning for him to come closer. Thankfully, he didn’t keep her waiting or even hesitate—he simply bent down until his face was only inches from hers.

“I get that it’s nerve-racking when you first meet someone. I’m nervous too, but the thing is, I don’t know the person you were before. All I care about is getting to know the person you are now. I am attracted to you, a lot,” she said with a smile. “And I’m not saying I’m the person to clean up your life, but I’d sure like to try. Just stop walking away from me.”

Closing her eyes, Aynslee took in a deep breath and went up on her tippy toes. She then placed her lips on his.

Chapter 5

Jordan should have pulled away. But there was no way he could. He’d been waiting for this moment for too long.

Aynslee’s lips were soft and inviting, and without thinking of the consequences, he slid his hand behind her neck, pulling her closer before deepening the kiss. With each move of her lips, he lost more control. When her hand came to rest on his arm, he took in a sharp breath, and she melted against him. It was another chance to pull away, but he couldn’t. Instead, Jordan’s other arm snaked around her waist, pressing her body against his. Then he covered her mouth with his, moving his tongue against hers. His need for her was tremendous, and when her hand moved up his back, holding him, he pulled away before he completely lost it and fucked her against the fence that surrounded the pond. He looked deep into her eyes, their breath mingling. Aynslee’s eyes were bright, and when a satisfied smile crossed her lips, Jordan knew his feelings for her extended way past lust. He didn’t know what to say, but he did know there was no way he was walking away from this woman. His life might be a mess, but after a kiss like that and the way his body responded to hers, there was no turning away.

“Wow,” she muttered, her breath tickling his lips.

He nodded, a smile pulling at his mouth. He wasn’t done. He didn’t think he ever would be. Dropping his head, he brushed her lips again, just for a taste, but the taste turned into more, and soon he was holding her close, kissing the hell out of her. He didn’t know what it was about this woman, but he felt as if he could kiss her forever.

Pulling away again, gasping for breath, Jordan leaned his forehead against hers.

“We have to stop, or people are going to get a show,” he said softly. He kept his eyes closed, because her hands were running up and down his back, but he didn’t move. He couldn’t. He was putty in her hands.

Aynslee moved her hands up to his face, running her fingers through the stubble on his chin. She bit down on her lip, then said, “I don’t want to stop.”

Oh, God, he was sure his cock was about to poke a hole through his shorts. He was so hard that it hurt, and if she wasn’t careful, he really was going to bend her over that fence and to hell with the consequences.

Jordan could see the hesitation in her eyes as she said, “I live only a few minutes from here, unless you want to walk away from me again.”

Jordan didn’t even think twice. “Not a chance. I’m done walking.”

“Good,” she said, stepping out of his embrace.

“Hey, where are you going?” he asked, reaching for her hand.

“Let me give you my number and my address,” she said. Aynslee pulled her phone from her shorts pocket, as Jordan did the same. He rushed to put the information into his phone, but it was hard when his hands were shaking and his cock was begging for release.

“So I’ll see you at my house?”

“I’ll beat you there,” he said, hoping she would understand how much he wanted her.

She started to back away from him. “I doubt that.”

Aynslee collided with a runner and began to apologize. Jordan chuckled—until she looked back over at him. Her eyes were dark with desire, and he wanted nothing more than to close the distance between them and continue where they’d left off, but it would be only minutes until he had her naked and in bed. Chewing on her bottom lip, she said, “Ready, set—”

“Go,” he said, before turning and jogging off toward his truck. He wasn’t sure if he was doing the right thing, but for once he wasn’t thinking about what was right and wrong. Jordan got into his truck, then pressed NAVIGATE on his phone before pulling out into traffic and heading west on West End. When he saw a Walgreens, he parked and rushed inside for condoms, then got back on the road to Aynslee’s house. His nerves were out of control, and he wasn’t lying when he said he was done walking away.

Jordan pulled in to the driveway of a small white Victorian-style house and parked behind a black SUV. It was a nice house, quaint, with green shutters and a wraparound porch. Potted plants covered the stairs, and she’d placed little ornaments throughout the yard. He shut off the truck and got out, tucking the small box of condoms into his shorts before walking up to the front door. It was a quiet neighborhood; he didn’t see anyone around. As he climbed the steps, he saw Aynslee holding the door open, waiting for him.

“I was starting to think you chickened out on me,” she teased as he drank her in. She had way too much clothing on, and he was just the guy to peel each piece off her. But first he needed to know something.

“You’re sure?”

She looked confused as she asked, “That you were going to chicken out on me? No, I was teasing.”

A grin pulled at Jordan’s lips as he shook his head. “No, I mean about this,” he said, moving his hand between them.

Her face flushed as she glanced down at the ground, but she nodded, and Jordan released the breath he was holding.

“I’m nervous, but I’m sure.”

“I’m nervous too,” Jordan admitted as he moved toward her, gently pushing her against the door. He placed his hands at her waist, lifting her so that her face was aligned with his. Her eyes went wide with surprise, and she wrapped her legs around his hips. As he held her up, he moved his lips along her jaw, dusting kisses, before taking her earlobe in his mouth. Closing his eyes, he drew in a deep breath as his tongue moved along her neck and ear, her gasps encouraging him to continue.

“I usually don’t do this, I just want you to know. But it’s different with you. I want you, so bad,” she gasped out, her fingers digging into his shoulders, her legs squeezing him tight.

Her moans filled the room, making him throb against her. Jordan pulled back to look into her flushed face. She was so beautiful, so fucking hot; they needed to find a bed quickly. Her eyes were half lidded, and her chest was rising and falling rapidly. Her shirt had to go—he wanted to get his mouth full of the breasts he had been dreaming of. Moving his hand up to her face, he held it in place before covering her mouth with his. Their tongues danced and curled together. God, he wasn’t going to make it.

Leaving her swollen lips for only a second, he whispered, “I want you. Now.”

Aynslee couldn’t believe this was finally happening. Her body was on fire, and with each sweep of his tongue against hers, she wanted to scream from the complete pleasure of it. She had never been kissed like this. She was lost in his arms, and all thoughts about her actions were promptly ignored. Even her worries about what would happen afterward were gone—she was into the moment.

Closing her eyes, she pulled at his T-shirt, lifting it so she could feel the hot skin beneath. Her fingers explored his rock-hard body, as his mouth kept busy with hers. Pulling away from him mid-kiss, she yanked his shirt up over his head, throwing it to the side before reaching for her own. She wanted to feel his skin on hers, and when her body was finally against his, it was like pure heaven.

Aynslee’s eyes slowly closed as Jordan’s lips trailed kisses down her neck to the swell of her breasts. After dipping his tongue in the valley, he pulled her bra down, releasing one breast. Jordan swirled his tongue along her hard nipple, and Aynslee’s fingers tangled in his hair, gripping tightly as he bit her playfully.

“Oh, yes,” she gasped.

“I have to put you down for a minute,” he said against her breast, before looking up into her eyes. “I need your shorts off.”

Need … oh, swoon.

Jordan released her legs and Aynslee stood, pushing down her shorts and panties, while he chucked his own shorts to the side. “You are so fucking hot, so hot,” he said, as he trapped her between the wall and his hard body.

Moving his hands down her sides, he bent his head, kissing her shoulders. He gripped her hips as he moved his body against hers, his hard length resting below her breast. All she had to do was slide down and his cock would be right there for the taking. It was a temptation she couldn’t resist. Enclosing him in her hand, she brought his swollen cock to her mouth. Jordan gasped, and he rested his hands against the wall as she took him in and out of her mouth, swirling her tongue around the tip before bringing him deep to the back of her throat. When he let out a loud moan, Aynslee’s insides clenched. There was something about pleasing a man like this that was primal, and doing it to Jordan made her more aroused than she thought possible.

When she felt his hand against her ponytail, she closed her eyes and sucked him deep to the back of her throat. Suddenly her hair spilled against her shoulders, and Jordan was tangling his hand in the mess of it. Then he thrust into her mouth, and she felt his cock throbbing before hot liquid shot to the back of her throat. His hand pulled her hair tight as his moan of release filled the silent room. She sucked him dry, then pulled back to see the pleasure on his face. His eyes were closed, his mouth parted. When his eyes opened, she smiled at him before he reached for her, bringing her off her feet. He bent down, kissing her swollen mouth as his hands traveled down her body to the slick spot between her thighs.

Moving his fingers along her bare lips, he soon had Aynslee trembling beneath his hand. When he dipped the tip of his finger into her, she nearly came, before his mouth clamped down on hers. She barely heard the crash as he lifted and laid her down on the wall table that had displayed framed pictures of her family.

“I’ll replace anything I broke,” he said against her neck, before he kissed down the curve of her breast. All she could do was sigh as he flicked his tongue into her belly button, then spread her legs with his hand and cupped the hot spot between her legs. Kissing down from her belly button, he licked along her hip, biting and nibbling before running his tongue along her lips. She gasped as her body shook with want. As he continued to tease her with his tongue, she held on to the sides of the table, trying to breathe.

“I didn’t expect you to be bare here,” he whispered against her moist lips, teasing her with each word he spoke.

“I hope you like it,” she panted, as a shiver ran through her.

He glanced up and his eyes locked on hers as he said, “You are beautiful.”

Aynslee sucked her lip between her teeth before reaching over to cup his face in her hand.

“I’m so glad you spilled coffee on me.”

He chuckled before looking back down at her slick pussy. Jordan dipped his tongue deep inside her, then flicked it against her taut clit. She gripped the table tightly, screaming out as he continued to ravish the hell out of her. She felt as if she were about to rocket off the damn table. Finally she shattered, her whole body clenching tightly as she screamed out his name. Her legs came up, but he pushed them back down, lengthening the sensation by sucking her clit between his lips. When she screamed out again, he let her go, looking down at her as she gasped for breath.

When Jordan ran his tongue along his lips, she nearly came undone again. Bending down to the floor, he picked up the box of condoms, quickly opened it, and took one out. Tearing the foil package, he rolled the latex down onto his hard cock. When he was sheathed and ready, he looked back over at her. A smiled played on his lips before he reached for her, pulling her off the table. Turning her around, he kissed up her shoulders to her neck. He continued to explore her body with his hands, his tongue teasing along her neck before he picked her up.

“Hold on to the wall.”

“Huh?” she asked, looking back at him. “How?”

“Just lean into it,” he coached. He was so much bigger than her, she should have been nervous, but she wasn’t, and she did as he asked. Jordan then positioned his engorged cock between her legs and thrust inside her from behind.

“Oh, God,” she cried out as he stretched her open. It was an extremely tight fit, but he was gentle and moved slowly until he was completely inside her.

“Are you okay?” he whispered.

She nodded, and that was all the encouragement he needed. He reached for her leg, pulling it back to open her more. He pulled out and thrust into her, again and again. Each movement rocked her world, and as he bit at her neck, her orgasm started to build. Letting go of her leg, he reached up and turned her head so that he could kiss her. He kissed her long and hard, his cock deep inside her as he moved back and forth.

Reaching between them, he flicked her clit before bringing her to a mind-blowing release. It was intolerably pleasurable as his thrusts got stronger, his body slamming against hers. When Jordan bit into her shoulder, Aynslee screamed as she felt his release inside her.

They both breathed deeply, his body still gloriously leaning against hers, and she felt his lips move along her shoulder before resting against her neck.

“I bit you.”

“You did.”

“Sorry,” he said, laughter in his voice.

“It is totally fine, believe me,” she said. Her body was tingling everywhere.

He placed kisses along her throat and her jaw before resting his nose against her ear. Then he said, “I have to ask you something.”

“Yes?” she replied, closing her eyes as he moved his tongue along her earlobe.

“Will you have dinner with me tonight?”

She opened her eyes, the biggest grin spreading over her face as she slowly nodded. “Yes, I’d love to.”

“Okay, but, first, can we transfer to the bedroom for round two?”

She giggled, her body catching fire again as he hugged her closely to him.

“Yes. Yes, we can.”

Chapter 6

Aynslee was beautiful.

Standing on her porch, Jordan could only gape. Her hair was in a ponytail high on the back of her head, and whatever she had done with her makeup made her green eyes even more green. The white shirt she wore was unbuttoned enough to have him wondering how the hell he’d get through dinner. On the waist of her pants were buttons and chains, reminding him of a sailor’s trousers. But her shoes weren’t nautical-looking at all. They were sexy as hell, giving her an extra five inches of height and making it hard for Jordan to see straight. She looked hot, and the awkwardness and nervousness he’d been feeling when he pulled up to her house vanished as soon as he saw her naughty grin. He was starting to like that grin very very much.

