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“It was two guys.” I said. “Not at the same time or anything. Two different guys from my Dad’s team. One when I was 18 the summer before college and another my freshman year of college when I was interning with his team on a break.”

“I fucking hate both of them,” Luke said softly. “I hate any man who’s been with you.”

“Well, it’s just the two, so … small list.” I tried to laugh, but it died in my throat. My palms were sweating and my cheeks were flaming. No one but Sadie knew my sexual past – or lack thereof.

“If I could touch you, I’d kiss your neck,” Luke said. “All the way down to your shoulders and up to your ears and then to your chest. Slow and easy. There’s nothing I want as bad as I want to make you feel good right now.”

I glanced at him and smiled. “You have a rather kissable neck yourself.”

We looked at each other for a couple lingering seconds. Was he weighing the risks, like I was? He wouldn’t be with our team long-term, and I wanted to be as close to him as I could while I had the chance.

The alarm on my phone sounded, breaking the spell. I reached for my purse and dug out the phone, turning it off. It meant I had five minutes to get out of here, because the security guy would be doing checks in fifteen minutes and we couldn’t be caught alone in here.

“Better go,” I said, my knees feeling shaky when I stood. “But you haven’t told me what reward you’d like.”

He stood too, leaning his back against a locker. “I want to watch you take a shower.”

My gasp was the only sound in the room. “Watch …? You want …?” I closed my mouth to gather myself so I could form a complete sentence.

“Yes. Some night after we finish working, I want to lock up the locker room and watch you take a shower.”

I let out a flustered breath. Just the thought made my pussy clench. Of all the damned times for me to be in a hurry. I wanted to negotiate a deal involving dimmed lights and him watching from at least 50 feet away. My body wasn’t perfect.

“We could do that,” I said, surprising myself. His wide smile made my knees start weakening again. “But it’ll require you to score twice.”

“Done.”

“In one game.”

“Of course. The sooner the better.”

“Will you … shower too? On the other side of the shower room, maybe?” The thought of being naked while he was fully clothed was unnerving.

He shook his head. “I just want to watch you. You can watch me sometime, too.”

I nodded and slung my bag over my shoulder. “Promise you’d never tell anyone.”

“I swear, Dell. I’m not an asshole.”

“I have to go.” I hurried away, looking forward to the cold night air waiting for me. I was hot all over.

“Text me when you get to your car,” Luke said. I nodded and pushed the locker room door open. My mind swam with sensations as I walked. His warm, low voice, his words and the brush of his breath on my cheek were still with me.

Would I have the courage to shower while he watched? I didn’t have the slightest idea how to shower sexy. I’d have to figure that out, because something told me he didn’t want to watch me deep condition my hair and exfoliate my face.

Was it Luke or the fact that we were playing with fire that had me tied up in knots of nervous excitement? I wasn’t sure. The only thing I knew right now was that no one would be pulling harder for him to score in our next game than me.

Luke

I shifted my weight from one side to the other as I watched Todd Landis standing around with Dell and some players. He was the team doctor, but no one was hurt, and I couldn’t figure out what the fuck he was doing at our practice.

He said something and Dell laughed. When he put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close, looking like he was about to kiss the top of her head, I tossed my stick aside and did a lap. Fucker. The touching rules should sure as hell apply to him, too.

Tanner blew his whistle and I hoped Landis would take that as his cue to leave. Dell called me over and I skated her way with a questioning look, all too glad to break up the private party. With no one else in earshot, who knew what the hell he was saying to her?

“Have you met Todd Landis, our doctor?”

“Hey man, good to meet you,” I said, shaking his hand. He was maybe six feet tall, with dark hair and a lean build. Nothing special, other than the doctor thing.

“Dell tells me your knee’s doing well. Want me to take a look at you after practice?”

What I wanted was for him to stop standing so close to Dell that their hips touched. “No, thanks. I’ve got a team of doctors back home who are on it.”

“Sure.” He looked down at Dell. “I’ll hang out with you and watch practice if you don’t mind.”

I turned to skate away, but the asshole in me spun back around toward them.

