Page 28 of Daring the Hockey Player

She's just a friend.

A very beautiful friend.

Who's a girl.

I can keep it in my pants.

I don't have another choice, and banging it out with some other random chick isn't going to settle that problem because I'm slightly worried that I might moan her name or, at the very least, think about her.

Yeah, I've got it bad for Amber Ryan.

I have to figure out how to get over her. In the past, with girls who chased me, I'd give the cold shoulder to them and make it clear that I wasn't interested. But I don't want to hurt Amber or be a complete dick to her. She deserves better than that.

I grab a coffee on the way into practice, and as I'm heading inside, the cup of morning brew in my hand, my phone buzzes.

Amber sent me a text.

I should not feel this giddy or overzealous at receiving a text from some girl. But she’s not justsomegirl. It’s Amber Ryan.

No wonder my brother proposed the idea of a fake relationship with Emerson. I swear, there's something in the Ryan genetics that make the girls irresistible.

Not that I can tell Kyler.

I go to open the text, but my brother strolls up right behind me. "That better be decaf," he says, nodding toward my cup.

"Fuck, it was a late night. I need all the help I can get this morning."

"Whatever gets you through the day. But you are coming to my place later. Right?" Kyler asks. "I'm planning on doing the proposal, and I want you and her sister there to celebrate."

"Proposing again?" I chuckle, teasing my older brother. "Only you would have to propose twice after forcing her to say yes to you on the ice."

Kyler grits his teeth. "I didn't force her to do anything. And would you keep it down?" he growls at me. "No one else knows about the fake relationship shit. Not that it should matter. We are one hundred percent real now."

"Sure. Sure," I say and nod, patting him on the back. "Does your daughter know?"

"My little Bristol knows everything, and do you know what she told the hockey wives? That Emerson was faking it with me!" Kyler's face is red, and I can't keep from laughing.

"Why the hell were you telling your kid that shit?"

Kyler's jaw is tight, and his hands are balled into fists. He'd better not slug me during practice before we even get our gear on. "I didn't tell Bristolthat. I explained our fake relationship to her."

"Why?" I ask, staring at my older brother. For a man with a family, who appears to have it all, he doesn't seem to have his shit together.

"Fuck you," Kyler says and grumbles, heading into the locker room.

My fingers itch to read her text message, but I can't. I shove my belongings into my wooden locker and change into workout clothes.

Kyler is beside me as we head into the weight room.

Silence seems to be our friend.

The other guys are bench pressing, and Kyler won't continue the conversation around them regarding Emerson. And I'm not about to bring up Amber.

I let it go. I don't need Kyler or Amber getting into my head while working out. There's too much at stake. My focus needs to be on hockey. We've got drills to run later, and I don't want to be distracted.

"Everything work out last night with that girl?" Owen asks. He's being elusive about Amber, since Kyler is in the room.

I work on some leg presses while the benches for lifting are currently full. Circuit training helps endurance during the game, although I prefer weights. But Coach makes us work on everything.