She closed the distance between them, kissing him eagerly.

“Hi,” she said against his lips.

His hands rested on her ass as he brought her closer and pressed his mouth to hers. If they kept on like this, they would never leave for dinner. Pulling back, Jordan squeezed her ass tight, and she smiled up at him.

“Hey,” he whispered.

He had spent hours memorizing her body that afternoon. She was so beautiful; he had never been so completely blown away by someone. “Ready to go?” he asked, still holding her close. He’d much rather go back into her house for more of what they’d shared earlier, but he wanted this to be more than just sex, even if there was a chance that after this dinner she’d walk away.

“I am,” she said, and broke out of his embrace. His arms ached to be around her as he watched her grab her purse before locking the door. “You look really handsome,” she said, putting her keys in her bag as they stepped down the porch stairs.

He shot her a grin before saying, “And you look really gorgeous. Like a naughty sailor.”

“Yes! Just the look I was going for!” she exclaimed, as he opened the passenger door for her. He smiled as she came close, her red lips only inches from his. “Maybe later if we still like each other, we can rock the boat.”

Jordan tried not to laugh, but he couldn’t help it. She laughed along with him before he leaned over and gave her a quick kiss. “I have no doubt that we’ll still like each other after this, and as much as I want to rock not only your boat but your world after dinner, I might not be able to. I’ve got an early practice tomorrow.”

“Duly noted, but I think it might be worth being a little tired.”

Jordan helped her into the truck, hoping he hadn’t hurt her feelings. It was the last thing he wanted. He walked around to the driver’s side and got in, then Aynslee glanced over at him and said, “By the way, I like your flirty talk. It’s superhot.”

Jordan smiled as he started the car and pulled out onto the road. He reached over and took her hand, noticing how soft and small it was but how perfectly it fit into his. Resting them against his thigh, Jordan was convinced that no one could wipe the grin off his face.

A half hour later, Jordan sat beside Aynslee at a romantic corner table at Maggiano’s Little Italy. He loved this place: Not only was the food amazing, but the ambience made it really feel like an Italian café. Jordan usually went there with Shea and the guys before games so they could talk about strategy, but this was much better.

“This is amazing,” Aynslee gushed as she took another sip of wine.

“It is,” Jordan agreed, just as the waiter came over to their table. Jordan took the liberty of ordering all of his favorites for them to share. He then reached over and turned her chair so that she was sitting between his legs. He leaned over, kissing her cheek softly. “Did I tell you that I thought you were gorgeous tonight?”

“I think you did, when you said I look like a naughty sailor,” she laughed.

“That’s right, I did,” he said, “but I had to tell you again.”

She looked over at her glass, running her finger along the rim before saying, “Thank you.” Then, surprising him, she said, “Tell me everything I need to know about you.”

“Tell me everything about you first, and then I’ll answer the same.”

“Okay,” she said. “Let’s see … I don’t have any pets because I am so busy, but I want a dog. I love dogs.”

“I do too, but I don’t have time either.”

She continued, “I could be classified as a nerd. I like The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, comic books, and stuff like that. I played World of Warcraft all through college, and at one point I wanted to name my kid Frodo.”

“No way,” he laughed.

“Yes way; it was bad. I’m over that, but the only reason is because I’ve moved on to Greek mythology, and now I want to name my son Perseus.”

“Really?” he asked. He was falling for her more every minute.

She nodded eagerly before pointing to herself and saying, “Total nerd.”

“No, I said really because I love Greek mythology too.”

“Really?!”

“Really,” he said with a smile. Leanna hated Greek mythology and pretty much everything else that he was interested in. Aynslee was made for him.

“That’s so awesome. I also love to read. A lot. I read a book every two days or so.”

“Me too,” he said with a nod. “The guys on the team tease me because I’m always reading instead of playing Xbox with them.”

She laughed as she looked deep into his eyes. He was usually shy and awkward when he was under the gaze of someone, but not with Aynslee. He couldn’t remember enjoying himself more. They talked about everything. They both agreed that Wrath of the Titans was a great movie but it could have been better. Jordan loved country music because of his South Carolina roots, while Aynslee was more into rap. It made him laugh to think of her rapping about hos and bitches as she drove to school, but she guaranteed him she had mad flow, whatever that meant.

They talked about living in Nashville and how she loved it more than Knoxville. Jordan talked about South Carolina, telling her how much he loved growing up there, close to his relatives and grandparents. She loved Buffalo but sometimes wished that she had grown up in the South. She liked the Southern hospitality and loved the food. They talked about their families, and it still blew Jordan’s mind how many siblings she had. Apparently the niece that she was supposed to stand up for in the wedding was pregnant.

“It’s insane! I don’t have kids—I’m not even married, for that matter. And she’s pregnant?! Ack! Jordan, I’m gonna be a great-aunt!”

“You’re the hottest great-aunt I’ve ever seen.”

“You only say that so I’ll sleep with you again.”

“Maybe,” he teased, taking another mouthful of fettuccine.

She laughed as she smacked his thigh, then took another sip of wine. After having their plates cleared from the table, they ordered dessert. Jordan didn’t want the night to end. He didn’t want to go home to his empty condo. He wanted to stay nuzzled up beside Aynslee, just listening to her. As she talked about how she got her suitcase back from her aunt, he wondered if she was feeling the same way he was. He knew that such strong feelings usually didn’t come until months, maybe years, into a relationship, but he felt at home with her. He didn’t care if he laughed too loud or if he was being a dork. She seemed to like him just the way he was.

As the waiter served their dessert, Aynslee said, “I have the best job ever. I love it. Yesterday, one of my kids told me he was going to be a world-class hippogriff fighter. How cute was that?”

“Very cute,” he agreed. He thought she was too.

“Yeah, I love my kids. I’m not one of those teachers who thinks my kids are all I need, though. I want my own one day.”

He knew that she was making sure he shared that desire. “I want kids too—as my mom loves to point out, she wants grandchildren, and I hope to one day give them to her,” he said, receiving another smile.

“My mom is the same way,” she said, slicing into the decadent red velvet cake. “Even though she has seventeen grandchildren and a great-grandchild on the way, she still wants more.”

“Seventeen? Sheesh.”

Aynslee laughed before putting the forkful of cake into her mouth. When she loudly groaned, enjoying her dessert, Jordan’s cock came to life. He went to move closer but then stopped. He was enjoying himself immensely, but he knew he owed it to her to tell her how things were with him and his job and his very-soon-to-be-realized transfer.

“You got quiet on me; what’s up?” she asked, causing him to look over at her.

“Sorry, I was thinking,” he said, giving her his full attention.

“About?” she asked, a sweet smile on her face. His mouth pulled up at the side when he saw that she had a little piece of whipped cream on her lip. Reaching over, he licked the cream off, replacing it with his lips. She tasted of the cake and wine, and he basked in it as he moved his mouth over hers. Parting slowly, but with a few small kisses before pulling completely away, he looked at her beautiful flushed face. His heart hammered against his chest as he held her gaze, her hand resting against his cheek.

What if he told her and she decided not to see him after this? He wouldn’t be able to handle it. She was funny, beautiful, crazy, and she scared the living shit out of him, but he wanted her. All of her. The thought of not being able to kiss her or touch her was not an option. He didn’t understand how this had all happened so quickly, but it had. Now he was left in the position of telling her about his unsteady future and hoping for the best. Really, though, what was the best? No matter what, he would be leaving her behind and someone would get hurt, but even knowing that didn’t stop him from wanting to see her. Be with her, sleep with her, and laugh with her.

He couldn’t walk away.

Taking a deep breath, he looked down before saying, “I need to tell you something.”

Aynslee decided that she liked every single thing about Jordan.

Holding his face in her hand, she took in every delectable thing about him. She loved his eyes, his mouth—hell, his whole face—but most of all his mind. He talked with such confidence now that he was past his initial shyness. He was a completely different guy from the one she’d talked to on the plane or even at Starbucks. He was relaxed and even funny. It probably had a lot to do with the fact they’d skipped the first date and jumped right into bed. She liked the Jordan from before, but this Jordan, she was sure she could fall for.

Hard.

It was scary, and she couldn’t believe she was thinking that so soon, but it was hard not to when his hand grazed along her knee, or held her hand, or, really, when he just looked at her. When he talked, he looked directly into her eyes, veering away only to eat or to take a drink. And when he laughed, he laughed with everything inside him. He was so fucking hot, it should be illegal. Who would have known that having sex first would loosen this guy up?

Aynslee had been nervous that when he left to go home and change she would never see him again, but there he was, at her door promptly at six o’clock, devouring her with kisses before taking her to one of her favorite restaurants. He was sweet and caring, but what totally blew her away was how much they had in common. He loved Greek mythology! He loved dogs, he wanted kids, and he was basically everything she wanted in a man. It was refreshing and exhilarating, and she was sure she had never felt this way about anyone. In her heart she felt good about Jordan, and throughout the whole dinner she’d believed that her heart was right and that maybe he did feel something for her. But then his eyes had dimmed, and she could see that something was wrong. She just hoped that he wasn’t about to walk away, because she was pretty sure he’d take a big chunk of her heart with him.

“Yes,” she said, looking down at the cake they were sharing, “what’s that?”

“You know how I said I was the backup goalie for the Assassins, right?”

She nodded before saying, “Actually, a friend told me; you confirmed it.”

He rolled his eyes playfully as she giggled, hoping to lighten the mood, but when he looked at her again, all the seriousness was back.

“Okay, well, I’m not happy with that. It bothers me. To be honest, it drives me insane that I’m not on the ice as the starting goalie. My dad—he’s my agent—knows that I’m not happy and has been looking at other teams for me to transfer to.”

Aynslee didn’t know what he was talking about, but she had a feeling it wasn’t good. Nodding her head she said, “Okay …”

“Well, the reason I was in Buffalo was because I had a meeting with the New York Rangers and the Buffalo Sabres. Unfortunately, they don’t want me, so that leaves the other team I wanted to go to, which is the Carolina IceCats.”

“Okay,” she said again. He looked at her as if all this meant something, but she was completely confused. “I’m sorry, I don’t know what you are trying to tell me.”

He took in a deep breath before he said, “I’m probably going to leave Nashville and move to another state that has a team I can start for.”

Whoa, what?

Her eyes went wide. “What? I thought you loved Nashville.”

“I do,” he said softly. “I love my team and I love this city, but ever since I hurt my knee, they don’t want to play me, and, Aynslee, hockey means the world to me. I want to play; I don’t want to retire. I am healthy, and I need to play.”

She knew he was awesome. All the videos she’d watched on YouTube proved that, so why couldn’t he stay here? Why couldn’t he be the starting goalie for the Assassins?

“When?”

He turned his eyes away. “I’ll finish the season here and then start somewhere new next season. I am hoping for Carolina, since my family is there, but if that doesn’t work, then I’m not really sure.”

She nodded and asked, “It’s a sure thing? That you’ll be moving, that is?”

“Yeah. I have to play somewhere. I can’t do this much longer.”

“But there’s a chance that maybe you can stay?” Looking up at him, hoping for the answer she wanted, she watched as he shook his head.

“Unless the goalie they have now quits or leaves, no, I won’t be staying.”

She took in a shaky breath, staring down at the table again. She couldn’t believe this. She finds the guy that she has been dreaming about and he already has one foot out the damn door.

Shit!

She knew she should chalk this up as a loss and walk away, but when she looked at him, she knew she couldn’t. The same way he couldn’t walk away from her anymore. Maybe they would get lucky and he wouldn’t go. Or maybe, in the short time they had, he’d fall for her like she knew she was falling for him and ask her to go with him. Even though this was her second year at New Life, she knew she would be able to find a job somewhere else, and if this relationship went the way she felt in her heart it would go, then she’d relocate, no problem.

Just to be with him.

“What do you want, Jordan?” she asked quietly before moving her hand into his. “Do you want to keep going with this? Or stop it right now? Because I want to keep going. I’ve never felt like this about anyone, and I’m not ready to let it go.”

He smiled and leaned in closer to her, reaching up to run his thumb along her lips.

“I’ve been so closed off to everyone, but with you it’s different. I like the way I feel around you. Call it crazy, but I like you. A lot. I don’t want to walk away, but I also don’t want to hurt you.”

Her heart skipped a beat. “I like you too, and we’ll just have to remember that we both knew your future plans going into this, and if we make it to the end of the season, we’ll reevaluate everything.”