“Hey, are you two involved or something?” I asked. Dell gaped at me with disbelief and Landis laughed.

“No,” she said quickly, folding her arms over her chest and giving me a look.

“Why, do you see chemistry between us?” Landis asked, sliding an arm around Dell’s waist. Fucking prick.

I laughed at his question. “No, I just figured no decent guy would put his hands all over a woman like that unless she was his girlfriend.”

Landis’ face darkened and he edged away from Dell slightly. “I know you boys are pretty protective of your trainer,” he said, pretending to sound amused.

“I haven’t been a boy for ten years.”

“Yeah, but you hockey players like to flex your muscle. I get it. That’s your thing.” His condescending insinuation that I was all brawn pissed me off even more.

“Don’t most doctors who are worth a shit have patients to see at ten o’clock on a weekday?”

“Luke—” Dell interjected.

“I don’t keep office hours on Tuesdays,” Landis said. “I’m not sure how we got off on the wrong foot, Luke, but I work for the team and Dell and I are … close.”

Dell gave him a confused look. “How are we close?”

“We work closely,” he said.

“Just keep your dick in your pants and your hands to yourself and we’ll get along fine,” I said.

The guys were lining up to start practice and I skated away to join them. Guys like Todd Landis, who copped cheap feels, pissed me off. I’d never touched a woman who didn’t clearly want me to, and I’d never paw one in a work environment.

“What’s up, man?” Niko asked. “You look like you’re about to throw down.”

I looked back over at the bench, where Dell leaned against the wall, gazing out over the ice. Landis was about a foot away from her now. Better, but I still wanted him to fucking leave.

“What’s with Dr. Hands?” I asked.

Niko smiled. “You mean Dell? He’s got a thing for her.”

“Does she have a thing back?”

“I don’t think so. Dell’s not really into anyone.”

“He shouldn’t play grab ass with her, then.”

“Don’t worry, man, Dell can take care of herself. She made Patterson cry one time when he was being a pussy about his rehab. Told him to sack up or ship out.”

“I’m not gonna stand by while some obnoxious doctor tries to get in her pants.”

Niko was silent and when I turned to him, his brows were arched and he was grinning. “You’ve got a thing for her, don’t you?”

I gave him an agitated glare. “It’s your fucking turn, asshole.”

He shook his head and skated off, muttering, “Be careful.”

It was a little late for that.

Dell

I’d never been so excited about a road trip. Usually, I was down about them because I hated being away from Kyler for two or three days at a time. But Sadie was taking him to her family’s farm in Wisconsin for the weekend, and he’d been bursting with excitement when he’d left this morning. Sadie’s father always let him help feed and brush the horses, and it was one of his favorite places to go.

It wasn’t just Kyler’s happiness that had me wound with excitement, though. Tonight’s game would decide whether I’d be showering for Luke. I was crazy excited over him wanting me to and crazy nervous over the idea of possibly doing it.

The team’s travel bus rolled past snow-covered fields and I pulled out my e-reader. I stared at the screen without turning it on, knowing I wouldn’t be able to focus on reading right now. For five years, I’d been content to be a mommy and a surrogate sister to all the guys on the team. But Luke was stirring something in me that had been asleep for a very long time. I felt desirable, and I loved it.

My mind was replaying my last conversation with him when my phone buzzed with a text. I looked down at a message from him on my screen.

Luke Hudson:
You’re smiling. Thinking about me?

Me:
Nope, smiling about something in a book.

Luke Hudson:
What r u reading? Something naughty?

Me:
No comment.

Luke Hudson:
I knew it.

Me:
Knew what?

Luke Hudson:
U have a dirty side, Miss Price.

Me:
Doesn’t count if it’s fictional.

Luke Hudson:
Doesn’t have to be fictional.

I read the words and hunched lower in my seat to be sure he couldn’t see my flushed cheeks.

Luke Hudson:
r u blushing, Dell?

Me:
No, just trying to get comfy.

Luke Hudson:
You’re gorgeous when u blush. I like it.

Me:
Well, I’m not an experienced sexter like you, so …

Luke Hudson:
This isn’t sexting, baby, but we can if u want.

