Page 49 of Daring the Hockey Player

It takes a while for me to get to Kyler's house, mostly because the trains don't run on time. But when I finally get to his place, the sky has grown cloudy and dark. It feels like rain, which seems fitting.

I'm granted entrance inside the main gates. I have the access code and walk up the driveway to the front doors.

What am I going to say?

What if Emerson doesn't know?

I knock at the front door, and while I have a key, I don't feel right just stepping inside uninvited.

Kyler opens the door, glancing me over, frowning. He looks about as tired as I feel.

"Did you hear about the fire at NYU?" I ask, unsure how to broach the subject with Kyler. Starting off the story with your new sister-in-law—or rather sister-in-law to be—might be dead, is a bit drastic.

Kyler sighs and nods. "Yeah, we found out about it. Amber's still asleep upstairs." He points toward the staircase.

"She's here?" The air seems to rush out of my lungs, and I'm momentarily lightheaded, even dizzy.

"She called her sister last night, and when she didn't answer, she rang me to let us know what happened. She grabbed a cab and stayed over. She and Em are going clothes and shoe shopping when she wakes up." He glances at his watch and shrugs. "I imagine she'll be up in a little bit."

"I'm relieved," I say and try and screw my head back on because Kyler is looking at me strangely.

"Yeah, we all are. Do you still have that spare room?" my brother asks.

I nod. It's got a ton of crap in it, but the bedroom itself didn't just disappear. "Yeah, why?"

"Em and I are engaged. We're in this perfect little bubble, and I'm concerned that bringing her sister in to live with us might—"

"Might burst your bubble?" I laugh and fold my arms across my chest. I can see where he's coming from. He's just finally established the relationship between himself and Emerson. Adding another person into the living situation could certainly affect the dynamics.

"Amber is great. I was thinking you talked about having a roommate, and since you're hardly ever at your place between games and practice, you might consider inviting her to move in with you."

"Hard pass," I say. "Besides, isn't there other campus housing she can rent?"

Kyler shrugs. "I don't know. I'm grabbing a coffee. Do you want one?" he asks, heading for the kitchen.

"I'm good. I'll be a minute," I say and quietly head up the stairs. If Amber is still asleep, then she hasn't seen the frantic texts and phone calls that I sent her. And she doesn't ever need to see them.

I know my brother's house fairly well, which room is his, his daughter's, and even where the nanny occasionally sleeps. There are still several guest rooms at the end of the hallway, and I take a gamble, quietly pushing the door open.

The lights are off, the curtains shut, and Amber is snoring softly on the bed, her head on the pillow, her hair fanned out beside her.

I try not to stare, but it's hard not to watch her sleep. She's beautiful.

I glance around the darkened room and spot her phone beside the bed. Of course, she put it near the bed. I am as quiet as possible, tiptoeing toward her and reaching for her phone.

She mumbles in her sleep and rolls from her back onto her side, facing me.

Waiting to make sure that she doesn't open her eyes, I give it a few seconds before unplugging her phone and glancing at the screen. It's locked.

I turn it toward her face, trying to use face ID, when it lights up like the sun shining on her face.

Her eyes open, and I yank the phone down, not even glancing to see if it worked.

"Jasper?" Her brow pinches, and she rubs the sleep from her eyes. She pulls the blanket tighter around herself. "What are you doing in my bedroom?"

THIRTEEN

AMBER