He nodded and placed a sweet kiss on her lips. Aynslee kissed him back, her heart pounding in her chest, while her brain went crazy. She was worried that she would fall hopelessly for this man and he would hold back because he knew that he was leaving. But when he kissed her and held her, it didn’t feel as if he was holding back. It felt real. It felt like forever.

“You know, too bad hockey isn’t like sex,” she said offhandedly.

He glanced over at her and laughed as he laid his credit card on top of the bill.

“Why’s that?”

She shot him a naughty look before saying, “Because I see no problems with your knee in bed.”

“Oh, is that right?” he asked, leaning toward her again, his hand traveling up her thigh.

“Completely and utterly right. You’re a hundred percent in that bed, and even out of it, Jordan Ryan. Those coaches don’t know what they are missing out on.”

Jordan laughed as he pressed his forehead against hers. “I’m so thankful I met you.”

Aynslee smiled, feeling the exact same way as she cupped his face in her hands.

“So am I.”

Chapter 7

Jordan watched as the Blackhawks’ team rushed the Assassins’ net in the United Center ice arena. He was bored out of his mind. This marked the twenty-first game of him sitting on the bench—his longest streak of not playing since he’d started in the NHL, minus the time he was hurt. Jordan was fucking tired of it. He should’ve pushed for a trade during the season, but he did not want to do that to Elli, the owner of the Assassins; besides, if he had, he would have never met Aynslee. It had been an amazing three weeks since they’d first slept together, and when he was home, they were attached at the hip. Never in his adult life had he called a woman more than once in an hour’s span or spent every waking moment with someone, but he wanted that with Aynslee. He was falling for her, and he was falling hard.

After Leanna broke up with him, Jordan thought he would never open up to another person or even love again, but Aynslee had proved him wrong. She made him laugh to the point of tears and made him harder than a frozen puck with just one of her sexy looks. But time was against them. They were already into April, and playoffs were starting at the end of the month. He would probably leave right after the season. He had things he needed to do in Carolina before camp started in August. He had toyed with the idea of asking her to go with him, but the more he thought about it, the more uncomfortable he felt about it. She had a life here, and he couldn’t ask her to uproot it just for him.

Looking out at the ice, he saw that the clock was winding down. The Assassins were losing. The offense had been off the last couple of games, and even though Tate defended the goal well, the opposition still scored. It was 1–0, Blackhawks, and with only fifty-eight seconds on the clock, Jordan didn’t think they had a chance to win.

He was right.

After the game, Jordan was relaxing in his seat on the team bus to the airport. He pulled out his phone and sent Aynslee a quick text, letting her know he’d call once he got back to Nashville.

Are you coming over?

He smiled as he typed his response.

Is that okay?

Of course. I’ll leave the key under the mat.

See you soon.

Can’t wait.

Jordan shut his phone off, still smiling as he leaned against the seat. He couldn’t wait to have her in his arms again. Looking around, he watched his teammates board the bus and take their seats. When his captain, Shea, entered the bus, he headed straight for Jordan and dropped down into the seat next to him. He moved his bag between his legs and then leaned back, glancing at Jordan.

“Tough loss.”

Shea nodded. “Yup, I hate losing to them.”

“Me too,” Jordan replied, before changing the subject. “How’s Elli?”

A wide, loving smile came over Shea’s face at the mention of his wife—and the team’s owner—who was pregnant with a set of twins. “Good. The boys are getting big, and she thinks she looks like a whale. I think she is beautiful, though.”

For some crazy reason, an image of Aynslee pregnant appeared in Jordan’s mind. He quickly shook his head, shocked by the thought. They had been together for only three weeks; why was he already thinking of that?

“When is she due?” he asked, trying to clear his head.

“End of June, but it might be sooner. The doctors are thinking end of May, early June. The boys are doing great, but she went early with the girls and they were fine, so we’ll see.”

Jordan had always been close with the Adlers and considered them his extended family. He had visited them when their daughters, Shelli and Posey, were born, and it hurt to know that he wouldn’t get to see the new twins except through text messages. He knew he could always fly back, but would they want to see him after he left the team?

“Shea, I have something to tell you.”

“Yeah?”

Taking a deep breath, Jordan glanced down before he said, “I’m looking at other teams.”

When Shea didn’t say anything, Jordan looked up to see his friend staring forward, his mouth in a straight line.

“I know, and I’m surprised you lasted the whole season. I would have left sooner. You are too good a goalie to sit on the bench, Ryan. I know that and so does Elli. We’ll miss you, but we understand.”

“Thanks, I appreciate that,” Jordan said sadly. This sucked, and it was more than likely going to be worse when he really left. It would be hard to walk away from his friends, but he already knew that walking away from Aynslee would be harder.

“You’ll have to come for the birth of the boys, though, and also for future children—at least two more. Don’t tell Elli I said that,” Shea laughed.

Jordan laughed along with him before saying, “I’ll be there.”

Shea’s words reassured Jordan that they would still be friends after he left. But his relationship with Aynslee was up in the air, and that alone made his chest ache.

When Aynslee woke up the next morning, she was wrapped in Jordan’s strong arms. She must have been sleeping pretty soundly to not wake up when he climbed into bed last night. She bit her lip as she ran her fingers along his jaw. He had been gone four days, and she’d missed him.

They had been inseparable since their dinner, and Aynslee couldn’t have been happier. He was an amazing lover and a great listener. She enjoyed every minute with him, and even though they had not discussed their future, she knew they had something special.

Snuggling closer, Aynslee ran her hands down his back and kissed his neck to wake him. She had to get up and start getting ready for school, but staying in bed with Jordan sounded like a better idea. His hands gripped her sides and pulled her on top of him. She smiled down as he looked up at her with his eyes half open.

“ ’Morning,” she said, before he brought her close for a long, sexy kiss that had her head spinning. She might have been on top, but Jordan was in complete control, and she didn’t mind one bit.

Moving his hands up her thighs, he squeezed her ass. “Do you have time?” he asked, lust swirling in his eyes.

She’d barely started to nod when he ripped her panties off and threw them across the room. She reached over to the bed table, grabbing a condom as he pulled his shorts down. Sitting on his thighs, she took his hard cock in her hands before bending her head forward and taking him to the back of her throat, then out, and repeating the motion. She loved the taste and feel of him in her mouth. As his fingers moved into her hair, she pulled back, kissing the tip of his cock before sheathing him with the latex.

Moving over him, she directed his bulging erection inside her. She sank down onto him, both of them moaning from the pleasure. She began to move up and down his swollen cock, finding the perfect rhythm. His hands stayed on her ass, squeezing and smacking as she continued to ride him to oblivion. Her orgasm came first, her body seizing from the intensity of it. Bringing her down, Jordan kissed her long and hard before rolling them over so that he was on top. He pulled out and, gripping her thighs, began to kiss her between her legs. Her fingers clung to the mattress as he flicked his tongue against her swollen clit, then sucked it whole between his lips. When he dipped his tongue into the entrance of her pussy and then slowly licked up the length of her, bringing her clit between his teeth, she shattered again.

In one smooth move, Jordan sat up and moved her legs apart, bringing one over his shoulder before he entered her deeply. His fingers bit into her thighs as he wildly thrust inside her. Aynslee could feel another orgasm building and was convinced that she had never felt so satisfied in her life.

With one last thrust, he let out a ragged moan and fell on top of her. She ran her hands up his sweat-sheened back and into his hair before she kissed his shoulder. She could definitely get used to starting every morning with hot and wild sex.

After taking a quick shower and fixing her hair in record time, Aynslee rushed to the kitchen, where Jordan was pouring coffee. Kissing his cheek, she accepted the mug he offered. She took a quick sip, then set the cup on the counter and collected her students’ papers from the night before.

“Can I come have lunch with you today?”

She looked up from where she was stuffing her bag and smiled. “Sure, I’d love that.” Closing the distance between them, she wrapped her arms around his waist. “I wish I could stay home with you, but we are learning long division this week. My kiddos need me.”

Jordan kissed her nose. “We both know that you would never miss a day with the kids unless you really had to.”

With a grin, she admitted, “That’s true, but I did miss you.”

He put his mug down before gathering her in his arms and kissing her senseless. When he pulled away, he kissed her once more before smiling against her lips. She loved when he did that—it was so romantic and so sweet.

“I missed you too,” he said, sending the butterflies in her stomach into a frenzy. “Now, off you go. I’ll see you at lunch.”

Aynslee was having a great day. But, really, after amazing morning sex, teaching young minds, and now having lunch with Jordan, who wouldn’t? They were sitting on her classroom’s ABC carpet, and he handed her a sub from Jimmy John’s before opening his own. He looked delicious, and Aynslee would much rather have eaten him than the sub. Wearing a pair of fitted jeans, a black Assassins’ T-shirt, and a black ball cap, he made Aynslee’s heart skip a beat. He was incredible.

“Did you watch the game last night?”

Aynslee nodded. “Yup. Great interview, by the way.”

“I wish you could see me play, though.”

“I have seen you play, on YouTube, and you were hot then too,” she informed him with a wink.

“I mean in person.”

“I will,” she said confidently as he looked over at her. “And I will be the loudest girl in the arena, don’t you worry about that.”

He flashed her a grin, taking her hand in his and kissing her knuckles. “I look forward to it.”

Aynslee was just about to reply when the door to her classroom opened.

“Hey,” Aynslee said when she saw her friend Sadie walk in.

“Hey. Oh, my God, I can’t hold anything down. I’m puking my brains out!” Sadie complained as she walked toward Aynslee’s desk, but she stopped abruptly when she saw Jordan. Her cheeks instantly turned red. “Could have told me you had a guest, Ayns.”

Aynslee laughed. “Jordan, this is my friend Sadie. Sadie, this is my … boyfriend, Jordan,” she said very slowly as she looked over at him, meeting his playful gaze. He didn’t seem affected by her putting labels on him, but Aynslee wasn’t sure what to think. “She is pregnant with her first child; hence the reason she is puking her brains out.”

Jordan grinned. “Congratulations, and it’s nice to meet you.”

“Thank you; it’s a pleasure to meet you too. Ayns, this is the work sheet you’ll need for first hour tomorrow. I’ll just put it on your desk.” Turning to Jordan, Sadie added, “Wish I could stay and get to know you, but I gotta go; my kids are coming back in a few. See y’all later.”

“Bye,” they said, and Aynslee added a quick thanks as Sadie hurried out, shutting the door behind her.

“She seems nice,” Jordan said as Aynslee looked over at him. He was watching her, chewing on the bite he had just taken.

“She’s great,” she said tentatively. “Sorry for throwing the whole boyfriend thing out there.”

A puzzled look came over his face as he asked, “Why are you sorry?”

She shrugged her shoulders. “Well, we haven’t discussed it.”

“Aynslee, you’ve been my girlfriend since I slept with you.”

Aynslee could only blink as he held her gaze. “Wow—okay. You could have told me that.”

“I might be a little old school, but I thought you felt the same way.”

Aynslee scooted closer to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. “I do, but it would have been nice for you to say it. So you’re mine? All mine?” Aynslee teased as she kissed the side of his smiling mouth.

“Yup. I know it’s only been three weeks, but I’m crazy about you. And I do think you are pretty amazing.”

Aynslee nuzzled her nose along the hair of his jaw and smiled before whispering, “I like you.”

“Good,” he said, dusting her lips with kisses. “Because I like you too.”

As Jordan began to kiss her in a way that wasn’t appropriate for school, all Aynslee could think about was how great things were going and that she wasn’t ready to let that go. She had no clue what would happen when the season was over, and that scared her, because her heart belonged to Jordan Ryan.

Chapter 8

“Surprise,” Jordan said with a grin.

Looking up at the sign he held, Aynslee laughed. She could tell that he had no clue if this was okay. Little did he know it was perfect.

“Annual Mud Run,” she read aloud.

“What do you think?”

She wrapped her arms around his middle. “You know the way to my heart.”

“I was hoping you’d say that,” Jordan said, kissing the tip of her nose.

“I’ve always wanted to do this.”

“Really?”

“I mean, what girl doesn’t want to run through mud with her hunky boyfriend?”

Jordan laughed before saying, “I could name a few.”

“Ah,” she said, waving him off, “divas, I tell you.”

Now it was the morning of the race, and runners were beginning to approach the starting line. Aynslee saw someone taking pictures and quickly pulled Jordan to her before asking the guy to take one of them. After the photographer shot their photo and told them where it would be posted online, Jordan took Aynslee’s hand and led her to the starting line. She had always loved doing stuff like this, and for Jordan to know that in the short time they’d been together had her heart doing flips. Looking up into his gorgeous face, she smiled as love warmed her heart. It had been only a little over a month, but she was a firm believer in When you know, you know.