Me:
No, I’d prob have to go on your waiting list.

Luke Hudson:
There’s no list. U know what I do with my time.

Me:
I’d be the worst sexter ever. Trust me. I’d make you laugh.

Luke Hudson:
I’m getting hard just thinking about it.

Me:
About sexting, or sexting with me?

Luke Hudson:
U in general.

I set the phone on my chest and pressed my thighs together. Damned if I wasn’t hot right now. Really hot. Knowing he was just a few rows behind me, and that no one around us knew what was going on, made me want sex like I hadn’t in a long time. Not just any sex, though. Sex with him.

Me:
Promise you won’t show this convo to the other guys.

Luke Hudson:
I’m not like that. I promise. I’d never want anyone else to see this.

Me:
Because you’re embarrassed?

Luke Hudson:
No, because it’s private.

Me:
So teach me. Say something sexy.

Luke Hudson:
I dreamed about kissing u last night.

Me:
Really? Just a kiss?

Luke Hudson:
Just a kiss. But a good one. I made u moan.

Me:
From a kiss?

Luke Hudson:
Oh yeah. Do you want me to kiss you?

Me:
Yes.

Luke Hudson:
What else?

Me:
I don’t know.

Luke Hudson:
Come on, D. Relax. U can trust me.

Me:
No, I really don’t know. I don’t mess around with guys. A quickie got me pregnant.

Luke Hudson:
I could never have a quickie with u.

Me:
Bet u say that to all the girls.

Luke Hudson:
Don’t do that.

Me:
What?

Luke Hudson:
When I open up to u, don’t make a joke out of it. I haven’t slept with anyone in three months. Or texted or anything else. So don’t.

Me:
I’m sorry.

Luke Hudson:
Never doubt that u can hold my attention. It’s yours.

The bus slowed to a stop and I looked out the window. We were at a gas station. Which meant that I’d have to see Luke face to face if he got off the bus. My cheeks warmed at the thought.

I buried my face in my e-reader as some of the guys filed past. Luke was one of them, stretching his long arms up to touch the ceiling of the bus. He was as cool as I was nervous, not even glancing my way. I started reading my book and forced myself not to pay attention to anyone walking past me when they re-boarded.

This was a dangerous game we were playing. Not as much for Luke, because he had tremendous influence. If Tanner tried to toss Luke from the team,
he’d
be the one who got fired.

But I wasn’t so fortunate. I could lose my job for messing with a player, and I was pretty sure that I was officially messing, whether we’d touched or not. This had to stay between me and Luke.

My phone screen lit up with a new message and my heart skipped a beat.

Luke Hudson:
Wanna share my ding-dong?

Me:
Um, share it? Are you asking about a threesome?

Luke Hudson:
lol, no. I bought a ding-dong in the gas station and I’m asking if u want half.

Me:
OMG. Please just leave me in peace to crawl under my seat and die.

Luke Hudson:
Don’t want to disappoint, but no threesomes. I wouldn’t want to share u.

Me:
We can’t even have a twosome. I can’t afford to lose my job.

Luke Hudson:
I know. Haven’t touched u, have I?

Me:
No.

Luke Hudson:
But it’s hard.

Me:
You mean not touching me is hard, or …

Luke Hudson:
Both.

Imagining him hard and wanting me was a heady power trip. Was it possible he was as affected by me as I was by him? The idea that I could torture him not only turned me on but made me bold. I swallowed, gathering my courage, and sent a text I’d never imagined I could.

Me:
I want to taste you.

Luke Hudson:
Yeah? If I could kiss u without touching u, I’d have done it a long time ago.

Me:
No, I mean I want to taste … your cock. I’ve never tasted one.

Luke Hudson:
ur killing me. I’m about to bust the zipper out of my jeans here. Never?

Me:
No. Never did, never wanted to. But I want to with you.

Luke Hudson:
Shit, baby. ur making me crazy. I want it with u too. U have no idea.

Our goalie, Scroggins, approached and flopped into the seat next to me.

“I’m bored,” he said. “Wanna play cards?”