Page 98 of Brooklynaire

Goosebumps rise up all over my body, and I instinctively turn my head to give him better access. “Mr. Kattenberger,” I whisper. “This is hardly the time orplace.”

“I know,” he mumbles between kisses. “That makes it extra fun.” He palms my ass through my dress and it’s difficult to argue the point. “Come to my suite tonight after the game.” It’s a demand, not a question, and my nipples firm up at the sound of his voice.Whew.

Taking his chin in both hands, I remove his lips from my quivering body and hold his questing mouth at a safe distance. He blinks at me from close range, those light brown eyes warm and happy. “Down, boy,” Iorder.

Nate sticks out his tongue and pants like a puppy. “I’m two seconds away from humping your leg. It’s been three days since I saw you last, MissRowley.”

“You meansaw me naked,” Iwhisper.

He shakes his head, which isn’t easy, since I’m still holding onto it. “You keep saying that. And I do enjoy your nakedness. But I miss you, and you won’t text withme.”

“That’s because Heidi Jo takes my phone away from me whenever she thinks I’ve had too much screen time. Do you want her reading your dirty palindromes, or whatever it is you want to textme?”

He grins. “Dirty palindromes. I could work withthat.”

I hear footsteps in the adjacent hallway. Nate hears them, too, because we step away from each other. He pulls out his phone as Jimbo from operations walks into view. “Becca, the caterers are pulling up outside. Hold the door open forus?”

“Sure,” I saybrightly.

Nate tucks his phone away again. “Will you bring me those documents after the game?” Nate asksme.

I actually roll my eyes.So subtle, Mr. Kattenberger. But I’m not going to his room tonight. I don’t want to get caught. And since it’s shark week, I’d only end up disappointing him. “You’ll probably have to wait until tomorrow for that paperwork,” I insist. “Enjoy gamenight.”

“I’ll try,” he says with a sigh. “Later.”

The word is casual, but he gives me a hot look over his shoulder as he walksaway.

I help Jimbo bring in the players’ food on carts, since the caterer doesn’t have security access. Most of the players won’t eat much, because game time is only two hours away. But we’ve ordered light refreshments and every kind of beverage. We need our guys fed, happy, and ready to mow downMotown.

In Brooklyn I don’t carry people’s meals around. But on the road, there’s no room for pulling rank. Even the General Manager of the team will carry hockey gear with the transport team if time istight.

The camaraderie is one of the best things about my job. The Bruisers are an awesome organization, and I never want to work anywhereelse.

“Thanks for your help, Bec!” Jimbo says when we reach the little dungeon the home team has assigned for our players’ lounge. “Come grab asandwich?”

“I’m good,” I say. “Gotta work out a couple of box office snafus.” There’s always some important person in a snit overtickets.

When the elevator doors open for me, I find Heidi Jo about to step out. “There you are!” she crows. “I brought yousomething.”

“You did?” She beckons me into the elevator, and I push the button for the streetlevel.

“Here.” She pulls a CVS bag out of her giant purse. There are three things inside: a small box of tampons, which I’d mentioned needing. A stretchy ankle brace and a pair of black tights. “I thought the brace wouldn’t show if you had on darkstockings.”

I look down at my outfit—a black dress with a waistband in Bruisers purple—and see that it would totally work. “Thankyou.”Damn it, Heidi Jo!I’m starting to actually likeher.

“It’s no big deal. How is Mr. Kattenbergertoday?”

“Fine, I guess. Can’t imagine what it feels like watching many millions of your dollars on the line as you try to make it into the finalround.”

“I’ll bet it’s not about the money,” my intern muses. “He just wants towin.”

“Hmm.” The elevator rises slowly while I think that over. I think about money all the time, because I never have quite enough of it. Nate has more money than all but a handful of men in the world. But I’ve always assumed he thinks a lot about it, too. That’s how he got so much in the firstplace.

Not caring about money. Is that even possible? I wouldn’t know where tostart.

* * *

That nightI forget about money and everything else for ninety draining minutes while our boys do what needs doing—they win game seven fair and square. Scoring two goals late in the first period, they go on to dominate the wholegame.