And with Jordan, she knew.

Once in place, Aynslee faced Jordan with her game face on. “I bet I can beat you.”

Jordan laughed again, shaking his head before leaning over for a quick kiss. Only a breath away, he said, “In your dreams.”

Then the horn sounded and they were off.

For once, Aynslee was very appreciative of her size. Being small helped her get through the pits and puddles faster than Jordan could, though she quickly learned he liked to play dirty. She loved it. Some girls would have been pissed, but Aynslee had grown up with competitive brothers, and all it did was fuel her fire. She ran full speed ahead, jumping over a puddle that he managed to get stuck in, which put her in the lead. Drenched in mud, she crossed the finish line with a big grin on her face and her arms in the air.

It was a complete blast, and when she turned to see Jordan trudging over the finish line, his eyes glaring and his body covered in mud, she couldn’t hold in her laughter. He walked over to her as she continued to laugh.

“I don’t know what you are laughing at! You look just like me!” he pointed out as he crossed his arms.

“Oh, no, I’m laughing because you are a very sore loser and a cheater!” She smirked as she picked up one of the hot rags that had been provided for the runners to clean up with after the race. She loved the run, but mud in the nose wasn’t working for her. When she glanced up at him, he was still glaring; then, with ninja-like moves, he grabbed her and rubbed his muddy hands all over her face. She tried to get away, but he tackled her to the ground. Their laughter mingled as he lay on top of her. With his mud-splattered body rubbing over hers, Aynslee suddenly felt aroused. If they weren’t in the middle of a park, she would’ve shown him how dirty she could be. Jordan must have felt the same way, because his eyes grew darker as he said, “Right now I feel like I’ve won. Want to go back home so I can claim my prize?”

Aynslee closed her eyes as the laughter took over once again.

God, she loved this man.

Leaning back in the massage chair, Aynslee smiled as Brittany, her nail tech, scrubbed her feet and told her about her daughter’s dance recital.

“She can’t dance a lick. She gets that from Steven’s side of the family, I tell you,” Brittany said with a shake of her head. “Bless her heart, she goes to kick and falls on her ass! I’m laughing so hard, I’m screaming, ‘It’s okay, baby! Mommy loves you!’ ”

Aynslee and Sadie both cracked up.

“See, you can blame it on Steven, but if my baby is a girl and wants to dance, I’m screwed. I have two left feet!” Sadie joked. “Can Jordan dance?”

Aynslee nodded her head. “I think so. I’ll definitely find out tonight.”

They were going to a charity benefit that Jordan’s teammate, Jakob Titov, was hosting to help abused kids. Aynslee was all about helping kids and was excited when Jordan had asked her to come.

“Jordan? Who’s that?” Brittany asked. “I didn’t know you were dating someone.”

“Remember the guy who ran out on me? After I got my nails done last month, I went for a run and bumped into him, and let’s just say we haven’t spent much time apart since then.”

Brittany’s face broke into a knowing grin as she slapped Aynslee’s leg. “So he’s the hockey player, right?”

“Yup, a goalie for the Assassins, and oh, my God, I adore him. Actually, I’m pretty sure I love him.”

Sadie whipped her head around to stare at Aynslee, and Brittany’s mouth dropped open.

“Say what?” Sadie asked.

“Really,” Aynslee stressed. “He is so perfect. He loves video games like me, took me on a mud run, loves to watch the same movies as me, and, get this, he lets me rap to him.”

“No way!” Sadie laughed, since she knew that Dan had hated when Aynslee rapped at all. He’d said it wasn’t ladylike, but Aynslee didn’t care.

“Rapping is a must in a relationship,” Brittany said in a teasing way.

Aynslee giggled. “Right? Jordan is everything I’ve ever wanted.”

She hadn’t been this happy in a long time. Even her mom could feel that there was something different when they’d spoken on the phone last night. When she heard about Jordan, her mom wanted to meet him, but since their future was still up in the air, Aynslee told her mother to wait a little and then she’d bring him home. She only hoped she would be able to.

“Are you talking about Jordan Ryan?”

All three women looked over to see a woman staring at them. The first thing Aynslee noticed was that she was extremely beautiful. Big blue eyes, framed with thick black lashes. Her blond hair was styled in wide curls draped around her shoulders, and she wore designer clothes. Aynslee couldn’t see her shoes, but she was sure they were expensive.

Aynslee nodded as she said, “I am.”

“Are you dating him?”

Aynslee narrowed her eyes as she nodded again. “Yes.”

The woman’s eyes traveled up and down, taking Aynslee’s measure, then she raised an eyebrow. Clearing her throat, she hung her hand over the chair, showing off one hell of a rock on her left hand. “That’s so nice. I’m Leanna Masterson, his ex-fiancée.”

Aynslee wasn’t sure if the woman was holding out her hand to shake, so she simply said, “Aynslee Shaw.”

“So how is Jordan? His knee doing better?”

A part of Aynslee didn’t want to tell her anything, wanted to turn her nose up and return to her conversation with her friends. From what Jordan had told her, Leanna had left him in such a shitty way. How could someone walk out on the person she was supposedly in love with? Especially when he desperately needed her? This woman had ruined Jordan’s self-image, and if Aynslee hadn’t been so persistent with him, he would probably still be the socially awkward guy she had met on the plane.

Jordan was different now, more outgoing and confident. They had gone to dinner with Sadie and Phil one night, and they’d all gotten along so well. Phil and Jordan had even made a man date to play golf! He was branching out, and she knew it was because of her. He was happier, and all he had to do was get his career issues fixed and life would be great. As long as he didn’t leave.

“He’s doing great. We are really happy.”

Leanna gave her a snide smile. “That’s so nice, I’m glad. I think of him from time to time. I’m getting married to my amazing Justin—you probably know him, Justin Yates, with Yates and Yates? No? Well, he is wonderful, and we’re expecting our first child this August,” she said, with a wave of her hand. “We are really happy too.”

Aynslee felt as if Leanna was trying to rub something in her face, but Aynslee couldn’t have cared less. With a condescending smile, she mimicked, “That’s so nice.”

Leanna’s smile faltered for only a second before she said, “I hope it works out for you two.”

The words were like knives, because Aynslee wasn’t sure if it would work out. At this point the future was unknown. The past month and a half had been blissful, but they still hadn’t talked about what was going to happen after the season was over.

“It will. He is a dream come true,” Aynslee said, batting her eyes for good measure. “I wish you the best with your marriage and pregnancy. Congratulations.”

Aynslee was proud of herself, because what she really wanted to do was pour nail polish all over Leanna’s feet and then stick out her tongue like a three-year-old. But she managed to refrain and instead turned back around to her friends.

Unfortunately, though, the damage was done. Meeting Leanna had officially ruined Aynslee’s day, and probably her night with Jordan too.

Jordan was standing by the kitchen counter when Aynslee got home. A smiled played on his lips as he watched her throw her things down and take off her coat. She looked beautiful, as always, but her usual sunny smile was missing.

That was weird.

“Hey,” she said, sliding her flip-flops off before walking toward him. He thought she was going to come to him, but she went to the fridge instead and took out a bottle of water. He knew then that something was definitely wrong.

Coming up behind her, he wrapped his arms around her waist, kissing her neck before nuzzling his nose in her wild red hair. When she didn’t respond, he asked, “Want to tell me what’s wrong?”

She fell back into him and let out a long breath. “I saw your ex today.”

“How?” he said cautiously.

“She was at the nail salon.”

“So what happened?” he asked with concern. It was obvious that Leanna had said something to upset Aynslee, and it worried him.

Aynslee left his arms and leaned against the counter. “She’s pregnant and getting married to some rich guy,” she said slowly.

Okay, he knew that, and if he didn’t care, then why should she?

“Yeah, I know.”

She nodded as she looked down at the ground. “Oh.”

“I don’t care. She means nothing to me now, you know that,” he said reassuringly.

“No, I know. It isn’t that.”

“What is it, then?”

“She kept saying how happy she was, and it was annoying. But then she said, ‘I hope it works out for you two,’ and it just stung because …” She paused as Jordan’s heart pounded hard against his chest. He knew what was coming, and he wasn’t ready for it. Her eyes glazed over with tears, and it was like a shot to the heart. He couldn’t even look at her as she whispered, “I don’t know if we will work out, and it scares me.”

Jordan felt himself shutting down. This conversation wasn’t supposed to happen yet. Everything had been great and they were happy. Why put a kink in their happiness? With a shake of his head, he said, “I want us to work out.”

“I do too, but we’ve gone this whole time acting as if you aren’t leaving. I don’t know what’s going to happen when it’s time for you to go.”

“I understand that, but, Aynslee,” he said, looking directly at her, “we said we would reevaluate everything when the time came. Let’s not worry; let’s enjoy what we have together right now. I am so happy, and it’s because of you, baby. Why upset us both with the logistics of what could, what will, or what won’t happen?”

“Because I don’t want to let you go,” she said softly. “And I feel like I’m going to lose you.”

Jordan let out a long breath as he ran his hand through his hair. He didn’t know what to say or what was the right thing to do. All he knew was that he loved this girl, and as much as he wanted to tell her that, he knew it would only make things worse. One day soon he would leave her, and they both knew that. The scariest thing was that, with each passing day, he wanted to give it all up, just for her. He knew he could ask her to go with him, but that didn’t feel right. Shaking his head, he said, “I told you from the start I was leaving. I don’t know what to say; I don’t know how to make this better. I’m sorry.”

Aynslee slowly nodded as her lips started to tremble. When a stray tear rolled down her cheek, she turned away quickly and went to the sink, where she dumped out the water she hadn’t even taken a sip of. Jordan couldn’t move. He felt as if she had kicked him in the stomach with just that one small tear.

“You’re right,” she said with a shaky voice. “Listen, I’m not feeling well. I think I’ll skip the benefit tonight. I’m sorry.”

She started for the hallway, but he stopped her, taking her in his arms and dropping his mouth to hers. He could feel the tears rushing down her face, and it killed him. Holding her close as he pulled his mouth away, he slowly moved his thumb along her cheeks, catching each stray tear. She looked up at him, holding him hostage with watery green eyes, her red lips still wobbling. He wanted to say so many things, but he didn’t know how. He shifted to whisper in her ear, “We’ll figure something out. I can’t just walk away from you.”

She choked on a sob before closing her eyes tight and wrapping her arms around him. He held her as she cried, feeling his own tears about to fall. Walking away from her was the last fucking thing he wanted to do, but what other choice was there?

Pulling back, she looked up at him, her eyes filled with sadness. “You’ve walked away twice before; why wouldn’t you once again? The only good thing is that at least we had this time together.”

His heart stopped as he held her gaze. “Don’t say that, Ayns. I’m not going anywhere yet.”

He closed his eyes, wishing that things could be different for them. He wanted to get lost in her kisses, take her to bed, and never leave. In a perfect world, he would be with her and they would both have awesome careers. That’s what he wanted, but it seemed impossible.

As he ran his nose along hers, she whispered, “Yeah, not yet.”

Chapter 9

“How about the Predators, do they need a goalie?”

Jordan stood outside a little pub in the heart of Buffalo, on the phone with his dad. The Assassins were playing the Sabres the next afternoon for an early Sunday game, and it seemed as if everything in Buffalo reminded him of Aynslee. She had told him so many stories about growing up in the charming city that it felt as if he had lived there with her. Thinking of her prompted the usual smile, but it also brought on a little heartache. After skipping Jakob’s charity event, he had lain in bed with Aynslee, holding her and then making love to her all night long. He was such an idiot. He’d known this was going to happen, and he still fell in love. Now he was scrambling, trying to figure out a way to keep them together.

Bill cleared his throat, and Jordan could hear his father’s fingers typing on the computer. After finding the answer he needed, Bill finally said, “Maybe. I could reach out to them.”

“Yes, please do,” Jordan said, feeling a glimpse of hope. It would piss some of his teammates off if he went to the Assassins’ most hated rival, but if it allowed him to stay in Nashville, he’d do it.

“Why? I thought you wanted to play for the IceCats.”

“I don’t want to leave Nashville,” he admitted, pinching the bridge of his nose and bracing for a fight. Jordan knew his father. Bill loved his wife more than anything, and if bringing her son back home to play would make her happy, he’d do it, no matter how Jordan felt about it. Jordan wanted to be close to his parents, but Aynslee was becoming the most important thing in his world.

“Why?”

“I met someone.”

Bill paused, and Jordan took the opportunity to hold the phone out from his ear before the screaming started.

“Are you fucking kidding me? You knew you were leaving at the end of the season. You wanted this! I’ve worked my ass off to get you the best deal with the IceCats, and you want to stay in Nashville? For some woman?”

“Not just for some woman, Dad. She’s the one. I love her.”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake, son. Really? This is the first I’ve heard of her and you love her? What the hell?”

“Dad, she’s different. I met her when I was flying back from that meeting with the Sabres, and I instantly knew there was something special about her. I tried to stay away, but I couldn’t, Dad. I can’t. I have to do everything I can to stay in Nashville, or I’ll lose her,” he said, his voice breaking at the end.

Closing his eyes to keep the tears at bay, Jordan took in another breath as his father said, “Are you crying?”

“No, I’m not crying!” Jordan snapped.

Bill’s chuckles came over the line. “She can’t come here?”

Jordan shook his head, even though his father couldn’t see him. “No. She has a great job in Nashville, not to mention friends and a life. I can’t ask her to leave it all for me.”

“Do you think she would?”

“Yeah, I do, but I’m afraid she’ll resent me in the end.”

“I understand that. Okay,” Bill said, tapping away on the computer again. “I’ll contact the Predators—maybe even St. Louis, since that’s close. You could always commute.”

Jordan grinned broadly. “Thank you so much, Dad. I love you.”

“It may not work, son, but we’ll try. If it doesn’t work and the contract is right with the IceCats, you’ll come here. Agreed?”

“Yeah, she knows I plan on leaving. I just don’t want to.”

“Understood. Okay, well, talk to you soon,” Bill said.

“Sounds good; bye, Dad.”

Jordan was about to end the call when he heard his dad clear his throat. “Son.”

“Yeah?”

“I love you too, and I’m very proud of you. Can’t wait to meet her.”

Jordan smiled, looking up at the sky as he said, “You’ll love her.”

“I know I will. Bye.”

“Bye.”

Jordan ended the call, tucking his phone back into his pocket. He hoped to God something would work out. He didn’t want to make Aynslee cry any more than he already had. He only wanted to make her happy. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with her, to love her until his dying day and watch her carry his children. They could try to do the long-distance thing, but those relationships hardly ever worked, and he wanted to be with her all of the time, not part of the time. It was hard enough leaving her for road trips, but to live five hundred miles away—he couldn’t do that.

He walked in to the pub, went to the bar, and sat down. Shea, Tate, and some of the other guys were going to try to stop by later, but he doubted they’d make it; they were pretty beat after practice and wanted to be fresh for tomorrow’s game. Looking around the pub, he took in the manly décor. Sports memorabilia was everywhere. Pictures of hockey greats like Wayne Gretzky, Brett Hull, Patrick Roy, and Gordie Howe hung on the walls. Glancing around for a bartender, he leaned against the bar, grabbing a few peanuts from the bowl on the counter and popping them into his mouth.

Finally, a tall redheaded man came out of the back. When he set eyes on Jordan, he turned around and yelled in a thick Irish accent, “I swear on everything holy that if I didn’t love you guys I’d fire you! We have a customer!” Turning to look at Jordan, he said, “I’m so sorry; my family is very lazy.”

“No worries,” Jordan said with a smile. The man reminded him of his own redhead.

“Can I get you a beer?”

“Yes, please, draft,” Jordan said, getting his wallet out, but the man shook his head.

“Thanks, but it’s on the house as long as I can have an autograph,” he said, placing Jordan’s beer in front of him before holding out his hand. “The name is Bowie, and I’m a fan. You’re a fantastic goalie.”

Jordan took his hand and shook it. “Thank you; it’s great to meet you.”

Bowie’s grin was familiar, and suddenly it clicked.

“Do you have a daughter?”

“I do, six. Are you looking for a wife? My Aynslee is a peach.”

Hell yeah, she is, Jordan thought, as Bowie pointed to a picture of Aynslee. Jordan didn’t know how he had missed it, but it was something else. The photo must have been taken years ago, because she looked like a teenager, but even then she was gorgeous.

Jordan reached across the bar again to shake the man’s hand once more, and Bowie looked bewildered. He then said, “I know you know me as a hockey player, sir, but I am also dating your daughter.”

Bowie blinked twice and then let out a hearty laugh. “Excuse me?”

“Aynslee Shaw, spelled A-y-n-s-l-e-e? That’s my girlfriend.”

“You’re dating my Aynslee?”

Jordan nodded as Bowie eyed him suspiciously.

“You’re not her normal type. She usually goes for fairy-looking guys.”

Laughter sputtered out of Jordan as he said, “Thanks, I think.”

Bowie let out another hearty laugh, turning to face the back of the barroom before yelling out, “Tully! Sweetheart!”

Jordan looked past him to see a short round woman with blond hair walking toward them.

“What do you want, old bat? You yell at me, saying I’m lazy, but then I try to cook and you bother me,” she complained as she came up beside him.

Bowie snickered before pointing a thumb at Jordan and saying, “This man says he is dating our Aynslee.”

Tully looked over at Jordan and raised an eyebrow. “Oh, really?”

“Yes, ma’am. Has she told you about me?”

Tully’s green eyes were still locked on Jordan. “She did. But I was expecting a fairy-looking guy.”

Jordan chuckled as Tully flashed him a wide smile, taking his hand in hers.

“I’m Tully Shaw, Aynslee’s mother; and you are?”

“Jordan Ryan. It’s nice to meet you.”

“You too. I have a bone to pick with my daughter: She didn’t prepare me for someone so handsome.”

Jordan laughed as he pulled his phone out and said, “Let’s call her together.”

He hit Aynslee’s contact and put it on speakerphone. When she came on the line, Jordan smiled as she said, “Hey, you.”

“Hey, beautiful, guess what?” he asked as Tully and Bowie both beamed at him.

“No, first you have to guess what! Guess what I bought for your welcome-home gift?” she giggled into the phone. “And let me just say, it starts with crotchless.”

“Oh, shit,” Jordan said, quickly picking the phone up and taking it off speaker.

“That’s right,” she cooed into the phone, as Jordan looked up to see a shocked expression on Tully’s face and Bowie glaring at him.

Fuck.

“Baby, I had you on speakerphone,” he said, covering his face. It was probably not a good idea to laugh, but he couldn’t help it, and soon she laughed along with him.

“Oh, crap, did the guys hear me? At least they know you’ve got it good, huh?”

Tully’s eyes widened, and Jordan realized that she could still hear Aynslee. When she yelled, “Aynslee Kathleen Shaw!” Aynslee’s laughter stopped.

“Please tell me that wasn’t my mother.”

“It was.”

“Why are you with my parents when I am talking about crotchless panties?”

“I was trying to tell you where I was, but you busted that out before I could!”

“Oh, my God, did my dad hear me?”

Jordan glanced over to see Bowie standing tall, with his arms crossed over his chest, looking very scary and Irish.

“Yes, he did.”

“Well, shit.”

“Yup, I’m pretty sure I might not make it out of here alive.”

Aynslee laughed, causing Jordan to smile. God, he missed her.

“No, he’s a big teddy bear. Put me on speakerphone again.”

Jordan did as she asked and put the phone on the bar as she said, “Hi, Mom and Dad!”

“Hello, darling,” Tully said with a small smile playing on her lips.

“Aynslee Kathleen,” Bowie said, his eyes still glued to Jordan.

He was pretty sure he was going to die today.

“Dad, stop. I have sex. I’m thirty-one, what do you expect?”

But Bowie didn’t budge until Tully slapped his chest.

“Stop, you’re scaring him,” she said in a mock whisper before turning back to the phone. “He seems nice.”

“He is. Jordan is wonderful, Mom. I’m glad you’re meeting.”

Jordan smiled as he said, “I wish you were here.”

“Me too, but I’m buying crotchless panties, so I’ll let you guys be,” she said teasingly.

Jordan cringed at her words, but he also became hard as a rock. He was glad he was sitting behind the bar, because this woman drove him mad. “And, Daddy, please don’t kill him. I like him a whole lot.”

“I’ll try,” Bowie answered, receiving another smack from Tully.

“He’ll be good, and you be good too. For Christ’s sake, crotchless, Aynslee!” Tully exclaimed. She then reached over to take Jordan’s hand. “We’ll take care of him, feed him good, and he’ll meet the rest of the family.”

“Oh, for the love of God, please don’t do that to him.”

Bowie let out a big laugh as he said, “But he won’t be family until that happens. He’ll be fine, we promise.”

Something moved in Jordan’s chest. It felt good to know they already considered him family.

“Oh, God, Jordan, I hope you still like me after you meet those crazy folks.”

“I’m sure I will.”

“So you think. Call me later?”

“Absolutely.”

As he talked more with her parents, Jordan learned that even though Aynslee looked like her dad, she was more like her mother. Tully was loud, funny, and made Jordan laugh just as hard as Aynslee did. He loved her instantly, and when he met the whole Shaw clan, he felt right at home. They were loud and very loving—though he wasn’t too sure about Flynn and Brady. He ate amazing food, played with all the kids, got interrogated by Aynslee’s sisters, and even met the bat-shit-crazy Aunt Fern. Everything Aynslee had said about her klepto aunt was true—she tried to steal his wallet and phone off the counter, but Tully stopped her and told Jordan to put his things in his pocket.

He was having a great time, and when he got a call from Coach Bacter, things became a thousand times better.

“Yes, I’m ready. Thank you,” Jordan said, before turning off his phone.

“Everything okay, honey?”

Jordan smiled over at Tully as he nodded. “Great, I just have to call your daughter,” he said, dialing her number. He usually would have called his dad first, but he couldn’t wait to tell Aynslee his news.

“Hello,” she said quickly. “Are you calling to break up with me?”

“Hell no, your family is awesome. I’ve got something great to tell you.”

“What is it?”

“I’m playing tomorrow,” he said, the biggest grin imaginable on his face.

“Oh, my God! Seriously? I’m so happy for you!”

“Thanks, I’m so excited.”

“I bet. That’s awesome, baby. You’re gonna kick ass.”

“Damn right. Can you get a flight here?”

“Shit, I don’t know. I’ll try, but I have a meeting with some teachers for a new plan we are working on.”

Jordan’s smile fell. “No, I completely understand. It’s fine.”

“No, it’s not. I’m sorry. I suck. Let me see what I can do.”

“No, you don’t,” he said with a heavy heart. “Corny as it may sound, you’ll be in my heart.”

“Oh, that’s not fair!” she laughed. “Are you are least serving some pie with that guilt?”

Jordan snorted as he shook his head. “I’m not trying to make you feel guilty. I was trying to be romantic!” he said, his face turning bright red.

“Aw, I really do like you a lot.”

Jordan’s mouth pulled up at the sides as he closed his eyes, wanting to tell her that like was so far from what he was feeling. He was completely and hopelessly in love with this woman.

“I feel the exact same way. I’ll call you later.”

“Okay, have fun.”

“Wish you were here.”

“Me too. Bye, baby.”

Ending the call, Jordan let out a long sigh.

“You’re playing tomorrow?”

Jordan turned toward Aynslee’s mom.

“Yes, ma’am. I was hoping she could be there.”

“I think she likes you a lot.”

“I love her,” Jordan admitted.

Tully smiled widely at him as she nodded. “I can tell.”

“Things are a little crazy right now, but I promise I’m doing everything I can to make her happy.”

“That’s all I can ask for.”

Jordan didn’t know why it mattered so much to have Tully and Bowie’s approval, but it did, and his promise wasn’t an empty one.

Aynslee rushed down the aisle of First Niagara Center toward Jordan’s position on the ice. She was late because she’d spent so much time making her sign and then she still had to hit up scalpers outside the arena for a ticket. She managed to get a decent seat, but she knew she’d be out of Jordan’s range of sight, and she wanted him to see her sign.

The Assassins were slamming pucks at him as they warmed up, and she had no clue how to get his attention. Holding the sign up against the glass, she pointed at him before pointing at the sign, hoping one of the guys would notice her. After what seemed like forever, someone finally spotted her. Jordan turned, and, even through the mask, she could see his smile. He lifted his face mask and she watched as he read the sign that said:

SURPRISE! GOOD LUCK. YOU’LL BE GREAT. I’M SO PROUD OF YOU.

MEET ME AT DAD’S PUB AFTERWARD.

It was a little girly, but he seemed to like it and nodded his head before waving at her. She waved back and blew him a kiss. Then he dropped his face mask and turned around, waiting to block the pucks on goal. Satisfied that he’d read her sign, she decided to stay where she was and watch him warm up, but then someone tapped her on the shoulder.

Turning and looking up into the face of an older man, she smiled as she asked, “Am I in your way?”

“No, ma’am, I just wanted to read your sign.”

She held it up, grinning at him as he read it.

“He didn’t know I was coming. I flew in from Nashville on a red-eye. I wanted to make sure I was here for the first game he’s played since we’ve been together,” she said, and then she wanted to smack herself. She talked way too damn much.

The older man nodded as he said, “You are a wonderful girlfriend. What’s your name?”

“Aynslee Shaw,” she said, holding out her hand.

He took it and smiled as he said, “I’m Bill Ryan.”

Oh, fuck, she thought, her stomach dropping. “Jordan’s dad.”

“Yes, and I’ve heard great things about you, young lady.”

“Wow, thank you. Jordan talks about you and Mrs. Ryan all the time.”

Bill asked, “Where are you sitting?”

“In the three hundreds. I had to buy it from a scalper.”

Bill nodded as he pointed to a seat at the glass, beside an older couple.

“My friend offered me this seat. I came down here to thank him, but I’m going back up in the stands to sit with my wife. How about you sit here and we’ll meet with you later?”

Aynslee nodded quickly as she said, “Yes, that would be great. If you are absolutely sure? Thank you.”

“No problem, honey. I’m pretty sure I’ll be getting to know you very well in the near future.”

“Bye,” she said, as she watched him greet his friend. When he flashed her a grin, it immediately reminded her of Jordan’s. She returned the smile as he turned to walk up the aisle. All but bouncing into the seat he’d given her, she looked out at the ice and grinned. She was so excited to be here.

“Hey, you’re Jordan’s girlfriend—Aynslee? Am I saying that right?”

Aynslee nodded at the older gentleman, accepting his outstretched hand. “Yes, sir. I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name.”

“Sean Rogers. This is my wife, Mallory.”

“Hi,” Aynslee said, shaking Mallory’s hand too. The three made small talk, but it stopped once the game started. Aynslee was on the edge of her seat as she watched her amazing boyfriend kick ass in goal. He was making saves left and right, pushing people out of his crease, and being fucking awesome. It was fantastic. When the first period was over, the score was 2–0, Assassins. Aynslee leaned back in her seat, releasing a sigh of relief.

“What do you think of Jordan’s performance so far?”

Aynslee glanced over at Sean and smiled. “He’s doing great.”

“I agree.”

“Have you seen him play before?” Aynslee asked.

“I have,” Sean said with a nod. “But I wanted to know what you thought.”

Aynslee looked into the older man’s brown eyes. “I don’t know much about hockey, and this is my first time watching him in person, but I’ve seen the YouTube videos and he is amazing. He has this fire inside him to be the best.”

Sean nodded, a grin playing on his face as he said, “But his injury has altered him a bit.”

“True, but he has learned to adapt. The Assassins are crazy for not playing him all the time. He’s resilient, you know, and he can only get better with every game he plays. I’ve never in my life been so proud of someone.”

“So if you were the GM of a hockey team, you’d take a chance on him and sign him right now?”

Aynslee was a little taken aback by the question, but she knew the answer right away. Not only did she mean every word she said, but she loved Jordan, body and soul, and believed in him completely. He might be leaving her, but she would always love him and he would always have a place in her heart. “In a heartbeat.”

After watching Jordan shut out the Sabres, Aynslee made her way to her father’s pub and waited for him. It had been an exciting game, and watching him was like foreplay to sex. He was so hot and so efficient; Aynslee couldn’t wait to get him home. When Jordan finally walked through the door, dressed up in a sexy suit, she hopped off the barstool and closed the distance between them. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he lifted her off the ground.

Kissing him breathless, she smiled against his lips before saying, “You were a killer on the ice.”

“Because you were there.”

She smiled as she shook her head. “No, because you are awesome. Great game, baby.”

“Thanks, it felt good.”

He put her on her feet and then took her hand as they walked over to the bar to order a beer. He sat on the barstool and she sat in his lap, leaning her head against his neck.

“I have to leave tonight,” she said sadly after he’d taken a swig of his beer.

“Really?” he asked, with a disappointed look on his face.

“Yeah, my plane leaves soon; I’ve got school tomorrow.”

“That sucks. I wanted to take you back to my hotel room and see if you were wearing those panties you mentioned yesterday,” he said with a grin, whispering the last part.

She giggled against his neck, placing a kiss there before looking up at him. “I’ll be at home, waiting for you.”

“In the panties?”

“And nothing else.”

“I can’t wait. Let me see this sign. I loved it, by the way,” he said.

“You’re welcome,” she replied with a wide grin.

“How about you sign the poster and I’ll frame it?” Bowie asked.

“Sure,” Jordan said, grinning at Aynslee before taking the Sharpie from Bowie.

“It’s just a silly sign!” Aynslee complained, shaking her head.

“You’re lucky your dad wants it, or I’d hang it at my house,” Jordan said before signing his name along the bottom.

Aynslee grinned as she watched him write:

Jordan & Aynslee.

Her heart exploded as he gave her a shy smile. Leaning over, she kissed his lips and then teased, “You’re so corny, but so am I.” Taking the pen from him, she wrote:

Forever.

Chapter 10

Jordan should have been excited, but he wasn’t.

After signing a hefty-paying contract with the IceCats, things should’ve been looking up. He was going to be the starting goalie for them, but it didn’t matter, because Aynslee wouldn’t be there with him. He could have gone to the Predators, but only as a backup there too, and their GM didn’t want to do that to Jordan. It was the same story with all the other teams Jordan had shown an interest in.

Sitting across from Shea and Elli Adler, Jordan listened as Elli told him about the new goalie they were bringing up.

“Jep Klinsky, the starting goalie for the Rays. I’m happy with him. Wish I could keep you, though,” Elli said.

Jordan laughed before taking a swig of his beer. Putting it down, he said, “If I was starting, I’d stay, you know that.”

“I know. I’m lucky you stayed this long,” she said with a sad smile. “We’ll miss you.”

“It’s going to be tough, but I’ll come back to visit.”

A lot, and hopefully Aynslee would still want to see him.

“Good, you gotta see the boys!” she gushed, rubbing her hands on her belly fondly.

Jordan smiled. Elli Adler was a great person, and he was going to miss her. “I will. Text me pictures as soon as they are born.”

“Definitely,” she said, taking her husband’s hand in hers.

“I’ll make sure,” Shea said, kissing Elli’s temple before reaching for his beer.

“Good.”

Jordan looked down at his food. He loved spending time with the Adlers, but at the moment he just wanted to be with Aynslee. He needed to tell her about the contract so they could discuss what they were going to do. He was ready to go home and plan the rest of his life with her.

“So how’s your girlfriend? I was hoping to meet her at Jakob’s thing, but y’all didn’t show,” Elli said.

“Yeah, she had a headache that night, and since we were leaving the next day, I wanted to stay home with her. She’s great, though. I would’ve brought her tonight, but she had a teacher’s thing—”

Jordan stopped mid-sentence when he saw a flash of red out of the corner of his eye. He turned to see his girlfriend only a few feet away, sliding her jacket on. He called out, “Aynslee.”

She stopped and looked at him, a full grin coming over her face. As he stood up, she said something to one of the ladies she was with, then walked toward his table.

“What are you doing here?” she asked, still smiling.

“Having dinner. You were here the whole time?”

“I was! We always go to J. Alexander’s. I love this place.”

He leaned over to kiss her quickly before introducing her. “This is Elli and Shea Adler, my boss and my captain.”

Still smiling, Aynslee took their hands and said, “It’s so nice to meet you. Jordan adores you guys.”

“Oh, thank you. We love him too,” Elli gushed as Jordan pulled a chair out. “Join us, please.”

“I’d love to! I already ate, though, so I’ll just drink more wine,” she said as she sat down.

Jordan smiled and took a seat beside her, reaching for her hand. After Aynslee ordered a glass of wine, she and Elli started to talk as if they were old friends. He always joked that Aynslee had never met a stranger in her life. He loved that about her and admired her for it. Soon she had the whole table in tears, telling them about a kid who had covered another kid with glue and then thrown glitter on her.

“I was so mad! I tried to explain that he shouldn’t do that, but then the girl was, like, ‘But I want to sparkle!’ I died. I couldn’t hold it in, I was laughing so hard.”

“Oh, my stars, that is crazy! I can’t wait for my oldest, Shelli, to go to school. She’ll probably be the one throwing glitter on herself.” Elli laughed as Shea nodded.

“She would. She’s crazy—gets it from her side of the family,” Shea said, pointing at Elli.

Aynslee giggled as Jordan brought her hand up to his mouth, kissing her knuckles. His heart was aching as she held his gaze. Playoffs were starting that week, which meant that their time was winding down. The guys weren’t playing the way they usually did, and people didn’t think they were going to get out of the first round. He could be leaving in two weeks, especially since he’d signed the contract today. The GM wanted Jordan to start training with the goalie staff as soon as possible, and Jordan also needed to find a house and get settled before training camp began. Things were about to change, whether he was ready or not.

“So I bet you are just so proud of Jordan.”

Aynslee nodded before looking back over at Elli. “Yes, he is amazing. I’m very lucky,” she said, running her thumb up and down the small space between his thumb and index finger.

“You are. I’m very proud that he has fully recovered from his injury. He will do great things in Carolina for the IceCats.”

Aynslee’s strokes stopped as she stared at Jordan, shock written all over her face. Jordan’s heart seized, and all he could do was look into Aynslee’s eyes. He should have known Elli would bring up the transfer. He should have called Aynslee earlier, but instead he let this happen and now he could see her shutting down. Neither one of them wanted this, but it was happening.

“He will,” she said, turning her eyes back to Elli. Her hand slowly slid out of Jordan’s. “I have no doubts about that,” she added before reaching for her drink.

“Are you excited about living in Carolina? It’s so beautiful,” Elli asked with a bright grin.

“We haven’t figured all that out yet,” Jordan said quickly, feeling as if the world were coming down on him. He tried to reach for Aynslee’s hand, but she just shook her head.

Taking in a deep frustrated breath, he looked at Elli as she said, “Oh, well, you better! If we don’t beat these damn Blackhawks, playoffs will be over in a week.”

He knew that. He also knew that he might very well be losing the love of his life.

Aynslee couldn’t breathe.

The room was spinning, and her heart was breaking inside her chest.

He signed a contract? And didn’t even tell her?

What the hell?

Standing up suddenly, she looked over at Shea and Elli and said, “I’m so sorry, but I need to get home. I have school tomorrow and I’m worn out!”

She laughed, trying to be lighthearted, but it was taking everything she had to keep the tears in.

“Oh, we completely understand. It was so nice to meet you.” Elli stood up to hug her tightly.

Aynslee shook Shea’s hand and then looked back at Jordan. She could see the hurt in his eyes. Still fighting back the tears, she quietly said to Elli and Shea, “Nice to meet you too; bye.”

And she left. Without saying one word to Jordan. She wasn’t sure if she could actually speak to him without crying. Once she was outside, Aynslee took in a lungful of air and tears ran down her cheeks. She cried throughout the entire drive home. She didn’t understand. Why hadn’t he told her? Why hadn’t he given her at least a little warning? Instead, she had to find out from his fucking boss.

He could be leaving in a week, and she had no clue what that meant. Would he just walk away, say, Nice knowing you, and that would be it? He still hadn’t asked her to come with him, so did he even want something more than what they already had? Had she been wasting her time? She didn’t know, and it was killing her.

A sob broke out of her as she pulled into her driveway, got out, and slammed her car door. As she made her way up the walk, she heard someone else pulling into the drive. She knew who it was even before she turned around.

Jordan jumped out of his truck, looking unbelievably handsome in a nice black dress shirt and khaki dress pants. He had trimmed his beard, just the way she liked it, and even though she was so upset and torn up over the recent news, she still wanted to wrap her arms around him and get lost in his kisses.

Fuck, this was going to be hard.

“Aynslee, listen, I’m sorry. When the Adlers asked me out to celebrate the deal, I didn’t expect to see you at dinner. I was going to invite you, but you had that thing. I wanted to tell you,” he said, as he walked toward her.

She shook her head, turning around and going up the porch stairs. There was no way she was having this conversation with him in the front yard, where the neighbors could hear them. Once inside, she kicked off her heels and went to the kitchen for a beer. Cracking the top as Jordan shut the door, she said, “It doesn’t matter. It doesn’t change what is happening, Jordan.” She ran her hand over her face, wiping away her tears—then she slammed her beer down, causing it to spray everywhere. “It still means that you are leaving, that you are taking my heart and breaking it into pieces.”

“That’s not fair, Aynslee. I told you from the beginning that my life was up in the air.”

“I know, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt!”

“I understand that; it hurts me too, baby. I don’t want to leave you,” he said, reaching for her.

“Then don’t!” she said, stepping out of his reach. “Don’t leave me.”

He stopped, looking down at her as he ran his hand through his hair.

“Don’t you know that if I could stay here and be content with being some shit-ass backup goalie, I would? I’ve tried everything. I’ve tried to go to every team that was close to here, because I don’t want to leave you, but no one has a starting position. Please don’t make me choose between you and hockey. I’d pick you, Aynslee, I would, but I can’t guarantee I wouldn’t resent you later.”

She wished that it made her feel better that he would give up hockey for her, but it didn’t, and it wasn’t as if she’d let him do that anyway. She wanted him to ask her to go with him, but he wasn’t getting that! Shaking her head as tears rushed down her face, she said, “No, I’d never ask that of you.”

Silence filled the house as the tension gathered around them. “So you’ll leave after the playoffs?”

He nodded, his gaze piercing. “They want me to train with their goalie staff.”

“Oh,” she said sadly.

“It’s because of you that they offered me so much money to sign with them.”

She looked up at him, confused. “Me?”

“You know that guy you sat next to at the Buffalo game? He is my new boss.”

“Sean?”

“Yeah. He told my dad that after talking to you and seeing how much you believe in me, he couldn’t pass me up, and he offered me one hell of a contract,” he said, a small smile playing at his lips. But it fell as he reached for her. Threading his fingers through her hair, he tilted her head back and said, “Thank you.”

“I believe in you because you are the best. No thanks are needed.”

“No—thank you for being here and for everything. I’m back to being the guy I was before, and it’s all because of you.”

Her heart aching, she said, “That’s good for the next girl you meet.”

Jordan shook his head, moving his thumb along her cheek. “There will never be another girl,” he whispered, looking deep into her eyes.

“Sure there will.”

“No,” he said more sternly. “My heart is yours.”

He slowly laid his forehead against hers and kissed her nose. He then asked, “So what do you want to do?”

Aynslee closed her eyes, tears leaking out as she backed away, shrugging her shoulders. “I don’t know.”

He looked lost and broken, his hands limp at his sides as he said, “I don’t either.”

She couldn’t believe that this was going to happen like this. How could she let this end without knowing why he didn’t want to take her?

“Tell me why you haven’t asked me to go with you,” she demanded.

He paused, a confused expression on his face. He looked as if she wanted to know the cure for cancer. “You have a life here. A great job, friends, and you are happy. How is that fair to ask you to leave it for me? You’ll someday resent me.”

“Are you kidding me?” Her eyes wide, she said, “This life I have here doesn’t matter without you.”

“What?” he asked, and she could tell that he was flabbergasted.

“My life has been completely altered by you, and I’d rather move from the place I’ve been for only a year than lose you.”

His mouth slowly fell open. She couldn’t believe this: He thought she wouldn’t go and that’s why he didn’t ask? She should have just told him from the beginning that she would go with him; it would have saved her a month of stress.

God, they were a mess.

“Okay, let me get this straight,” he said, pointing at her. “You’ll come to Carolina with me?”

She smiled as her heart slammed into her chest. Running her hand over her face to wipe the tears away, she said, “Yes, Jordan. I love you. I’d follow you to the ends of the earth as long as you loved me and wanted me too.”

Jordan took a step toward her, his eyes locked on hers as he asked, “Really?”

“All you have to do is ask me, and I’ll go.”

The air crackled around them. This was the turning point. A wide grin came over his face, and he took her in his arms and kissed her hard on the lips.

Aynslee moved her arms around his neck, holding him tight as he deepened the kiss. She could feel his heart pounding in his chest, matching the rhythm of hers. She loved this man, with everything inside her, and would for the rest of her life.

He kissed the side of her mouth as she asked, “So we are doing this?”

“Oh, yeah, there is no backing out now. You’re mine, Aynslee Shaw. I want you there when I start in every game. I want to come home to you and make love to you every night. I want to marry you someday and have little blue-eyed redhead babies,” he said, making her laugh. Then he became serious as he leaned his head into hers and said, “But I swear I will make you the happiest woman on earth, because I’ll never love someone the way I love you.”

“You’ve already accomplished that,” she said, threading her fingers into his hair. She softly kissed his lips while her body tingled under his touch. He held her as if he would never let go. And she hoped he never did, because she sure as hell wasn’t going anywhere.

Pulling back, she looked up at his gorgeous face, excited for their future together. She didn’t know what it held, but she knew as long as she was with Jordan, it would be everything she wanted.

Moving her fingers down his face, loving the feel of his beard, she closed her eyes as she whispered, “I love you.”

Leaning his head against hers, Jordan said, “Not as much as I love you.”

And they lived happily ever after.…

Acknowledgments

Every day I have the love of two kids, OH, a lazy bulldog, and the most amazing man in the world. He supports me completely and loves me unconditionally. I love you, Michael; thank you for being the greatest love of my life. My little bits, Mikey and Alyssa: I love you two so much, and I am so blessed to have you both. Thanks for thinking Mommy is a rock star.

To my family: I love you and thank you for encouraging me to follow my dreams.

To all my friends: Thank you for all the support and love.

To my amazing agent, Alix: Thank you for taking a chance on this Southern girl who loves hockey!

To Sue and Random House: Thank you for believing in me and giving me the opportunity to make my dreams come true.

To Heidi, thank you for being there!

Again, thank you, readers, for everything. Y’all really rock.

TONI ALEO is the author of the Nashville Assassins series: Taking Shots, Trying to Score, Empty Net, and Blue Lines. When not rooting for her beloved Nashville Predators, she’s probably going to her husband’s and son’s hockey games and her daughter’s dance competitions, taking pictures, scrapbooking, or reading the latest romance novel. She lives in the Nashville area with her husband, two children, and a bulldog.

THE EDITOR’S CORNER

Welcome to Loveswept!

Whether you’re on the beach, in the park, or sitting poolside, there’s nothing like spending a warm summer day reading a good book – especially one that has romance, sizzling passion, and deeply felt emotion. Luckily, we have just the thing to make your summer even more sweltering – in the very best way.

Samantha Kane’s captivating regency romance, TEMPTING THE DEVIL, is an erotic tale of secrets and temptation, and after reading it, you’ll be reaching for that fan for a whole ’nother reason! And we’re also incredibly excited about Mary Ann Rivers’s sexy debut contemporary romance novella, THE STORY GUY, where Wednesdays turn into a day of temptation and pleasure for a mild-mannered librarian who responds to the most intriguing personal ad.

We also have some classics that you won’t want to miss:

Sandra Chastain’s exceptional stories, SILVER BRACELETS and DANNY’S GIRL, Ruth Owen’s riveting AND BABIES MAKE FOUR, Jean Stone’s moving SINS OF INNOCENCE, Iris Johansen’s thrilling TIL THE END OF TIME, and Katie Rose’s irresistible A HINT OF MISCHIEF.

If you love romance … then you’re ready to be Loveswept!

Gina Wachtel

Associate Publisher

P.S. Watch for these terrific Loveswept titles coming soon: August heats up with three e-originals: Stacey Kennedy’s intoxicating CLAIMED, Elisabeth Barrett’s blazing SLOW SUMMER BURN, and Toni Aleo’s red-hot BLUE LINES, as well as Sandra Chastain’s stirring SURRENDER THE SHADOW, Katie Rose’s unforgettable COURTING TROUBLE, Adrienne Staff’s alluring CRESCENDO, Iris Johansen’s tantalizing YORK, THE RENEGADE and Ruth Owen’s ultra-sexy BODY HEAT. September arrives with more timeless stories for you – Three enticing stories from Sandra Chastain, THE JUDGE AND THE GYPSY, FIREBRAND, and THE LAST DANCE, beloved author Iris Johansen’s THE DELANEY’S OF KILLAROO, Fran Baker’s enchanting SEEING STARS, as well as two original stories: Lauren Layne’s seductive AFTER THE KISS, and Mira Lyn Kelly’s sexy and sweet TRUTH OR DARE. Don’t miss any of these extraordinary reads. I promise that you’ll fall in love and treasure these stories for years to come.…

Read on for an excerpt from Toni Aleo’s

Empty Net

Chapter 1

It figured that Audrey Parker would get dumped the day of her sister’s bachelorette party.

It was just her luck.

As Audrey stood outside of Wanna B’s bar with her cell phone to her ear, she couldn’t help but think how the day had started off so perfectly. She had spent the morning in bed with her boyfriend. Then she went for a day of pampering with her beautiful sister, Fallon, and all of Fallon’s friends. It was a wonderful afternoon and Audrey knew that tonight was going to be even better.

That was until the fireworks began.

Levi Moss was positively the most hardheaded, stubborn, gorgeous man Audrey had ever dated. He wasn’t much taller than her five-five frame, but that didn’t matter. He stood as if he were six feet tall, with large arms and an even larger neck. Levi wore his brown hair in a horrible buzz cut, which she didn’t care for, but his face more than made up for it. His eyes were bright green with flecks of gold. His face was sharply angled, with full lips, and she couldn’t help but smile when he did. She loved his smile, and since he only smiled at her every once in a while, it always took her breath away.

But even with his gorgeousness, he was a pain in her ass. She loved him. She did. But man, he bitched like a chick. If it wasn’t her cooking, it was her obsessive need to have everything clean. Just because he was a slob didn’t mean that she had to be. When he left stuff lying all over the place, it drove her crazy, but she loved him so much that she looked past it. She never complained and would clean up after him. Pathetic, she knew, but she loved him. Her sister and her sister’s soon-to-be husband, Lucas, had told her countless times to leave Levi, but she couldn’t lose the only man who ever really wanted her.

Looking around the outside of the bar, Audrey begged her tears to stay at bay as Levi screamed at her through the phone.

“You are probably out whoring yourself all over Broadway! It’s disgusting, but don’t worry, I won’t be here when you get home!”

Audrey rolled her eyes. “For one, I am not whoring myself all over the place, and second, weren’t you just out for Lucas’s bachelor party last night?”

“We didn’t do anything! We played hockey and drank beers while Lucas talked on the phone with Fallon all night!”

“And that’s my fault?”

“You didn’t cook dinner for me before you left and now you are out at some club, probably picking up guys,” he snapped.

Audrey pinched the bridge of her nose, “I am not picking up anyone. I am trying to enjoy my sister’s last weekend as a single woman. Everyone does this, and it doesn’t mean I’m gonna cheat.”

“I don’t care. We’re through. I’m done with you.”

Audrey shook her head as she looked up at the sky. How was he dumping her when, according to Levi, they weren’t really together, as he’d told her so many times before? The tears threatened to fall because she knew the real reason he was breaking up with her. He was messing around with someone else. Someone who apparently was better than her.

“If you leave, you aren’t coming back Levi, so make sure she is worth it,” she said as strong as she could.

Levi’s laughter made Audrey want to puke. “She is worth it,” he said. “She is way better than you’ll ever be, you fat whore.”

Then the line went dead.

Audrey’s hand fell to her side, her phone held loosely in it. She could have done without his exiting line, but she knew she’d brought it on herself. She should never have brought up the other girl. She had known about her for months. So why was she letting it bother her now? Levi was a wanderer, she’d known that when she started things with him. She also knew that in a couple weeks he would call her, apologizing, and she would be right back with him.

It was a vicious cycle.

Audrey knew it was wrong, and knew that if Fallon found out, her sister would probably kill her, but it didn’t stop her from taking the crap Levi handed out. He might be an ass and say the most awful things, but there were good times between them. Like when he would hold her in his arms and run his lips down her temple. Or the way he loved watching chick flicks with her. Or when he would trace hearts along her palm, or when she would come home and he would rub her feet.

She loved him. It was sad, but true.

Audrey shook her head sadly. She didn’t understand why she hadn’t met her Prince Charming. The man who would sweep her off her feet. The man who would love only her for the rest of their lives. The man who would think she was all that he needed. Audrey shook her head again and wiped away the stray tears that escaped as thoughts of never being able to find a man who would love only her ran through her head. She couldn’t think like that right now. There was no sense thinking about things she couldn’t change. She would be a ball of tears in no time if she did.

So she did what she did best.

Audrey stood tall in her Christian Louboutin black studded pumps and slid her hands down the tight black sparkly pencil skirt she had paired with a low-cut gray blouse. She couldn’t go inside looking as if Levi had just crushed her heart, not tonight. Tonight was Fallon’s night, and she generally had no difficulty hiding her distress.

She was the queen of hiding emotions. She had lots of practice.

She knew she looked hot tonight, and if Levi Moss didn’t want her, well, damn it, someone freaking did. She made her way back inside to the VIP area Lucas had rented for Fallon’s party. Audrey couldn’t help but be a little dreamy at the thought of her future brother-in-law. He was the perfect man and everything her sister could ever want. She only hoped that she would find a man even half as good as Lucas. He treated Fallon like a queen, was the best father imaginable to her son, Aiden, and he loved her, like a sister.

Yup. He was Prince Charming.

She had cheered for Fallon and Lucas since the day her sister told her about him, and would never forget meeting Lucas Brooks outside her family’s wine company. He looked like a lovesick fool, and she couldn’t help wanting to help him. Man, so much had changed since then. A small smile crossed Audrey’s face as she thought that within a week, Fallon and Lucas would be married. They had been through so much, and thank the sweet baby Jesus, Fallon finally got her head out of her ass and saw what was right in front of her.

The perfect man.

Sigh.

When Audrey’s eyes drifted over to where Elli Adler and Harper Titov sat, her envy grew. Elli and Harper were the epitome of happy women. Both were married to amazingly gorgeous, sweet hockey players … sigh … and both had perfect little children … another sigh. It wasn’t fair, they were like a club. An “I’m married to a sexy hockey player; have amazing children and life couldn’t be better, and oh! I look good while doing it all!” club.

It was sickening, really.

When she glanced over at Piper and Reese Allen, Harper’s twin sisters, she felt a little more in control. They looked as miserable as she felt, and that alone made her feel a tad bit better. She had heard about the twin sisters but hadn’t met them until recently. Reese was a gorgeous brunette with hair all the way down to her bottom. She had moss green eyes, full lips, and the sickest style imaginable. She actually looked more like her older sister, Harper, than her twin. Reese had just moved back from New York to open a dance studio in Nashville, and from what Audrey heard, she was good at getting what she wanted.

It was nice to meet Reese, but Audrey didn’t click with her the way she had with her twin sister. Piper was a hoot. When Audrey went to Tiffany’s to buy Fallon’s bridal gift, Piper was her sales clerk, and Audrey knew from that moment on that she would be her friend. Unlike Reese’s dark features, Piper’s were fair. Her hair was light brown and her eyes were an intense blue. She had the same full lips and a cute button nose as her sister, but hers were in a very petite package. Piper was shorter than Audrey, and that was saying something. But all in all she was a doll, and Audrey just adored her.

Piper glanced up and smiled as Audrey made her way to the spot beside Fallon. When she sat down, her sister at her, grinning as she held out a shot glass. “You’re behind!” she said. “Drink!”

Audrey obliged, not only because Fallon asked her to, but because she needed to forget her conversation with Levi. As the five women threw back shots, Elli sat on the side, watching.

Audrey felt bad as she smiled over at her. It had to be hard for Elli to watch a bunch of women drink when she couldn’t. But being the sweet person she was, Elli didn’t seem to mind.

“Please get your tubes tied after this one!” Audrey said as the alcohol burned down her throat. What the hell had Fallon given her?

Elli nodded. “Already planned. I’m done. No matter what Shea says.”

Harper hiccupped before giggling. “Whatever. He’ll knock her up a week before the procedure! He’s on a mission!”

The women laughed as Fallon shook her head. “So is Lucas,” she noted before taking another shot, then shook her head. “I’m pretty sure if he had his way, I’d be pregnant now, and thank God that didn’t happen! I wouldn’t be able to fit in my dress!”

The girls all nodded while Audrey shook her head. “It wouldn’t matter anyway, since you won’t pick a damn dress!” she retorted, and everyone laughed. “Thank God she’s narrowed it down to two. But still! The wedding is a week away!”

Fallon shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know what I want. I’m about to walk down that damn aisle in a raincoat! Lucas would love that!”

That had all the women laughing drunkenly, as Audrey watched Fallon blush. A smile tugged at Audrey’s lips, and even with all the jealousy eating away at her, she loved that her sister was so in love. It was good to see Fallon happy. Audrey had spent years watching her living day to day just to get by. Now she lived for a man who loved her more than he needed his next breath, and for a son who thought she hung the moon and the stars.

She was so lucky.

Audrey stood up, smiling down at Fallon, “Well if it’s a damn raincoat, please let it be white, while my dress is sparkly as all hell!” The women all cheered as she raised her glass in the air. “To the indecisive bride-to-be!”

“To the bride!” everyone chanted along before tapping their glasses together and drinking their shots. Audrey slammed her empty glass down before letting out a loud “Yeehaw!” that was returned by the many patrons at the bar. She grinned as she fell into the seat beside her beautiful sister. Fallon wrapped her arms around her neck, grinning happily back at her.

“I’ve missed you,” Fallon whispered in her ear. She was drunk, and Audrey had to giggle. She was close to drunk too; those last couple of shots were doozies.

“I’ve missed you too,” she whispered back.

“I’m nervous.”

Audrey smiled as she shook her head. “Don’t be. It’s gonna be fantastic.”

“But what if I pick the wrong dress and Lucas doesn’t marry me?”

Audrey sighed. Her sister was entirely too insecure for her own good.

“Never gonna happen. Lucas loves you something serious. Like you said, you could show up in a raincoat and he would be happy.”

Fallon nodded, then leaned her head against Audrey’s, looking deep into her eyes.

“You’re the best sister ever.”

The tears came fast, filling Audrey’s eyes as she looked into her sister’s caramel-colored ones. Fallon was the most beautiful woman she had ever known. She deserved the world, and Audrey knew that Lucas would give it to her. But now wasn’t the time to cry, even if they were happy tears. Audrey leaned over, kissing Fallon on the cheek before breaking their embrace to scream, “Let’s dance!”

As Audrey made her way to the bar from the dance floor, she had to admit the night was a huge success. And she hadn’t even thought of Levi once. She was too busy having a blast with her sister and their friends. With the music pulsing around her, she leaned against the bar and ordered another round of drinks. As she waited, the pain unexpectedly began to rip through her. Even though she hadn’t been thinking of Levi while with her friends, he was now heavy on her mind. She dreaded going home, knowing that when she got back to her condo he wouldn’t be there. It made her want to die inside. No matter how much alcohol she drank, or how much fun she had, it would end tonight, and by tomorrow she would be all by herself once again.

“Someone as beautiful as you shouldn’t be sad.”

Audrey looked over and then up, locking with a pair of ocean blue eyes. She blinked as she took in the hotness that stood beside her.

Wow.

A strong, square chin was covered in blond stubble, his nose had a pronounced bump, his top lip thin, while the bottom lip jutted out a little, just begging to be bitten. His hair was in a messy, tousled cut, and reminded her of the sparkling vampire she often fantasized about, and While “Flightless Bird” by Iron & Wine instantly played in her mind, her eyes drifted down his neck to his broad shoulders. She could see he was strong, but not overly muscular. What he was—was perfect. Her eyes met his again and she couldn’t breathe. He oozed sex. She couldn’t believe how quickly she got turned on just by looking at him.

She breathed in and out a few times before croaking, “Excuse me?”

She watched as his lips moved. “I was wondering why someone so beautiful, looked so sad,” he said.

Audrey’s eyes left his mouth, to gaze into his eyes. “I’m not sad,” she lied.

“Yes, I think you are.”

He had an accent.

Sexy.

“I’m fine. My sister is getting married, that’s probably why I look sad.”

He shook his head, “Isn’t a wedding a good thing?”

She smiled again. “Of course it is, but I’m losing my sister.”

He nodded. “Yes, but you are gaining a brother.”

Her smile grew as she gazed up at him. He was tall, really tall. She had always been with little guys, since she was so short herself, but at that moment she liked being with the giant who stood in front of her. “I think you’re right,” she said.

He chuckled, a deep throaty sound that made Audrey’s stomach flutter. Oh, he was sexy. “I am always right.”

She giggled at his cockiness. It was totally something Lucas would say, and thinking of him made her smile. “Is that right?”

“Yes. I’ve been watching you, and I’m glad I came over to talk, because honestly, you are the most gorgeous woman I have ever seen.”

Oh, wow.

Tate Odder was nervous.

He wasn’t lying to the beautiful brunette when he said he had been watching her. He was sitting at the bar when she walked in with her phone at her side, looking so gorgeous it took his breath away. There was something about her that had him begging to know her name. He’d spent the last hour or so watching her with her friends. He recognized the team’s owner, Eleanor Adler, and assumed that one of them was Fallon, the soon-to-be wife of his good friend Lucas Brooks, but he wasn’t sure which one. Not that he cared. He had eyes only for the curvy brunette and had to figure out a way to approach her. He was not one of those guys who would mess with another man’s woman, but from where he’d been sitting, he saw that her ring finger was bare.

Since coming to Nashville eight months ago, he still hadn’t adjusted to dating in the Music City. There was something different about the girls here than in his Swedish homeland. Maybe it was their accents, or his, but he always felt like an idiot. No matter how much Lucas coached him on the art of picking up women, Tate couldn’t do it. He was worried they would make fun of his accent or the gap between his teeth.

He was just becoming popular in the National Hockey League. Even though he was ranked fifth in the NHL in goalie saves, he still wasn’t confident enough to walk up to a woman.

But that was about to change.

When the beauty walked to the bar alone, he’d channeled his inner Lucas and made his way toward her.

Tate couldn’t help but notice how sad she looked. She was petite, but he loved that. After dating nothing but tall Swedish women, he was ready for a change. He liked that she wasn’t bone thin either, and that she had hips and a nice round ass. When his eyes fell on her large breasts, he was in heaven. There was something about big breasts that did it for him. Call it cliché, but he loved big breasted women.

As his eyes met her heavy lidded, bright brown ones, he couldn’t help but smile. They sparkled as a bright crossed her luscious glossy lips. “Watching me, huh?” she said now.

There was something uncommonly beautiful about her. Maybe it was the shape of her face. Maybe it was her big beautiful eyes. Or maybe it was the absolute perfection of her breasts. What it was, he didn’t know. All he knew was that he wanted her.

Now.

Nothing was said as the two stood gazing into each other’s eyes. When Tate asked Lucas to help him pick up women, he thought Lucas’s advice was going to make it easier for him. He was completely wrong. He had spent the last four months listening to every pickup line his friend gave him, but now he couldn’t think of even one. All he could do was stare into the depths of her brown eyes. They were mesmerizing.

“You’re beautiful,” he finally said.

She bit into her bottom lip, and Tate’s grip on the bar tightened. “Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me. I should be thanking you for gracing this world.”

Good one, he thought as a blush dusted the beauty’s cheeks.

“Oooh, that was smooth,” she whispered. She lightly brushed her hand against his, and Tate was convinced his hand was on fire. She must have felt it too, because she gasped, moving her hand away quickly before looking up at him.

“I have to tell you,” she said with a shy grin, “it’s usually not this easy.”

He looked down at her. “Easy how?”

“This easy to pick me up. I usually make guys work for it.”

He grinned, and her smile widened, “So you want me too?”

She moved closer, her eyes dark with lust as she said, “I do, but I don’t even know your name, though you do look kinda familiar …”

“Do you want to know my name?” he asked with a cocky grin. It was another line out of Lucas’s book, and Tate couldn’t believe he remembered it. He was drunk and horny, not a good combination when trying to pick up a woman. Especially one as gorgeous as this one.

He expected her to nod, so when she shook it, stepping closer to him, he mentally prayed he was ready for what she was about to say. Things were so much different in the States than in Sweden. Back home all he would have to do is nod at a female and she would be on him quicker than he could blink. He was a hockey god there. But not here. He wasn’t used to feeling like he wasn’t good enough or that he couldn’t succeed, and hated it. He knew his confidence would be broken if she told him to fuck off, so he took a deep breath as she went toe-to-toe with him, her head only reaching to his chest before she looked up.

“All I want to know is when you can leave,” she said. “I have a room not even a mile from here.”

A slow grin spread across Tate’s face as his hands came to rest on her hips. She inhaled sharply and brought her bottom lip between her teeth as she gazed up into his eyes. He had never felt such a connection with a woman before. He wanted to push her up against the bar and have his way with her right there.

Fast. And hard.

He had never in his twenty-one years felt the need to completely devour a woman, but he did now. And if they didn’t leave fast, he was going to lose all control.

He didn’t hesitate, or even think for that matter. “Let’s go.”

As they walked through the crowded bar together, hands locked, Tate couldn’t help but thank God for Lucas Brooks.

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